Back to School, Sort Of

A beautiful morning to you! 

I'm off today to talk about Appalachian storytelling with a college class. I've been to this class--telling ghost stories, talking about Dr. Ruth Ann Musick and her books, and singing ballads--each semester for the past 3 or 4 years. One of my favorite repeat gigs :)

I'm taking a coupe of things with me this time. I won the carved picture in a drawing at the West Virginia Folk Festival. I think it's a pretty cool piece of folk art, even if a picture of a headless man might be an odd thing to have hanging in the living room.

Also taking this fellow. Do you recognize him/her/it?

I usually hear a few stories from students during my presentation. These students come from all over the country (and sometimes from other countries as well), and often have little or no knowledge of our state's cultural heritage--even those born and raised here. They're always great listeners, and it's a pleasure to be with them, even for this little bit of time.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Ghost Walk! Tomorrow Night!

Dead soldiers, haunted buildings, hangings and more--and all right here in Ripley, WV.

It's the Do You Believe? Ripley Ghost Walk. Spooks abound on our one-mile walk through our small but historic town and stories sleep beneath the stones in the Old Settlers Cemetery.

The walk begins on the Courthouse steps on Court Street. First walk is at 7:00 pm, the second, for those who prefer the cover of full darkness, is at 9:00 pm. And we repeat the walks next weekend too, same time, same place.

See you there!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Traveling West Virginia: Princeton, WV

Loved the old art deco theater! The diner next door is being
restored to its original period look, I heard.

I was down south yesterday, although you'd never know it from the photos.

Snow! Only a light dusting but a sure reminder that winter is hard on our heels.

We were in Princeton, West Virginia, which is in Mercer county, bordering on the southwest Virginia line. Storytelling was the reason for this trip--I'd been contacted by Rachel, the owner of the Sly Fox Shoppe, to present ghost stories for their first-ever Stories on the Square. The square is a small outside performance area in the heart of the old-town business district. I'd performed there several years ago in the summer and was delighted to return to this friendly and quaint town. The weather didn't cooperate with having an outside event--no one wants to sit outside in the wet snow/rain mix in temperatures below freezing, even if the stories are smoking hot!

So we moved indoors to the intriguing Nonna's Bakery, which is really more than a bakery--their menu includes some delicious Italian dinners. But before the show, I had time to snap a few shots of the downtown area. Princeton is home to a number or artists and their work is evident:

I loved this "buck in disguise" in The Sly Fox Shoppe:

 I did not get any photos of the storytelling, but afterwards took a minute to snap a few of the downtown. So pretty.

As part of the storytelling show, I was joined by members of the Appalachee Paranormal group, who have investigated a variety of paranormal sites in their part of West Virginia as well as other places both in and out of state. I was intrigued by the adventures they described, and I realized the difference in how we approach ghost stories: they search for whatever might be left of the phenomena in the place it occurred, while I search the history behind the phenomena to figure out why it happens. Two different approaches, but both produce interesting stories.

Today were were unpacking (of course we stopped at a few places to find new things for our antique mall booths) and then re-packing for tomorrow's trip north to Ritchie County, West Virginia and the Ritchie County Middle School. I'm off to bed now so I can be ready for a bright-and-early start on what promises to be yet another cold frosty morning in the mountains.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Traveling West Virginia: The Mountaineer Military Museum

I saw a sign one day, pointing the way to the military museum in Weston, WV. That day I was traveling with my sisters, exploring the Museum of American Glass in Weston, but I made a mental note to seek out the museum sometime when Larry was with me. Last month I was telling stories at the library in Weston and we decided this was the day to find the museum.

Originally built as the Weston Colored School, a school for black children built in 1882 during segregation and in use until 1954 in ,the Lewis County School Board donated use of the building for the Mountaineer Military Museum.

The building looks deceptively small from the outside but it houses a fascinating and sobering collection.

The museum is a work of remembrance for founder Ron McVaney and his wife Barbara. McVaney and several of his friends went into the military together during the Vietnam war. McVaney was sent to Germany, while his friends were sent to Vietnam. McVaney was the only one to come home alive, and he made a vow then that his friends would never be forgotten. The museum, begun after his retirement, is his way of keeping that promise.

The museum was not actually open the day we visited but Mrs. McVaney was there doing some work and graciously allowed us to enter. Inside the door, a visitor is immediately met but a corridor lined with portraits.

Mrs. McVaney explained that this is their Hall of Fame, and that any family in West Virginia can send in pictures of military family members to be displayed in the museum. The number of portraits quickly filled the hall and the display has spread to other places in the building as more arrive almost daily.

