A "TINY" FARMERS MARKET

This month Farmers Markets are exploding throughout Oregon with freshly grown produce from local gardens. Farmers Markets reflect the needs of the folks that are located near them. As an example a less populated area will not have a large farmer's market while a larger city will have a large one. So Farmers Markets come in all sizes -- large, medium and small. But in this post I am adding a forth size I came upon in my Oregon wanderings. -- "tiny". The area surrounding this tiny market is called Deadwood an unincorporated community of less than 300 people. 

Above is the homemade sign on its way to be posted at the market. The day I visited there were less than half a dozen vendors. But the produce offered was diverse and fresh. 

Here is a sampler of the "tiny" market images ----

Fresh picked blueberries -- no chemicals.

Some of the vendors and their booths.

Fresh picked wax beans, peas, and zucchini.

No chemicals.

An ancient scale to weigh the produce in this case -- blackberries. 

Two different kinds of sweet plums. 

My taste buds will attest to their sweetness.

No chemicals.

Have some fun with friends and/or family . Visit different Farmer's Markets during the growing season. Support your local growers.

AN ARTIST, ANIMALS, BOOKS, COMMUNITY AND CHILDREN

Positioned along the Siuslaw River is an old one-story building that once served as a school but now serves its community for various organizational uses. One use is a two room lending library of which one room is dedicated as a children's library. 

Recently the children's library received quite a treat -- walls filled with smiling animals, all of original design, painted by a local artist named Marcy.

Above is a close-up of the first photo above. All these photos and more provide an animated gleeful feeling when you walk into the room -- even for adults like me.

These photos are sections that I took of the walls in the children's library. Notice how she paints some the dog's bodies around the corner of the room.

All four walls in the room have animal characters painted by Marcy. Here is one that has two sweet flying squirrels flying off the top of the room's door molding. 

These bright and happy birds are painted in such a way that they look like they are perched on the molding which is located toward the top of the room. Notice how she achieved this look by painting their feet like they are perching on the molding. 

This is a lively and oh so powerful painting of these bounding leopards. Of course with smiles.

"And look at me hanging upside down," this cockatoo would be saying if he could talk. 

Dogs smiling at all the fun the surrounding animals are having.

Above shows how she ran together room corners of her paintings. 

A huge smiling turtle with her children.

Fortunate are the children that have all this original art surrounding them in their library.

GRANGE HALLS AND RURAL COMMUNITY

FERNWOOD GRANGE ENTRANCE

Grange halls have existed in rural areas of our nation since the mid-1800s. Their growth was attributed to community activities associated with farmland living -- serving as a meeting house of sorts for country folks. It was a time of real family farms not corporate farms, 

They played a large role in our historic agricultural community. However the grange buildings have been slowly disappearing as land is being bought up for housing developments, malls, and commercial structures. 

I always look for the old grange buildings that usually sit forlornly on our former rural lands. As family farms have been exiting these areas, now one might find a grange sitting next to many commercial buildings or new subdivisions -- deteriorating ever so slowly.  So many have disappeared from our landscapes. At one time the above Fernwood Grange was among six granges in the Newberg area of Oregon. Today Fernwood Grange is the last remaining of the original six -- the result of city encroachment. 

Grange buildings are dying off as our culture changes.

For more info on granges across the nation click here 

PUPPETS AND SUCH

Puppet and Such's storefront window display during the Christmas season

Community is a vital part of thriving towns. In Berea, Kentucky one finds a strong element of involvement in community through art, education and music. 

I stumbled upon a new business, Puppets and Such,  a few weeks ago while I was in Old Town, a historic section of Berea. It offers another piece of art and education for the community. 

Puppets and Such was a shop like none I had ever been in before. It is a shop dedicated to the world of puppets. Within were puppets for sale, a special stage for community puppet performances, a unique collection of vintage puppets, plus more with  a friendly owner, Richard Brown, to greet you as you enter his shop. 

Richard Brown with two hand puppets from a recent community performance

Actually there are two owners. They are Richard and Mary Brown, both retired from educational positions. Mary's fascination with puppets was the spark that eventually led to the couple moving to Berea to begin their new enterprise. 

Community consists of all ages. The Brown team is filling a youthful element through their free performances that introduces the age old art of puppets -- a coming together to enjoy entertainment in a way that seemed like a dying breed until the Brown's  came to town.

HISTORIC HOUSE RAZING

Some of you might remember when I placed a post last May about the above home. At that time the home located in Lancaster, Kentucky was being considered for restoration. Recently, it was decided, after they began work on it, that it was unstable and would need to come down. Razed is the official term. Sad, as it is part of the town's history. It was the early home of a doctor that practiced in the area. The home was probably built in the late 1800s or early 1900s. 

But some buildings just can't be saved. They have crossed the line of viability. 

So the above photo is what it looked like on Saturday September 15th. All the original brick had been removed. Leaving its interior timbers exposed. This photo was taken at roughly the same angle as the top photo.

Mark looking over some of the pieces he has saved from the doctor's old home.

The local bank owns  the building and has a record of saving several historic buildings for reuse and to preserve some of the original architectural integrity of Lancaster. This effort is greatly appreciated by the community. 

Above is Mark, a local artifact restorer sorting out architectural pieces that can be salvaged for future restorations. He decides what elements can be saved -- he then removes them carefully from the old home.  These pieces will be stored away until they can find a home in another  historic structure.  Although the building can't be saved, its architectural elements such as mantels, doors, windows, etc. will be saved. 

Yesterday, on  the 17th, the house was slated to come down. One could feel frustration that this home with so much history was razed. But, I think, the true story is that the community is proud of what has been saved with the help of their local bank. 

