King of the Bootleggers

I am learning so much about Cincinnati history by watching the documentary series Prohibition by Ken Burns on PBS. Tonight they aired the second episode and I was amazed at how much Cincinnati was at the center of bootlegging activities during prohibition in the United States. Much of this was due to it's location.
At the top of the bootlegging food chain was a man by the name of George Remus. Remus found loopholes in the law whereby he could buy distilleries and pharmacies to sell liquor to himself under government licenses for medicinal purposes. Remus would then hijack his own liquor so he could sell it illegally. Remus moved to Cincinnati where 80 percent of America's bonded whiskey was located, and bought up most of the whiskey manufacturers. In less than three years Remus made $40 million, with the help of his trusted number two man George Conners. He owned many of America's most famous distilleries, including the Fleischmann Distillery, which he bought for $197,000, a price which included 3,100 gallons of whiskey.
Remus was eventually arrested for bootlegging and spent two years in prison. While he was in prison, his wife began an affair with a prohibition agent. The two began to hide Remus' money and liquidate his assets. After his release from prison, Remus shot and killed his wife. He was acquitted of the charges on an insanity plea. Remus later moved to Covington, Kentucky right across the river from Cincinnati and lived a quiet life until his death.
You can learn more about the amazing rise and fall of Remus and Cincinnati's prohibition days at:
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/ourhistory/2011/08/01/king-of-the-bootleggers/
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Prohibition

Thanks for your prayers. The donor event at our subdivision in Oxford, Ohio went very well today. It was a time to celebrate what God has done so far and a time to look forward to future of the Reckford Woods subdivision. I am also glad to help tell the Habitat story and to spend time with Partner Families. It was a great time for me to do both this afternoon.

I just finished watching the first episode of the new Ken Burns PBS documentary Prohibition. I found it fascinating. I love history and there is no one like Burns to really help bring it alive. This first episode set the context for the social, cultural, religious, and political environment that led to the passage of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
I was surprised to learn that Ohio was such a key state in the temperance movement and Cincinnati was a major battleground for protests and conflict between the "drys" who supported prohibition and the "wets" who did not. I had known that it was in many ways a movement led by Christian women, but I had no idea how much it was linked to the women's suffrage movement.
One fact that absolutely amazed me was that by 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year - three times as much as people drink today. This first episode gave startling facts about saloons and bars that were both community centers in many cities and a source of all kinds of vice. Corrupt politicians looked the other way because they financially benefited from the saloons and the brothels that often accompanied them. Beer barons bought elections and controlled entire communities with their wealth and influence.
The dry movement also had some less than pure motives and practices. Prohibitionists spread false information about the impact of alcohol on the body. They also destroyed property by walking into saloons and smashing bottles of alcohol. As World War I began, they used anti-German sentiment in America to fuel the cause of prohibition.
I am looking forward to the next two episodes of this documentary. I am always grateful for programs like this that both entertain and educate. If you want to know more about this program, check out this website:
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Another Movie and a Little Bit of History

