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!