We were amazed at how professionally and creatively the museum was arranged. Many of the items were the Mcvaneys personal collection, but as word got out donations poured in from West Virginians around the state, and even from out of state.

She must have been a very special teacher; many soldiers wrote to Miss Darnall
during their time of service in WWII

The school board built on a new room as the collection grew, and the new space allowed the McVaneys to bring in an old Army Jeep,

and to build a little hut (they call it the "hooch") where veterans and others can spend quiet time in meditation.

A beaded curtain covers the entrance to the hooch. The beads were recommended by vets
who remembered the hooches in Vietnam--a place to relax and maybe party.

A video runs in the room, a moving tribute to veterans of all wars.

The displays are organized by time periods and wars/conflicts, from the Civil War to the present. The Civil War display is no larger than any of the others; in fact it might be smaller but that seemed all right to me, since that war is well covered by other museums, while later conflicts like Korea get little attention.

I was pleased to see that women vets were not overlooked. Almost every war display included something about the females who were part of the armed forces.

Uniformed mannequins stood with each display.

I was surprised to see that even Desert Storm and the Iraq War were included, and are continuing to be developed.

The museum continues to grow as donations continue to be made for the various displays. I know we're already looking around our house and thinking about what we have that might be better used by the museum.

I highly recommend the Mountaineer Military Museum as a place to visit: it reminds us of the toll of war, the sacrifice made by many, and of the responsibility we all have to remember those who defend our country. It's a humbling experience, and I left thankful that there are people like the McVaneys who give so much that we might all benefit.

The museum has limited hours as it is staff by volunteers. Call ahead if you would like to visit when the museum is closed and a tour might be possible. Located at 345 Center Avenue, Weston WV 26452, the museums hours are Friday and Saturday from 10am-4pm in the summer, and in winter on Saturdays only from 10am-4pm.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Traveling West Virginia: Henderson Hall

I had been promising myself for months that we would stop at Henderson Hall on day on our way to our Marietta booth. This past week I made it a plan instead of a promise and it was certainly worth taking the time to visit.

The Henderson family arrived in the Ohio Valley in the late 1700's and promptly established themselves as a primary force in the settlement communities along the river. With connections to many in power in the relatively new United States government, it stands to reason that this family would play a prominent role in the government of the frontier. they must have recognized that fact early on, for they saved every letter, receipt, diary, broken cup, school book, chair, and much more--all put away in a third floor attic room for the enjoyment, wonderment and edification of future generations
.
The exterior is imposing but not overly ostentatious. Larry, the retired bricklayer, enjoyed seeing the fine masonry work,

and we were both impressed by the carved sandstone columns and corners of the front entry porch.

The interior was like stepping back in time. This family, as I said, did not throw much away, and took good care of the things they owned so the decor is a mixture of eras and styles, but all tastefully blended and interesting as can be to anyone interested in antiques.

We went upstairs to the find...

bedrooms

and bedrooms...

and more bedrooms,

and even a wedding gown.

This is the third floor storage room, which I'm betting they called they "lumber room" since that was the English term and the USA was only recently separated from the mother country at the time Henderson Hall was built. Lots of treasures here!

And a view looking down the stairwell,

which is very similar to this view at the Louis Bennett house, built in 1875 in Weston, WV, which now house the public library. Henderson Hall (the new section) was built in 1836, but the style is certainly comparable.

 Wonder of wonders, you can even go up into the widow's walk on top of the mansion to see the view! I tried to imagine what it looked like in the early 1800's when the Hendersons were farming the fields around their home. What a sight it must have been.

Back to the second floor landing, where it was much cooler than the windowed widow's walk,

and then to the first floor to view the lovely parlor (can't imagine calling it a living room!),

and the gorgeous dining room, with the table set for ten guests,

and into the kitchen, where the last Henderson to live in the house uncovered and restored the original fireplace:

There is much more to see in Henderson Hall than what I have shown here. So many antiques, photos, artifacts that it boggles the mind, truly. The Hall is funded by the Oil and Gas Museum in Parkersburg, WV, and volunteers from that group do upkeep and are docents at the hall. A labor of love, certainly.

Our guide told us that the letters and other ephemera were currently being sorted and placed into archival boxes. I hope that these will be made available to researchers and historians, as 200 years of letters is really a treasure trove and a perfect insight into the way of life in bygone days.

This photo shows the original house at the rear and the later addition of the "hall." It's apparent that the family's fortunes continued to do well in the valley.

Henderson Hall is located at 517 River Rd, Williamstown, WV (Off WV 14 north of Parkersburg)

Call 304-375-2129 for information about group tours, hours, etc. Admission is $5.00 per person, and they usually open Noon to 5:00pm daily.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.