I wrote yesterday that I had gone to see the movie Drive. Well, the more I thought about the movie, I just felt depressed. As I said in my post yesterday, the acting was good but the depressing story and the violence were a bit overwhelming for me. So, I decided to really splurge and go see another movie today. I don't know if I have ever seen two movies in the theater on one weekend. That's amazing since I really love movies but even at the height of my movie going experiences, I have kept it to one per week. But, I figured there was not law against it so I headed to the theater I really like in West Chester, Ohio.
The contrast in theaters was amazing from Saturday to today. The stadium seating is awesome and I don't know how the world rotated without it. The sound was so much better. Even the bathrooms were much cleaner at the West Chester theater.
I decided to go to the Steven Soderberg movie Contagion. I had heard that it was really good and I always love a Soderberg movie. I did realize that it was about a pandemic disease, but I didn't realize what it all entailed. I knew it was a thriller and it certainly lived up to that. I've always appreciated the movie Outbreak and in many ways Contagion is much better. However, it is also much more dark. I was also reminded of the first part of Stephen King's The Stand in which much of the population is wiped out by a super flu.
The cast of characters is great and almost too numerous to keep track of. Gweneth Paltrow is the first one who gets the disease and dies. Spreading from Gweneth, the virus begins spreading all around the world. We get to see how it impacts her family including her husband Matt Damon who seems to be immune but struggles to exist in a world turned upside down in the wake of the epidemic.
The part I hated about the movie was the part that played on my natural tendency to fear germs of all kinds. I'm the one at my office with a huge bottle of hand sanitizer and I often want to quarantine myself whenever my co-workers start coughing. In fact, when I used the restroom at the theater after the movie, there was a little boy coughing in men's room who I was sure was going to give me some horrid disease because he didn't wash his hands properly. I even cringed when I had to grab the men's room door handle to leave and it was all wet and slimy. Thank heavens I had hand sanitizer in my car.
So I'm not sure my movie choices this weekend were the best for me. Driver was depressing and violent. Contagion didn't do much to lift my spirits with its depiction of a deadly disease and a reminder of how really paranoid I am about germs. I had thought about going to see the Lion King in 3-D but talk about a movie that would have played on my fears of disease and germs. I know the theater would have been full of children with colds and who knows what else. I hope the theater employees are hosing those theaters down with bleach and scraping all the boogers off the arm rests. Yuck!
After the movie, I decided to go for a little drive. After my weekend with my friend Mari in which we saw some historic sites along the Ohio River, I have decided that I am going to get out and explore the region more. I also have been inspired by a blog that I follow in which the blogger is doing a thirty day photo challenge. So, I dusted off my digital camera and hit the road this afternoon.
I had read on the Internet that President William Henry Harrison was buried in North Bend, Ohio along the Ohio River. So, I got directions and decided to go and check in on President Harrison.
I have particular interest in President Harrison because he was the first Governor of the the Indiana Territory. Indiana being my home state, I always like to learn about its history and the people who led it. I also have a huge fascination with learning about the Presidents of the United States. I learn much about the history of our country and about evolving American culture by studying the presidents.
Visiting Harrison's tomb was interesting. I missed one of the signs and got a little lost. My GPS was really confused. I had to back track a little bit but finally found it. When I looked at the map, I thought Harrison's tomb on Mount Nebo was right along the banks of the Ohio River, but that's not quite accurate. There's a nice vista of the River (it would be better if they would remove the power lines and cell phone towers) but it's not right on the river. In fact, it's kind of hidden. There's not really too much to see. A few years ago the state of Ohio put in an interpretive kiosk pavilion. This includes a biography of President Harrison and also information about his times and achievements.
In case you want to know more about President Harrison, here's a brief bio from Wikipedia:

William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was the ninth President of the United States (1841), an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. The oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the United States Declaration of Independence, Harrison died on his 32nd day in office[1] of complications from pneumonia, serving the shortest tenure in United States presidential history. His death sparked a brief constitutional crisis, but that crisis ultimately resolved many questions about presidential succession left unanswered by the Constitution until passage of the 25th Amendment.

Before election as president, Harrison served as the first territorial congressional delegate from the Northwest Territory, governor of the Indiana Territory and later as a U.S. representative and senator from Ohio. He originally gained national fame for leading U.S. forces against American Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, where he earned the nickname "Tippecanoe" (or "Old Tippecanoe"). As a general in the subsequent War of 1812, his most notable contribution was a victory at the Battle of the Thames in 1813, which brought an end to hostilities in his region.
After the war, Harrison moved to Ohio, where he was elected to the United States Congress, and in 1824 he became a member of the Senate. There he served a truncated term before being appointed as Minister Plenipotentiary to Colombia in May 1828. In Colombia, he spoke with Simon Bolivar about the finer points of democracy before returning to his farm in Ohio, where he lived in relative retirement until he was nominated for the presidency in 1836. Defeated, he retired again to his farm before being elected president in 1840.

