Follow Up to my Blog Post today about the Gatlinburg Fires

Dollywood was spared in the Gatlinburg Fires   (Internet photo)

Be sure to read my other post first  (click HERE)  --- and you may even have more comments/questions.

I decided to write this 'follow-up' talking more about some of your comments and questions.  Here are some additional thoughts.

1.  I'm not sure how they caught the juveniles who set the fire ---but they DID.   Since they are juveniles,  we have heard NOTHING else about them --who they are,  where they are from,  etc.  Since they are being 'tried' as juveniles,  I'm not sure IF we will ever hear anything about them.  For the life of me,  I cannot understand why they set that fire.... Of course,  they probably had no idea what would happen.  Wonder if they regret doing what they did now?  I HOPE SO.  

I know that, as a Christian,  we are taught to have understanding and forgiveness...  I do forgive them --but will NEVER forget what they did.

2. I read that all of the historical cabins in the Smokies were saved... I'm sure they put a priority on saving that history ---and George and I think that the Ogle Cabin and Barn could easily have been destroyed except for the work of hard-working firefighters --who were there to spray water on the cabins and keep the embers from jumping onto roofs.... Thanks for our firefighters...

3.  There IS so much love, faith, compassion and forgiveness coming from the people who live or lived in and around the Gatlinburg area.  It is amazing how a tragedy brings people together..

Seeing the people of Gatlinburg working so hard to make a living for themselves and others  made me think about all of the people in our country who are not working and who (many of them) are out there protesting one thing or another.  I wish all of those people would put their energies into helping the people of Gatlinburg (and many other places around our country) who so desperately need help.

4.   Yes---our woods will come back.... I know about controlled burns ---since we see them frequently.   Controlled Burns are GOOD for the woods..   Things will come back --will even be healthier!!!!

5.  Gatlinburg is a small mountain town sitting RIGHT up against the mountains.   People have built homes or cabins all over those mountain ranges...  Since one cannot built inside the national parks,  there's not many areas left in and around Gatlinburg...  Since tourism is such a booming business there,  the growth has happened on the north and eastern sides of Gatlinburg  (in areas around Pigeon Forge,  Sevierville and Cosby).

Sometimes,  as an old-timer who just loves the mountains and who doesn't love the water-slides and other tourist shows and entertainment areas,   I am sorry that so many cabins have been built in such a small area.  Disasters happen ---and this was the 'perfect storm' for a little place like Gatlinburg.

6. This fire storm happened SO quickly --and there really wasn't much time for people to prepare or in many cases even LEAVE for safety.  The embers were jumping from area to area --and once the storm got to an area,  it would QUICKLY just burn everything in its path as it barreled down that mountain range into a 'holler' where there were many homes/cabins.

But--as I said,  we would see one house burned to the ground and the house next door wasn't touched...  The fire just jumped around depending upon the winds....

7. I hope that Liene is correct when she said that some of the charred trees (that I pictured)  will or may come back...  I hope so... I do know that some trees are much more resilient than others... George and I will go back to that area around the Ogle Cabin in a year ---and I'll let you know what we find...

8. Linda (Behold the Beauty),  I know how much you also love the Smokies... I am anxious to see the Roaring Forks area --once they open it up in the Spring... I'll keep you posted.   I will tell you that the trail to Rainbow Falls was OPEN ---so that is good news.   (By the way,  you two need to get down this way soon so that you can have some closure after seeing the area..)



Thanks for your comments.. They mean so much to me!!!!!
Hugs,

Some GOOD News after the Gatlinburg, Tennessee Wildfires of November, 2016

George standing on the porch of the Noah  "Bud"  OGLE  Cabin, historical old farm near Gatlinburg,  TN  (1/17/16)

Most of you know that our area experienced an extreme drought for about 5 months in late summer/fall.   Because of this,  there were many devastating wildfires all around the area in October and November...  BUT---one of these horrible wildfires will be plastered in my mind forever.  The worst wildfire was the one which TWO JUVENILES SET in the mountains near the Chimneys area off of Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, NC.

Little did these two IDIOT KIDS know when they set that fire was that a huge weather system would bring 85 mph winds to that area --which then caused the fires to explode all over that mountain and head directly toward a wonderful old tourist town in the mountains,  named GATLINBURG,  TN.

I have been going to Gatlinburg and the Smokies almost all of my life,  and feel as if that area is truly a part of me and my history and family.  When the fires happened,  I thought I had lost some of my family.  The fire damaged and devastated so many homes/businesses/cabins/and LIVES --as it reeked havoc on the entire town and areas around Gatlinburg.

On January 17 and 18,  George and I made a trip to Gatlinburg  (as we usually always do this time of year).  While there,  we checked out many areas which had been devastated by the fires... It was SO SO SO SAD to see these areas.

