|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
| Path: Welcome way ( home) >On The Road Corner > Newsletter on the Road |
|
'Best of Web' by US News & World Reports
The products are Americana, the convenience is contemporary, but the ambiance is American shopping as it was in a time before mega malls. It all can be found at the Village Shops our Main Street Business District of Americana goods and services. More 
We can help get you going. Visit the Travel and Touring Center, now in conjunction with Travelocity. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEWSLETTER ON THE ROAD
The Hidden America Newsletter of OTR Travel Information Services OCTOBER, 2011
Dear Friends: Well, fall is here and not too soon. Between draught and hurricane, it has been quite a summer for animals, humans and one vegetable garden here in River Edge, along the banks of the Hackensack River. This month our stops include Salem, Massachusetts, a city famous for its history which bursts on the scene again this time of year. We also head for Cape May, New Jersey where the Victorian era is lovingly preserved and celebrated. We then head south to a day at the outhouse races. We stop at the World Pumpkin Confederation Weigh-off in New York State and continue our round-up where to find the best in fall foliage. We’ve some recipes to mark the season, a reading suggestion, and some games about American Places. As always, don’t forget - our website is an evolving work in progress – we welcome and encourage your input and advice so we can continue to be a your favorites list. So let’s hear from you if you have time. Until next month. Eric PLEASE NOTE The information contained herein was correct to the best knowledge of the publisher and author at its publication time. However, such information is to subject to change without notice. Accordingly, the listings which follow are provided for informational purposes only. The publisher and authors assume no legal responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of the contents. POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD ON WITCHES, WITCHCRAFT AND SALEM Haloween's always a bit different here. It's a little scarier, a little spookier, the kids a little quieter. But that's to be expected. wouldn't you feel the same way if you were to spend Halloween in "the home of witches"? That's how it is in Salem, Massachusetts, site of the infamous witch hunts of the 17th century and the setting for Nathanial Hawthorne's novel about witch hunting in The House of Seven Gables. Given its place in american literature and history, it should come as no surprise that officials in Salem treat Halloween as one thing special. A month of events known as "Haunted Happenings" beings thousands of visitors to this city on the north shore from Boston. One of the oldest cities in New England, Salem was founded in 1626. The witch hunts began in 1692, when a group of teenage girls accused some elderly women of practicing witchcraft. Witchcraft in the Puritan theocracy was an offense punishable by death. No defense was possible for the accused. If they insisted that they were innocent, it was taken as proof of their guilt. Hysteria quickly spread throughout the community. Within a few months, hundreds had been arrested, 19 were hanged, and one man was pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea. Only when accusations were brought against members of prominent families did public opinion turn against the trials. Eventually the girls confessed that they had accused innocent people. The hysteria over witches that engulfed Salem was not exclusive to that town, told us Don Daly of the Essex Institute in town. "It's just that (the Salem witch craze) was the biggest and the last outbreak of witchcraft killings in the North America. To a lesser extent it also occurred elsewhere". Indeed, many thousands of women were executed for witchcraft in the British Isles and Europe throughout the premodern era. Of course, Salem's connection with witchcraft does not end there. It was reinforced when Hawthorne - the descendant of one of the judges at the witch trials - wrote about it in The House of the Seven Gables. Today, Salem is the spiritual center of American interest in witchcraft and the occult. Salem is more than pleased to reeive the attention. According to Dan Daly, Salem tried to capitalize on witchcraft as a tourist attraction as far back as the turn of the 20th century. After the loss of the local leather industry, Salem used the general fascination with witchcraft to pull itself out of an economic decline. In Salem, they now show off witch images wherever you go - on taxicabs, newspaper titles, road signs, and business signs. Much of the modern-day publicity for Salem can be attributed to a transplanted Californian, Laura Cabot, a self-proclaimed psychic and witch. Cabot who claimed she knew at the age of sixteen that she was different, decided to act on this difference and moved north and east to Salem. In the 1970's she gained noteriety for good-luck incantations she gave to the Boston Red Sox (they still have not won the World Series). Over the vehement objections of the town council, then Governor Michael Dukakis designated her "official witch" (he still didn't win for President). It was not long before Cabot could be seen wearing black robes around town. Before long it became clear the Cabot was not the only one claiming a religious connection to witchcraft. Since then it has been said that Salem' s home to as many as two thousand witches in a city of only forty thousand. Cabot was to become the executive of the Chamber of Commerce, be featured in People Magazine and on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" among other things. She also set out to correct what she felt were misconcetions about witches - especially what she considers "sensational distortions" of witchcraft by the media. "It's going to take many years", she once told an interviewer, "but we've been silent too long to the false accusations of those out to do us harm. First we must raise consciousness". Paradoxically, the girls who set in motion the 17th century witch trials did not live in the city of Salem, but in nearby Old Salem, which shortly afterward changed its name to Danvers. It was not until excavations took place in the mid-1970's that the people of contemporary Danvers found out that their town was the actual site of the accusations (the trials were conducted in Salem). Even with this revelation, there is little out of the ordinary these days on Halloween for the people of Old Salem (Danvers). They leave all the fuss for Salem and the witches who make their homes there.
