Tag Archives: Virginia

Uncovering History – Tracing the Gordon Family Roots

by Alice French, Menokin Education Coordinator

It’s funny when you work at an historical site how people always assume that because it’s old, all of its past is known and there is nothing new to discover.  Of course, we are famous at Menokin for disproving that year after year and this past year we again learned something new about the people who lived here.

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A few years back, I visited a local senior living facility in Richmond County to give a presentation on Menokin and spoke about how we tell stories. I was interested in developing an oral history program related to our county’s past, and I was looking for a place to begin.  After chatting with the group for a bit, one of the women told us she thought her grandfather, Daniel Gordon, was born a slave at Menokin and then freed under the Emancipation Act.  She is his granddaughter, Evelyn Gordon Parker, still a Richmond County resident, who also writes for the Northern Neck News.  Wow, I thought.  How amazing is that?   She told me she had visited Menokin once before, and a few weeks later, returned with some photographs of her family, including one of her grandfather and grandmother.

Back row: Gordon girls: Elsie, ?, Cornelia, and cousin Margaret Saunders; Front row: Daniel Gordon and wife Maria Wright Gordon

This past winter, I visited with Evelyn and her sister, Juanita Gordon Wells to record and document some of their memories.  Her grandfather has an amazing story, which I shall wait to share in a later post.  But for now, I think the other really cool thing is how we learn about our past.  This man raised his family with very strong values of faith, family and education.  Over the years, the pride and strength of these values were instilled in one generation after another.  And sometimes there are parts of history that are known better within families through oral traditions than are found in courthouse records.  In 2011, The Gordons published a cookbook, recounting their early roots as well as family recipes.

Interviewing Gordon family sisters.
Interviewing Gordon family sisters.

Evelyn’s brother, Thomas Daniel Gordon, was interested in recording the family history and established the first family reunion in 1979.  These reunions continue to grow.  They have traced their relatives all over North America with family members all the way up to Halifax, Nova Scotia!  Each time the family meets, they travel to a different location and this summer of 2016, the Gordon Family will be coming back to Virginia!  We have invited them to visit Menokin for a special family tour.

Evelyn Parker and Juanita Wells telling their story.
Evelyn Parker and Juanita Wells telling their story.

As a result of our chance meeting, Menokin has since begun to further document the history of the Gordons.  I hope to tell their story in ways that can help others discover and understand their past through video and classroom experiences, and continue to explore the lives of other Northern Neck residents. We are also seeking research assistance from a graduate student to help complete the missing links in their phenomenal story and see this as a great opportunity to develop an ongoing digital history for the future.

Thank you, Evelyn and Juanita, for helping us begin this exciting work.

Mock-up: Before and After

We have talked and talked about the amazing stabilization and preconstruction work that has been taking place at Menokin.

But as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.  The photography of the completed Northwest Corner reconstruction took my breath away. This before and after photo from 2015 shows the remarkable accomplishments of our preservation effort.

Mock-Up---Before-and-After
(click on image to see enlargment)

I hope you also feel the excitement and pride that I feel when I see this sneak preview of Menokin in her glory days.

If you’d like to help with our efforts, please consider making a donation.

 

Moving the Stones – Preconstruction Work Summer 2015

By Guest Blogger  Catherine Emery

(For Part I of this Series, follow this link.)

PART II  After two weeks sorting through stones, tagging them and recording their findings, Menokin’s summer interns were ready to get outside and in the field.

With life-sized print outs of Menokin’s HABS drawings delivered and spread out in the yard, Bethany, Sarah and Chris spent two days with architect Nakita Reed and a contractor moving stones onto the drawings.

It was an evolving process, which is to say it wasn’t quite as straightforward as it seemed on paper. Of course, nothing worth doing ever is. The team had the help of a small front loader and were tasked with placing stones that weigh hundreds of pounds the right direction and within the lines of the drawings. Halfway through the day with many of the pieces in place, it was still hard to visualize how it would all come together.

“I don’t know what I thought it would look like,” said puzzled intern Sarah Rogers, “but I’m not sure this is it.”

By the end of day one, though, there was a clear sense of accomplishment and the hard work had paid off. Entire pieces of each elevation had been laid out in stone, giving everyone a clear view of how useful the endeavor would be.

The life size HABS drawings will benefit future contractors, who will be tasked with putting some of the pieces of the Menokin ruin back together. Additionally, the drawings give meaning and purpose to Menokin’s rock yard. Now, visitors to the site can see where all those stones go and how they fit into the larger scope of work at Menokin.

For Sarah, Bethany and Chris, the four-week internship went by fast. They provided an invaluable service to Menokin and in return all expressed deep gratitude for their time there.

Of her time on site Bethany Emenhiser said, “I learned that things don’t always work out in the field the way they look on paper. I learned how fun and important it is to do field work because you learn to be flexible. Menokin was a great place to learn that.”