The monument over the tomb is a tall tower structure made of limestone. One website described it as an obelisk. I thought obelisks were pointed at the top but maybe this can also be considered an obelisk. I'm not sure about that. The tower or obelisk is carved with biographical information about President Harrison. You can actually walk into the foyer of the tomb and view the actual crypt. This freaked me out a bit because I'm claustrophobic. I couldn't make it inside an Egyptian pyramid because the passage way to the interior was so cramped. Entrance around the actual tomb is made of marble and carved with the name "Harrison" on the lintel. There is even a guest book you can sign. I didn't. I just snapped a few photos and got out of the cramped, low-ceiling tomb.
I think I was most impressed by the entrance limestone carvings at the bottom of the hill that define the beginning of the path that leads up to the tomb. There are two curved limestone benches that look like no one has ever sat on. There are two columns also made of limestone. On top of each column is an eagle. I think they were the most beautiful part of the entire of the tomb complex. I got some good photos of the eagles. I even got some with the big American flag and Ohio flag in the background. (see one below)

It was a beautiful sunny day. The temperature was just perfect for me. The humidity was low. I am glad that I decided to go exploring. It reminded me again of how much I enjoy history and how much I like to explore new places - especially sites that are off the beaten path.
I've included some photos along with this post of President Harrison's tomb. I hope you enjoy them.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Abandoned Churches, Broken Communities

The Cincinnati Enquirer published an article about aging empty church buildings in Cincinnati. You can read the full article and see photos of some of the churches at:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110918/NEWS01/109180338

As someone who supports historic preservation, it was a difficult article for me to read. I was glad to see that some churches are in the process of being "repurposed", but unfortunately there are many that are falling apart and in danger of being condemned and eventually torn down.
I was reminded of the similar story City Methodist Church in Gary, Indiana. (see photo above) Once one of the flagship churches of Indiana Methodism, City Church is now a decaying skeleton. Located at 577 Washington St in downtown Gary, Indiana, City Methodist was built in the 1920's to hold a congregation that had grown alongside the newly built City of the Century, with U.S. Steel covering $385,000 of the construction costs. The sanctuary could hold 950 including a choir. The building also held a church school, a gymnasium and an auditorium - Seaman Hall - named for the pastor who helped raise the $1 million to pay for the construction. The auditorium was used for musical and dramatic presentations, community meetings, and various social and educational events.
In its heyday, City Methodist boasted a membership of 3,000, and the church was home to one of the largest Skinner organs in the state of Indiana. By 1970, Sunday attendance had dwindled down to about 100 as suburbanization and white flight emptied Gary of its working class population. In 1975, the church closed its doors for good and City Methodist Church began its long decent into disrepair. Over the decades, various proposals have been floated to resurrect the building, including a center for the performing arts. Those plans were crushed in the Great Gary Arson of 1997. More recently, it has been suggested that what's left of the building could be turned into a European-style ruins garden. In the meantime, the City of Gary owns the property, but lack of funds, if not will, have left the structure to crumble in the brutal Midwestern weather.
In many ways, what's left of City Church stands as a monument to white flight, racism, and the inability of the church to adapt to its surroundings. Like so many churches today, it is an empty shell that seems irrelevant to its neighbors who desperately need to know the love of Christ in their lives. In fact, I think one of the messages that a congregation sends to a neighborhood when it leaves its empty building behind is that it doesn't care about that neighborhood or its people.
I know that the people and not the building are the church. In fact, the church did just fine for the first three hundred years of its existence without church buildings. Those early Christians gathered in people's homes for worship and fellowship. At the same time, church buildings can be effective tools for ministry and a visible sign and symbol of the presence of the church in a community.
I'm not sure what the answer is. I wish more churches had the faith and vision to adapt to their changing neighborhood demographics. I wish change was easier for church members. I wish more church leaders would help their congregations boldly step out in faith to reach outside their comfort zones. I wish there was a way for the church to remember our first love - Jesus - and share his love with all the world. Maybe in that love-transformed church, there would be fewer broken neighborhoods and fewer abandoned church buildings.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