Once a swanky resorrt to rival nearby Newport, Rhode Isalnd, Cape May, New Jersey lost its gloss for many years, but these days the seaside mecca gleams again. Thanks to a rekindkled passion for things Victorian, Cape May, of gingerbread homes and wedding cake hotels, is once gain drawing crowds. This renewed spirit is reflected in the annual Vistorian Days, October 10-19. Once one of America's foremost resorts, Cape May faded into the background with the coming of the automobile. Suddenly Philadelphians came to prefer a quick drive to Atlantic City over the three day steamship cruise down the Delaware River to Cape May. For decades, ornate Victorian summer home stood empty, ignored and passed on to members of a new generation, who sold them for prices as low as $10,000. Today many of those same homes have been lovingly restored. There are about 600 examples of Victorian residential architecture in the Cape May historic district. The community has become a hot spot for quaint inns and bed & breakfasts. In 1981, the entire community was designated a National Histroic landmark. Each year, Cape May's history and its modern day commitment to preserving this history are celebrated during Victorian Week. This Indian Summer on the Jersey shore, a most beautiful but generally unnoticed time of year along the beach. Spanning two weekends and the days in between, Victorian Week brings the past to life, and also provides enthusiasts a chance to put Victorian-era practices to use today. Antique and crafts shows, exploratory and "how to" workshops, supplier displays, tours, a fashion show and social events are on the roster of events. Highlights include: Vintage Dance Balls; Living History Tours; B&B and Historic House Tours; Victorian Fashion Shows; Brass Band Concert;A Glass Tour - Glassblowing Demonstrations; Mystery Dinners; Antiques and Crafts and more. For information on Victorian Week, contact: Mid-atlantic Center for the Arts, 1084 Washington Street, Cape May, New Jersey 082204; (609) 884-5404. A DAY AT THE OUTHOUSE RACES Joking around one day while searching for new ways to generate interest in their region during autumn, officials of the Stone County (Arkansas) Council on Tourism came up with the outrageous idea for an outhouse race. After a bit of discussion, however, the pungent proposal grew sweeter and sweeter. It also seemd logical to organizers that a culinary treat such as beans would add zest -- to sat the least -- to the event. Today the Beanfest and the Great Arkansas Championship Outhouse Race is a bona fide hit. Thousands are expected in Mountain View on October 25-26 for the occasion. Visitors will find cooks attending to big black iron kettles of beans. According to Denise Baltz, of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, 20-25 competitors from around the area and "from off" (out of town) will come with their closely guarded pinto bean recipes. The beans are provided free, while other ingredients are contributed by each chef. Some more unique conconctions include meat, exotic seasonings and even a possum. Later in the day, visitors can enjoy a traditional Ozark region meal of beans, onions and cornbread. The races follow dinner. Outhouses must be built according to set specifications, and must be rigged with a sitting area and wheels. Vehicles are mannedd by a "sitter" who steers. Contestants will race a course around the Courthouse Square. There are prizes for the most original outhouse, and the most creatively dressed outhouse driver. In the past, noteworthy outhouses have included one built by the local Pizza Hut in the shape of a pizza, and a Hawaiian tropical outhouse. Then there was the winning entry that was dubbed "The Best Little Outhouse in Arkansas". The driver for this one was dressed like a madam. In recent years, Mountain View has moved to protect and poromte its traditional mountain culture. As a result, traditional outhouses are left undisturbed in back yards during this most untraditional of events. For information on the annual Beanfest and Great Arkansas Championship Outhouse Race, contact: Tourist Information Center, P.O. Box 253, Mountain View, AR 72560; (501) 269-8098.
FULLY ON FALL FOLIAGE Back to school. Pennant fever. Crisp and cooler weather aare some signs of fall. But, foc ourse, the signature of the season is fall foliage.T In each corner of the land, there are places to view the seasonal colors. These days there are also many places you can learn about the changing leaves. The U.S. Forest Service, as well as many state tourism and forestry offices, have established fall foliage telephone hotlines and online Internet foliage reports to help you track autumn’s progress. Please note that unusually dry conditions after months of drought cannot be ignored in making plans. There have been major forest fires in both the east and west. It is advisable to double check before venturing on a leaf peeping excursion. And please be prudent and responsible when interacting with nature. Many reports categorize the changing foliage conditions in stages, which can be generally defined as follows: Patchy: Scattered areas of color. (0 – 10 percent color) Early: Some clearly defined areas of color starting to appear. Most foliage still green. (10 - 40 percent color) Mid: Halfway to peak. Colors are bright in earlier changing trees, while late-changing trees remain primarily green. (40 – 60 percent color) Near peak: Abundant color in most trees. Some early changing trees at or near peak. (60 – 90 percent color) Peak: Full, vivid color. (100 percent color) Past peak: Some leaves have begun to fade, and will soon fall, but still generally colorful. Isolated: Spotty color conditions. Below is a state-by-state directory of hotlines and web sites. NATIONAL U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE 1-800-354-4595 (Fall color hotline tracks foliage conditions across the country) http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/ (Online reports available at the fall colors web site) FOLIAGE NETWORK www.foliagenetwork.com (Online reports updated Wednesday and Saturday from September through November. Covers the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest.) THE