Found this great article by a gentleman name Will Jacks in the Mississippi Folklife Magazine
Category: Landmarks
-
Gateway To Freedom – Detroit, MI
Until Emancipation, Detroit and the Detroit River community served as the gateway to freedom for thousands of African American people escaping enslavement. Detroit was one of the largest terminals of the Underground Railroad, a network of abolitionists aiding enslaved people seeking freedom. Detroit’s Underground Railroad code name was Midnight. At first, Michigan was a destination for freedom seekers, but Canada became a safer sanctuary after slavery was abolished there in 1834. With passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, many runaways left their homes in Detroit and crossed the river to Canada to remain free. Some returned after Emancipation in 1863.
The successful operation of Detroit’s Underground Railroad was due to the effort and cooperation of diverse groups of people, including people of African descent, Whites, and North American Indians. This legacy of freedom is a vital part of Detroit and its history.
-
Carddock Terry Hotel – Lynchburg, VA
Somewhat of the beaten path this hotel in Lynchburg, VA provided this unique photo opportunity on day walking along a repurposed rail track running aside the James River. Lynchburg calls itself the City of Seven Hills for my time living there I could not find anyone who could name any of them.
-
Blue Front Cafe – Bentonia Mississippi
Mississippi Blues Trail Marker. During a trip from Gulfport, MS to Chicago in the spring of 2022 decided to track and photograph as many Mississippi Blues Marker as I could find. Pulled Ito Bentonia MS and found the Blue Front Cafe. It was a Sunday morning so knew the cafe wasn’t open but it was a good time to get a photo. As I was photographing the store front a older gentlemen asked if I would like to look inside, said he didn’t;t open the front door on Sunday mornings in difference to the Baptist Church across the tracks. Did get many good shots on the inside due to the lightening but will post those I did get later. There was two other people inside having their morning coffee when the one asked if I knew who the gentlemen was that invited me in, well low and behold if it wasn’t Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, the owner and the blues musician who had just the week before lost the grammy for traditional blues album to Bobby Rush. After finding out that I was from Chicago, Mr Holmes starting reminiscing about his time in the Windy City.
-
Bill Pickett
Bill Pickett The First Bulldogger
Stockyards Fort Worth, Texas
W.M. “Bill” Pickett (1870-1932) originated the rodeo event of bulldogging, known today as steer wrestling. Native Texan Pickett developed a unique style of bulldogging, which hade him world famous as a wild west show and rodeo performer. Bill would leap from the left side of his horse, catch the steer by the horns, twist the animal’s neck until he was able to reach over and sink his teeth into the steer’s lip. In 1908, Pickett appeared in the Coliseum
during the Fort Worth Stock Show. It was one of several performances here. Bill died of injuries received when he was kicked in the head by a wild horse while working for the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch. Colonel Zack Miller wrote a poem to his memory, these last lines sum up the respect earned by this cowboy:like many men in the old-time West,
on any job he did his best
he left a blank that’s hard to fill
for there’ll be never another bill.In 1972, Bill Pickett became the first black cowboy to be inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
-
Louis Jordan – Brinkley, AR
While traveling through the Mississippi Delta came to Brinkley, AR. Which is half way between Little Rock and Memphis. Wanted to take in some local history when I saw the sign for Lick Skillet Railroad Work Station Historic District. Had no knowledge that it was the birthplace of Louis Jordan. The museum was small but well maintained, thought the tribute to Louis Jordan was unexpected in a delta town, understanding that during his lifetime he would most likely not been able to perform in most venues. Combining Louis Jordan with the history of the towns railroading past was also a pleasant discovery.
-
Ben Lomond Plantation
Main house Ben Lomond Plantation in Prince William County, Virginia.
The home, which was part of a plantation, was built in 1832 by Benjamin Tasker Chinn. He was a descendant of the Carter family, who owned much of what is now Northern Virginia. He later leased the plantation to the Pringle family, who were also farmers.
When the Civil War began in 1861, the house became a field hospital. The main road between the battlefield and initial Confederate positions, Blackburn’s Ford, ran on the east side of the house, and this was one of the closest homes to the battle that was not on the battlefield itself. Like many homes during the battle, this house was seized by soldiers and made into a hospital. (Other homes converted to field offices, officer quarters, or headquarters.) The Confederate Army seized the home and brought their wounded here to be operated on. While some soldiers survived, many of them died.
Later, the home was seized by the Union Army, who charged the Pringle family with trading with the Confederacy. The furniture was destroyed, and the walls were covered with graffiti. The Pringle family struggled to rebuild the home after the war. They were eventually forced to leave the property. In the twentieth century, the United States Surgeon General made the house their retreat home, and it became a large dairy farm.
-
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Corona Tribute
One of the great things about living in the Washington DC area is being able to find interesting photograph opportunities. This was take during the 2007 Rolling Thunder celebration. Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Wonder if Corona’s were available back during the war but the cigar is truly a statement.
-
Steel Workers Monument – Joliet, IL
This sculpture is on the wall along side the minor league baseball park in Joliet, Il. Have not been able to find much information regarding the artist or the reason for it’s existence.
