The Okie Legacy

Vol. 1, No. 28 -- Saturday, October 16, 1999

A Recipe For Daily Living
(The Beauty of Your Roots)

Well! This Oakie (Okie) planted her feet once again on Oklahoma soil, October 13th after some 5150 miles round-trip driving from Oklahoma up through Michigan across Canada into New England via New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Long Island, NYC, New Jersey countryside to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and our Nations Capital in DC to visit our son. As you well know from my last newsletter.

After spending a couple of days in DC and eating crabs at "Buddies Crab & Ribs" in Annapolis, Maryland, we headed out October 7th through Fairfax, Virginia around 4:00PM, 9th October 1999. We were just going to find a Motel stop on the way around 9PM that night, but because of Columbus weekend all the rooms were full from Charleston to Staunton, Virginia.

After about an hour of calling around, we finally found a little place in Moorefield, West Virginia that had one room available. We detoured off of I81 at Strasburg, VA onto hwy. 55 and followed the winding, raining mist and foggy road through the mountains of Virginia to West Virginia. Arriving in Moorefield, WV (hwy. 55 & 220 jct.) around 11:30PM where we settled in for the night.

The next morning we woke up early and headed down hwy. 220 towards that the mountains between Virginia and West Virginia. It was an overcast and misty day, but the sites and colors of Autumn were still beautiful as they lined the highways like a natural covered bridge and the cloudy mist hung like smoke over and between the Allegheny Mountains. Truly God's Country with the white country churches and their steeple bells rising along the country valley villages.

The Autumn beauty of the Virginia's countryside with white, pristine villages and country churches dotting the horizons and grasslands makes for a peaceful, time warp that could rejuvenate the souls of any those passing through and stopping. The Autumn colors of West Virginia and Virginia in that area were at their brilliant peak with the rainfall that they had the week before.

On David's Birthday (October 10) we treated ourselves to a celebration at "The Homestead" (http://www.thehomestead.com) in Hot Springs, Virginia. A great place to be graciously waited on and pampered.

The day before and after "The Homestead" we drove through the area around Bath County, Pocahontas County, and Highland County where my ancestors settled.

One place in particular was the Old David Gwin place on hwy. 220 about .6 miles from the Bolar, VA turn. It is now in Highland County near the Bath County border, but at one time it was in Bath County. I stopped by the Bath County Courthouse in Warm Springs, VA and got a copy of the handwritten deed that was issued to David Gwin when he first purchased his homestead. It is my understanding that three sisters whom are descendants of David Gwin bought the five (5) Acre place with house intact a little over a year ago. The Old Gwin House is still standing, but it seems that no one is living in it at this time.

Another ancestral homestead of my ninth generation Warwick cousins was where we spent the night on October 11 at the Hidden Valley Bed & Breakfast (Warwickton). The Warwickton is now owned by the George Washington National Forest since about 1965 and was put on the Historical Sights list sometime before it was used as the locale in the movie, "Sommersby", with Richard Gere and Jody Foster in 1992. Judge James Wood Warwick built and own it in 1848. He was a cousin to my Warwick ancestors from Dunmore, West Virginia in Pocahontas County. During the 1920s at some time it was used as a school. After that it sat vacant for quite awhile and was used for storing hay. Pam & Ron Stidham made a deal with the National Forest and leased the place to restore it and turn it in to a Bed & Breakfast.

I found this recipe for daily living in a Mountain Grove, Virginia cookbook that I purchased at a country store on hwy. 39 near Mtn. Grove, VA., "One pinch of patience; one pinch of excitement; one pinch of accomplishment; one pinch of charm; one pinch of elegance and loyalty; one pinch of originality and personality; and one pinch of everlasting goodness. Mix all together in your heart and bake until it sticks there and it will come out peace and love." -- Lucy Cummings, "Recipe for Daily Living", from the "Tastes From The Country" cookbook by the Mountain Grove United Methodist Women.

I have truly experienced lots of excitement and learned lots of patience in my life up to now with lots of teachers along the way. I have wined and dined in DC at the Hotel Washington and The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. I've seen some beautiful breath-taking colors of Autumn throughout the New England and Virginia areas with their unique wooden framed homes with their green shutters that dot the countrysides of upper state NY, NH, Vermont and The Virginia's.

We driven down the winding roads and colorful, tree-covered highways of my ancestor's old stomping grounds of Virginia and West Virginia. I have stayed loyal to my Oklahoma roots and have come back to settle them once again in this soil commonly known as "Oklahoma Territory."

I am still the person I was before I left. I have accumulated an understanding and appreciation for other beautiful country sites beyond my Oklahoma roots. All the charm, elegance and excitement of the New England countryside has blessed my life with fantastic memories and moments that will last me forever. In the next few weeks I will try to share some of my scenic photos with you all.