WEATHER CHANNEL http://www.weather.com/outlook/driving/fallfoliage/ (Fall foliage reports available by state and region) GORP’S BEST OF FALL http://www.gorp.com/gorp/features/fall/fall_00.htm (Online round-ups of national foliage conditions and fall activities) NEW ENGLAND CONNECTICUT800-282-6863 (CT-BOUND) http://www.dep.state.ct.us/updates/foliage/foliage.htm (Online foliage reports available mid-September through October) MAINE 800-777-0317 (Foliage hotline runs from mid-September through Columbus Day, with updates each Wednesday)http://www.mainefoliage.com(Online foliage reports updated each Wednesday) http://travel.mainetoday.com/todo/exploring/foliagetours.shtml (A site sponsored by Maine newspapers, with fall foliage information) MASSACHUSETTS 800-227-6277 (Fall foliage hotline updated three times a week) http://www.massvacation.com (Online foliage reports, updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, located under the category “Do,” in the section “Science and Nature.”) NEW HAMPSHIRE 800-258-3608 (Fall foliage hotline updated Mondays and Thursdays from mid-September through mid-October) http://www.visitnh.gov/nhfoliage.html (Daily foliage reports online) http://www.weirsonline.com/foliage.htm (Online foliage reports begin mid-September) NEW YORK 800-225-5697 (CALL-NYS), (Fall foliage hotline updated Wednesday afternoons) http://www.empire.state.ny.us/tourism/foliage or http://www.iloveny.com (Weekly foliage report available online, updated Wednesday afternoons) RHODE ISLAND http://www.visitri.com (Maps and foliage reports available online) VERMONT 800-837-6668 (VERMONT) or (802) 828-3239 (Fall foliage hotline updated Mondays and Thursdays; report sponsored by state department of travel and tourism, and Amtrak)http://www.vermontfallfoliage.com/ (Fall foliage report online, with weather forecasts, hotel reservation links, and more) http://www.state.vt.us/anr/fpr/forestry/foliage/ (Includes text of recorded hotline update, and other state information) MID-ATLANTIC MARYLAND 800-532-8371 (LEAVES-1), (Weekly foliage reports, updated Mondays, beginning in mid-September) NEW JERSEY 800-843-6420 (in-state) or 609-984-0370 (out-of-state) http://www.state.nj.us/travel/fall4nj.html (General foliage information available online) NORTH CAROLINA 800-921-9698 (Fall color reports from Asheville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, available from late September through early November) http://www.exploreasheville.com/leafreports.htm (Online fall color reports from Asheville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, available from late September through early November) PENNSYLVANIA 800-325-5467 (FALL-IN-PA), (Fall foliage hotline updated Wednesdays, beginning in mid-September) http://www.fallinpa.com (Weekly foliage report online, with maps, web cams, and more) http://www.poconos.org/poconofoliage.htm (Weekly report available online, updated Wednesdays, from Pocono Mountains Vacation Bureau) VIRGINIA Shenandoah Valley foliage hotline: 800-434-5323 (434-LEAF), updated Mondays; Skyline Drive/Shenandoah National Park: 540-999-3500; Blue Ridge Parkway foliage hotline: 828-298-0398 http://climate.virginia.edu/foliage.htm (Fall color information from state climatology office) SOUTH ARKANSAS 1-800-628-8725 (800-NATURAL) and (501) 682-7777 (Weekly foliage reports updated Thursday afternoons beginning in late September.) http://www.arkansas.com/calendar/fallcolor-index.asp (Text of weekly reports available online, updated Thursday afternoons) http://www.ozarkmtns.com/foliage/ (Weekly online reports from the Ozark National Forest, beginning early October) KENTUCKY 800-225-8747 (Foliage hotline in operation from late September through late October) TENNESSEE 800-697-4200 (Fall foliage updates beginning third week of September) MIDWEST INDIANA 317-232-4002 (Foliage updates available throughout the month of October) IOWA 515-233-4110 (Weekly foliage reports updated Mondays from mid-September through mid-October) http://www.traveliowa.com/fall.htm (Text of foliage hotline report available online) MICHIGAN 888-784-7328 (78-GREAT) or 800-644-3255 (Weekly foliage reports updated Wednesdays) http://travel.michigan.org/fall/colorreports/ (Weekly reports online, updated every Tuesday beginning mid-September) http://www.ring.com/travel/color.htm (Online reports updated every Thursday beginning in mid-September) MINNESOTA 800-657-3700 (Weekly fall color reports, updated Thursdays, beginning in September) www.exploreminnesota.com (Weekly fall color reports online, can also be e-mailed to you) http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/current_conditions/index.html (Online reports available for all regions of the state) MISSOURI www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/seasons/fall/ (Online foliage reports) http://www.ozarkmtns.com/foliage/ (Ozark National Forest online foliage reports begin in early October) OHIO 800-282-5393 (BUCKEYE) and (614) 265-7000 (Foliage reports updated each Thursday beginning late September) http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/fallcolor (Online foliage report, event calendar, driving tours, and webcams) WISCONSINhttp://www.travelwisconsin.com/d2k/servlet/internet .FallColorReport (Daily foliage updates available online) http://www.travelwisconsin.com (Daily foliage updates online) WEST ARIZONA http://opus1.com/emol/arizona/fallfoliage.html (General foliage information) CALIFORNIA http://www.calphoto.com/fall.htm (Individual observations posted on Calphoto.com’s fall foliage hotsheet) COLORADO http://www.coloradoparks.org/Fall/ (Online foliage reports for Colorado state parks) TEXAS 800-792-1112 (Foliage reports updated weekly in October and November) http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/lostmap/foliage.htm (Online reports updated weekly in October and November) UTAH http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/colors/utahcolors.html (Online foliage report, updated Thursdays) WASHINGTON http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/rec_report/fall_color_report.htm (Online foliage reports from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest) Source Credit and thanks to:Trains.com
