Category: Americana

Posts related to US history, geography, traditions, etc.

The Old Welsh Church

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date August 14, 2011

Timber-framed Country Churches

Did you ever drive by one of those little white timber frame country churches surrounded by cemetery and wonder what it looked like inside? My father-in-law used to pastor one in Buck Settlement, New York, years ago when I was dating JoAnne. I recently visited such a church that has been preserved as a part of the farmer’s museum in Cooperstown. When I was a boy, I went to a country church like that in Haskinville, N.Y., only ours did not have a cemetery. Thankfully also, ours was active and has since grown and been remodeled more than once. But many such have lost their congregations as populations have shifted. Yet the buildings remain in our countryside as stately if lonely reminders of the strong rural Christian religious heritage of our land.

Speaking at the Old Welsh Church

Many years ago I was introduced by another pastor to The Old Welsh Church in Nelson area. It is one such church. It even has the smell of those antique century-plus old buildings with plank floors, aging wall treatment and antique instruments, wainscoting in the vestibule, and stained glass windows with family names on them. This church has chosen an unusual route to remain viable in the 21st century. It is closed most of the year but from Memorial Day to Labor Day services are held at 7 p.m. on Sunday evenings. Coordinator, Tom Davies, schedules a different music group and visiting minister for each Sunday evening. Pat Maum told me that the ladies’ singing group that she sings in sang there a few weeks ago. August seventh I had the privilege to be the speaker there and my wife supplied the special music on her harp. I also took my trombone and played the offertory. We sang old hymns and gospel songs I selected from a hymnbook which was probably old when I was young. But, because I have a long history in the church, I know many of those songs and enjoy leading them too. Then I preached a gospel message which I trust continued to communicate the “faith once entrusted to the saints (Jude 3)” that such churches were constructed in order to pass on. Their very physical presence continues to be a witness to all who pass by that the strong character of our nation in the past was formed by its Christian faith.

Tags country life, old churches, Old Welsh Church

Americana Journal

Visiting a Vanderbilt Home

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date July 31, 2011

thebreakers_dingingroom — The gilded dining room

I knew that the most opulent homes of late nineteenth century in America were built by the Vanderbilt’s, tycoons of the NY Central Railroad. I did not realize how many homes they built, nor did I know that many of the homes had just one architect, Richard Morris Hunt. They include The Breakers and the Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island and the Biltmore in Asheville North Carolina. Years ago when I was stationed in Newport in the Navy we toured the Marble House. Keely and JoAnne’s brother, Joe, have both recommended Biltmore.

Visiting The Breakers

Last Saturday, on a return visit to Newport, we toured The Breakers, summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt. The home is immense-65,000 sq. ft. The magnificent first floor rooms are almost indescribable. The supersized main dining room could alone be responsible for the term “gilded age” as so much of the ornate wall decorations, door casings, and ceiling are covered in gold leaf of varying thicknesses, washes, and degrees of polish. My favorite rooms were the billiard room-the nineteenth century version of a “man-cave;” and the music room-just a gorgeous space to match the beauty of the sounds produced there. Also extremely impressive were the technics used to vary the wall décor. Various uses of metals, such as platinum, and leather, in addition to the gold leaf gave the walls very unusual textures. As the economic fortunes of the super-rich changed in the depression, the house actually was unused for a time. Now it is owned by the Newport Preservation Society (http://www.newportmansions.org/).

The People behind the House

I’m always interested in the personal side of the story. The house was run by 40 staff—maids and butlers of various kinds who were under the leadership of Mrs. Vanderbilt. Many would have been newer immigrants. In her bedroom which was also her office, was a row of call buttons to summon them. She also might be required to change clothes as many as seven times a day. Interestingly, the family was very religious with Mr. Vanderbilt teaching Sunday School and the children restricted as to what entertainments they were allowed on Sunday. Mr. Vanderbilt who built the house only enjoyed it in good health one summer as he had a stroke the following year.

Luxury for show; verses to ponder

One cannot help but feel in visiting such a place that much of the luxury was over the top for the sake of ostentation. This was definitely wealth on display. The rich and powerful of the day met here and showed off their status by making wealth visible as people have done for centuries and still do. On the one hand, a prayer such the Psalmist prays would have seemed natural to the Vanderbilt’s; “Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name” (1 Ch 29:12-13 NIV).

