Frost and Smoke

It is the fall of 1777. The initial successes in battle at the outbreak of the Rebellion, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July, have been followed by catastrophe. The British have brought a massive army to American shores to quash the Revolution. General George Washington's army suffered a crushing defeat at New York, and his forces have fought one losing battle after another as they have retreated across New Jersey. As a further humiliation to newly formed States, Congress has had to flee the capital city of Philadelphia as the British army proudly marched into the city. Congress is now meeting in York, Pennsylvania, the capital of Philadelphia is now occupied by the British, and Washington's under-strength army hovers on the outskirts looking for some opportunity to redeem its losses. These are dark days for the American Cause.... The men are encamped. Six to eight privates will share a small tent. Since they average about 5'3" in height, they sleep crossways in the tent, rather then lengthways. With the first frost of the season on the rooftops this morning, they might not grumble so much about the crowding. The "sutlers" and others who help provision the armies bring larger tents of their own, and may even have a bed to sleep on, off the cold ground. This couple spins wool, then the wife knits it into socks, gloves, shawls and hats. Army life can be boring, but at least it is regimented. Each morning the troops march to assembly, for weapons inspection and roll call just to be sure no one has deserted during the night. Regular troops, such as the Illinios Regiment, are provided with rations and one uniform a year. The militia are volunteers, and bring all their own equipment. Gen. George Rogers Clark commands the Illinois regiment, using his own IOU's to pay for their needs when the Commonwealth of Virginia does not pay for their needs. Without Clark and his men, the United States would have been limited to the original 13 colonies along the eastern seaboard, if they existed at all. Drummer boys rat-a-tat the cadence for marching and all activities that must be done in unison. Camp followers provide necessary civilian services to the troops, such as cooking, sewing and mending, laundry, and sometimes ahem. Well, not as much in the Continental armies as the British armies. In the Continental army, wives often follow their husbands to care for them. If the man dies in battle, the woman has two weeks to find a new husband or she must leave. Women receive one-half the rations of a soldier, and children only one-fourth. The smell of smoke fills your nostrils with a welcome aroma of food, warmth and safety. In addition to suppliers of clothes, pewter, buckles, and furniture, entertainers follow the troops as well, relieving some of the tedium with juggling and feats of magic.

Isn't it amazing that a new camera can take you back in time? Well, not really. Locust Grove sponsored an 18th Century Market Fair this weekend, filled with dedicated re-enactors from the Northwest Territory Alliance. These folks dress up in period costume and learn the history of the American Revolution for the fun of it. They sleep out in those tents, and believe me, they looked pretty cold when we arrived at 10:00 am! Some of them said they got started because they like guns (muzzle loaders and old flintlocks), but they must be very careful when setting off the cannons. They don't use cannonballs or shot of any sort, but the bang itself could make you go deaf over time I'd think. We looked at some of their catalogs, and this is not an inexpensive hobby. We were fortunate to have sunny skies. Just imagine what this would be like on a cold rainy weekend! Sometimes reality can get too real!

Hometown History

It's funny that you can live in a town almost all your life, and not know much about the local history and heroes. Fortunately, Dick and I both love history, so this week we took a walk at George Rogers Clark Park, the site of Mulberry Hill, John and Ann Clark's original home here in Louisville. George Rogers Clark was the founder of Louisville, and a Revolutionary War general and hero at age 25. After the war, his entire family moved here from Virginia, and Mulberry Hill was built several miles outside of town in 1785. The entire family played a prominent role in Louisville, and the western frontier. George's youngest brother was William, of Lewis & Clark fame. The family married into other pioneer families, so their family tree resembles a street map of Louisville! George is the original American tragedy, since he gave personal IOU's to finance his western campaign during the war, and the Virginia government refused to honor them, so he was hounded by creditors the rest of his life. The actual house passed through the Clark family for several generations, but deteriorated. The small photo above was taken about 1890. The property was sold to become part of WWI Camp Taylor. Eventually, another heir repurchased it and deeded it to the city to be used as a park. Although none of the original structures remain, the old cypress tree that was near the spring house remains, bigger and more beautiful than it must have been 225 years ago.

The park is, indeed, full of mulberry trees, and a fine stand of crab apples. We wondered if any of these fruit trees had been harvested by the family and made into jelly.

It struck me as odd that this house, home of a founding family, was not improved at any time. Louisville has other old historic homes that have been preserved. Locust Grove, home of George Rogers Clark's sister Lucy Croghan, was made of brick in 1790, but still fell into disrepair and was used as a barn for some years until a historical group saved it. As we walked the park, I thought what a hard trip it would have been for Ann Clark to visit her daughter at Locust Grove, about 10.5 miles away. What we can now drive in about 20 minutes probably took all day in the 1790's.

Creasey Mahan Manor was built around 1803 or so in nearby Oldham County, and the original logs were covered with wooden siding, then aluminum siding. I guess one difference is that this home was lived in continuously since its construction.

This morning I joined a group of volunteers from the Falls of the Ohio and some other local historians for a hike on Shippingport Island, which also played a part in the history of Louisville. The Falls of the Ohio, a cascade of rapids and small waterfalls on the Ohio and the biggest impediment to river travel for many years, is the reason Louisville even exists. Everyone traveling on the river had to stop at the Falls, either to unload and portage, or to shoot the rapids if there was enough water and they were brave enough.