Introductory Note: I'm now some forty years removed from the most impressionable travel period of my life - the late 1950's and early 1960's. It was then as part of family trips that I started to discover the exciting world of road signs and road maps - of exotic sounding places that frequently were much less exciting than the name. With this early experience still fresh in mind, we introduce this "American Place". This occasional feature will profile the name of a place - some insight on how and why it is so named. sources for this section are many, including state tourist boards and you. We note, for the record, the inspiration of the late Charles Kuralt's background during the mailbox segment on Sunday Morning. Wrote Kuralt, "'I have fallen in love with American names', wrote the poet Stephen Vincent Benet....Well, really - how could yo not? If you've been to Lick Skillet, Texas and Bug Tussle, and Nip and Tuck, and Cut and Shoot. In California you can travel from Humbug Flat to Lousy Level, with a detour to Gouge Eye...Robert Louis Stevenson was also struck by the wealth upon our maps. He wrote 'There is no part of the world where nomenclature is so rich, poetical, humorous, and picturesque, as the United States of America.' He called our country a 'songful, tuneful land' (Charles Kuralt's American Moments; 1998; Simon & Schuster, New York; ISBN 0-684-85903-3) We also note, refer you to and endorse a reference book, "A Place Called Peculiar" by Frank K. Gallant; Merriam-Webster, 1998. We hope you will provide continuing source material for this section. Let us know what you think.
Introductory Note: Of the foods of America, Charles Kuralt once wrote: "No we're not all fast food from coast to coast. We're not the same. Go right into the kitchen, lift the lid of a pot, and you can still tell about where you are in this country. If you're looking for the spirit of a place, head for the stove". (Charles Kuralt's American Moments; 1998; Simon & Schuster, New York; ISBN 0-684-85903-3) THIS MONTH - CORN DOGS A fixture at the fair for years these beauties were by many called pronto pups. They are more universally known as Corn Dogs, and are favorites along the American road (especially in the country's mid-Section), as well as at the State Fair. CORN DOGS 8-10 hot dogs 8-10 wooden sticks (optional) Oil for deep frying Batter Sift together: 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Stir in: 2/3 cup corn meal Cut in: 2 tablespoons shortening Combine and add to the rest: 1 slightly beaten egg 3/4 cup milk To assure that batter adheres to hot dogs, wipe them off with a paper towel. Insert sticks into hot dogs or just use a fork to roll in batter until coated. Deep fry 4-5 minutes at 350-375 degrees. Tips: If batter is too thick, add a little milk. Buy good quality hot dogs. Oil can be refrigerated and reused. Courtsey:Statefairrecipes.com
In the past few months, we have written about some centennial celebrations in Detroit -- birthdays of Buick, the soon to be departed Oldsmobile and of the Ford Motor Company. We recently came across a book published to mark Ford's milestone year. Accorduing to the publishers, no technological achievement has altered the world more than the introduction of the automobile into every aspect of our society, and according to them no single company has been more influential than Ford. This hundrdth anniversary book is a look into the history of teh American icon. It represents the history of Henry Ford, the autombile, and teh Ford Motor Company. From the automotive assembly line to the V-8 engine,f rom the affordable everyman's car to the creation of national highways, from the boom after World War II to today's world economy, this book spans the decades. The author is Russ Banham, a journalist who compiled a similar work chronicling the history of the Coors family. This book contains more than 500 color and archival images -- some of them are rare and compelling. Chapters cover subjects such as the Model T, Edsel Ford, the Falcon, and integrate the newer acquisitions not usually associated with Ford, i.e. Mazda and Volvo. Although a comprehensive book, this work does not address the contraversial aspects of the Henry Ford legacy. Nonetheless, for what it does choose to cover, the book does so in a thorough fashion. the pictures are great. THE FORD CENTURY, by Russs Banham, forward by Paul Newman, 2002 by Ford Motor Company, Published by Artisan, A Division of Workman Publishing Company, New York; ISBN I-57965-201-8; In the depression era classic The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck once remarked," Ever' body says words different. Arkansas folks says 'em different, and Oklahomy folks says 'em different. An we seen a lady from Massachusetts an' she said 'em differentest of all. Could hardly make out what she was sayin'". Almost three decades later in Travels with Charley (1962), Steinbeck was concerned that American dialects were disappearing, victims of the homogenization resulting from network radio and television."One of my purposes was to listen", he wrote," to hear speech, accent, speech rhythms, overtones and emphasis. For speech is so much more than words and sentences. I did listen everywhere. It seemed to me that regional speech is in the process of disappearing, not gone but going. Forty years of radio and twenty years of television must have this impact. Communications must destroy localness by a slow, inevitable process. I can remember a time when I could almost pinpoint a man's palace of origin by his speech. That is growing more difficult now and will in some foreseeable future become impossible....No region can hold out for long against the highway, high-tension line, and the national television". This column is our attempt to journey into the nooks and crannies of America and unveil those gems of regional speak where it still exists. We may be becoming more alike - but there are still numerous regional differences to celebrate. We do so here. DOES MACY'S TELL GIMBELS ? Although the Gimbels deaprtment store has long gone out of business, this expression is still heard around New