The top picture was the first school I remember going to. There was an add-on behind that two story brick building that housed the elementary school class rooms but in 1955, a new elementary school was built about a mile outside town. That left the middle (7/8 grades) schoolers attending the old school. My classrooms were in the lower story, with 7th grade on the left and 9th grade on the right. They were single rooms for each grade until you reached freshman year then you changed rooms with each subject. The middle picture on the left is the old gymnasium which was ultimately replaced by the newer gymnasium in the lower picture in 1956.
These were the cakes that were specially made for our reunion. The lower cake shows our school name, "The Hornets." We had a catered meal, typical of Midwestern fair with Ham, chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, hot rolls, mixed punch, coffee and iced tea. Ya can't get any more Illinois than that - meat and taters. One of our classmates provided a photographer who continually took pictures which are to be put on dvd and given to each of us free of charge. Prior to the actual reunion, our classmate Robert "Bob" Ingram opened the "Ingram's Log Cabin Village" just outside of Kinmundy for visitation.
His Mom, Erma, started this project about 1959. I remember working with Bob and another classmate, Jackie Mulvaney (now deceased), on reassembling the first 2 story cabin onsite. We would go out to the original site, where the cabin was located, and number each log from the base log up. The numbering system was based on the direction the cabin was facing so that we could reassemble the cabin facing the same direction after it was relocated to the "Ingram's Log Cabin Village." If you look closely you can see the numbers on the logs at the corners. Anyway we had the 2nd story of the log cabin up and it collapsed. Jack was the only one to suffer an injury, he had a nail puncture through his ear lobe, lucky lucky guy. I mentioned this to Bob when we were touring the village and he remembered it. That cabin's logs were rotted through the middle and would not support the weight of the upper story. Bob said it was still located where it fell in, just beyond this cabin in the wooded area.
Even after Erma's passing, Bob has continued to maintain the "Village" and equip the cabins with artifacts from the era.
Even though most of the cabins were actually used by locals as homes, some were used as business, such as the one pictured above. This was a cooper's cabin or a barrel makers workplace. It is equipped with all his tools of the trade. All total there are 15 cabins and they are open for visitation during the summer. During the fall, they sponsor a festival where people occupy the cabins, in period dress and demonstrate early American skill and crafts. Bob has a website www.iplcv.com for Ingram's Pioneer Log Cabin Village. We had a really great time walking down memory lane with Bob. So we returned to Diane's house for some leisure time. We also visited with my youngest sister, Phyllis Jean, who we call PJ for short. Diane and her son, Robert, took us out for a father's day dinner and boy what a meal it was. We had prime rib that was absolutely delicious and served to perfection. I sampled a bourbon that I normally wouldn't try due to the expense (Woodbridge select). But I can understand why it costs more. As the saying goes "you get what you pay for." I was sooooo smooth and easy. When we got back to Diane's, Robert presents me with one of his prints that his father gave him. It was a 17" x 20" signed print by Doc Tate Nevaquaya, a renowned Oklahoma Comanche Indian who was an artist, flute maker, musician and native craftsman.
I was absolutely blown away. I would never have expected Robert to part with one of his prints. It found a new, prominent home on the living room wall of my home in the mountains.
Now I know what you're thinking - does this guy ever run out of wind and the answer is Nope. Ain't posted for awhile so's hang in there, only one more item to go.
On our way home, Cathy and I stopped off in Olney, Illinois so I could do some genealogy research on the Elston clan. That area of Richland County was the bedrock of the Elston's going back to the early 1800's. We stayed at the Red Hills State Park just outside Olney.
We rented a cabin for two days and really enjoyed ourselves. I found that there is an Elston cemetery in Richland County. Since the files that I was looking for were pre-1848, the County Clerk was extremely helpful and directed me to other resources that would be available for genealogical research. Apparently there was a fire in 1847 or 1848 that destroyed all the county records so hopefully there were duplicate records maintained that were not destroyed. I'll have to return another day and do some more research. AND that about covers it for the past few weeks. Been a little busy but finally got the pontoon serviced and back in the water but will wait until after the July 4th holiday to go out on the lake. Til next time - TaTa
1 comment:
Cathy, Don't you just love those little cabins. I wish we had one on our property for guests instead of the fifth wheel. Those small homes make me feel like a kid playing house. Strange, I know.
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