Saturday Tourists: Cupcakes, Antiques, Picnic and Ghosts

After considering many possibilities, we decided that what we wanted to do yesterday was to go to Marietta, Ohio and take the ghost tour around this historic town. It was a good decision, and since we left early we had several adventures along the way.


We headed north on old US 21 towards Ravenswood, intending to stop at the riverside park for a picnic lunch. Instead we made a detour to the covered bridge at Sarvis Fork.

 Picture taking time:

Then we saw that the Silverton Fire Department was having an ice cream social, so of course we stopped. Homemade ice cream, music and meeting with some old friends made for a pleasant and unexpected treat. I can attest to the great ice cream--chocolate was awesome.

No one was really hungry for lunch so we stopped at the River's Bend Antique Mall in Ravenswood and browsed. Grace and I had a great time; Larry and Clayton humored us (and I took this bad photo. Geez. You'd think I'd remember to check the camera settings). I like this store because it has such spacious aisles, no danger of knocking things over. Some antique places are so full I'm afraid to even look. This one has breathing room.

I was impressed with this HUGE barrel--it was a shipping barrel for wool and it is without a doubt the biggest barrel I've ever seen.

I found something I'd been searching for--a glass washboard. I have a small one but this one is the standard size, and the price was excellent. While paying for my washboard I got into conversation with the lady who works there. She is also one of 13 children, was raised near Ravenswood and remembers her mother washing all day on a washboard. We talked a long time, and I will be back to see her. She has many stories to tell.

We left Ravenswood and went in search of Alligator Jack's, a big flea market on the Ohio side of the river. We found it all right---and this place was guy heaven. Guns, knives, weapons of all sorts; food and snacks; movies. For us women there were vintage items, beads, books and all sorts of things to look at. Including this little lady:

Gwen is 14 years old and was shy at first, but soon showed her feathers. She was a real delight, and I appreciated her owner's graciousness in talking to us about her pet.

It was time to find somewhere to eat! We drove on towards Marietta to have lunch in the park I wrote about last week, on the shores of the Muskingum River.

The park is a lovely place, the only downside being that there are no picnic tables. We improvised and had a nice picnic--we'd packed ham and turkey sandwich fixings, pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, chips, cookies and drinks so we were all set. We decided that since we had some time, we should venture up to Beverly, Ohio to see the site of the explosion of the Buckeye Belle and the gravesite for the 13 unidentified people who were among the victims of that disaster. Imagine that many people dying and no one knowing who they were. Back then a person could pay cash for their fare and no one would even know they were on the boat.

The grave was not difficult to find; I knew that it was near the back fence of a cemetery in town and after asking a young guy where the "old" cemetery might be, we drove straight to the site and found the stone marker. We stood and talked quietly, feeling the past creeping around us like the evening shadows.

As we drove back to Beverly we saw this little brick schoolhouse, which is the oldest brick schoolhouse in Ohio--the Round Bottom School (ahem).

 
A cemetery beside the school drew my attention (surprised?) and this stone in particular caught my eye. Story indeed--surely there are many stories that could be found about those sleeping in this peaceful spot.

At last it was time for the ghost walk. More in my next post!