Arkansas Heritage leads me to quilting greatness...I hope

To celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the state of Arkansas has created a passport program which encourages visitors to check out 23 different civil war locations throughout the state. Once you get stamps from all of the sites you can earn a special patch or coin commemorating your travels. We love history and traveling in our family so it was a no-brainer that we would try to complete the passport. Plus this is an awesome way to learn more about the state we live in. To date we have hit 18 of the sites.

We visited the McCollum-Chidester House in Camden, Arkansas last weekend as part of our passport travels. The house was built in 1847 and is filled with period furniture and family items that belonged to the Chidester family.

The McCollum-Chidester House. Photo from Arkansas Heritage Trails.

It really felt like a trip back in time, except for the two bored little boys with us. I'm not sure why they don't find furniture and stories of the "old day" fascinating...we'll have to work on that. Although days later Little Dude recounted a play scene that he heard at the house, so perhaps there is hope.

A wonderful writing desk from the McCollum-Chidester home.

Of course, the things that always catch my eye at historical locations are quilts. I'm not all that talented of a quilter, but I aspire to be. In one of the bedrooms of the home there was a beautiful hexagon quilt. I'm kicking myself for not having taken a photo, but this bedspread was the kind of quilt that made you want to be a quilter. So, I found myself online buying some fabric for my hexagon masterpiece.

I've never sewn hexagons or done this much hand quilting so we'll see how this turns out. I love that history is inspiring.

Where money goes to die

Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. Photo from StreetsofWashington's Flickr photostream.

I read an article in our local Sunday paper this past weekend by Helaine Williams about where money goes to die. I thought it was fascinating as I had always wondered what happened to money that was just too "questionable" in appearance to be spent. You know the type, washed fifty times in bleach and torn in half...that kind of money. Old money doesn't die, it just becomes a tray in a Ford. To read more, check out Where Money Goes to Die. Also learn how to reclaim your worn and torn cash here.

Follow Friday - The 2015 Lincoln Funeral Coalition

My whole life I have been obsessed with Abraham Lincoln. I'm not sure when it started, but I do know that when I was eight years old my family took a trip to Virginia and my parents made a special trip to Ford's Theater just for me. I've since been back several times. For some reason, Lincoln's assassination has always been fascinating for me, not because I'm morbid but because the concept of a president killed was so foreign to me. And the country seemed to grind a little bit to a stop in April 1865 because of the people's tie to a man they had never met...or in most cases, even seen.

Abraham Lincoln's hearse in Chicago, Illinois. Photo from Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-19202.

I found a link to the 2015 Lincoln Funeral Coalition here. To commemorate the sesquicentennial of Lincoln's assassination, the city of Springfield, Illnios will be reenacting Lincoln's burial from the arrival of his remains via train to the funeral itself. It sounds like a very interesting event and I may just have to been in Springfield in three years.

"Nashville," one of several train engines that brought Lincoln's body from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, Illinois. Photo from the Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-23855.

Lincoln funeral train time card from Chicago to Springfield. Photo from the The Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana, Library of Congress.
 

Happy 80th Birthday!

Today my grandmother, Rose Mary Happy, turns 80 years old! She is a terrific grandmother and Meme, here's to many more years!

Wordless Wednesday - DeSmet monument 1961

Clifton White at the DeSmet Monument in 1961. The monument honors Father Jean DeSmet, the first Catholic priest recorded in northern Wyoming. 

Military Monday - 90th Division Teeohs

The 90th Infantry Division was formed August 25, 1917 and began training at Camp Travis, Texas, in preparation for action in the First World War. The Division began sending units to Europe on June 5, 1918. The 90th ID, also known as the Tough 'Ombres, fought in many battles to include St. Mihiel and the Meuse Argonne. They were also an integral part of the occupation forces, occupying Bernkastel-Kues along the Moselle River, and stayed in Germany from the end of the war until May 1919.

90th ID headquarters in Bernkastel-Kues, Germany

To celebrate the culmination of the Division's occupation of the area surrounding the town of Bernkasel-Kues, the 90th Division held a "Circus and County Fair" May 1-2, 1919. The fair included a parade, clowns and acrobats and a "Wild West Show." For the event, the Division created Teeohs, money name after the Division's patch. The script was used by the Soldiers for food and activities at the fair.

I found this great German website that discusses the Circus and County Fair that the Division held here. (I translated the website using Google Translate).

Bernkastel-Kues as it looks today

Shopping Saturday - William Strong's furniture store

This is an advertisement from 1861 for William Strong's furniture store located at 203 Randolph Street in Chicago, Illinois. The establishment later moved to 357 Randolph Street. Mr. Strong was appointed as a ward to his cousins Willa Mena and Celia Butler following a dispute they had with their father over an inheritance. He later married Willa Mena.