Jr. Duck Stamp Camp 2015 A Huge Success!

Jr. Duck Stamp returned this summer, bigger and better than ever. Twelve campers had kayaking experiences in three Northern Neck water venues – the pond at Wilna Wildlife Refuge, Cat Point Creek at Menokin and the Potomac River at Westmoreland State Park.

In spite of the brutal heat of the week, the experiences were rich, the knowledge gained was deep and the artwork was beautiful! And there was cake at the end of the week. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Keep in touch for news about Jr. Duck Stamp Camp 2016.

 

Menokin Foundation is 20 Years Old!

That’s right – July 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Menokin Foundation. If you’ve been to Menokin in the last five years or so, you know that a lot has happened here in that time. We had two visitors recently who haven’t been here since 1994. That’s a long time! We told them they were in for a treat. These folks have been constant supporters of Menokin over these past two decades. We are so glad they were able to come and see for themselves what their contributions have help us to accomplish. They sent us an email upon their return home and copies of photos they had taken during their 1994 visit. Here are their note and the images for you to enjoy (with their permission!).

Dear Ladies,

Many thanks for your very warm welcome, for the tour, and for sharing so much terrific information with us on Friday! OBVIOUSLY a great deal has happened in 20 years!  Our visit was the highlight of our Northern Neck tour!  We’re so glad we finally made it!  We also appreciated the tip for Garner’s Produce Stand and stopped on our way home on Saturday.

We visited Menokin on Sunday, November 20, 1994.  We were on a Smithsonian bus tour (“Washington and Lee on the Northern Neck”) led by the indomitable Edwin (Ed) Bearss, former chief historian of the NPS, author, and Civil War & American history expert extraordinaire. We’d also visited Washington’s Birthplace, Stratford, Christ Church, Martin’s Hundred & Carter’s Grove in addition to Menokin (order may not be correct); we had lunch at Tides Inn.

I think there are two different rolls of film but have only found the negatives for one.  It was a lovely and relatively warm day judging by the sky and the attire. I remember our visit as being at the end of the day — you may be able to tell from #31.  I like this one despite the sun because it includes the no trespassing sign!  I remember that we had to wait for someone to come and unlock the gate or barrier (don’t recall which).  It’s also clear that we did walk around — did not remember that detail…

My husband also took photos, and would have typically taken many more than I did.  Mine were somewhat retrievable (in box 12 of about 18), but no idea where his might be.  We’ll come across his eventually and be back in touch.

Thanks again for a lovely visit.

Harbingers of Summer

Some mornings it’s impossible to drive straight down the lane to the Menokin Visitors Center. Today was one of those. So many little signs of the transition from spring to summer were waving me down to take their picture. It took me about half an hour to travel that mile, but I think it was worth it.

 

 

Menokin’s Doubtful Guest

The window in my office frames a beautiful view of Menokin. The native plants and shrubs around the visitor’s center bring me a constant and varied cast of feathered guests.

There are the regulars – Eastern bluebirds, goldfinches, hummingbirds, vireos. I more than occasionally spot wild turkeys and bald eagles grazing and hunting in the fields beyond the yard. Some rarer appearances have been made by migrating songbirds – scarlet and summer tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks and orioles.

What I don’t see – and this may come as a surprise to you – are pigeons. We just don’t have them in these parts. Doves, yes. Pigeons, not so much.

So imagine my surprise when a movement outside my window caught my eye recently and I looked out to see a pigeon pecking in the mulch under my window.

“Odd,” I thought. “That looks like a pigeon.”

IMG_8298Just then, a board member, stopping in for a meeting, came through the front door and asked if we were keeping pigeons as pets. “There’s a tagged pigeon wandering around right outside,” he said. “Does he belong to one of you?”

And, because of the aforementioned scarcity of pigeons, and the fact that we are The Intrepid Menokin Ladies, we leapt into action. Well, Mavora did. After heading outside to see the pigeon for herself, she made a call to a local wildlife rescue service to report in.

“Oh, that’s probably a racing pigeon,” she was informed. “They’re very used to being around people. Just take a box outside and he’ll walk right into it. Then bring him to us and we’ll take it from there.”

IMG_8297Wrong. The pigeon, while not apparently alarmed by our proximity (by this time, I had joined the adventure), kept a healthy and stealthy distance from any semblance of cardboard and/or would-be captors. At one point he even flew up onto the barn roof, alleviating our fears that perhaps he was injured.

We ditched the box idea and came back inside. By now it had been a few hours since the discovery of the pigeon’s arrival and we figured he was IMG_8295probably hungry and thirsty. We grabbed a box of Cream of Wheat and filled a bowl of water and went out to tend our flock of one. After hunting around we finally found him roosting in the lean-to on some of the large dress stones from the house (it must be a pigeon thing). He seemed mildly annoyed that we had discovered his hideout, but did allow Mavora to eventually get close enough to read the letters and numbers on the tag on his leg.