BUT--there is always good to come out of bad!   Here's some of the good:
-the beautiful little downtown area of Gatlinburg (for the most part) was NOT damaged (even though the fire came so very very close)
-the people there who lost SO much tell such wonderful, heart-felt stories of strength and faith  (amazing how the strength of people can help us)
-the woods/mountains will come back;  That is just NATURE.

I'm sure there are many many GOOD stories,  but today,  I'm sharing another GOOD story for you.... See that picture at the top?????  That is the Noah "Bud" Ogle old home-place,  originally built in 1879.  This old historical landmark is located on Cherokee Orchard Road  not far from downtown Gatlinburg.  George and I were anxious to see it ---and were THRILLED that the old home and barn  somehow made it through the fires (although it's obvious that the fires had been all around that area).  I cried with JOY when we saw this piece of history in ONE PIECE.

I will share pictures of our little hike in and around the Ogle Cabin on 1/17...   It's sad to see the fire damage ---but it was GREAT to see that cabin in tact!!!!

Old Fireplace inside the home

I stood on the back porch looking at how close the fire came. Wooooo.

I love this old chimney.  Have you ever seen one like this?

Here's another angle of the back side of the cabin.   Can you see how close the fires were?  YIPES.

We hiked a loop trail around the back of the Ogle property.  Some areas were totally undamaged by the fire.  Isn't the creek pretty?

Then we saw many areas just like this... So sad.

And this......

But then,  we'd see this!!!!!!  (Amazing how the fires moved around --missing some things and damaging others;  It was those 85 mph swirling winds I'm sure.)

The hike ended above the house near the barn.  

This is the barn ---so you can see how close the fires came to it also. YIPES.

I love this old fireplace in another room inside the house.

Here's another picture taken from inside the house looking at some of the fire devastation.

Just have to share one more picture of a tree damaged or destroyed by the wildfire...  

Finally, the beautiful   OGLE CABIN ----still standing and still beautiful

I will admit that seeing the damage around the Gatlinburg area was heart-breaking ---but I am glad I visited there.  It brought some closure for me,  as hard as it was.  BUT---this post today is to help you (all of us) to see that GOOD THINGS can come from tragedy.

Continue to pray for the people of Gatlinburg.   Cleaning up and rebuilding will take lots of time and money and effort.  Volunteers are always needed...

Hugs,

Old Fort Harrod, Harrodsburg, KY

As you know, George and I love to hike and search for new waterfalls. BUT--we also love history. George especially reads --and remembers---alot of history especially around the Civil War time. It is so interesting to be somewhere with him because he knows so much about our pioneers and what happened in the past.

We love to travel on the back roads (instead of the interstate) when we can. SO--once we left Indiana on 3/10/07, we drove down through the bluegrass region in Kentucky. Talk about GORGEOUS!!! When we got to a town called Harrodsburg, we read a sign saying that it was the FIRST Kentucky settlement. It was then called Harrodstown--and was founded in 1774 as the first permanent English settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains.

After getting into Harrodsburg, we passed by an old fort (Old Fort Harrod). At that time, we both said, "Let's turn around and check it out." AND--are we glad we did!!!! We got to experience life and history first hand in this full-scale replica of the fort, built by James Harrod. The cabins and blockhouses are furnished with handmade utensils used by the pioneers.

James Harrod was the unanimous choice to be the leader of the expeditionary company that founded Kentucky's first settlement. He was an expert in the use of a rifle, a successful hunter, and a skillful antagonist of the Native American. He was a feared enemy to them, yet he was highly respected by them. Harrod joined George Rogers Clark's expedition to destroy Shawnee strongholds across the Ohio River. The expedition was successful and more settlers came to the peaceful, lush Kentucky territory. Colonel James Harrod died mysteriously during one of his hunting trips in the winter of 1792. His body was never located.

Besides James Harrod and George Rogers Clark, another interesting person we learned about was Ann Kennedy Wilson Pogue Lindsay McGinty. Ann was the first home economics demonstrator in Kentucky. When she came over the Wilderness Road to Harrod's Fort, she brought her spinning wheel on her horse with her. She lived to a ripe old age, surviving FOUR husbands, and died in the fort blockhouse.

One of Ann McGinty's husbands was William Pogue. William was the handy-man at Harrod's Fort. He made spinning wheels and looms that kept his wife and the other women busy. He also made the first plow that turned the first bluegrass sod in Kentucky.

After taking in the fort, we visited the old cemetery. This was the oldest cemetery in the state, with over 500 pioneer sites. I loved looking at all of the old stones, trying to read any inscriptions. And finally, we enjoyed walking around one of the oldest and largest Osage orange trees in the country. VERY DIFFERENT!!!! I have already blogged about the Osage tree. Click HERE to see that post.