York. The by-now proverbial words arose from a friendly, well-publicized and well-advertised retailing war between the two giant New York department stores. The expression possibly originatedas a publicity gag, perhaps as a line in an Eddie Cantor comedy skit when a stooge asked Cantor to reveal smoe dark secret and the comedian replied "does Macy's tellGimbels?". Actually, Macy's often told Gimbels and vice versa. One time Gimbels ran an ad calling attention to Macy's fabulpus annual flower show, heading it: "Does Gimbels tell Macy's? No, Gimels tells the world!". On another occasion, in 1955, both stores produced signs on their buildings directing shopperss to the other's store. The Gimbels-Macys rivalry was further publicized in the film Miracle on 34th Street in which Macy's directs customers to Gimbels when it doesn,t have a particular item in stock and flustered Gimbels executives, realizing their store has been made to look like "a profiteering money-grubber" have to adapt the same P.R. policy. Courtesy of New Yawk Tawk, A Dictionary of New York City Expressions, by Robert Henrickson; Facts on File, 1998, Permission Granted.
Introductory Note: I'm now some forty years removed from the most impressionable travel period of my life - the late 1950's and early 1960's. It was then as part of family trips that I started to discover the exciting world of road signs and road maps - of exotic sounding places that frequently were much less exciting than the name. With this early experience still fresh in mind, we introduce this "American Place". This occasional feature will profile the name of a place - some insight on how and why it is so named. Sources for this section are many, including state tourist boards and you. We note, for the record, the inspiration of the late Charles Kuralt's background during the mailbox segment on Sunday Morning. Wrote Kuralt, "'I have fallen in love with American names', wrote the poet Stephen Vincent Benet....Well, really - how could yo not? If you've been to Lick Skillet, Texas and Bug Tussle, and Nip and Tuck, and Cut and Shoot. In California you can travel from Humbug Flat to Lousy Level, with a detour to Gouge Eye...Robert Louis Stevenson was also struck by the wealth upon our maps. He wrote 'There is no part of the world where nomenclature is so rich, poetical, humorous, and picturesque, as the United States of America.' He called our country a 'songful, tuneful land' (Charles Kuralt's American Moments; 1998; Simon & Schuster, New York; ISBN 0-684-85903-3) We also note, refer you to and endorse a reference book, "A Place Called Peculiar" by Frank K. Gallant; Merriam-Webster, 1998. We hope you will provide continuing source material for this section. Let us know what you think. THIS MONTH'S AMERICAN PLACE: A SUMMER VACATION IDEA - THIS YEAR CONSIDER GOING TO HELL Recently Mom was watching the Today Show,and we watched too. There was Matt Lauer jetting around the world. One day in Florence, Italy; the next in a National park in Africa. Supposedly he did not know of the nest day's destination until he left for the airport. This went on for a week - and had my Mom quite engaged in poor Matt's travels. Well, it seems one day as a counter programming gimmick, Mike Leonard was sent on a junket of his on - among his stops was one in Hell - Hell, Michigan that is. The program ended but my intrigue in Hell, Michigan persisted. This inquiring mind wanted to know more. Our intense research broaaad us what follows on the Michigan town called Hell. The place called Hell was originally settled in the 1830's by a George Reeves - a refugee of New York's Catskill Mountain region in search of space. Eyeing the lands of lands recently wrestled from Indians, Reevs convinced his broethers that the Huron River valleey was theplace to relocate. After a couple of years in nearby Pinckney, they bought property to the west - at what would later become Hell creek. There they built a flour mill, general store, some homes and a school. Flour processing was the official industry. But over time whiskey became they real trade of the village. It was a local farming tradition that each year's first bushel of whiskey would be converted into whiskey. And did they. Before long Reeves had built a tavern, and came to employ sales and delivery men who travled the region in the early 1860's sellinga nd delivering whiskey in barrels to local roadhouses, stores or anyone else that was partiial to it. Following the Civil War, the government sought to raise revenue for reconsturction by taxing the whiskey - thus threatening Reeve's profit margin. But the entrepeneur had other ideas. Using locals as collaborators, a sophisticated warning system wsa created that wiould result in the barrels of whiskey being lowered to the bottom of a pond and out of site until the inspector left. It seems this system worked for an extended period. Eventually the booze business began to wane when Reeves reached his later years. George Reeves died in 1877, and his family remained local land owners until 1924. The 20th Century was unremarkable for the town except to note that whre the mill pond once stood now stands a lake - covering up the mill and the spot where those barrels used to be lowered to evade the tax folks. Very nice, you say, but what does these little history lesson have to do with the name Hell, Michigan ? Patience, friends, we're getting to that. There are two generally accepted theories on how Hell got its name. One goes like this: A pair of German travelers slid out of a curtained stagecoach one sunny summer afternoon, and one said to the other, "So schoene hell." 