Sometimes You Can Feel A Place

 

The winding roads through the mountains and into Amherst County gave me the time to reflect on both all that we have seen thus far in our trip and also prepare for our next experience at the Monacan Indian Museum. I had called the museum during our drive through Lynchburg earlier in the morning so they knew that we were on our way… the most recent, as it turns out when looking at the sign in log, of a long list of family members that made the drive over the past week. Driving up to the small collection of buildings on Bear Mountain I could feel the connection with the place and the people there… it really is an indescribable feeling.

We were greeted warmly upon our arrival and after paying the modest admission fee we were shown to the next room where we watched a brief video about the history of our people. Given her recent passing, hearing Chief Sharon Bryant’s voice was both soothing knowing that her legacy lives on and also heartbreaking knowing all that she would have been able to accomplish if given more time. For those of you who have yet to view the video I have included it below and I encourage you to watch.

Upon the conclusion of the movie, we all got up and walked into the next room to learn as much as we could during our visit. Holding my son as I walked in, I was motivated even more to find the documents and information needed to become a member of the Monacan Nation. While looking around I was able to find a few more pieces of information for my research and I was able to speak with the woman who originally greeted us about what needed to be done (again, more about that later). Here are some of the pictured some the small but significant museum.
 

 

 

Even though the museum only consisted of three rooms we spent well over an hour looking around, talking, and learning about this part of our family history and heritage. After making sure it was okay to walk around and take pictures, we went next door to the Indian Mission School.
 

Given the years that it was used there is a good possibility that there were a few ancestors that received their education within those walls. It is amazing to think that the school was used until the 1960’s.
 

From within that small school house, one can look out the window and see the Episcopal Church just across a small creek.
 

A central part of the community, we walked over to the church to take a closer look…
 

…and when we turned the corner and approached the front entrance, a kaleidoscope of butterflies floated across the bridge laced clearing between the buildings…

 

…and converged on the flowering bushed in front of us.

 

As we walked away, the butterflies scattered into the wind. I am not usually one to think along these lines but I felt at that moment that was the way our ancestors were welcoming us back. It didn’t look or feel as though it was just a coincidence.  

Feeling both drained and energized, we got back in the car and drove up the road to another place I had only seen in pictures. Thankfully, we noticed the small sign along the side of the road and just a few minutes later I found myself standing in front of the final resting place for many of my ancestors. Within the lines of the single headstone at the front of the cemetery, many of my family surnames can be found… Redcross, Terry, Beverly, and Johns.

 

Behind this headstone are the graves marked with anonymous stones. All recognized as individuals but buried as a people.

 

It was the most moving part of the journey and gave me a lot to think about as we drove back through the mountains. Hopefully the next time I am able to visit will be as a member of the tribe and not just as a visitor.

Sunday Search: Our Towns

With the reunion having concluded yesterday, we filled Sunday with a variety of stops and places that I wanted to see during our extended vacation in Virginia. We filled much of our morning with a few trips to some local cemeteries but that is a post for another day. This post is about where our family lived both in the early part of the 20^th and latter part of the 19^th century.

Before moving up to Pennsylvania, my grandfather was born and raised in Eagle Rock, Virginia. This is where all of my great aunts and uncles were born as well. I guess you could say that it all started at the Eagle Rock Baptist Church where my great grandparents, Harry Teaford and Nettie Love, were married in 1917. For the first time, I was able to see the church thanks to my great uncle serving as our tour guide for the morning.

Of course, before we received this guidance, we were left on our own to explore the small town. While it is clear that it was once a nice little mountain community, the town seems to have never recovered from the depression that drove my family north.

While the train station still looks like it is in good working order…

…the car dealership has obviously be lacking that new leather smell for some time.

This is obviously not a touristy type stop but it where we come from and it is the first time that I have been able to walk the streets and probably the first time that my father had been there in about 50 years. While pictures and documents make up much of work in genealogy, places are also an important part of the process. Walking the same streets and seeing the surrounding mountains gave me a much better understanding of the generations of my family that called this small town home.

