Charm of the Carolines

D-Day 75th Anniversary

On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 troops from the US, Canada, and Britain, stormed 50 miles of the channel beaches of northern France in a heroic and epic mission to save the world from Nazi control. Try to imagine 6,939 ships and landing vessels, 2,395 aircraft, and 867 gliders converging on a relatively small swath of French seaside in order to invade Nazi-occupied western Europe. 

 

A mission of this scale was necessary because Germany had entrenched a 2,400 mile line of bunkers along France's coast, including four million land mines along Normandy's beaches. Additionally, the infantrymen landing at the beaches were met with persistent machine gun fire. Losses were staggering with nearly 4500 men killed during the invasion and more than 225,000 killed or wounded during the Battle for Normandy which lasted until August. 

But they were successful. In less than a year, Germany surrenders unconditionally. 

Each year I visit my friend Christy who lives in Carrabelle, Florida, near St. George Island. At this location in the early 1940s, was the US Amphibious training site named Camp Gordon Johnston. I couldn't help but be emotionally moved when first visiting the WWII museum there a couple of years ago and even more to be given authentic dog tags found on the beach from a young soldier stationed at the camp. They belonged to Henry Buck, 20909406, T43-4, A, P.  

This type of dog tag was issued between July 1943 and March 1944. It was found on Carrabelle Beach where D-Day invasion training took place. His name is Henry Buck. His army serial number came next, then his tetanus immunization , tetanus toxoid, blood type.  The P stands for Protestant. 

But I didn't stop there. After a little digging discovered his name was Henry W. Buck from Napa, California, Solano County, and he was born in 1920 in Missouri. Henry enlisted March 3, 1941, in the National Guard Infantry as a Private.  Even with the amazing width and depth of knowledge available on the world wide web, I found little else. 

On the 75th Anniversary of "Operation Overlord" (as the mission was named), I would like to observe a quiet moment of prayer, gratitude and appreciation for Henry Buck and all the men and women who fought for the Allies in World War II, and those that served in the War Effort at home and abroad, and the families who kept the country operating and the home fires burning here on the homefront.

Thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your heroism. May we never, never, never forget. 

 

Memorial Day 2019

Before we head out for our Memorial Day Weekend, before the picnics, before the day spent on the lake, before hitting the sales at the mall or making homemade ice cream with the family, let's take a moment to reflect, remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to put the Free in Freedom while serving in the US Armed Forces. 

I've heard it said that Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day, and that might be true. Except many families in the south observe Decoration Day each year but it's not on Memorial Day. Decoration Day may have started as a time to honor the dead, but where I live it is more like a family reunion where people visit the family cemetery and clean it up and then enjoy a potluck dinner on the grounds. My family observes Decoration Day on the first Saturday in August. My sister-in-law's family from Mississippi observes it on the Saturday before Mother's Day. 

In 1882 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this poem...

Decoration Day

Sleep, comrades, sleep and rest
On this Field of the Grounded Arms,
Where foes no more molest,
Nor sentry’s shot alarms!

Ye have slept on the ground before,
And started to your feet
At the cannon’s sudden roar,
Or the drum’s redoubling beat.

But in this camp of Death
No sound your slumber breaks;
Here is no fevered breath,
No wound that bleeds and aches.

All is repose and peace,
Untrampled lies the sod;
The shouts of battle cease,
It is the Truce of God!

Rest, comrades, rest and sleep!
The thoughts of men shall be
As sentinels to keep
Your rest from danger free.

Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Poppy became a popular symbol of Memorial Day after the poem In Flanders Field was published on May 3, 1915, by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae describing the poppies that grew over the soldiers graves in WWI. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

 

Plantation vs. Farm vs. Estate

Nearly a decade ago I had the pleasure to meet Robert Grede, a charming and creative gentleman from Milwaukee who traveled to Columbia, TN, to spend hours in our local county archives conducting research for his book The Spur and the Sash, a historical fiction book based on the US Civil War experiences of one of his ancestors Sergeant George Van Norman and the time he spent convalescing in Maury county.  We met at the Maury County Archives where Grede was scheduled to speak about his research and his soon to be released book. 

One thing in particular really stuck with me from that presentation. Robert Grede said that as a far northern resident, he and his friends were curious about the seemingly romantic notion of the "old south plantation." He went on to say he was a bit disappointed to learn that a plantation is simply a farm. 

A farm? I never really thought about it. Born and raised in a southern border state, I've always taken for granted the word "plantation."  What is a plantation?  Is is simply a farm? Is it defined by historical era? Architectural style? Size? Crop? Activity? Way of life?

Growing up in Franklin, Tennessee, we passed antebellum plantation home after plantation home on the school bus each morning going to school. It was just somebody's big, old house. Most were still residents, even if a bit dilapidated. Carnton Plantation, though fully restored and open to the public, was a rental house adjacent to the Carnton Golf and Swim Club (now a part of the Battle of Franklin Trust.)  Some homes, I'm sorry to say, housed hay bales and smoked country hams. It's expensive to maintain a big, 150+ year old structure. 