Leaving him to his meal we went back inside and did what all ingenious preservationists and conservationists do – we googled “Lost Racing Pigeons.” Bingo. Up came the website with all kinds of information about racing pigeons. I garnered a brief but thorough educational insight into the sport, then wrote down the phone number and gave it a call.

I don’t know why I expected the person who answered to be amazed that we had a misplaced racing pigeon. She wasn’t. It was probably her 168th missing pigeon report of the day. Upon entering our pigeon’s tag information into her database, she was able to tell us (in a voice reserved for reading the ingredients on a Cream of Wheat box) where the pigeon was from (Maryland), which club he belonged to, and the name and phone number of the club’s president.

IMG_8293I was in awe that there is a whole PIGEON NETWORK out there, flying all around us, that I had never been aware of until then. It inspired me to go outside and sit with the pigeon, who continued to keep a safe distance, and tell him all about Menokin and the Northern Neck.

After awhile he fell asleep and I went home. The next day he was gone. We never got a call back from the club president. It was probably his 168th “we have your pigeon message” of the week. We are certain that our pigeon made his way back to Maryland and told all of the other racing pigeons about the crazy ladies at his last stop who chased him with a box and fed him breakfast cereal. All that fuss over a pigeon?

You betcha.

The Lady Behind the Lens and Her Photos of Lost Northern Neck Places

Wonderful peek through the reversed lens of time to photographs taken in and around the Northern Neck by (gasp) a woman! Menokin makes a cameo appearance in this post, but there is a link to all of Frances Benjamin Johnston’s photographs on the Library of Congress website. Search for “Menokin” there to see some beautiful interior images.

Menokin’s Partnership With VMFA Brings New Programs And Learning Opportunities To The Area

The Menokin Foundation is pleased to announce that is has become a statewide community partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The partnership program is open to independent, organized, and permanently established non-profit institutions in Virginia that maintain open membership, have a mission that is educational or aesthetic in purpose, and provide open access to programs and exhibitions provided by VMFA.

The Menokin Foundation is thrilled to be able to bring VMFA programs, speakers, and exhibits to the residents of the Northern Neck,” stated Alice French, Education and Outreach Coordinator for Menokin. “Along with many other new programs being hosted at Menokin this year, the VMFA programs will kick off this summer with a very special speaker, Jeffrey Allison.

Allison, photography historian and Manager of Statewide Programs and Exhibitions at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, is also the Paul Mellon Collection Educator and Manager for VMFA and a professional photographer.

In his lecture, Chasing the Illusive Image: The Origins, Identification, and Care of Antique Photographs, Allison will discuss the history of photography and how to identify and care for the various types of old photographs in your own collection. He will also share information on how to determine the year a photograph was made and share examples of historic photographic processes.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own photographs to share with Mr. Allison and other attendees. You’ll leave this interactive session with a sound basis on how to identify photographs using information provided in handouts, reference websites and book titles used by Allison in his work with the VMFA.

There is a $10 per person fee to attend and registration is strongly encouraged. You may purchase tickets in advance at www.menokin.org/events or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/menokin or you may pay at the door. This program will take place on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 6:00 pm at the Menokin Visitor’s Center.

Additional programs scheduled in 2014 include:

Digital Story Telling with a Camera, taught by artist and educator, Stacey Evans – July 20, 2014. Participants will illustrate a fictional narrative using photographic imagery. This workshop is part of the teacher recertification series that is offered through Rappahannock Community College. Contact Harriet Dawson at RCC to enroll. 804-758-6755 or HDAWSON@rappahannock.edu.
Digital Story Telling with a Camera, taught by artist and educator, Stacey Evans – July 20, 2014. Participants will illustrate a fictional narrative using photographic imagery. This workshop is part of the teacher recertification series that is offered through Rappahannock Community College. Contact Harriet Dawson at RCC to enroll. 804-758-6755 or HDAWSON@rappahannock.edu.

 

 

 

 

 

 Environmental Art Installation with artist and psychotherapist, James Yates – September 20, 2014.  Yates will work with local high school students to create an onsite installation that heightens awareness and appreciation of the environment.  

Environmental Art Installation with artist and psychotherapist, James Yates – September 20, 2014.  Yates will work with local high school students to create an onsite installation that heightens awareness and appreciation of the environment.

Menokin plans to utilize this partnership with the VMFA to develop programs that will bring a level of fine art and exhibits to the communities of the Northern Neck and surrounding counties,” stated Executive Director, Sarah Pope. “The Menokin house will be an exhibit itself, as well as an exhibit space. Historic, modern and interpretive installations will provide arts, education and inspiration to visitors and artists alike.

For more information on these and other programs, please visit us online at www.menokin.org, or in person at 4037 Menokin Road, Warsaw, VA 22572