News Blackout

Yesterday was another quiet day for me. It was probably too quiet. I ended up taking a long nap and then had trouble getting to sleep last night. I finally fell asleep around 1:30 AM. This was a huge problem for me when my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning so that I could meet my friend Karen to walk. I was a real zombie this morning.
I decided yesterday that I was not going to sit in front of the television yesterday watching all all of the ten year anniversary September 11 coverage. I watched little bit when I first got up in the morning and then listened to coverage on NPR on my drive to and from church. But besides that, I didn't watch much of it at all. I decided to put myself under a news blackout. It's not because I didn't think it was important to remember that horrible day in American history. It was more a way for me to say, as I did in my post yesterday, that life goes on.
I remember I was glued to the television back in 2001. I saw the image of the planes flying into the World Trade Center towers so many times, I felt numb. I heard all of the stories of survivors and all of the stories of family members of victims. I read everything I could in the news and online. Along with this, I was given the extra responsibility of trying to preach sermons in response to the terrorist attacks.
When I look back on those days and weeks following September 11, 2001, I realize that it was only by the grace of God that I was able to move through days. And this is also how I wanted to focus my heart on the tenth anniversary. I wanted to pause and give thanks for God's amazing grace in my life and along my journey since that time.
My pastor said it this way in his sermon on Sunday:

I like the way Julian of Norwich put it. Julian of Norwich lived in the fourteenth century during the Black Plague. Every day was 9/11 for her. But she had great hope that grew out of her faith as she faced the depths of the trials of her day. She wrote these lines: But all shall be well, And all shall be well, And all manner of things shall be well…He did not say, “You shall know no storms, no travails, no disease,” He said, “You shall not be overcome.”

Wow. What power. God did not say, “You shall have no storms.” God did not say, “You shall have no terrorists, you shall have no fires, you shall have no death.” God said, “You shall not be overcome.” All shall be well.
On this day, are the promises and protection of God enough for us? Are we able to say “All shall be well?” We may have to say it with a tear in our eyes. We may have to say it with a lump in our throats. We may have say to it with clenched fists. But in that whisper is eternity itself.
God’s faithful promises are our armor. Hope is in the enduring memory of God’s protection.
When the final 9/11 television special signs off for the evening, the last analysis has been offered, the last commentary spoken, and the last editorial written, I can think of no more beautiful eulogy than to say: But all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well…He did not say, “You shall know no storms, no travails, no disease,” He said, “You shall not be overcome.”

So, yesterday I napped and rested trusting that all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A Tree Planted by the Water

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I saw this video as I was surfing the web today thinking about what I wanted to blog about on the tenth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The video struck a powerful chord with me. Even in the midst of the horror that scarred our nation on that day ten years ago, life goes on. Though we felt mangled and helpless and vulnerable, God gave us the grace to experience the only thing that really matters - God's love. God was and is with us calling us to new life, forgiveness, and healing so that we might be like trees that never fail to bear fruit.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
- Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV
 
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Rookwood Pottery

On Sunday afternoon, my friend Mari and I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum which is in the beautiful Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati.
My favorite exhibit that we got to see during our museum visit was the display of art pottery. In the late 1800's through the early twentieth century, Cincinnati was a major producer of art pottery. Rookwood Pottery was one of the major art pottery manufacturers. I think I have seen some examples of Rookwood Pottery before or at least Rookwood-like pottery and it is absolutely beautiful. Much of it has a very organic look to its design. It seems to have been heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau movement in art and architecture. However, there were also pieces that were really modern looking especially when I noted their date it seemed as if they were really ahead of their time. Along with this, there are some specialty Rookwood pieces that are hard to categorize. They seem to be almost novelty pieces. I was also totally amazed by the architectural works in the museum's collection including a fountain and a fireplace mantel. I've included a photo of a Rookwood vase that is part of the Cincinnati Art Museum collection.
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Rookwood Pottery:
Maria Longworth Nichols Storer founded Rookwood Pottery in 1880 as a way to market her hobby - the painting of blank tableware. Through years of experimentation with glazes and kiln temperatures, she eventually built her own kiln, hired a number of excellent chemists and artists who were able to create high-quality glazes of colors never before seen on mass-produced pottery.