From the very beginning, everyone knew a canal and locks were needed to bypass the dangerous rapids. We learned about the ongoing improvements to the canal and locks since the first were built in 1830. As volunteers, we often need to explain this history to our visitors at the State Park. The most recent additions are now completed, and we were allowed onto Shippingport Island, which is still restricted to public access. The island used to be a separate town, with businesses and farms for about 600 residents. After the great flood of 1937, the last people remaining left. The Army Corps of Engineers is now in charge of the canal, the locks and about 1400 acres protected as a National Wildlife Conservation Area. As we arrived, the sky was dark and smelled of smoke. There is a fire burning at Ft. Knox, and the smoke blew all the way to Louisville. Our historian guide says that the island was stripped to bare rock and sand during construction in the 1960's, and dredged rock was deposited to raise the level of the island 5-10 feet, so all the trees now seen have grown since that time. We saw a Kestrel, Red Shouldered Hawk and Cooper's Hawk by the parking lot, but not a lot else. Turkey feathers lined the service road, and deer trails led into the brush. The Osprey nest has been torn down from the cell tower. I hope they will rebuild- maybe somewhere else - when they return.

This structure looks like a hotel of some kind, but it is actually spare gates for the locks. If there should be some large accident that damages the gates, these can be lifted into place by a giant crane built for that purpose in a fairly short time. I'm sure they are thinking not only of accident, but also attack. If these locks are unusable, it would stop all traffic on the Ohio, including coal transport to power plants in many states.

The first bridge over the Ohio was a railroad bridge built in 1870. They replaced the bridge trestles, but still use the original stone supports for it and trains cross several times each day. In order for the tall tow boats to get under, the bridge has a section that raises straight up, so you can always tell what kind of traffic last passed through, a train or a barge.

The modern tow boats are loaded with technology - radar, radio, etc. - so they can communicate with the gatekeepers in any kind of weather. Other arrangements are made for small craft using the locks. The lighted sign above goes on to tell them to proceed down the canal and pull the line to ring a bell and advise the gatekeeper that they want to lock through. A small boat would be unable to lock through with a barge, since the barge fills the entire 1200' length and any small craft would be smashed.

We don't often get to see the Louisville skyline from downstream.

The Belle of Louisville is another piece of history - a 95 year old steam powered stern wheeler designated as a National Historic Landmark. On Saturday mornings I like to listen to the pre-cruise concert on the steam calliope. There aren't many places where you can do that any more!

Locust Grove Historic Home

Louisville played a large role in the settlement of the west after the Revolutionary War. The city was founded in 1789 by Gen. George Rogers Clark, who went on to defeat the British in several battles. If not for Gen. Clark, we might be living in Canada right now! When his leg was amputated in 1809, he moved in with his sister, Lucy Clark Croghan, at Locust Grove, until his death in 1818.

The Croghans were quite wealthy, and their home reflected this status. By the mid-1900's, it had been sold several times, and was being used as a barn for livestock. Jefferson County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky purchased it at auction in 1961, and the restoration process began. A friend who is a historical re-enactor plays the part of Lucy Clark Croghan in the house, and does a wonderful explanation about the family and the times in the early 1800's.

Locust Grove has now been remodeled and redecorated to be more authentic to the era. Rugs were woven to patterns popular at the time. This is Gen. Clark's room. Note the wheels on his chair.

They found some of the original wallpaper, and sent samples out to be reproduced. The colors and patterns wouldn't be popular today, but only the most wealthy used wallpaper at the time since it was all hand made, one piece at a time. Apparently there is an antique wallpaper museum in France, and much research went into the process.

This wallpaper looks a bit odd to our eyes, but the white colors showed well in candlelight, while the darker shades show up in natural sunlight.

Locust Grove also hosted three U.S. Presidents, Monroe, Jackson and Taylor, and was a stopping point for famed explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark upon their return from their expedition to the Pacific. William Clark was the youngest brother of George and Lucy Clark.

The dining room is graced with period quality china, and a "phunka" (I think that's how you spell it) hanging from the ceiling. One of the young slaves would be assigned the job of pulling the rope to fan the phunka hangings back and forth, both creating a breeze for the diners, and chasing flies away when the windows were open.

The kitchen is in one of the outbuildings, of course. The foundation owns 55 acres of the original 700 in this location, although the Croghans owned thousands more throughout the west. This kitchen in famous in our family. When our daughter was only two years old, we visited Locust Grove, and she instantly noticed that the kitchen did not have a microwave! Dick once met an African American woman who re-enacts the life of the slaves at Locust Grove. She researched her family, and discovered that one of her ancestors actually was a slave there for 64 years! Major Croghan was the surveying partner of Gen. Clark, and for a while all the deeds and land records were kept in his office. Locust Grove has added a wonderful visitors center with a video and museum about the area in the early 1800's. After the years I have volunteered at the Falls of the Ohio, and its connection with George Rogers Clark, I really enjoyed seeing all this. We even noticed that the limestone in the out buildings had fossils in them!