While one can understand the cultural history of how such a display of wealth came to be, one cannot help but feel that it was questionable Christian stewardship to put so much wealth into such extravagant exhibition. Those of us enjoying the perspective of a hundred years of history, think instead of other verses; “All can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others” (Ps 49:10 NIV); or “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Ti 6:17-19 NIV).

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Tags Newport RI, vacation, wealth

Americana Journal

Cooperstown Farmers’ Museum

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date July 21, 2011
2 Comments on Cooperstown Farmers’ Museum

Fun for children but little antique farm equipment

It was a fun stop, our late afternoon visit to the Cooperstown Farmers’ Museum. To us as adults looking at what had been collected and what was on display, “Farmers’ Museum” seemed like a misnomer. But they did have many animals for the children to see – goats, chickens, turkeys, cattle, sheep, and probably pigs that we didn’t see. It would have been a really fun stop for kids also has they have a splendid working carousel, and some tents set up for children to explore games of that era, to get their pictures dressed up in old fashioned clothes, and even a simulated milk-the-cow station. What was missing that we expected from the title was antique farm equipment. Aside from a couple carriages near the entrance we didn’t see any.

A good cross section of 1830’s village life

I think the intent was to help a visitor understand the nature of village life around the time that baseball was invented back in the 1830’s. And the buildings mostly seemed consistent with that goal. There was a very active blacksmith shop with two blacksmiths, a print shop, an apothecary, a doctor’s office complete with some of the pre-civil war crude tools used, a tavern, of course, and a very old one-room schoolhouse. The people who were dressed up in period costumes had obviously studied and become somewhat knowledgeable about their areas too. The old church was of very early design with divisions in the pews and balconies on both sides. The doors on either side of the pulpit seemed unusual and made me wonder if the building had been reversed and added onto in its history since the history said it had been used by more than one group. Were the two doors originally male and female entrances as some of the very earliest colonial churches had? JoAnne and Jane Kinney enjoyed watching the weavers who were busy at work in two different old houses. Another farmhouse had a working stone fireplace. Earlier in the day in a room made for that purpose, they had been making butter. There were cottage gardens and herb gardens too.

Baseball Hall of Fame

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date July 21, 2011

Cooperstown visit

I’m supposed to be on vacation this week, but as is often the case, I’m having difficulty making a clean break. Worked today and yesterday, but Tuesday we took off for Cooperstown. I have always wanted to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cooperstown is a delightful old lakeside village with much in common with CNY and Fingerlakes gems like Cazenovia, Penn Yan, Watkins Glen, Hammondsport, Skaneateles and Geneva—classic architecture, restored houses, not too wide streets, quaint shops, flower beds and boxes, and places that just make you wonder what stories they could tell if they could only speak. It is also blessed with more places to eat – including good ice cream—than most towns its size.

Two sections

The Hall of Fame has two sections, the Hall of Fame itself with a formal plaque for each one recognized; and the museum part where the clothes, bats, lockers, etc. of all the inductees are displayed and where stories of famous players are told via posters, videos, print and displays. Of course everyone was drawn to the story of one of the most famous players of all time, Babe Ruth; but I found myself fascinated by a side story. The museum had a display that focused on the black leagues or “colored leagues” as they would have been called. I viewed that story and then took special note of early black players who were instrumental in breaking the color barrier in baseball; men like Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. Their courage, patience, character and humility, were just as essential to their success as was the overwhelming athletic talent that propelled them to baseball greatness.

Another interesting section was the comparative stats area; it answered questions like who has the most hits; the best batting average, the most hits in a row, the most strikeouts, the most home runs, etc. I also enjoyed the room that told the story of the Cooperstown museum itself and also the movie theatre baseball theme presentation. Outside the building was a hand kept major league standings scoreboard up-to-date for that day. Baseball souvenir stores are abundant – a ball autographed by Hank Aaron – about $350 – I didn’t buy it.

I highly recommend it!