The picture above is George inside of the George Rogers Clark Blockhouse. This is where Clark planned his conquest, which saved the Northwest Territory for his country. He presented his plans to Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, and was given the authority to proceed. More pictures are below.




Old Fort Harrod is a replica of the original fort.




I am standing at the McGinty Blockhouse. Talented woman, Ann McGinty, died here after outliving FOUR husbands.




George stands at the blacksmith shop.




Here is where Clark planned his conquest which saved the Northwest Territory.




This is the Mark McGohon Cabin with wife BETSY's cord cherry bed and her bonnet!





Capt. James Harrod and 32 men started Harrodstown. This is the schoolhouse where...




...George sits and recites his ABC's. Can you hear him??????? ha ha






Handyman William Pogue made spinning wheels with the help of his smart wife, Ann.





Rev. John Lythe, who carried a Bible in one hand and an axe in the other, lived here.




Here's one more peak at the fort before leaving. What an experience!

We hope YOU get to go to Harrodsburg sometime and enjoy this wonderful piece of history.

Hugs,

Cockspur Lighthouse, GA

We saw two lighthouses during our Anniversary Vacation near Savannah, GA in June of 2008. One was the lighthouse on Tybee Island --and this one was the Cockspur Lighthouse (located between Savannah and Tybee Island). We could only see it from a distance, once while walking outside of Fort Pulaski, and then again from the road after leaving Tybee Island. Here's a little history about this lighthouse:

It was first built in 1849, but that was short-lived since it was rebuilt in 1857. The second Cockspur Lighthouse was built of brick and consisted of a 46 foot tower. The first keeper was appropriately named John Lightburn. He lived on Cockspur Island near Fort Pulaski and would make daily trips to the tower to service the light.

The second keeper, Cornelius Maher, drowned near the tower when his boat capsized while he was trying to help someone in distress. Maher's wife, Mary, replaced her husband as keeper and remained at the light for three more years.

Surprisingly, the Cockspur Lighthouse, which stood in the direct line of fire between Tybee Island and Fort Pulaski, suffered no damage during the war when the Union forces captured the Confederates at Fort Pulaski in 1862.

The lighthouse resumed operation in 1866, after the end of the war. The keeper's dwelling was struck by lightning in 1880, and was later destroyed by a hurricane. A new home for the keeper was eventually built on top of the walls of Fort Pulaski, which at the time was abandoned.

George Washington Martus was one of the keepers who served after the war, accepting an assignment to the station in 1881 at the age of 18. Martus served until 1886 when he was transferred upstream to the Elba Island Lighthouse. Martus' sister Florence lived with him on Elba Island, and for over 40 years, she greeted all the vessels entering and leaving the port of Savannah with the wave of a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night. She became somewhat of a legend and was known as the "Waving Girl." We passed by the statue of the "Waving Girl" while in Savannah--but neither of us got a picture of her.

In 1909, the deep draft ships calling at Savannah started to use the north channel, and the Cockspur Lighthouse was deactivated. The Coast Guard abandoned the light house in 1949, but fortunately the Park Service assumed control of the light in 1958. The tower was repaired in a two-stage restoration effort which lasted from 1995-2000. A new lantern room was put in place atop the tower, brickwork was repaired and the light house received two coats of whitewash during the project. The Cockspur Lighthouse, which was re-lit in 2007, using a solar-powered beacon, is now part of Fort Pulaski National Monument.

There are five pictures to see. Above is Cockspur Lighthouse. Below are four more. All of this 'history-stuff' is INTERESTING!!!!




This picture was taken by me ---when we were on the road, after visiting Tybee Island. You can see the Cockspur Lighthouse from here also (almost in the middle of your picture).



This picture was taken by us when we were at Fort Pulaski---looking toward the Tybee Lighthouse. We wanted to take a longer hike to get a better picture, but the Georgia BUGS were out--and we didn't have any bug spray with us.





This picture was taken (not by us) near the Cockspur Lighthouse--looking back toward Fort Pulaski (where we had been).



This is a picture of the "Waving Girl" statue in Savannah, GA. As I mentioned, George and I passed by this statue when we were on our 'whirlwind' tour of Savannah, but neither of us could get a picture from our trolley. (I took the picture above from the internet.)

As much as I love waterfalls, I also love lighthouses AND covered-bridges. We've seen over 350 different waterfalls. Think we'll ever see that many lighthouses or covered-bridges?????

Have a wonderful Sunday.
Hugs

Poor George!!!

On our Williamsburg trip in June of 2007, George found himself in a bit of a predicament. There was an old Guillotine ----and somehow George ended up in a precarious position... Poor Baby--- I think 'she' had him exactly where she wanted him. Ya think????? Is he going to cry???? Poor George--he's just SO abused!!!! Wonder how long 'she' made him stay there---and what promises did he have to make to her???????? Hmmmmmmmmm....