Each era of Rookwood work has its own unique character:
The earliest work is relief-worked on naturally-colored clay, in pinks, greys and sage or olive greens. Some were gilt, or had stamped patterns, and some were carved. Often these were painted or otherwise decorated by the purchaser of the "greenware" (unfinished piece), a precursor to today's do-it-yourself movement.
After this period, Storer sought a "standard" look for Rookwood, and developed a number of very common treatments: the "standard glaze," a deep gold, red and orange over dark brown fired in such a way as to effect a very high-gloss finish, often in leaf or flower motifs. A series of portraits - often of generic American Indian characters or certain historical figures – was also produced using these particular glazes. Next was the "matte glaze," a flat but textured glaze developed by Artus Van Briggle, often painted on soft colored clay, which used "sea green" for aquatic and floral motifs. This pale blue-green glaze was usually applied over a soft yellow, bluish or red base. Another common Rookwood style of this period was the "vellum" glaze, usually a matte light blue, put on top of a very lightly colored clay. This was most often used for landscape scenes.
Other popular styles that came out through the lifetime of the Rookwood factory included the "iris" glaze, a high-gloss white over pinks, blues, and yellows and usually used for floral motifs, and the less-common but very collectible "tiger eye" which left gold streaks from ingredients in the glaze. This last glaze was unstable and it is not clear whether it was abandoned for reasons of chemistry or popularity.
One of the last styles of Rookwood was the "ombroso" glaze, not used until after 1910. Ombroso, used on cut or incised pottery, is a brown or black matte glaze.
In 1902, Rookwood added architectural pottery to its portfolio. Under the direction of Watts Taylor, this division rapidly gained national and international acclaim. Many of the flat pieces were used around fireplaces in homes in Greater Cincinnati and surrounding areas, while custom installations found their places in grand homes, hotels, and public spaces. Even today, Rookwood tiles decorate Carew Tower, Union Terminal (Cincinnati) and Dixie Terminal in Cincinnati, as well as the Rathskeller Room in The Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, Ky. In New York, the Vanderbilt Hotel, Grand Central Station, the Mayo Clinic, Lord and Taylor and several subway stops feature Rookwood tile designs


If you ever get a chance, I encourage you to check out this great collection of Rookwood Pottery at the Cincinnati Museum of Art. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Friday Recap - Part 2

I'm continuing on with my recap of my big tourist day on Friday. After crossing the Ohio River on the Augusta Ferry, we were in the downtown historic area in Augusta, Kentucky and ready for our next tourist stop.

Rosemary Clooney Museum - The Rosemary Clooney House is owned by Dr. Steve Henry, former KY Lt. Gov., and his wife, Heather French Henry, former Miss America (who was born in Augusta). The museum was established to preserve Rosemary Clooney's house, to open it to the public and to house memorabilia from her life and career.

Starting in 1980 Rosemary began calling Augusta's 106 Riverside Drive home. Located on the banks of the Ohio River in historical Augusta, KY, this was her retreat from the demands of her career and a haven for rest between performances all over the world.
The house is a beautiful Federal style home. I think I was most surprised by how small it was. Knowing that Rosemary Clooney owned a huge mansion in Beverly Hills, her house in Augusta was tiny in comparison. The house has just two bedrooms that are not very big. In fact, they have Rosemary's big brass bed in her former bedroom and it took up half the room.

• The house is filled with all kinds of memorabilia from Rosemary Clooney's life including:
• childhood photos from her years in Maysville, KY
• the largest collection of White Christmas memorabilia anywhere in the world
• costumes worn by Bing, Bob, Vera, and Rosemary, as well as sketches by Edith Head and Bob Mackie for designs worn by Rosemary including the iconic red dress with white fur muff that Rosemary wore in White Christmas
• building materials from the demolition of her mansion at 1019 Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills

  Our tour guide was a hoot. She talked almost non-stop. She has lived in Augusta for over fifty years and seemed to know all about Rosemary, her family, and career. She shared some behind the scenes stories about Rosemary's personal life and relationships.

The museum also includes a bunch of memorabilia from movies that George Clooney has stared in or directed. His costumes from Up in the Air and Leatherheads are on display as well as a bunch of his movie posters.

