Ancient Spanish Monastery

This was one of the adventures of Vlad's choosing.  Tucked away in the middle of a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Miami, we almost drove by this precious piece of history. Walking into the lobby, the story was displayed on informational plaques with artifacts in showcases, including an ancient hearse that was so intricately decorated it was stunning.  I borrowed this passage from the monastery's website because I thought it was just so interesting!

"Construction of the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux was completed in the year 1141 AD in Sacramenia, near Segovia in northern Spain. Being dedicated to the Blessed Mother it was originally named ‘The Monastery of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels.’ Cistercian monks occupied the Monastery for nearly 700 years. After a social revolution in the 1830's, the Monastery’s Cloisters were seized, sold, and converted into a granary and stable.

In 1925, William Randolph Hearst purchased the Cloisters and the Monastery's outbuildings. The structures were dismantled stone by stone, bound with protective hay, packed in more than 11,000 wooden crates, numbered for identification and shipped to the United States. Soon after the shipment arrived, Hearst's financial problems forced most of his collection to be sold at auction. The massive crates remained in a warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, for 26 years. In 1952, they were purchased by two entrepreneurs for use as a tourist attraction. It took 19 months and the equivalent of nearly $20 million dollars, in today’s currency, to put the Monastery back together. Time magazine called it “the biggest jigsaw puzzle in history.” Today the parish Church of St. Bernard de Clairvaux is an active congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida. Services are held on Sundays and weekdays in both English and Spanish." 

The day we went it was partially decorated for a wedding, which made the venue seem even more magical with the crystals dripping from the tree limbs and flower wreaths wrapped around the courtyard.  It was such a beautiful day and the history embedded in each stone just made everything seem so special and ornate.  My photos don't even do the Monastery justice but I hope you enjoy them all the same!

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.

History in Stone

 

          Boston has always been a place known for its history.  And walking through the aisles of lives past, in the company of Paul Revere and soldiers of the Revolutionary War, I wonder who they were, and what their world was like.  When Boston was only a few buildings wide, in the 1700's, it was a different time but yet somehow the people feel the same to me, like if i could talk to them I would be able to relate my life to theirs, even in some far stretched way. The memory of their lives are stand decorated with emblems of angels and skeletons to represent symbols of respect from their time.  As the sun shone on their memorial stones, beautifully weathered with years of age, like a spotlight showing me the way through the path these people created.  So as I create my own, I can only be grateful to the heartaches, struggles, and accomplishments that where conquered by those before me.

Preservation

           After the Caverns, we stopped by a few of the other exhibits that were available.  The Luray Valley Museum was small but I thought it was really interesting.  So many museums have replicas to add to their exhibits, but the really fascinating things are the actual items.  While this museum was small, all of their items were actually from the 1800s,  that were found around the local area.  They had found a trunk with clothes and belonging that are all now on display for the public to enjoy.  Seeing personal belongings is like seeing a bit of someone's soul.  These were the things they choose, the things they touched, and the things they cherished.  

          Looking at this box through the glass, I felt a strange connection to it.  Like this little girl and I would have been the best of friends if I lived in the 1800s.  When I was in elementary school I had a shoebox decorated in the same fashion that I only kept my special things in.  I took hours to decorate things, only putting my favorite pictures and patterns on them.  These things became an expression of me, just as art always has.  Looking through the glass I was seeing a reflection of myself in another time.

          I never knew that birth certificates were so decorated in the 1800s.  They had a whole display case of birth certificates that were highly decorative.  I wasn't expecting something that is now so plain and official, to once be so beautiful.

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