Taking A Wee Break

click on photo to enlarge

Taken somewhere in North Carolina...along our route we frequently take to Raleigh

Hey friends, I'm going to be MIA for a teency bit which means no Willy Nilly till July 8th! I hope you are enjoying your summer!! See ya soon!

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 87

click on photos to enlarge
I am so sorry to be late with Willy Nilly this week. We had a huge storm last night and lost power here and there. I wish I had thought to take pictures as the sky was so lit up with lightning, more than I think I have ever seen! So anyways, here we go...back to Stagville...

1)

A barn near the Bennehan home I've shown you this week. The tour is divided into 2 parts, the Bennehan house and Horton Grove, which you need to drive to. The bricks I showed you on Tuesday were from there, the rest, including today's are from the first part of the tour, around the Bennehan house. Horton Grove consists of slave cabins and a great barn, which I will show you next week! Confused yet? lol

2)

The kitchen garden which grows original herbs and plants...I want a garden just like this!

3)

Tobacco barn

4)

Slave quarters foundation...these slaves would have worked in the "big house" as it is situated near-by. Unlike the field hand slaves, the domestic slaves were on call 24/7.

5)

Walking back to the main house I spotted this Honey Locust tree...I don't think there is any historical significance attached to it but holy moly...look at those thorns! Ouch! After this we met up at the visitor's center to join the tour group...Next stop, Horton Grove!
For more info on Stagville, you can visit their website HERE

And here's a few links I have found this morning on Stagville that I thought were interesting!
HERE is a blog with beautiful photographs of Stagville
HERE is a nice little article about the history of Stagville
HERE is a ghost story of Stagville


So that's my 5 this week! I hope you will join in! Post 5 randoms, link back and visit others! Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all you daddies!


I'm linking up with Amy :)
and also with Denise's Today's Flowers (you will have to zoom in to the garden shot there ;) )

The Bennehan Family Graveyard @ Stagville

click on photos to enlarge
The cemetery is a short walk from the house (see Tuesday & Wednesday's posts)

It's quite hot out, nearly 100 degrees but the shade from these trees makes it feel much cooler! We were told though that when this was a working plantation there weren't any trees around...The house sits up on a slight hill so that they were able to see all around the land...amazing how nature takes over when you let it!

I got very excited when I saw the old rock walls!

And even more excited when I saw this magnificent wrought iron gate!

Beautiful...

Rest In Peace Bennehan Family...

Heading back to the house...you can just see it through those trees...

For more on the graveyard CLICK HERE

Linking with Tex's Good Fences & Signs, Signs

Stagville Plantation - The Bennehan Home

click on photos to enlarge

Before our tour started we were able to walk the grounds, which was nice because our tour was very crowded so I was not able to get many pictures of the inside...

This little cradle is one of the few original pieces in the home, built early 1800's

The children's room

Our tour guide Gil...I like the floor...it is a painted canvas meant to look like marble

The girl in the painting died of Tuberculosis, along with 3 of her sisters. This portrait was found in an attic on the coast....it cost 10's of thousands to restore!
You can read more about the Bennehan Home HERE
Come back tomorrow to see more, including the cemetery!

Ancient Fingerprints

click on photos to enlarge

On Saturday we drove down to Durham, NC to tour Stagville Plantation. In its day Stagville was the biggest plantation in North Carolina with 30,000 acres and 900 slaves. The slaves made their own cabins and the bricks for their fireplaces. In the photo above you can see fingerprints where the slave picked up the brick which was not yet entirely hardened...

another...

and another...

Now this one...can you make out the little tiny toes...it appears a toddler ran over the top of this brick while it was still hardening...this one steals my heart...

You can see the chimney there that I took these photos from.

For more info on Stagville, visit their website HERE

More pictures to come!

Linking with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures

Skies After A Storm

click on photos to enlarge

With the days so hot it is not unusual for a thunderstorm to pop up in the afternoon...these were taken a few days back right after a storm...this is looking to the east from my deck towards the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs along there hidden by all those trees!

There was a very light rainbow...can you see it? Is there anybody that does not get happy when you see a rainbow? No, I don't think so!

And now we look west. Taken at the same time as the others...amazing how different the sky can look!

Linking up with Mersad's Through My Lens today :)

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 86

click on photos to enlarge
Just in case you didn't get enough of all this chipped up brick and broken glass last week, I've got more for you!

1)

This is the main office...if you are dazed and confused and haven't been following, this is the vacant building in Buchanan I showed you last Friday. The building is over 100 years old, starting out as Virginia Can Company and then a button manufacturer...this building is up for sale.

2)

Lookie there, a huge office space...you can probably work out some sort of deal to keep the chair, desk and trash can!

3)

I agree, this building IS dope!

4)

You know me I'm down with OPP I can't resist those windows!

5)

Curb appeal! And this little beauty will link up with Denise's Today's Flowers ssshhh...don't hurt my flowers' feelings by calling her a weed...that is just not nice!

I don't know if I showed you the listing for this place but Here 'Tis
Should you decide to buy, please let the Town of Buchanan know that you saw it here first, I want a piece of that pie! Just kidding...I have no dog in this fight, just love the building!

So that is my 5 this week and I really do hope you will join in! Post 5 randoms, link back and visit others! Thanks so much for visiting and have a super weekend!


I'm linking up with Amy's 5 on Friday :)

A Back Road

click on photo to enlarge

Somewhere near Lake Robertson

That's the one problem with taking a back road, I can never remember where it was but they have some of the best views! Much better than taking the freeway :)

Linking up with Tex's Good Fences

Rust & Wood

click on photo to enlarge

A rusty old lock on a wooden chest @ The Booker T Washington National Monument in Hardy.

JMU's Wilson Hall & The Kissing Rock

click on photos to enlarge

James Madison University's Wilson Hall
Named after President Woodrow Wilson who was born in nearby Staunton

The cornerstone was laid in 1930 and finished in 1931
Built of local Bluestone

Kissing Rock (you can see Wilson Hall in the background)
This big piece of limestone was unearthed in the early 20's. Rumor is that in the early years of the school the female students were not allowed to be alone with the male students without a dorm mother present so the boys and girls would hide behind this rock and... well...kiss ;)

I went up to Harrisonburg yesterday to help Ashlyn pack up her apartment. I brought down a car load of stuff. She still has a little bit more time in her lease so she is still hanging around there but she's very sad to leave!

Linking up with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures

Willy Nilly Friday 5 No. 85

click on photos to enlarge

I loved that old manufacturing plant I showed you yesterday and took tons of pics so my 5 today will be pictures from there!

1)

Braden (closest) Ashlyn and Dalton

2)

I seriously love all those broken windows and brick!

3)

And I also love the sunshine and shadows on the floor!

4)

And....I just love all these beams! I know, I know, I over-use the word love!

5)

As you can see it is quite a big space! I saw on the town of Buchanan's website under the for sale listing that it would be great converted to a micro-brewery...I agree!

Well that is my 5 for the week! I hope you will play along! Post 5 randoms, link back and visit others! Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great weekend!