'Hell,' in the German language, means bright and beautiful. Those who overheard the visitors' comments had a bit of a laugh and shared the story with the other locals. Theory Two. The area in which Hell exists is pretty low and swampy. And because it was a part of the Dexter Trail, which traced along the higher ground between Lansing and Dexter, Michigan, a formerly busy farm market and early railhead, traveling through the Hell area would have been wetter, darker, more convoluted, and certainly denser with mosquitoes than other legs of the journey. Further, river traders of old would have had to portage between the Huron and the Grand River systems somewhere around the present location of Hell. You can picture them pulling their canoes, heavy with provisions and beaver pelts, through the underbrush, muttering and swatting bugs as they fought to get to the banks of the next river. Legend has it that George Reeves, who, more than anyone else, was responsible for the origin of Hell, was asked just what he thought the town should be named. George reportedly replied, "I don't care, you can name it Hell if you want to." As the story goes, the name stuck and stuck fast. After some attempts to soften the effect of the name by suggesting they change it to Reevesville or Reeve's Mills, he gave up on the whole thing and simply lived with it. Fast forward to the 1980's. A guy who grew up in the Hell, Michigan area had one of those inspirations - this one to create a company dedicated to bringing the fun of the little hellacious town to people worldwide. It was not until late 1998 he revealed the idea to a group of friends. He decided to name his company company Abaddon Enterprises named in part for an obscure archangel, but mostly after his first car, a 1959 Plymouth Savoy. Today hell2u is the merchandising arm of Abaddon; there is also Damnation University, "a fully non-accredited university with degrees available for all manner of human endeavors and idiosyncratic behavior". There's an actual U.S. Post office at the Devil's den general store, so you can get a Hell, Michigan postmark on your income tax, alimony payment or any other piece of mail. Needless to say there are many media types who like to contact the local folks about weather, etc. , so they can report to their viewers and listeners, without fear of losing their FCC license, that, "It's hot as Hell in Cleveland today, folks. That's right ... downtown Cleveland reports eighty-two degrees, the same temperature they're reporting in Hell, Michigan." And if it gets really cold, as it did last winter, the water all around the dam will freeze, and then the weather guys can report that, well, you get the idea. Not very original anymore, but these sorts of things continue to amuse the meteorologists. At Hell they get theeir weather stats from an official National Weather Service reporting doohickey that's hooked to a pole out back. And because Hell is a real place (the town, that is), their Chamber of Commerce sponsors various events through the course of the year, including Hellfest, and a Halloween bash. They hope that you find things appealing enough that you might, in fact, want to go to Hell - Michigan, that is.
NOTE: Do you have a story to tell about an American Place ? If so, send it along and we will share them. NOTE: Do you have any additions to this list ? Or do you have a story to tell about an American Place ? If so, send them along and we will share them.
Have you ever wondered how toothpaste gets into the tube ? How Washington's face gets on a dollar bill ? Or how a major studio makes a movie? A book addressing these questions and others recently crosed our desk. Watching It Made In The USA - A Visitor's Guide to the Companies That make Your Favorite Products is a sourcebook for travelers and armcahir travelers. Authors and factory tour expeerts Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg provide advice for business and family travelers in the from of practical travel information for nearly 300 factories and company museums across the USA. The litsings range from the established and well-known, such as Boeing, Budweiser and Hershey's to Heart of the Desert pistachioes, Steinway & Sons pianoes, and Tom's of Maine toothpaste. The authors strove to select companies from diverse industries and all areas of the country. They wanted to capture the industries for which the different regions were known, such as cheese in Wisconsin and Vermont, glass in West Virginia, movies in Southern California, bourbon in Kentucky, RV's in Northern Indiana, Cajun hot sauces in Louisiana, and wood products in the Pacific Northwest. Certain high-tech industries, such as computer manufacturing and biotechonology, do not give regular public tours for proprietary reasons, so they are excluded by their choice. In other industries, such as beer brewing and newspaper publishing, tours are a standard practice, in this group authors selected the most high-profile campnaies or those with interesting processes or histories. It is interesting how the authors found that companies in certain states, even though very industrial, do not seem interested in giving public tours. For example, while manufacturing intensive states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Ohio offer a variety of tours, most New Jersey and Connecticut companies remain closed to the public. In contrast, companies in less industrial states such as Kentucky and Vermont have exhibited great pride in opening themselves to the public. "A wealth of information" states the Philadelphia Inquirer, "A nifty new book", chimes in the Globe. We agree and highly recommend this book. WATCH IT MADE IN THE U.S.A. - A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO THE COMPANIES THAT MAKE YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCTS, by Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg, John Muir Publications, Santa Fe , NM, 1997; $17.95; ISBN `1-56261-337-5. SOME PAST FEATURES THAT WE HAVE SAVED FOR YOU