Seeing this old picture made me think about the Guillotine--and its history. How much do you know about them??? I'll admit that I didn't know much---so I did a little research that you might find interesting --or maybe not!!!


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
During the 1700's, executions in France were public events where entire towns gathered to watch. (Can you imagine?) A common execution method for a poor criminal was quartering, where the prisoner's limbs were tied to four oxen, then the animals were driven in four different directions ripping the person apart. (Yipes!) Upper-class criminals could buy their way into a less painful death by hanging or beheading. (It's hard to imagine something like beheading being more humane... Gads!)


Doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin belonged to a small political reform movement that wanted to banish the death penalty completely. Guillotin argued for a painless and private capital punishment method equal for all the classes, as an interim step towards completely banning the death penalty. Beheading devices had already been used in Germany, Italy, Scotland and Persia for aristocratic criminals. However, never had such a device been adopted on a large institutional scale. The French named the guillotin after Doctor Guillotin. The extra 'e' at the end of the word was added by an unknown English poet who found guillotine easier to rhythm with.


More than 10,000 people lost their heads by guillotine during the French Revolution, including Louis XVI and Mary Antoinette, the former king and queen of France. Use of the guillotine continued in France in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the last execution by guillotine occurred in 1977. In September 1981, France outlawed capital punishment altogether, thus abandoning the guillotine forever. There is a museum dedicated to the guillotine in Liden, Sweden.


Here's some Guillotine Facts:
• Total weight of a guillotine is about 1278 lbs
• The guillotine metal blade weighs about 88.2 lbs
• The height of guillotine posts average about 14 feet
• The falling blade has a rate of speed of about 21 feet/second
• Just the actual beheading takes 2/100 of a second
• The time for the guillotine blade to fall down to where it stops takes 70th of a second
• On September 10, 1977, the last execution by guillotine took place in Marseilles, France, when the murderer Hamida Djandoubi was beheaded.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Now--aren't you just THRILLED that I gave you all of this interesting (???) information... Thank God that doesn't go on NOW.


Okay---back to my story!!!!! She didn't want her Sweetheart's head chopped off ----so she told him to SMILE for the camera and she'd talk nicely to the guards so that they would free him... For some reason, he obliged ---and gave her a huge smile... Isn't he a Cutie?????



Have a great Saturday ---and stay away from Guillotines.


Hugs,

P.S. LATER: George just 'stole my thunder' from this post today. He said that this was NOT a guillotine ---but was really a STOCK. I said, "Whatever!" He said that they didn't use a 'thing' like this to cut off someone's head. This was used to put people in it --so everyone could make fun of them, throw rotten vegetables at them, etc. Guess that wouldn't be quite as bad as getting your head cut off!!! Oh Well----I now know more about a Guillotine and a Stock... See what blogging does?????? ha

Lexington, Virginia Visit

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ROBERT E. LEE 6/25/07
The final ‘lap’ of our June '07 vacation was to Lexington, Virginia (after we had visited 5 waterfalls along the Blue Ridge Pkwy). We had been in Lexington in 2002--so we didn’t spend too much time here this particular time. We did visit Washington and Lee University, Lee Chapel, R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church, Lee’s homeplace, and an old cemetery.

You may not know this but my husband is a HUGE fan of Robert E. Lee. He even named his son, Robert Edward Lee Adams. George has read almost every book ever written about Lee. SO--when we visit places where Robert E. Lee lived and worked, since George knows all of the history, I have a 'built-in' tour guide.

Here are pictures from our day in Lexington. Above is Washington Hall at Washington and Lee University. Robert E. Lee was President there from 1865-1870, when the college was called Washington College. Below are more.





This is the Jackson House---where Lee lived while building his home next door.





Above is Robert E. Lee's home--which he designed for himself and his invalid wife and daughters.





Here is the open garage--which was once the stable where Lee's horse, Traveller, lived.





This is Robert E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church in Lexington, VA.





Above is a view from the side of the church (but there were too many trees for a good picture).





George stands beside the announcement board in the front of the church.





The inside of this beautiful church; Note the gorgeous stained-glass windows.





Another beautiful window--taken from inside the church






Look at this fancy pulpit... Wow!!!





Well---if you don't want to preach, maybe you want to read scripture from this beautiful lectern.... Neat, huh?





Gen. Stonewall Jackson is buried in a cemetery in Lexington.





I enjoyed reading the inscriptions on the grave markers in the cemetery. (Wonder if there are some Bruce's or Ballard's buried there?????)





Stonewall Jackson was the most revered Confederate commander after Lee.

Hope you have enjoyed our little history lesson. Lexington, Virginia is a neat little city. IF you ever get near there, check it out.

Hugs,