You can check out the Rosemary Clooney Museum at http://www.rosemaryclooney.org/index.html

The Parkview Country Inn - After spending time at Rosemary's place, we were hungry and ready for lunch. My friend Roslyn recommended that we try the lunch buffet at the Parkview Country Inn. The Parkview Country Inn was constructed in the early 1800's. The Inn originally included a tavern. The tavern area is now the main lobby and sitting area. The Inn is operated as a bed and breakfast.
The lunch buffet was quite tasty. We even splurged and ordered dessert. I had black raspberry cobbler with ice cream. It was delicious! Over lunch we laughed and visited and Mari and Roslyn got to know one another better.
When we came out of the Inn, we had a little excitement in trying to get out of town to our next destination. They were getting ready for Augusta's Heritage Days Festival and they had the road blocked off by vehicles in one direction and by barricades in the other. We narrowly escaped being trapped in Augusta forever by sneaking down an alley and cutting through a parking lot and then we were on our way.
You can check out the Parkview Country Inn at http://parkviewcountryinn.com/

Maysville, Kentucky - We moved on down the road next to Maysville, Kentucky. Maysville is another beautiful historic river town along the Ohio. The architecture is amazing. I am in awe of how many of the historic buildings had been and are being restored. The downtown area is like stepping back in time. I could hardly take it all in.
According to Wikipedia frontiersman Simon Kenton made the first settlement in the area in 1775 but was forced out by the western battles of the American Revolution. Returning in 1784, Kenton built a blockhouse at the site of Maysville and founded Kenton's Station (frontier fort) at a site three miles (5 km) inland. Kenton met new settlers at Limestone, as the landing place was called, and escorted them inland to his station. In 1786 the village which grew up near Kenton's Station was established by act of the Virginia General Assembly as the town of Washington. By this time John May had acquired the land at Limestone and Daniel Boone established a trading post and tavern there. In 1787 the little settlement was incorporated as Maysville, though the name Limestone persisted well into the 19th century.

Maysville was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. The abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe visited the area in 1833 and witnessed a slave auction in front of the county court house in Washington, Kentucky. Stowe included the scene in her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852.

I wish we would have been able to spend more time in Maysville walking around the historic district. It's definitely some place that I want to visit again. You can learn more about Maysville at http://www.cityofmaysville.com/

Ripley, Ohio - We crossed the Ohio River again on the William H. Harsha Bridge which is a huge suspension bridge that is quite impressive. Once we crossed the river, we headed west again along the river towards Ripley, Ohio.
Colonel James Poage, a veteran of the American Revolution, arrived in the free state of Ohio from Staunton, Virginia in 1804 to claim the 1000 acres he had been granted in what was then the Virginia Military District. Poage was among a large group of veterans who received land grants beyond the Ohio for their service and freed their slaves when they settled there. Poage and his family laid out the town of Staunton in 1812; it was renamed in 1816 to honor General Eleazar Wheelock Ripley, an American officer of the War of 1812.

The proximity of the river and of the slave state of Kentucky on the opposite shore led to Ripley's role as an early stop on the Underground Railroad, a network of citizens helping slaves escape north to freedom. A number of prominent abolitionists lived in the town in the 1800s, mainly on Front Street near the river, including John Rankin, former slave John Parker, Thomas McCague, Thomas Collins and Dr. Alexander Campbell.
You can learn more about the history of Ripley at http://www.ripleyohio.net/

Rankin House - When we arrived in Ripley, we drove up the steep hill overlooking the town and Ohio River and arrived at the Rankin House. A National Historic Landmark, this was the home of Presbyterian minister John Rankin who is reputed to have been one of Ohio's first and most active "conductors" on the Underground Railroad. In addition, he wrote Letters on American Slavery, first published in book form in 1826, and among the first clearly articulated antislavery views printed west of the Appalachians. Letters on American Slavery became standard reading for abolitionists all over the United States by the 1830s. From 1822 to 1865, Rankin, along with his wife and children, assisted hundreds of escaped slaves in their trek to freedom. Located on the Ohio River, John Rankin's home (and Ripley, Ohio in general) were considered one of the first stations on this route of the Underground Railroad. It was here that Harriet Beecher Stowe heard the escaping slave's story which became the basis for part of her famous work, Uncle Tom's Cabin. John Parker, a Ripley abolitionist and former slave who was active in the Underground Railroad, wrote of Rankin, "At times attacked on all sides by masters seeking their slaves, [John Rankin and his sons] beat back their assailant, and held its threshold unsullied. A lighted candle stood as a beacon which could be seen from across the river, and like the north star was the guide to the fleeing slave." (see photo above)
Visiting the Rankin House was like standing on holy ground for me. I kept thinking about all of those who climbed that steep hill in their quest for freedom from oppression. I thought about the Rankin family and all those who risked their lives to help escaped slaves. Slavery is certainly the most vial institution ever conceived and we need to have landmarks like the Rankin House to remind us how far we have come as a nation and that there are still people today longing for freedom in our world.
You can learn more about the Rankin House at http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/sw14/index.shtml

