Historical Perspectives

We are delighted that our travels are taking us to towns with buildings and cemetery markers from the 1600’s. We awoke on the outskirts of the 400-year-old town of Lewisburg, West Virginia, festooned with banners claiming their 2011 designation as “America’s Coolest Small Town.” After a stroll around down town (it is very cool), we got back in Lilypad and crossed over into Virginia just in time to catch the historic walking tour of Lexington. Our native-born guide showed us old buildings and told us great stories about early leveling of the downtown streets (similar to the Denny Regrade in Seattle), reconstruction, and the history of the two universities in town: Washington Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. VMI cadets, sporting their grey livery, were all over town, many with proud parents and families, celebrating the annual event of the juniors ceremoniously receiving class rings.

Lexington is also the town where Robert E. Lee retired after the Civil War. Here he became the president of the college that now bears his name. He is encrypted along with his wife and children, under Lee Chapel, on the grounds of the University. (And his horse, Traveler is buried next to this building.) Lee is much revered here, as is evident by the life-size recumbent statue of him (seemingly dead, but actually sleeping on a battlefield) on the altar of the chapel. The chapel is not used for religious services, but is the largest gathering place on campus and is used for many important gatherings of the student body. There is a street in town, and much else, including an active Episcopal Church that also bears Lee’s name. 

Then we hopped on the last few miles of the Blue RidgeParkway and visited the birthplace of Cyrus McCormick, famous agriculturalist and inventor of improved farming equipment, most notably the reaper. Alas the museum was closed up for the winter but we so enjoyed the walk around the grounds, seeing the farm and buildings in which he worked, and the commemorative markers.

Since we were in the area, Monticello, famous home of Thomas Jefferson, was a must-see. Besides being the drafter of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson served Virginia as senator and governor and of course, he was the third US President, ambassador to France and Vice-President . He eventually retired here with his family, including his slaves, and died here on the very bed that we walked by during our house tour.

The house was much-loved by Jefferson, and he worked 40 years in its completion. It was restored and is still operated by The Thomas Jefferson Foundation. One sees many incredible innovations such as water catchment, subterranean work and living spaces, skylights, and acres of gardens where Jefferson experimented with growing flowers and vegetables. Included throughout the house are objects of his many interests: books, fossils, Native American artifacts, paintings, rocks, his own inventions, and much more, portraying Jefferson as a man of curiosity, good taste, brilliance, and of course a strong sense of justice.

Much of the work on the building and maintenance of the house was done by enslaved people, which makes for an interesting theme since there is significant evidence he fathered six children by his slave, Sally Hemming. The only part of the grounds still in the control of the Jefferson family is the cemetery. These white descendants appear to be in conflict with the multiracial descendants, as many of the latter hope to join Jefferson and his white family in the cemetery. To date none have been invited. Jefferson wrote a significant amount against the institution of slavery in his early years, but didn’t think that white and black people could live under the same government. It would be interesting to learn more about these beliefs and his relationship with Sally who appears to be his only love after the early death of his wife (she died 19 years before he became president.) Jefferson himself left detailed records of names and occupations for everyone who worked and lived at Monticello. Historical perspective shifts when folks build with bricks, leave artifacts, and record what happens.

Coal, Music and History in Eastern Kentucky

Coal is still king in Eastern Kentucky

After a week with the family in Georgetown, we headed towards Eastern Kentucky, a very different country than the horse pastures and affluence of the central part of the state. The hills are gray with early winter, making the narrow hollows where folks live look very dark and dreary. Everything is either on a hillside, or on the ledges cut by road building and coal mining operations, and many of the houses seemed barely livable. People we talked to were very concerned with the future of their area, given the “attitude of the current administration” toward coal. We saw big billboards sponsored by the Friends of Coal that proclaimed, “Coal Keeps the Lights on in Eastern Kentucky.”  We visited several coal museums and found the sentiments of many people summed up in the words of a young woman whose work (pictured on the right) was featured at the Mountain Arts Center near Prestonsburg. Above a lovely sculpture of hands holding a lump of coal, she wrote: “Our Black Diamond of the Mountains. It is our precious jewel, our livelihood, our future...Many live for it. Many have died for it.”