Later in the day we met up with a cousin in Fincastle (as well as my aunt and uncle who also joined us for the afternoon). Surprisingly, we were the only ones that took her up on her offer yesterday for a tour of the capital of Botetourt County. Many of our family documents can be found in this building so I was looking forward to finding out a little more about the town itself. We all convened at the local museum and proceeded to walk the town as the humidity continued to rise.

Just in front of the museum was the county courthouse…

…which served as the gateway to the west when this now modest county extended far beyond its current boundaries and deep into the Midwest. It is because of this distinction that the courthouse is recognized for its place in the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

From the courthouse we walked up and down the main and back streets of Fincastle…

…passing numerous historic sites and old houses…

…and quite a few churches including the one below which dates back to before the Revolutionary War.

The town tour ended where it began and our generous host concluded the afternoon with a walk through the museum. Of course, the path around the building lead us directly to the research room where we couldn’t help but pour through a few of the volumes stacked on the shelves. While we didn’t uncover much, it was nice to be back in the stacks sifting through all of the names. And, obviously, it was once again nice to have my feet on the same soil and stones that were once walked by many in my family decades ago.

Quarter For Your Thoughts

I hate missing work. The days that I am not in the office I usually find myself thinking about what needs to be done, what I could be doing, and what way I could improve existing plans, content, or schedules. However, there are days every now and again when I find myself out of the office and just experiencing life. There are work related thoughts that pass through but they are, for the most part, contained from all that is around me and all that I am seeing, hearing, and simply being.

I got up this morning at my usual time but instead of rushing out of bed, I took a more leisurely pace getting ready for the day. After taking care of a few pressing matters on the computer, I put on my tie, threw on my sport coat, and made my way to the front of the apartment building to wait for my ride into the city.

While I was originally planning on taking the train in by myself, after a brief discussion with the outgoing lodge secretary last night we decided to carpool. It was a very pleasant ride into Philadelphia and it was good to spend some time with my fellow brother outside of the lodge simply catching up on other matters mostly unrelated to the weekly tasks we handle in the office. Having made excellent time we walked into the lobby of the grand lodge about 30 minutes before the Quarterly Communication was to begin.

While we were plenty early for the meeting, we were still too late to get a seat right away so we got a different perspective on the recession into Corinthian Hall. Sometimes being part of the last group to be seated has its benefits as we found ourselves sitting two rows back in the front of the hall. With everyone seated the meeting officially began and all the business and ritual was addressed in due order. This being the first meeting of its kind that either one of us had attended it was a morning of simply soaking things in as the Grand Master conducted both an inspirational and heartfelt meeting for this would be the last meeting that he would oversee as a new Grand Master will start his term at the end of the month.

Once the meeting had ended, the thoughts of work began to become more prominent but not enough to keep us from enjoying the fellowship over lunch in the dining room. And, of course, following an excellent meal surrounded by an impressive collection of brothers we made very quick stops by the museum and a dangerous detour into the store (it always turns out to be more than just the pin I went in there to pick up). At that point, our masonic day was done and we began making our way back into the suburbs.

While I originally planned on taking the entire day off, that wasn’t going to happen so as soon as I got back into the apartment I resumed what I was doing when I stepped out this morning. Such is the balance between my passion for freemasonry and my passion for my job. And, honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Time To Get Out Of The Kitchen

Sometimes the most interesting things you come across in a museum are not what you see but what you read. The titles and descriptions that summarize exhibits say a lot about both the period being presented and the time when the exhibit/museum was constructed or overhauled. This was the case last weekend when my wife and I visited the State Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

As we turned the corner we came across various household items demonstrating the progression of technology and convenience that the industrial revolution brought about at first and what electricity accelerated. It was quite an interesting exhibit with many items that we had seen and some that we were experiencing for the first time. However, what struck us as a little outdated was the title, in big bold capital letters, at the top of one of the dividers:

“MACHINES BEGIN TO FREE THE HOUSEWIFE’S TIME”

Of all the items in the museum, this simple slogan seemed to be the mostly antiquated as it said nothing to elaborate upon the overall convenience that technology has brought into homes for the entire family. It was indeed gender specific and one that wasn’t offensive it was just plain odd as it demonstrated the age not of the artifacts but of the museum itself. It was like stepping inside H.G. Wells’ mind after he took a hit of acid; it kind of made sense but at the same time you were disoriented and wondering where you were and what year it was.