Parker House - John Parker (1827-1900), a former slave, lived in this house, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark, from about 1853 until his death, and from this location planned many rescue attempts of slaves held captive in the "borderlands" of Kentucky. Born a slave in Norfolk, Virginia, Parker was sold at the age of eight to a doctor in Mobile, Alabama. The doctor's family taught Parker to read and write and allowed him to apprentice in an iron foundry where he was compensated and permitted to keep some of his earnings. Persuading an elderly female patient of the doctor's to purchase him, Parker, at the age of 18, bought his freedom from the woman with money earned from his apprenticeship. Parker moved to southern Ohio and around 1853 established a successful foundry behind his home in Ripley. Patenting a number of inventions from his foundry, Parker was one of only a few African Americans to obtain a U.S. patent in the 19th century. Though busy with his business, Parker was also active in the Underground Railroad and is believed to have assisted many slaves to escape from the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. Parker, who was well-known by regional slave-catchers, risked his own life when he secreted himself back into slave territory to lead fugitive slaves to safety in Ripley. Once the slaves were in Ripley, Parker would deliver them to Underground Railroad conductors in the town, such as John Rankin, who would harbor the fugitive slaves and help them to the next depot on the network. In the 1880s, Parker recounted his life as an Underground Railroad conductor in a series of interviews with journalist Frank M. Gregg. These interviews have recently been edited by Stuart Seely Sprague and published as His Promised Land: The Autobiography of John P. Parker Former Slave and Conductor on the Underground Railroad.
We had a great docent at the Parker House. He really knew all of the history and gave us a complete account of Parker's life. You can learn more about the Parker House at http://johnparkerhouse.org/

After our visit to the Parker House, we headed home. It was a long but really good day full of laughter, good friends, good food, and great American history. I am so grateful to Roslyn for doing all of the research before our trip and for driving us around. It was truly a day of blessings.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Friday Recap

After getting a good night's sleep last night, I am ready to go for another day. I don't know what we plan to do yet. We may just be lazy, watch movies, and try to stay cool.
Here's a recap of our activities yesterday along with some color commentary:

Maple Creek Artisan School - My friend Roslyn said that she had seen a sign for an artisan school and always wanted to check it out. So, on our way to our other stops, when she saw the sign, we turned down the road. We drove down a winding country road through a rather dense forest. I wondered as we drove along what in the world and who in the world could be living back in this woods. I told Roslyn and Mari and I was not really interested in joining some secret cult back in the woods. Who knows how many ticks I might get? After about a mile or so we came to a sign that identified Maple Creek Artisan School. It was a large log structure poised on the side of a hill in a beautiful wooded setting. It looked deserted to me so I just figured we would turn around and get the heck out of there before the cult members woke from their slumber and tried to get us to sample their Kool-Aid. But then we saw the sign that said "gallery". So, we decided to get out and see if anyone was around. The sign said they were open but I didn't see any lights on. We got out of the car and moved up the steep sloping walk to the log building. The whole time I was glancing around wondering if the Blair Witch was going to jump out and try to steal my soul. We walked up on the long porch and still no signs of life. There were some pottery pieces on display on rough hewn tables. They were really pretty and I was now feeling disappointed that we couldn't look at the gallery. I looked in the windows and didn't see any lights on. I moved down the porch to the main door and then saw a light on inside. I didn't think the door would be unlocked. Obviously everyone was tired from the night before when the cult members were out in some forest clearing sacrificing animals to some pagan god they worshipped. I thought it would be better if we got in the car and headed back to civilization. However, when I tried the door handle, it turned. I pushed the door in and it swung open and there was a woman holding a broom moving through the large building turning on lights. I wasn't sure at first if the broom was simply a cleaning device or her mode of transportation. She smiled and greeted us and welcomed us to the gallery.
What a treat the gallery was. They had all kinds of stuff on display. Much of it was from their students and other local artists. There was a lot of beautiful pottery. There were wooden bowls and carved figurines. There were some absolutely amazing pieces of furniture. They had rugs and wall hangings and blankets and quilts. There were paintings and photographs. They had some metalwork and handmade walking sticks. It was a huge display and I had a hard time taking it all in.
We also discovered that they offer classes there. Students are able to sell their works in the gallery. They have a regular pottery class in which students can have their works fired in a regular kiln, a gas powered kiln, and once a year they fire pieces in a wood fired kiln. We got to go down into the pottery studio and see some of the things that the students are currently working on.
The main building was constructed from the wood from two dismantled old barns in St. Leon, Indiana. They had photos of the two barns on display. I could see the wonderful care that had been taken to make these old materials useful again in a whole new way. I was most impressed by this.
The mission of the Maple Creek Artisan School is to provide and maintain a traditional arts education community with a focus on nature, fostering new artists and furthering the heritage of Appalachia. If you would like to check them out on the web and or plan a visit there go to http://maplecreekart.com/index.html