It took me about 3 hours to go through the Museum and Hall of Fame and I could have spent longer. I highly recommend it to any baseball fan.

I wore my Syracuse Chief’s hat and one person even noticed and mentioned that they had recently seen the Chiefs. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to a game yet this year but hope to attend soon. However, I follow them on the internet several times weekly to keep abreast of their season.

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Tags baseball, Cooperstown, summer fun

Americana Journal

Visiting the Nina and the Pinta

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date July 17, 2011

DSCF2125 (640x480) — The recreated Pinta

: The stern of the Nina

When Columbus came to America he sailed with three ships. Most famous of them on his first voyage was the Santa Maria. That ship was accompanied by two others, the Nina and the Pinta. The Santa Maria ran aground in the Caribbean. So Columbus boarded the Nina, made it his flagship, and returned to Spain with two ships. The Pinta then disappears from history. But Columbus returned to the Americas with another fleet and the Nina at its head. This fleet encountered a hurricane on its return voyage and all the other vessels sank except the Nina.

All this I learned as we visited on Saturday the floating historical display, the re-created Nina and Pinta moored this past weekend in Oswego harbor. The Nina I saw was crafted using the same type of tools and skills that would have been used 500 years ago to build it. It was built at a shipyard in Brazil where this type of skill is still known and practiced. It was as exact a replica as research could determine. Another interesting fact I learned from the crew of the re-created ships was that the crew that sailed with the early explorers like Columbus were probably very young — most likely teenagers — but had very limited life expectancies. Most would’ve barely lived into their twenties.

JoAnne and I were impressed by the fact that the vessels were much smaller than we thought. We learned that the crew constantly stayed on deck even in rough weather, and would have been often drenched by the splashing sea. However, I also learned that Columbus’ crossing from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean took 33 days, which is long enough but not as long as I thought it would have taken. One definitely came away from the visit impressed with the courage of the early mariners and amazed at the hardships they endured.

You can read more at www.thenina.com

Tags American history, Columbus, ships

Americana Journal

Fireworks across Onondaga Lake

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date July 10, 2011

After our Liverpool Band concert in Johnson Park in Liverpool, JoAnne and I, along with Brenda VanDuser and Jane Kinney stopped along Onondaga parkway to watch the Fairground fireworks. We were a little late for a spot so we needed to turn around and park on the inside. The sky was very active it seemed, with displays behind us at the ballpark and off in the distance–both to the East and to the Northeast. The fireworks were well worth the wait. My favorites are the ones that go up with the wavy white trail and the ones that burst into a shower of sparking contrails—usually orange. I had fun experimenting with the fireworks setting on my camera too.

Tags fireworks, holidays, July 4th

Americana Journal Joy Notes

Elizabeth Park in Hartford, Conn.

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date May 27, 2011

A few weeks ago we visited Keely and Mark and while we were there we took time to relax in the gardens at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford, Conn. I have written before that I like to look for quiet spots to relax. Well, this is a beautiful one. It’s main feature is the extensive rose garden which was not in bloom this early in the spring. But it also features this exquisite annual garden which is very well tended. In the spring it is planted to tulips. It also has goldfish ponds and grassy areas. I have not had time to blog about it until now so here is a gallery of some shots we took.

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Tags flowers, Quiet spots, walks

Americana Journal Who Am I

January fun with Christmas trains

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date January 31, 2011
2 Comments on January fun with Christmas trains

I always wondered what went on in those houses where Christmas trees remained visible in the windows many weeks into January. Well, now we’re one of those houses. So I can share the secret inside our house that keeps the Christmas tree up so long.

(Psst!) I’m a small time railroad hobbyist that sets up multiple O-gauge trains under the tree in a display that takes up half the living room. I can’t bear to take the whole thing down right away! It is a three level display that includes a Christmas village, farm scene, bridges and tunnels, and the Christmas tree is built in. It can’t come down until I move enough train stuff so we can reach the tree. Thankfully, my wife tolerates, maybe even enjoys just a little, my affection for model trains and associated Christmas villages; so she doesn’t object too much that I take up some floor space for two months of the year.