Meanwhile, a northwest Oklahoma lady has sent me some pictures to share with you in hopes that they will jog your Oklahoma memories. Maybe some of you NW Oklahoman's out there might recall and fill in some information that Darlene is searching. The old photos that Darlene sent me concerning NW Oklahoma photographs are some that her mother collected and were taken by a photographer, "Collier-Alva Photography", which might help date some of the photos. Can anyone out there tell us when that photographer was in business around Alva, Oklahoma or when some of these pictures were taken?

Parade in downtown Carmen, Oklahoma

Photo of the Dacoma Elevator in Dacoma, Oklahoma

Photo of the IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) Orphanage in Carmen, Oklahoma where another NW Oklahoman (Vince Pettit) grew up as a young child. The Carmen Home Today.

Photo of the Normal School Ladies Basketball Team shows Darlene's grandmother Ruth on the right. (It was the winning Basketball Team when NWOSU was the Normal School.)

1940s Baseball Team photo shows Leon Quinn on the bottom row, left hand corner and Bill Short may be in the bottom, right hand corner. If anyone else can identify any of the others, please email Darlene at w_monroe@yahoo.com. She would love to hear from you.

OkieLegacy & Normal School Baseball 1940s.

There is a Photo of Arthur Paris taken at the Veley farm 7 miles west and 1/2 mile south of Carmen, Oklahoma.

Darlene's mother (Lila Veley Quinn) was the sister of Russell D. Veley who was married to Maxine Paris (my mother's cousin). If any of these photos ring a bell with anyone out there, Darlene and I would love to hear from you. Darlene is also trying to trace the Veleys' and would love to hear from anyone who has any information on the Veleys to share with her.

OAKIE'S MAILBAG & LINKS SECTION

"Linda--next time can I come and carry your baggage?" Oakie's response, "Hey, Dolly! You can carry my baggage anytime if I can carry yours when you go to Colorado north of Durango."

"I have a most interesting story of a relative who, at the time she died, was Woods Co's oldest resident (at age 105). A reporter for the Dacoma Herald did a series of 4 or 5 interviews with her and published them (somewhere in my archives I have copies)."

"OH LINDA--did this letter ever bring back the memories of just a few months ago. My girl friend and I fly to Boston and then drove over 3000 miles up and down the coast -- such beauty -- you had to be there to see it. Went into Canada and around Price Edward Island and all around Novia Scotia and hopped the ferry to St John's Bay and then back down the ocean coast -- I fell in love with a little city called MYSTIC. Oh so perfect. We ate so much scallops and lobster and fish -- I could swim like one. Penn. is a favorite too -- I loved all the AMISH things around there -- the big family dinners and the country roads take you to heaven when you travel. I could just go on and on. I have been in your footsteps -- just a few months before you and seen all that you did. I can not wait to go back -- as there is so much more I want to see and missed. I hit the parks and top points of interest -- but there is so much more. Being from the country, I love to drive the roads. This time I went for the covered bridges and light houses and boy did we find them. My girl friend said I took a pic of everyone of the bridges and light house -- but I missed a few -- could not find some -- they actual have maps for the bridges and light houses for us tourists. I can not wait to go back -- the fall would be a most beautiful tie in the east to go -- leaves turning -- could be out of this world. It was a beautiful trip! Thanks again for another beautiful reminder - You are good - keep it up!"

"Dear Oakie, I am from northern Massachusetts and in the central northern part. Rte. 2 of Mass. goes east and west along the northern ridge of the state of Mass. from Greenfield west to North Adams in particular is the "Mohawk Trail" (actually it starts a little east of Greenfield... around Erving and the Montague area (Montague consists of Turners Falls, typically has a raging waterfall but we've had a drought but water level may be up since Floyd came through with all of the rain recently). On the Mohawk Trail there is a great Maple Sugaring Cabin/restaurant and actual room on sight in Spring where you can watch them boiling the sap to make the delicious maple syrup. This place is on the north side of the road right on rte. 2 in the Shelburne Falls and it is called Gould's Sugar House and its phone number is: 413-625-6170 and they are open until the monday of Columbus Day weekend. Sometimes their hours are: 8:30-2, closing by 3 for those still supping on: Homemade pancakes, syrup, corn fritters, dill pickles, (tastes great opposite the sweet syrup), applesauce, and ham, eggs, bacon and sausage as well; We New Englander's eat this meal anytime of day."

VACATION PHOTOS:

Hotel Washington, Downtown, DC

Virginia Autumn 1999 scenery The Mtn. Valley south of Falling Springs, VA

DC Washington Monument

DC Lincoln Memorial

Virginia History Marker

West Virginia Scenery, Oct 11th

Highland County Marker

Camp Allegheny Marker

Bath County, VA History Marker

Bath County Seat, Warm Springs, VA

Let me leave you with this quote to think on and contemplate... "The longer we live, the more we find we are like other persons." by Oliver Wendell Holmes See You All Next Weekend. Go Make A Great Day Today!

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