In addition to the vernacular of decades past, the evolution of the commonwealth seemed to come to a screeching halt sometime in the 1980’s. I half expected to see a DeLorean parked out in front of the building as we left. It really was kind of sad that the museum had been left to a time done by neglected by technology and without pride in one’s commonwealth. No wonder I don’t ever recall having taken a school trip to see the history of our state.

Given the needed strictures placed on our economy maybe it is time to explore other options as a way to maintain these facilities. I don’t know what specifically needs to be done but I know that something should be done. I say all this without a thought through solution in mind but with the hope that we can rejuvenate this and other facilities throughout the state so that our history is not forgotten for when the keystone crumbles the rest of the structure will surely follow.

Give Your State Capitol A Chance!

For our last overnight trip of the summer we decided to go to visit the capitol of our commonwealth (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania). I can’t remember the last time I was in the city and there were a couple of things that piqued our interest namely the state museum and the state archives. So with those two things on the agenda we made the two hour drive to the seat of Commonwealth politics.

Fortunately, our drive was uneventful and we made great time getting to the hotel. The Crowne Plaza was packed on Friday night and it took a little bit of weaving through the lobby to check in but once we got up there things went smoothly and we were on our way to the room. When we walking into the lobby we noticed immediately that it seemed a little dated but it was well maintained and clean so it really wasn’t an issue and when we got to the room we were downright amused. Opening the door we were immediately transported back to the mid 80’s which led me to give the establishment its new nickname, the “Back to the Future” hotel.

We didn’t stay in the room long before we were back out the door as I had arranged for a quick meeting a few blocks away. It only took us about 10 minutes to make our way to State Street and while Samantha was simply humoring me, I enjoyed the very quick tour of the State Republican Headquarters located a block away from the capitol building. After about 15-20 minutes we were out the door and on our way again. This time we headed to a more recent addition to our agenda that we came across the previous week when we picked up some brochures at one of the many rest stops we have visited over the last few months, The Midtown Scholar Bookstore, a new and used book store on North Third Street.

While my wife was unable to find any books that she wanted to pick up, I was able to find a few volumes that I know I will be using in the near future both as free reading and for genealogy research. I picked up a couple of Samuel Hazo poetry collections, my favorite poet, and a collection of Civil War naval correspondences both of which I am looking forward to reading. We did eventually find a book for my wife – it wasn’t Wizard of Oz but it was by Baum. A pretty good, and inexpensive, haul.

Books in hand and camera at the ready, we decided to walk across to the Susquehanna River and walk along the bank back to the hotel.

The streets and paths were beginning to quiet down…

…the bridges seemed almost void of cars…

… and the paddle boat set sail for a final lap along the coast (as you may recall we took a different paddle boat cruise on the Susquehanna River during our trip to Williamsport).

It was a perfect evening for walking…

…as the summer heat had faded to something that felt more like late September rather than early August…

 

…the breeze was swaying the trees along the river’s edge…

…and the sun highlighted both the water and the sky with yellow and orange hues.  

That was our evening entertainment as we made our way down the winding coastal path. As we turned back in toward the reenergized city center the quiet of the river dissolved into the distance. Soon we found ourselves back at the hotel and after a not so quick dinner we headed off to bed to rest up for the next day.