IN SEARCH OF LAKE WOBEGON It's now ssome twenty years since I first heard Garrison Keillor speak of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota - "the little town the time forgot and that decades diddd not improve". It took a long time and many Prairie Home Companion programs to actually realize that the community described to be in the Lake Wobegon River Valley was fictional (or was it?) Actually that small fact was but a technicality to me - as I had long made a mental map of the community thanks to Keillor's mastery in painting a verbal picture - ranging from the Chatterbox Cafe "where Dorothy Presides", to the Side Track Tap, or Our Lady of Professional Responsibility Church. As often it was a scene - such as front lawn with a spinkler - the human flag or the twelve noon signal being sounded five minutes late. Therefore, it came with a bit of mixed emotions that I learned of a new picture book entitled "In Search of Lake Wobegon" (Viking Studio). On the one hand, I could not wait to see what those images would turn out to be. But yet I resented my mental picture being disturbed- I can remember when I first saw the real life face of a radio personality I had only before visualized through the sounds of the radio. Nice face, but that's not the person I listened to! Who attached that head to the voice I know? In 1999, Garrison Keillor and photographer Richard Olsenius joined forces on a project that revolved around Keillor's search for the real Lake Wobegon. According to its creator, Lake Wobegon is situated in Central Minnesota. Here the award winning Olsenius returns to his roots with his 4x5 camera and black and white film to capture the people and the places that have long been Keillor's inspiration. This impressive book combines text and image to reveal the real-life origins of the place "where the women are strong, the men are good-looking and the children above average". Keillor mediates on the enduring culture of the country and the years he spent as a young writer and an outsider. And a short story of Lake Wobegon, "October", appears in the book for the first time in print. With more than eighty photographs reproduced with an essay and extended captions by Keillor, In Search of Lake Wobegon documenst the vitality of contemporary small-town life and illuminates the real Minneosssta lanscapes and citizens who inspired Keillor's creation. "In Search of Lake Wobegon" in sopmewhat different from, and accompanied by some of the photographs in the book first appeared as an article with the same title in National Geographic, issue of December, 2000. The present book is beautifully done and worth a look - even if it does not match my own mental picture. But, afterall, what could ? In Search of Lake Wobegon; Essays and Captions by Garrison Keillor-Photographs by Richard Olsenius; Viking Studio; 2001; $29.95; ISBN 0-670-03037-6.
ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD For the many African Americans who lived in the Slave States prior to and during the American Civil War, the Underground Railroad provided them the opportunity and assistance for escaping slavery and finding freedom. One of the most curious characteristics of the Underground Railroad was its lack of formal organization. No one knows exactly when it started, but there were certainly isolated cases of help given to runaways as early as the 1700s. By the early 19th century, there were organized flights to freedom. Much of the early help was provided by Quaker abolitionists in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Read the National Parks Service's (NPS) background report for more information. As Charles H. Blockson describes in his National Geographic article "Escape from Slavery: The Underground Railroad," "it was a network of paths through the woods and fields, river crossings, boats and ships, trains and wagons, all haunted by the specter of recapture." The slaves' flight to freedom was made possible and facilitated by the courageous men and women who believed in the right of all humans to be free from human bondage. The name probably originated from the popularity of the new railroads coupled with several legendary and publicized escapes (though they were not via the railroads. So, the old lithograph on our title page, a train heading literally underground, is not technically accurate. But at the possible risk of doing an historical disservice to all of the thousand of miles that were walked, hiked, swum, and above all, suffered - we choose the railroad cars as a symbol. It symbolizes the linking of forces to accomplish a common goal: to avoid the "specter of recapture" in the short term, and to right the heinous wrong of slavery in the long term. The NPS reports: "Underground operations generally relied heavily on secret codes as railroad jargon alerted "passengers" when travel was safe. Runaways usually commuted either alone or in small groups, and were frequently assisted by African American and White "conductors" who risked their lives and property to escort refugees to freedom. Celebrated conductors of the Underground Railroad included James Fairfield, a White abolitionist who went into the Deep South and rescued enslaved African Americans by posing as a slave trader. In 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped from the Eastern Shore of Maryland and became known as "Moses" to her people when she made 19 trips to the South and helped deliver at least 300 fellow captives and loved ones to liberation. African American abolitionist John Parker of Ripley, Ohio, frequently ventured to Kentucky and Virginia and helped transport by boat hundreds of runaways across the Ohio River. Perhaps the closest the underground came to being formally organized was during the 1830s when African American abolitionists William Still, Robert Purvis, David Ruggles, and others organized and stationed vigilance committees throughout the North to help bondsmen to freedom. The intention of the vigilance committees was not to lure or personally guide runaways to freedom, but to offer whatever assistance they needed to reach their destinations." Courtesy: http://education.ucdavis.edu/NEW/STC/lesson/socstud/railroad/Whatis.htm For more on the Underground Railroad, see: Underground Railroad, The - from National Geographic. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/ .Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad for Children - written by second graders and their teachers, with a timeline, quiz and crossword puzzles. http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/tubman.html .History and Geography of the Underground Railroad - information on the organization and operations of the Underground Railroad. http://www.niica.on.ca/csonan/UnderRailway.htm .National Underground Railroad Freedom Center - teaching lessons of courage and cooperation from Underground Railroad history to promote collaborative learning, dialogue, and action in order to inspire today`s freedom movements. http://www.undergroundrailroad.org/
