Earlier this year, I took my mom to see her family in Arkansas. We drove by her late parents' land and saw the state of their houses, one my grandfather built in the 70s and the older one next to it, built in 1910. Both had fallen into disrepair. The older one has been so covered by vegetation it is barely visible.
I stayed in the 1910 house several times as a young child, when we would visit in the summers. It had a large wraparound porch. Many of its rooms had fireplaces, and one bedroom had a quilt frame that could be lowered from the ceiling on ropes. I wish I could walk through it and see the interior again.
It always hurts my heart to see old buildings deteriorate and history die with the people who experienced it, without having their stories recorded for posterity. I told my mother that I want her to write down things she remembers from the past and gift the journal to me. I'd rather have that than just about any material possession I can think of.
~
Below are some places that preserve history.
High Plains Western Heritage Center:National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum:
Chisolm Trail Heritage Museum:
2 comments:
Oh that stirred my heart. So hard to see one's past slip away like that. Wonderful idea for your mom to write down her memories for you.
I enjoyed your post! What a wonderful idea to ask your mother to write down her memories. When I was a kid, I spent many a weekend going to my grandparent's farmhouse. It gave me a love of the old homesteads and I have tried to pass that interest on to my kids.
Post a Comment