But what make large, old houses plantation homes verses just farm houses?  I needed to know, so I went on a quest. 

What I discovered is typically a Plantation home is a large house in a tropical or subtropical climate on a farm that concentrates on one crop, i.e. a cotton plantation, a sugarcane plantation, a pineapple plantation, a thoroughbred plantation.  If a plantation had more than one main crop, like cotton, corn, and tobacco, then it was a farm, albeit a large one and could boast a large house. 

Rippavilla Plantation, where I serve on the board of Directors, is really a misnomer. Rippavilla was not a plantation or a farm, but an estate.  An Estate is different from a plantation and a farm in that it also hosts a business or activity either outside or adjacent to agriculture such as milling, ginning, or blacksmithing. What Rippavilla's additional businesses were, I'm not certain. I've heard it had it's on mill, but was that for use on the estate only or was it a business open to the public? I've heard it had it's own kiln, and the slaves were skilled brick masons and carpenters. But was it located at Rippavilla or at Susan McKissack Cheairs' father's home? It's quite possible Rippavilla was simply a large farm. 

Are all large, old, southern homes called Plantations?  The simple answer is No. But no one will point out the mistake if you make it. It does seem that the word "plantation" has become a generic word for large, old, southern home, many simply go by their name or are called farm, hall, estate, home or place. Just look at some of the beauties in Maury County. 

The William McKissack Home (privately owned)

Antrim Farm (now a special events venue)

Elm Springs  (Open to the Public for Tours and home to the SCV Headquarters)

Ferguson Hall  (Open to the Public)

Haynes Haven on the site previously known as Woodlawn (Owned by GM and available to rent for special events)

Mayes-Frierson-Fuston Home  (Privately owned)

Rattle and Snap Plantation  (Privately owned, but Open to the public by appointment only)

Rippavilla Plantation (Open to the Public)

Athenaeum Rectory (Open on weekends and by appointment)

So whether they are Plantations, Farm Houses, or Estates, Maury county is home to more than 1500 structures that pre-date the American Civil War. I have no idea how many exist within middle Tennessee. Each is beautiful and rich with history and stories of the residents and those who worked the land. 

Pleasant Grove

Today I had the pleasure to tour one of many Maury County's beautiful historic homes, Pleasant Grove, whose colorful history dates back to 1795 when the core of the house was built. This “core structure” was a simple two-story log home.

The first level of the home featured two rooms built on either side of a central breezeway, commonly known as a dogtrot. This style of home was brought west as settlers came out of the Appalachian Mountains, where this type of home was commonplace.

Over the years, several additions and modifications were made to Pleasant Grove, starting with the enclosure of the dogtrot. Then, brick facing and a columned veranda were added to the structure to give it a more sophisticated, plantation appearance.

Two notable residents of the home were Buford Moore and his wife Cora. Both were known in their fields—Buford Moore was a renowned architect in Nashville, and Cora Moore was a listed artist who taught art at Vanderbilt University. Several references can be found to art exhibitions featuring her work in Nashville in the 1960s.

Jim Stoltz was in attendance, and he said Buford and Cora were his aunt and uncle. He owned an original Cora Moore painting and said it was a small cubism style painting so popular in the first half of the 20th Century. I'd love to photograph her work and add it here. 

The Moore’s legacy lives on in this house, as it was Mr. Moore who enclosed the back porch of this home to create an art studio for Mrs. Moore. Did you hear my heart just skip a beat?

The home is currently owned by Sam Fitzgerald and Doug Blake. They named the home “Pleasant Grove” because of the history associated with the Culleoka area.

In the early days of Culleoka, two prominent families quarreled over the naming of the town. One family was in charge of the post office, and they favored “Culleoka;” the other family favored “Pleasant Grove.” The end result was that the town became known by two different names. If one wanted to mail a letter to the town, they mailed it to Culleoka. If one wanted to take a train to the town, they bought a ticket for the Pleasant Grove Station. Now that rail service is no longer active in the area, the name Pleasant Grove has almost died away. But, thanks to Sam and Doug, the name lives on in a new way.

We were in awe of the beautiful, interesting and unique furnishings in the home. I was especially delighted to see Doug owns a photo of his grandfather's grandfather. 

hank you Doug and Sam for opening your lovely home and sharing its history with us!!

Joyous Easter

Easter afternoon 1967 at my grandparents house in Milan, Tennessee. My cousin Karen and I (the only grandchildren at the time) received a duck and two chicks along with our Easter Basket. Bless their little hearts, the chicks were dyed hot pink and turquoise.

Wishing you a joyous Easter. 

 

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

~Matthew 28:6