One of R&R’s members recently wrote they loved the From the Porch blog, stating, “It is like having a conversation among friends….”. Nothing could have been finer music to our ears and we deeply appreciate having heard from her and so many others!
The R&R membership list is just that, a growing chorus of individuals who share a common interest in decorative arts, architecture and family history. Each embracing a shared cultural experience worthy of preservation, no matter what their background might encompass. The website plays a role in preserving the memories and memorabilia of thousands who each want to leave a legacy of their own unique cultural and genealogical past. If you are of Irish, French Huguenot, Scots-Irish, German, African American, or Jewish linage, R&R’s pages are full of your history and links to further explore it. Years ago, as the co-founder of R&R, I overheard with astonishment, an archivist describe R&R as a site to display nice pictures, we think he should look a little deeper, don’t you?
R&R OFFERS IN-DEPTH HISTORY “ACROSS THE STATE”
- Charleston Boat Building
- White Oak PO
- The Lowcountry’s Red Store
- The Franke Company of Charleston, S.C.
We are reminded frequently that R&R fosters the recollection of memories of events and stories of which users have often forgotten, we think this is exactly what it was designed to accomplish! A new contributors to R&R recently submitted, “ A branch of Sherman’s army headed by Kirkpatrick occupied this home as his headquarter during the burning of Lexington on February 14, 1865 follow by the burning of Columbia two days later. Miss Blondelle would recall stories that her father and her husband would tell of 6,000 Yankee troops marching down Lexington’s (SC) Main Street and what a horrible sight it was to behold. At the time, the Boozer’s cook Mary Summers, prepared the meals for the invading army in the dining room…… Miss Blondelle told me they were served on china that was imported for a family wedding held at the home in 1825.” Stories such as this one have been liberally passed down from generation to generation, and Sherman remains rightfully so, a villain who deserves no respect for his treatment of women and children. But more importantly the story shares insights far beyond the general and his army.
Besides Sherman’s plunder of S.C., there are far more interesting facts worthy of sharing, such as that revealed by the author; that by 1825, families in the Carolina midlands could afford to import fine china and obviously had houses worthy of said ornamentation. So the story offers far greater insight into local history than one may initially acknowledge. Besides fine china having been purchased, note that by the end of the Civil War, it was not a slave who was cooking in the household but rather Mary Summers.
It is the sharing of images, memorabilia and stories that collectively build the pages of R&R. Few pages are constructed by just one or two individuals but rather a half dozen or more. Some readers have objected to the disjointed ramblings of these individual contributors and misc. sources. Several have even recently offered the suggestion that R&R needs to have an introductory paragraph, a synopsis of the page’s content. For many that would indeed be sufficient but about 35-40% of the members and users have demonstrated their desire to remain on the site much long, enough time to read nearly every work. R&R is indeed far more than a place to look at pretty pictures.
So, friends R&R will remain a this treasure trove of rambling information and will certainly be intact for future generations. Each of you have a story or two that is worthy of preservation and impacts more than just your own family, share them, we all will benefit!
A R&R NOTE: As your receive and read this blog, I am in up-country S.C. engaged in delivering a speech to an audience who love history. Following the presentation, I am visiting an historic home near Laurens, S.C., one that has gathered a treasure trove of historic documents for R&R to digitize and display. The following morning, I meet with a retiree who has waited years to have the allotted time to begin also sharing his massive collection of local S.C. history. Later that Friday afternoon, I am meeting with a long-term contributor to the pages of R&R to continue our weekly session of building content. Life couldn’t get much better, preserving local history one page at a time!
Who in your community is the preservationist? Don forget we want to hear their story – rootsandrecall@gmail.com
From the Porch – Blog @ RootsandRecall.com – 6.22.17