To those old enough, a look down the tracks may give you a feeling of deja vu,depending on where and when one looks. You see, traveling down the rails these days is a special train - the United States Postal service's "Celebrate the Century". It is a traveling public exhibit now making various stops around the country. "Celebrate The Century Express" is a specially outfitted train with a historical railroad business car, modern exhibit car and a restored Railway Post Office (RPO). The RPO first operated in England in 1838, where they are still used today. In the U.S., more than 7500 cars operated between 1864 and 1977. The Traveling exhibit tells the story of this relationship between the rails and postal delivery. For a long time it was a perfect fit … railroads and the Postal Service. The Postal Service, long known for adapting technology to meet its needs, eagerly adopted trains as a way of moving the mail even as the first transcontinental rails were laid. But just throwing bags of mail onto a train, and taking them off at the end of the line was highly inefficient. After all, the mail still had to be sorted and processed. To put Service into Postal, the USPS developed an ingenious way to effectively prepare the mail for delivery while it was traveling between its destinations. For more than 100 years, the Railway Post Office system served as the core of US mail distribution and transportation. Clerks worked in a 60 foot car sorting mail and even protecting it from robberies and train wrecks. By the 1930s, more than 10,000 trains were used to move mail to every city, town, and village in the United States. For areas not accessible by rail, 250 RPO boats operated along coastal and inland waterways and lakes. But as the automobile took on an increasingly important role in America, passenger service on trains began to decline…and railroads began to turn away from what had been virtually universal service. With the passage of the National Transportation Act of 1958, the rail industry was given permission to discontinue many lines that had become unprofitable. With the trains no longer running to every nook and cranny in America, the Postal Service had to find a new way to get the mail through. But just as the rail system declined, the airline industry blossomed. New highways and more reliable trucks also eased the switch to a new mail transportation system. By 1965, only 190 trains carried mail. By 1970, rail cars carried virtually no First-class mail at all, and rail mail virtually disappeared from view. Today, with the help of computers and better planning, railroads have made a comeback, and are once again moving mail, although not nearly as much as when the RPO ruled the rails. The cars on the train were specifically selected to maximize the telling of this story. Amtrak designed the locomotive and General Electric Transportation Systems built it. Chosen in part for its long history of reliable service, it also is one of the quietest locomotives in service today. The Celebrate the Century Express locomotive is painted with colorful stamps representing the 1900s through the 1940s. Baggage Car - The baggage car is part of the Amtrak fleet of baggage cars. This car ill being used to store all of the Celebrate The Century exhibits and supplies that will be needed during the 18-month journey. Stamp Exhibit Car - The 70-foot-long Exhibit Car introduces visitors to the Celebrate the Century program. Exhibits include all of the Celebrate the Century stamps that have been issued to date. There also is a map showing where and when the Celebrate The Century Express will stop during its 18-month trip. Railway Post Office Car - A train collector loaned the 60-foot RPO car to Celebrate The Century. Visitors to the restored rail car can see what it was like to live and work in an RPO. Presentations and exhibits will show visitors how highly trained clerks were able to pitch mail into the pigeonholes, sort parcels, bundle newspapers, and move heavy sacks of mail to various distribution areas all while roaring down the tracks of America's rail system. REMEMBERING CHARLES KURALT Charles Kuralt, the person. has left us. Remaining behind are his writings, the video of his reporting, and most importantly It is now more than three years since Charles Kuralt's passing. In paying tribute to Charles Kuralt at a July, 1997 memorial service, Andy Rooney, satirist and longtime coworker of Kuralt at CBS News said, "it seems quite possible that Charles Kuralt's talents exceeded his reputation and exceeded the talent of some of the legends of our past, people who use words. He said:
One viewer, A Jeff Neterval, captured it best in a letter written to CBS News three years ago just after his death. He wrote to CBS News in New York suggesting that a new word be added to the dictionary: "kuraltian: the ability or quality to bring to light what is best in anyone or anything, no matter what value the rest of the world has assigned to that person or place". A newly published book (as of July 4, 2000) and accompanying website capture this essence of Charles Kuralt. "Remembering Charles Kuralt" is based on nearly 100 interviews with Charles Kuralt, friends, family and colleagues. Commissioned by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to conduct a series of oral histories with Charles Kuralt's friends, family and colleagues, author Ralph Grizzle collected more than 60 hours of interviews and transcribed 1,200 pages of notes. His findings form the basis of the book, revealing Kuralt in a rich and complex picture. A companion web site, http://www.rememberingcharleskuralt.com preceded the launch of the book, and that site is comprised of material such as speeches and writings, not included in the book itself. One recent review accurately observed. "So it goes that often times people get remembered for the last thing they did, rather than the best thing they did..Remembering Charles Kuralt remembers the best things". Kuralt's stature and spirit continue to loom large. We honor him and what he stood for.
|
||||