But that is only one-half of the story. The other reason for the display staying up so long is this. The most fun comes when I invite children over to play with the trains. And everyone is far too busy for that to happen in December, so we wait until January. All during the month, JoAnne and I invite children from church to view and play engineer with the trains. Well, yes, it is a little dangerous to the train cars and parts and model vehicles because there are wrecks, but it is so much fun to watch the boys and girls having fun that it is definitely worth the risk. JoAnne bakes cookies and I get down on the floor, give instructions in how to operate things, take pictures, and try to keep the trains running. It is the best part of the hobby.

So now you know. In case you still don’t believe me, here are a few photos for evidence. But now it’s February tomorrow and I really do have to take down the Christmas tree…

[nggallery id=22]

Tags Christmas, model trains, railfan

Americana Journal Joy Notes

The Sunday before Christmas is Cherished

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date December 17, 2010

adventwreath — advent wreath on the fourth Sunday

JoAnne leading choir on a fourth Sunday of Advent while we served in Bentley Creek PA

How do you describe the Sunday before Christmas? From my observations over the years, at church, it’s one of the most musical of the year. Many churches put on special dramatic presentations on this Sunday. Special groups such as vocal or Handbell or brass choirs are more likely to sing or play on this day than any other except perhaps Easter. Here we will enjoy a string trio this Sunday–what a treat. It is also the most likely Sunday of the whole year for children’s dramatic and choir events – those memorable times when the Wallace Purling’s of the world add their own unforgettable touch to the Christmas story (http://www.santaclaus.com/christmas-stories/wally.html).

From a decorations point of view, it’s always one of the most beautiful Sundays of the year at church too. Christmas wreaths, lights, ornament, candles, a Christmas tree stacked with gifts for those-in-need, and lots of poinsettias all combine to create a wonderfully inspiring scene. Our talented decorator, Leah, has accented richly with red! Here in Syracuse area, there’s about an 80% or more chance that it will be snowing outside too for that extra touch of romanticism – did I say that?

The sense of anticipation is heightened as the Advent wreath burns brightly– all four outside candles lit, waiting only for the coming of Christmas Eve and the climactic lighting of the center candle, the Christ candle, that proclaims again that Jesus is indeed the light of our world too. The whole motive for this Advent emphasis is to help us keep the main thing the main thing in the Christmas season; to assist us in keeping the reason for the season, the reason for our own celebrations; to remind us that giving to others happens because “God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).” So as the light of the wreath burns brighter, our spiritual eyes brighten too with joy looking forward to celebrating again the arrival of the one who is the light of the world, the light of our lives, and who is also the light of that eternal city that He is preparing for all who love Him.

Tags advent, Christmas, holidays

Americana Journal Who Am I

Christmas Card Traditions

Post author By pastorkelvin
Post date December 15, 2010

JoAnne and I still very much enjoy Christmas cards. We send them and we like to receive them too. Most of the cards we receive are refreshingly beautiful too. We’re one of those couples who write the annual Christmas letter, now complete with color pictures, and copy it onto Christmas stationery to include in our cards. We do this because we know how we are disappointed when we open a card from an old friend only to find nothing inside but a signature, perhaps even a pre-printed one.

It’s a retro thing, I guess. Christmas cards just seem a little more personal than the e-touch. They also fit with the season; email happens all the time. We’ve experimented with moving our letter to email and saving all that money on stamps. That works, I suppose, but it just doesn’t have the same feel. I came from a home where we hung the Christmas cards around the wide hallway entrance to the old parlor. There were always enough of them to go all the way up one side across the top and down the other side. As I think back on it, it was like our family Christmas was surrounded by extended family. It was shared in some small way by a life-time collection of friends and loved ones. So JoAnne and I have returned to more cards and less email.

We also have kept track of many friends over the years through our Christmas cards. Many friends we have only written once each year, but that communication opened the way for a visit, or a longer letter, or a phone call or email conversation at a later time. Some very good friends we were sad to lose track of because they moved or did not return our cards. Sometimes, by perseverance we would find a good address again through a mutual friend.

We always try to pick cards that focus the true meaning of Christmas and include verses of Scripture. It is one more way to help us remember the first Christmas and our reason to celebrate; and to share that focal point with our friends and family too.