WILL WALTON’S RUGBY JULY 4TH
By George Zepp
He was particularly fond of entertaining children with it. He typed this note to distribute around Rugby in 1954:
“RUGBY BOYS – As 4th of July falls on Sunday, celebration will be on Monday. I invite you to come to my home on Monday night, and we will again shoot my cannon and have a big time. OK. – Will Walton.”
The family story about young Charles Crabtree (a great-nephew of Will’s, now living in California) is that when he learned the cannon was about to be shot, he hurried inside The Lindens for protection. He wasn’t sure if it was safe to be anywhere around it, Will’s daughter, Anna Joyce Herr, recalled recently. Little Charles thought witnessing it from behind window glass was the best way.
Editor’s Note: George also has a small cannon. He has promised to try not to fire it as much this year as he did last!
FIRE DESTROYS HISTORIC RUGBY AREA HOUSE
It was very sad to learn this week that the historic Riverside burned to the ground recently. The 1880s house, which was unoccupied, was over a mile down Horseshoe Bend Road and had only recently been sold at auction to Steve and Jane Logan who were in the process of making plans for restoration of the property. Our sincerest condolences to Steve and Jane.
The house had been built by the Solomon Giles family in the 1880s and was the site of a sawmill that provided much of the lumber used in Rugby. It was at a beautiful bend of White Oak Creek. Sometimes the flow of water from creek could be heard from the house. Giles had an ambitious farm for berries and other crops. While the vegetation around the house had become a bit overgrown in recent years, it was nicely sited to overlook the creek and was across the river from the home known as Sunnyside which is no longer standing.
Steve Logan sent these photos showing the house before and after the fire.
Steve also sent us this email: “Sad loss for the area, for the history and all the memories of past and those that were yet to be, that the home held and was to hold. To have stood for over 120 years, over 480 seasons it saw, and to be erased in minutes to a fire. The ole walls were harming no one sitting in the shade of two magnificent American holly trees that were maybe as old as the home and a giant pear tree of similar age that seem to be resistance to time itself was still giving fruit each year freely. All poised on high ground watching the water of the White Oak Creek pass by. A new life was planned for the structure, a return to its roots of the late 1880's. The hand-sawn wood and the carefully laid stone piers deserved a chance to see many more generations pass across its humble threshold. A one-word, sometimes unanswerable question: WHY?”
FIRE EXTINGUISHER INSPECTION SCHEDULED
By Tom Howell
Fyr-Fyter of Knoxville will be in Rugby the afternoon of July 12 to inspect all fire extinguishers belonging to Historic Rugby and Clear Fork FD and in the community. If you have an extinguisher donated by Clear Fork VFD, you should bring it in to be checked out at that time. There is a fee, I don't know how much. Small household extinguishers -- the kind you buy at Walmart or hardware store -- are not subject to this inspection requirement and are treated as throwaways. If you're not going to be here that day, bring your extinguisher to me ahead of time so that I can label it and return it to you. By that time I should have a quote on the inspection fee, which should be paid in advance. Fyr-Fyter works out of a truck. In past years they have set up near Adena Cottage for the sake of shade during the heat of summer. If you don't have an extinguisher, talk to one of us with the Fire Department; we have a few to spare.
CEMETERY LANTERN TOUR
Characters of Rugby’s past will come alive in an outdoor venue on Saturday, July 24 at 8 p.m. The Lantern Tour of Laurel Dale Cemetery will feature the stories of Rugby from actual letters and newspaper accounts. Visitors will be able to hear not only the more familiar tales of Rugby’s past, but will have the opportunity to hear more obscure stories of life in Rugby well into the twentieth century. Joining Margaret Hughes and Robert Walton will be Edith Wellman, Lizzie Fletcher, Charles Oldfield, Andrew Burroughs, Helen Lourie and many others.
Costumed interpreters will tell the stories as visitors are escorted by lantern light. The Harrow Road Café will serve dinner and feature live entertainment from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. Registered guests should arrive at the cemetery at 7:45 p.m. Reservations are required and with the limited size of this tour we recommend you book early. Call Historic Rugby toll-free at 1-888-214-3400. Lantern Tour Prices: $15.00/person.Lantern Tour & Dinner: $28.00/person.
Dinner Menu: Fried Shrimp or ¼ BQ Chicken, Choice of Soup or Salad, Choice of two sides, Above price includes tax and beverage, gratuity not included.
Don’t miss this unique historic summer evening event.
HABITAT STORE REOPENS
By Annie Patterson
Appalachia Habitat for Humanity would like all our Rugby friends know that the ReSale Store in Sunbright will be reopening this week. A ribbon cutting will be held Thursday, July 1, at 5 p.m. and will then begin regular hours of Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There are a host of useful bargains to be found and donations of household items, tools and building materials are always needed and welcome.
We want to thank the folks in Rugby for their support of this ministry and we are very fortunate to be able to have this program back up and running. It is a vital source of funds for the work of the organization as well as providing needed items at an affordable price in the community. If you have any questions the store number is 628-2081. Thanks again for your support.