Loretta Lynn, age 81 just appeared in Vancouver last month

As can be imagined, we take every opportunity to take designated Scenic Byways. We were not happy however, to discover the Red River Gorge National Scenic Byway has a historic tunnel that has only 12 feet of clearance. Since Lily stands at 11’ 6” we decided to forgo exploring that particular road. We did stumble upon US 23, The Country Music Highway that links six counties in Eastern Kentucky that have contributed more than their fair share to our heritage of country musicians. These artists all come from that area: Loretta Lynn and her sister Crystal Gayle, Wynona and Naomi Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tom T. Hall, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Dwight Yoakam, Gary Stewart, Patty Loveless and more. Every Thursday evening at the US 23 Country Music Highway Museum folks gather to play bluegrass, country and songs of old Appalachia. We were sorry we were traveling through on a Tuesday.

We also tried to visit Loretta Lynn’s “homeplace” in ButcherHoller but found the narrow Kentucky roads were not conducive to RVs, and had to turn around when we realized she wasn’t going to make it through. But Highway 23 took us to Paintsville where we found “Miss Christy” a local librarian who enthusiastically keeps alive the ancient history of the area with a presentation about the 2000-year-old Adena culture, people who were discovered through burial mounds in the area which are now completely destroyed. And it took us to Pikeville where Everett, the curator of the Big Sandy Heritage Center, knows everything about the area from early religion to the Civil War to “the PikevilleCut-through Project” (which totally changed the geography surrounding the town,) to the feuds of those famous locals, the Hatfields and the McCoys.

As for us, we are enthusiastic learners and listeners. We are also, we think, the only tourists in the area. Tonight is our third night in a row, third campground, where we are the only campers.

The Sights and Sounds of Nashville

Ah, Nashville, city of music where people come to find fame, fortune and construction jobs. Don’t get us started on how difficult it is to maneuver an RV down the narrow streets and under those impassable railroad trestles. We headed for the Nashville Farmers Market and the Bicentennial Park where parking abounds and the free city bus stops frequently.

It’s always good to thank the farmer that grows good organic food and we weren’t disappointed in the offerings of fall root crops and cruciferous veggies. And lots of mushrooms!  Nashville hosts a year-round market in a huge barnlike structure that also includes a food court and flea market. Since we’ve been sorely missing our Bakery San Juan pizza we headed straight for the wood-fired pulled pork with apple butter and arugula pizza place…yum!  Then we went outside and rented a pair of bicycles and circled the impressive Bicentennial Park. The history of Tennessee in quotes and happenings is captured on a shining black granite wall and makes for tricky maneuvering if you’re trying to read it from a bike. There’s also an interesting WWII memorial which consists of a large rotating onyx globe suspended in a fountain.

 

Then we stowed our stuff and hopped on the free bus and headed to the downtown honkytonks and country music scene. Nashville is the only place where we haven’t found ourselves nearly alone! Crowds of people moved along the sidewalk and walked through the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was fun to get caught up in the excitement. Here are pictures of one of the many pedal-powered taverns on the Nashville streets, and a few pictures from the overwhelming Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. 

Dixie Chicks Safety Pin Outfits

The Roots of Country Western Music

Nashvillians seem to be proud of their commitment to sustainability. For the first time in ten states there was recycling available in our RV campground, and the huge new performing arts complex downtown sported its green features in a huge banner. What also struck us was the multi-culturality of the farmers market and the city in general and the predominate whiteness of the country music scene. Obviously everyone benefits from the draw of the music, but we were hard pressed to find a face of color, or more than a few outstanding women for that matter, in the Hall of Fame.