Showing posts with label civil war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label civil war. Show all posts

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Watching Over Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln had a watch, a watch he did have he...

I'm just singin' a little ditty, to celebrate the discovery of a secret inscription within the inner shell of Lincoln's personal pocket watch!

The century-old legend was confirmed mid March, thanks to a handy watchmaker at the National Museum of American History who pried the watch face open. No pressure there!

The watch's original maker, Jonathan Dillon indeed had left an inscription. But Dillon himself, when asked by reporters in 1906, couldn't even correctly recall the words he had etched in the watch. He had told newspapers "The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a president who at least will try" could be found within the watch, and that not even Lincoln knew about the engraving.

What had he actually written? Let's just say, Dillon's gears weren't in very good working order when it came to his memory. Oooooo. Because the watch actually reads:

Jonathan Dillon April 13 - 1861
Fort Sumpter was attacked by the rebels on the above date
Thank God we have a government.

Fascinating!! This is so thrilling to learn. I picture Lincoln with this timepiece by his side as the country is inflamed in war. The stench of innocent men's lives in the air. And the tears of the wives and children on the home front creating rivulets of sorrow in his mind as he makes meticulous strides to at once bind under centralist rule, our divided country and also please the industrialist heads of the union by suppressing Southern prosperity, all dignity intact. Rough job. Not to mention the fine wire he walked between treating the slave issue with heroic sensitivity while in the political arena, and telling racist jokes behind cabinet doors to friends...hm....shame on the Lincoln not written about in the 210,00 books written about him. Really sick, dude! and Hooray to American Academia, and to all the books written by professors that induce the institutions we know as universities with the same substance known as 'safe for the average american', year after year.

Anyway, it's way past time for bed. I don't even know if this post makes any sense. Oh, and one more thing...for Dillon. Don't thank God for the government when God doesn't take sides, and government does. Also...the rebels may have 'fired the first shots', but the North had long before that been firing bullets of condemnation at any state putting them at risk of not acquiring all the agricultural 'gold' they could get their hands on. That was already marked by that state...Keep yer grubby hands to yerself. but in the end, you won. who knows how we'd be fairing now in America if we let our respective states do the talking...
but then again...where does the Native American fit into all of this. UGHHHH, what a mess.

And those poor boys of war. Regardless of the 'side' they took. Their LIFE was took.
And a sickness will permeate the blood stained dirt of this country until each and every soldier spirit is set free to rest in Peace, not angst or harm or confusion.
I don't care how long ago it was. The casualties from the Civil War exceed those lives lost in all other wars, from the Revolution through Vietnam.

Lest I misconstrue the immediacy of being close to a decade into a war, present time, here and now. Blood spilled on territory abroad...pray for the soldiers and the mission to find a stopping place.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Designing the Quilt

I created a very basic version of my "Virginia Tears" quilt design, in Photoshop. Me and sister Eva are going fabric shopping soon so we can get this quilt project rolling. I'm going to use all Civil War reproduction fabrics, in browns and blues. Not sure what types of designs on the fabrics yet, that is the fun part of going shopping for them! The best part. Oh I love it. There is a quilt shop scheduled to open in Kokomo soon, but in the meantime I have to drive 50 miles south of town. There is a great place in Noblesville, Indiana called Arbuckle's Railroad Place. It's 'stationed' in an old train depot! Trains + Fabric???!!!! = HEAVEN! If I recall correctly, they serve tea and coffee, and I could just stay there for days. I might!



Get more of a feel for Arbuckle's...meet me there!

"Entering from the southeast, a winding drive brings you past the wool barn and carriage house. Multiple heirloom street lamps guide the way to the main building. A large railroad loading dock hints to the huge inventory housed inside. The main entrance features a unique combination of Victorian styling, railroad paraphernalia and sewing whimsy. Iron hand rails are fashioned from precious treadle table remnants. Salvage sculptures of eagles and old machines adorn the tops of the street lamps. An authentic train station bench beckons from the dock level for husband’s to sit a spell while the gals proceed inside."
-www.arbuckles-rrp.com


A Tactile Heritage

Robert Arbuckle founded the store in 1948 to fulfill people's sewing machine needs. He sold machines and ran a successful repair business, which is still in place today. The Arbuckle team is admired across the nation for their expertise in antique sewing equipment and repair. They even have their own brand of machine. And you've gotta admire their spunk when they claim they are "the greatest fabric show on Earth." Oh wait! They don't claim that they're the greatest fabric show on Earth, customers insist upon it!!!


This picture shows Bob Arbuckle himself with crew, in the year 1965, after having acquired this caboose.