GARDEN OF THE WEEK
By Rick Murphy
It is not easy to grow flowers in Beacon Hill. Most of the homes are nestled among the trees so they get lots of shade. Since Beacon Hill was basically carved out of a wooded area, the soil tends to be acidic. But the more difficult problem is that it is an area full of critters. Barbara and Boyd Mitchell have somehow succeeded in creating a beautiful perennial garden at Fernwood, their Beacon Hill home. While they continue to battle to keep out the critters, they seem to be winning the war – or at least a few battles.
Spotted on Facebook art pages this week, local artist Mara Trumbo was invited to submit a selection of Christmas theme paintings to an Italian company who makes rice paper. This is used for decoupage, a craze which has waned in the USA during the last decade, but has only just caught on in a big way in Europe. This is the first of her original designs, based on a photo she took of Christ Church this last winter. Mara has also won the selection of Grumbacher Paints instructors for East Tennessee. She will be starting to teach classes in the Michaels Arts and Crafts stores in Knoxville, Cleveland and Chattanooga next month.
BIRTHDAYS
June 28 - George Crabtree
June 29 - Wil Thornthwaite
July 2 - Bob Hemminger
July 4 - Jim Meadows
CALENDAR
July 3 - 12th Annual July Picnic at John and Kathy Hicks’ place (Lizzie's Place). 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Eastern. This will take the place of the first Saturday Potluck Dinner.
July 9 – History Night. Linda Konig tells all the ins and outs of sherry merchant Hastings Hughes, who was his brother (Rugby founder) Thomas’ man on the scene in Rugby in the 1880s. 7 p.m. Eastern, Friendly House behind Christ Church.
July 24 - Lantern Tour of Laurel Dale Cemetery featuring stories of Rugby from actual letters and newspaper accounts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Costumed interpreters will tell the stories as visitors are escorted by lantern light. Prior to the 8 p.m. program at the cemetery will be a special program dinner at the Harrow Road Café. Space is limited so reservations are required. Call Historic Rugby for reservations at 423-628-2441. Lantern Tour Prices: $15.00/person.Lantern Tour & Dinner: $28.00/person.
August 7 – Community Potluck 7:00 p.m. Eastern
Quilters Group - Wed. and Sat. 2-4 p.m. Eastern at the Friendly House
HRI WORKSHOP CALENDAR
For Workshop Registration, contact Historic Rugby at 888-214-3400 – or rugbylegacy@highland.net
July 17 – Kudzu basketry, instructor Fuzzy Orange presents a long-awaited use for the fragrant kudzu. Learn to weave the kudzu vine into a basket to enjoy for years. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fee $30.
August 14 - Lessons with the Mountain Dulcimer. Come enjoy a day of lessons for playing this beloved Appalachian instrument with one of the instrument’s most enthusiastic teachers and musicians. 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Instructor: June Goforth. Fee: $35.
August 28 - Introduction to Kaleidoscope. This class explores the world of kaleidoscopes. Each student will learn mirror configurations as well as construction of object boxes. The final product is a completed kaleidoscope to be shared and enjoyed by friends and family. 10:00 am. Instructor: Sara Senft. Fee: $65.
NATURE NOTES
By Linda Konig
Blue Mud Dauber wasps are turning out to be my favorite wasps. No doubt, many of you will be surprised that ANY wasps could be on my favorites list. I'll admit I've probably killed thousands of over wintering female paper wasps in Christ Church, but that’s another story. Today I want to sing the praises of those metallic blue-black wasps that rebuild mud nests under eaves, in old barns, etc. Not only are their wings blue-black, but their bodies are, too. They're a common beautiful insect, and completely harmless to humans unless somebody is foolish enough to grab one.
I've had the opportunity the last two weeks to closely watch one female Blue Mud Dauber reshape and rebuild an old mud nest built by another species of wasp into a different shape by bringing a drop of water from somewhere, wetting a tiny section of the old mud nest and then re-shaping it.. She makes many, many trips back and forth to do this. She then stocks the newest tube with spiders, lays an egg in the tube, and closes the tube up.
This particular kind of Mud Dauber (better known as Dirt Daubers in the South) specializes in paralyzing Black Widow spiders and storing them in tubes for her offspring to consume. Any insect that kills Black Widows is our friend. The Blue Mud Daubers will paralyze other spiders in the same family if they can't find any Black Widows. I've been amazed that she opens the current tube she’s stocking each morning, usually between 9 and 10 a.m., spends most of the day hunting spiders and occasionally sipping nectar from flowers (thereby pollinating them), then recloses the tube in the late afternoon to keep predators out. She flies away to who-knows-where for the night, but she doesn't spend the night in the tube.
Another mystery is why her egg nest tubes are so white. This nest is snow-white, unlike the common Organ-Pipe Mud Dauber nests which are tan. Does she have some kind of saliva that makes the nest white? Does she secrete a clear liquid that turns white as it dries over the nest, as the Dobsonfly does over her eggs? Is she getting mud from a site that has a lot of lime in it? I plan to keep watching and trying to learn more.
This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp
