An Afternoon in Salem

"Old Salem, Salem was founded in 1766 by the Moravians – a Protestant group of people that began in what is now known as the Czech Republic.  The Moravian Church and Salem residents kept meticulous records and accounts of their lives, their interactions, their buildings and landscapes, and their evolution into the town of Winston-Salem. These records, diaries, and accounts provide accurate details to tell the stories of those living and working in Salem. From the tavern keeper to the doctor, the gunsmith to the boys’ schoolteacher, every person in Salem played a vital role. Today, visitors can interact with costumed staff members through engaging conversation and by participating in hands-on activities." 

Old Salem was a prime field trip destination for elementary schools all over North Carolina.  I went there a few times through my elementary-middle school career.  However being under the age of 16, I was more excited to be out of the classroom then I was to be visiting somewhere new.  So at the end of a hard week, Vlad surprised me with afternoon tickets to Old Salem on Friday!  We got to spend  a little time in the sunshine and fresh air.

It's always interesting when you find places that embrace the time past and the present.  It's a unique moment when you can almost straddle the line between the two and see how far we've come and where we once were.  At the inn you can stand in the parlor were President George Washington once stood on those very same floorboards in a time where a women's s ribbon was a symbol of her marital status.  It's good to be reminded that time moves on and that it always continues to move forward with the good or the bad;  It carries us through.

Henkelite Cemetery

Henkelite Cemetery in Mount Pleasant, NC (which is the rival beside my hometown of Concord)  is the resting place of many confederate soldiers.  It is also known as a haunted area site where, supposedly at night, you can hear the sound of marching and gunfire. Some people have even seen confederate soldiers standing guard in their military dress and pictures have developed with children playing in the grass.  

We had heard of this cemetery in high school, but could never find it, or had passed the road and never realized where it lead, but a friend of mine started dating a local firemen who knew exactly where it was and took them to visit, so when I came home for the holidays we ventured back to the spot and took a moment to remember the past.  Half a mile down a dirt road, surrounded by forest and fields was a small fenced in plot of land, with confederate flags are still flying to remember those who fought in the battles before.  Most of the headstones are cracked or broken, and many have eroded down to become unreadable.  However they tell a story that cannot be heard and leave a mark for others to come.

The steeple is from the old Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, from 1878, but it has been deteriorating now for years, yet the weathered boards and bolts show their age and their history.

I don't know why I've always thought cemeteries were kind of beautiful.  Maybe it's the idea that these people once saw the place I am now in a different way, in their own way, and while separated by time, I still feel a connection to who they once were.  So I hope you enjoy these pictures that capture a place of a different time and a different space.

Day 3.

The Nichols House Museum

on Beacon Hil

          Mt. Vernon Street was home to many prestigous families in the early 1800's.  Specifically at 55 Mt. Vernon Street, orginally owned in 1804 by the Mason's, resided Miss Rose Standish Nichols with her collections of art, furniture, and memorabila. She and her two sisters, all trained at the Miss Shaw School, studying carpentry and woodworking, which for a women in the 1800s was very impressive.  They were all also well educated and talented.  Miss Nichols specially was still traveling to Switerzland until a year before her death at age 89.  Born in 1872 she was an author, a suffragette, a lifelong pacifist, and a women's rights activist at a time when that was an far unseen future.  She was a world travler, studying English, Spainish, and Italian landscape architecture and gardens, writing books on each style.  Her house has been preserved, with most of its original furniture and collections from the family, including several sculptures created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens who was Miss Nichols uncle.  She was such a diverse and interesting women, so it is fitting that her house still displays her passion and personality. (Nichols House Museum Website.)

Pictured Below:  Miss Rose Nichols during a magazine photoshoot

 
Tapestry from the mid 16th to the early 17th century, worth at 500,000 (only worth less than 1 million because the family cut the bottom border so it would fit the wall better.)

Beautiful Textured Wallpaper

Rose's Bedroom

The Shoppes at Mauzy

          Here is yet another one of my must-do's when in Lacey Spring, Virginia.  These shoppes are exquisitely located in an early 1800's stagecoach inn.  Complete with the surrounding buildings of the era as well, including a jail, ice house, general store, and the school house. 

          Each room inside the main house has a different theme, ranging from cowboy western style, to feminine china and delicacies, to wilderness and bears.  The displays are creative and intriguing and you are bound to find something to catch your interest whether you are fond of antiques or looking for fresh season decorations!

          The most history I know is from a few brief signs that were posted inside each building and I have reposted them for you below.  However history feels alive places like this with their traditions and preservation.  Particularly in this pocket of history, the southern traits run strong and their heritage is still celebrated, as you'll notice in the pictures below, by the displays of Confederate Generals, George Washington and the American flag.  Southern culture from the early 1800s is still very much intact today.

The General Store

          "In the 1800's Mauzy was a small town called Sparta.  This building was a general store and post office.  A counter ran the length of the building with shelves, drawers and bins along the wall behind.  The customer would ask for an item and the storekeeper would take it from the shelf and put it on the counter.  Across the Valley Pike (the road) from the General Store was a tavern called Hayes Tavern. There is evidence of other buildings not still standing such as a barn, stables, and dwellings."

The Jail

          "This was a lockup of some sort.  We suppose prisoners or slaves being transported would be kept here while their captor stayed in the Inn.  The bars in the windows are original but the cell inside is staging."

The Ice House

          "This part of the ice house was filled to the roof with ice that had been cut from the creek and stacked under sawdust in this room.  Notice the heavy window sill above the West wall."

The School House