The following morning we got off to a nice easy start by going down to the lobby for breakfast before heading over to the misnamed State Museum of Pennsylvania located across the street from the capitol building. After checking out and leaving our luggage at the front desk, we made our way out the front door and over to Third Street. This is when we discovered that Harrisburg turns into a ghost town on the weekend which was a bit eerie but it made for a pleasant stroll and the freedom to stop and take pictures every once in a while without getting run into by other people.

When you enter the museum you are immediately greeted by a large statue of William Penn…

…with a mural wrapped around his shoulders on the second floor landing.

After paying the admission fee we climbed up to the third floor (of three exhibit floors) and started making our way down. The first series of showcases focused on the natural aspects of the land such as topography, geology, and the wildlife that was and is part of the commonwealth. For us, this is not of much interest so we made our way rather quickly from one end to the other and took the escalator down to the second level where we spent much more time going from one display to the next.

Beginning with the Indian tribes that lived in this land we walked through full sized models of dwellings and cases of artifacts collected and excavated from various parts of the state. One interesting example of bead work clearly demonstrates the modern day bastardization of what once had a completely different meaning and definition. What was once used by tribes to represent a wandering clan (Hopi)or as a symbol for a whirling log (a sacred image used in healing rituals by the Navajo) is now associated with one of the greatest forces of evil that this world has ever known.

Moving forward in time, the exhibits shifted into a more modern era as different modes of transportation were on full display ranging from the classic Conestoga wagon…

…to Andrew Carnegie’s opulent coach…

…with its plush interior and ornate details…

…to an electric powered ice truck.

And, of course, there was a rather large room set aside to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. I will limit the details as this was the central topic to my previous travel post and, because flash photography was prohibited, many of the pictures did not fare well in the poorly lit room. So I will simply leave you with another picture of a cannon which greeted us as we passed through the threshold and into the unique collection.

Having one more stop to make in the day we sped things up a bit and made our way down to the ground floor and into the art gallery (no pictures) and through the colonial street recreation which was a very dark night type scene.

This led us back to the entrance and after a quick walk through the gift shop we made our way next door. Overall, the museum is a decent overview but is in dire need of an overhaul both in content and concept as many research developments have been made and public interests have changed since 1972.  

The rest of our afternoon was spent at the State Archives with the purpose of both familiarizing ourselves with archive work and attempting to do some genealogical research. While we feel much more comfortable with the process and have a better understanding of the time it takes to sift through the panels, pages, and files of records we didn’t find much in the way of family documents. We will be making some local county trips in the near future to further our research.

With a few photocopies in hand it was time to head back to the hotel, pick up our bags and our car, and go home. It wasn’t the best trip we’ve been on and it certainly wasn’t the worst. And just like many other destinations we have been to over the year, it may not have been the most beautiful place to go but it had its moments.

Taking A Break From The Chaos

While we were dealing with the mess in the apartment last week, displacement to my mother-in-law’s house, and a few other odds and ends I was also presented with a few job opportunities that I couldn’t pass up. All of these blended together with a dash of sleep deprivation and it turned out to be a pretty chaotic week. Given all that was swirling around, my wife and I decided to keep our plans and get away for a night by heading up to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

After taking a quick nap and checking on the progress of the apartment, we shoved everything in the back seat of the car and made our way down Route 23. Surprisingly, we made great time heading north despite the fact that we didn’t leave the apartment until the middle of rush hour. With about two hours under our belt we stopped at the last rest stop on I-476 before getting off at the Pocono exit for I-80. As we headed out the door, my wife found some brochures for attractions at our destination… we now had the beginnings of a schedule.

We made it to the Candlewood Suites just outside of downtown Williamsport in the early evening. With the week that we had just had we decided to head straight to bed and rest up as much as possible for a full day of activity on Friday. Now we like to keep our place cool to help us sleep but when you walk into a hotel room that has the A/C set to 62 degrees it is a shock to the system especially when it was still in the low 80’s outside.