Augusta Ferry - We left the artisan school and were back on the road. Roslyn had shared that we were going to cross the Ohio River via ferry. I was excited about this because I've only ever been on a ferry twice in my life and I just think it is so cook that you can park your car on a boat and sail off across the water. Roslyn said we were going to get on the Augusta Ferry which takes you across river to the town of Augusta Kentucky. Just as we pulled into the dock area for the Augusta Ferry, we saw the ferry pulling away. The ferry was about twenty feet off shore and I suggested to Roslyn that she could still make it if she got up enough speed. She evidently didn't think this was a good idea. Of course we were all disappointed but knew that we could probably keep ourselves entertained for the time that the ferry made a round trip back to the dock. Then, we noticed that the ferry seemed to be moving back to the shoreline. Sure enough, the ferry captain was chugging back to get us. He glided back to the dock, dropped the safety cable, and Roslyn drove her car forward and parked on the ferry. We then were able to get out and stand on the deck of the ferry. The Ohio River is beautiful in this stretch. It's wide and as we pulled away from the shore, I looked back to see the rolling hills and ridge line that runs parallel to the river on the Ohio side. We could also see the town of Augusta as we headed across the river. While it was pretty hot yesterday, there was a nice breeze on the river. The ferry docked on the Kentucky shore and we drove off into the historic downtown area of Augusta.

Augusta, Kentucky - The area was part of a Revolutionary War grant by Virginia to Capt. Phillip Buckner, who first visited here in 1781. Buckner returned in 1796 with 40 Virginia families. The Legislature of Kentucky issued its charter on October 2, 1797. At the request of Capt. Buckner, the town trustees were chosen and Buckner deeded them 600 acres of land on which the city is located.
The city was named after Augusta County, Virginia. The city grew quickly and in 1796 became county seat of the Extensive Bracken County Area. The location was moved to Oxford then back to Augusta then finally to Brooksville in 1839 as county seat. The city was home to five separate schools, one private four public. The most famous built was the Augusta College, which served the entire Bracken area until 1887. The college continued to serve the city until October 31, 1896.
The downtown historic district is beautiful. There are homes (some dating back to the 1790's) that line the street along the Ohio River. There are many Federal style buildings as well as Victorian and Antebellum styled homes.
In the last quarter century, Augusta has been best known as the site of three major films: Michner’s Centennial, PBS’ Huckleberry Finn, and Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers. Augusta is also the home of the Nick and Nina Clooney family, former home of Rosemary Clooney and Miss America 2000, Heather Renee French Henry. Noted Playwright Stuart Armstrong Walker was raised on Riverside Drive and later patented the portable stage and introduced the individual spotlight system used in theatres today.
As we drove off the ferry and along the river front street and looked at the amazingly well preserved historic architecture, it felt like we were being transported back in time. You can learn more about Augusta at their website: http://www.augustaky.com/

To be continued tomorrow. . . . Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A Great Day

I had a great day today with my friends Mari and Roslyn. There was a lot of history, laughter, and good food. It's really late and I am tired. I will share more tomorrow. I hope you have a great holiday weekend! Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Fly the flag on 9-11-11