By morning we were thawed, well rested, and ready to start the day. We checked out and stopped at a local eatery (also known as Denny’s) and made our way to our first stop (thanks to one of the aforementioned brochures that provided us with a buy one, get one on the admission). By this time it was really getting hot out and the cool and empty museum was a welcomed sight.

The Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society is an interesting little showcase of local history and with a warm welcome from the museum store manager we made our way through the exhibits beginning with an interesting display of recently discovered and intact prohibition liquor bottles.  

From there we traveled further back in time and examined the interesting details found in the reconstructed rooms reflecting the everyday life in the county at the turn of the 20^th century. We walked by a basic workers kitchen…

…did some window shopping at the general store….

…visited the children and their teacher at the school house…

…stopped by the blacksmith shop…

…where many machines were first breathed life over decades from the simple cider press…

…to the aircraft engines manufactured in the county decades later.

The working class blood of the community was further exemplified by the brands that were used to mark logs during the peak of Williamsport’s prominence during the lumber boom in the 19^th century.

The service and sacrifice of those in the county was on full display as well in both military service throughout the nation’s history…

…and the civil service in the police and fire departments.

In addition to the telling of the county’s history, the museum is also a showcase for one of the world’s largest toy train collections the vast majority of which came from one man, Larue C. Shempp, who donated the Historical Society upon his passing in 1985.

The last stop before we headed back out into the head was to browse the small but impressive John Sloan Art Collection showcased in the museum across from the main desk. A couple of the paintings in particular caught my attention the first of which was by 19th century still life painter Severin Roesen.

The other painting reminded me of one of my favorites, ‘A View of Delft” by Vermeer, and is by the artist George Loring Brown and titled "Near Sunset: Bay of Naples". 

Before heading out we made sure to thank the director, especially for allowing us to use our cameras, and we also asked her for some recommendations of what would be the best use of our afternoon so that we could see as much of Williamsport as possible. What we found out could not have been planned any better. She let us know that the transportation museum on the other side of the gardens offered a trolley tour as part of the admission. Roughly ten minutes later we were sitting on the trolley, cameras at the ready, as it pulled away from the gazebo.

The hour and a half tour started at millionaire’s row where a wide variety of elegant homes were constructed as a result of the affluence produced by the lumber industry during the 19^th century. The Victorian variety included, to name a few, a house designed by Amos Wagner for Muncy state legislator Henry Johnson…

…a wedding gift designed by Eber Culver…

…another home designed by Eber Culver (he was a prolific designer in Williamsport at the time) for local entrepreneur A.D. Hermance…

…a church, Trinity Episcopal Church, designed and built by Peter Herdic (another prolific designer)….

…and a massive four story joint project between the two architectural forces (built by Peter Herdic and designed by Eber Culver), the Park Hotel (now a two story apartment building known as Park Place).

Throughout the tour we also noticed many of the details scattered about the town both from the past…

…and the present…

 

 

… with the tour concluding with a slow coast through Brandon Park…

…which culminated with us pausing at a carving by Peter "Wolf" Toth named Woapalanee. The sculpture is accented with an Indian Proverb scribed beneath it, “To give dignity to man is above all things.”

We arrived at the car with a decision to make. Should we go to the Little League Museum or take a cruise on the Susquehanna River? We decided to change things up a bit and chose the second option. Somehow our timing continued to be perfect and we were on the “paddle boat” within a fifteen minutes of arriving at the dock and we made our way up river in a cool and constant breeze.

The Hiawatha took us slowly up river as we listened to the recording over the speakers about the lumber industry that thrived before the Johnstown flood altered the course of local history. Part of that history can still be seen in the stone islands that dot the river where logs were tied together and contained.

During this education, just like our trip in the trolley car, we were reminded of both the aforementioned past and the present as boats sped past…

…and the horizons on the water were crowned with bridges in each direction.

Approaching the dock, we were glad that we took the time to relax a bit on this trip rather than the constant push to do more and see more.

Before long, we were back on the road with the cruise control bringing us back to reality with every passing mile.