AFRO-AMERICAN FOLK GRAVE MARKERS

On a slightly inclined hill, spotted with mature cedars there is an Afro-American cemetery that has existed since shortly after the Civil War.


Claiming several acres near the historic town of Lancaster, Kentucky, it is a cemetery that holds past citizens of the local black community. There is not an official name posted at the cemetery entrance. 

Cabal Marritt Junior

Cabal Marritt Junior is one of the persons that looks after the care of the cemetery. His parents and past friends and relatives are buried there. I had some questions about the cemetery and called Cabal to arrange a meeting at the cemetery. 

We met on a beautiful sunny day last fall.  My main questions were about several of the grave markers that appeared to be handmade. Cabal said that he thought they were, probably made by Bobby Warren who used to run the pool hall in Lancaster. Unfortunely, Bobby died some time ago.

This spring I revisited the cemetery. When I was leaving I met a man named Jamie that told me that it was Bobby Warren that made the handmade grave markers. He said," I know because when I was young I used to help Bobby make them. We would have different molds for the shaping and then would pour cement in them." 

What I also observed about these handmade grave markers was that they had a square indentation on their face that held a hand written inscription of the name, birth and death of the individual. Over this was placed a glass pane for protection. There was some variations to this identification technique such as a tin square being used. 

The handmade grave markers are simple folk types that are part of the culture of the cemetery.

Jamie added a few more words about Bobby Warren. "Bobby didn't charge a lot for his grave markers, that way most folks could afford one. For those that couldn't pay he often just gave them one for nothing."


I thought about what Jamie had just told me. I realized that not only was there a reaching out of local community in life but also in death. 

COMMUNITY THREADS IN RICHMOND

I like to ride up and down side streets which run at right angles to old commercial districts and take photographs. One town where I like to ride the roads is Richmond, Kentucky -- finding a rich diverse stock of vintage residential architecture.

Here the housing stock is eclectic in its originality.  Streets bubble up with old residential homes. All shapes and sizes, some appear to have original exteriors while others have new vinyl siding and windows. No harm, vinyl can easily be removed if a person wants to restore. Overall, the residential landscape along the streets is more vintage in appearance than up-dated.

In the photos above and below are two homes I spotted close to each other on one of the streets. These homes had been up-dated with modern vinyl siding and newer doors but still had the old original archtectural trim decorating their porches. 

The porch's trim illuminates not only the home, but contributes to the historic ambiance of the neighborhood -- architectural pieces are the threads of a fabric that represents community

Fabric threads weave community.

VANDALIZED -- UPPER SILVER CREEK SCHOOL

Upper Silver Creek school. Beautiful aged metal roof.

Great trimmed our sash windows now with a war-zone look

Fresh paint leads me to believe that the school was closed recently?

Upper Silver Creek school -- steps to nowhere

Schools seem especially open to vandalism  --  once they have been vacated that is. Soon a beautiful old structure can become target practice for young folks throwing rocks through the windows, graffiti on interior walls, and slogans painted on large surfaces -- in time it sits there degraded and wounded like a homeless person. 


Where are the caretakers? Do structures that were built with fine design and materials need such insult? Does it not insult the community that used the school?


The school I went to in my elementary grades still stands and is still the glowing red brick building I remember. The junior high building that was new when I started seventh grade is now gone. It was bulldozed to make way for development -- apartments. My former high school has grown in size yet is still a centerpiece for my former small, citified community. 


I do know of several communities that have rehabbed schools for offices, police departments, apartments, community centers, and other useful endeavors. How do some communities make the recycling of old schools work for them while others let the old structures decay and become eyesores?


In a nation of plenty, up to now, why is it that we disregard our history, our buildings, our communities, and our environment? Too immense of a question to answer I guess -- so do we continue  to just walk away for the most part? 

THE PRESIDENT AND LEADERSHIP

Group of unemployed New York City workers holding up 1914 newspaper -- "The Voice of the City"
Library of Congress

Here is an article recently published and wrote by Robert Reich. Robert Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations

I admired what he had to say. Maybe you do or don't but it is something to think about

I'm sharing it with you in its entirety as follows:

The President’s Jobs Plan (Not)
TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2011
What did the President do in response to last week’s horrendous job report — unemployment rising
to 9.2 percent in June, with only 18,000 new jobs (125,000 are needed each month just to keep up with the growth in the potential labor force)?

He said the economy continues to be in a deep hole, and he urged Congress to extend the temporary reduction in the employee part of the payroll tax, approve pending free-trade agreements, and pass a measure to streamline patent procedures.

To call this inadequate would be a gross understatement.

Here’s what the President should have said:

This job recession shows no sign of ending. It can no longer be blamed on supply-side disruptions from Japan, Europe’s debt crisis, high oil prices, or bad weather.

We’re in a vicious cycle where consumers won’t buy more because they’re scared of losing their jobs and their pay is dropping. And businesses won’t hire because they don’t have enough customers.

Here in Washington, we’ve been wasting time in a game of chicken over raising the debt ceiling. Republicans want you to believe the deficit is responsible for the bad economy. The truth is that when the private sector cannot and will not spend enough to get the economy going, the public sector must step into the breach. Cutting the deficit now would only create more joblessness.

My first priority is to get Americans back to work. I’m proposing a jobs plan that will do that.

First, we’ll exempt the first $20,000 of income from payroll taxes for the next two years. This will put cash directly into American’s pockets and boost consumer spending. We’ll make up the revenue shortfall by applying Social Security taxes to incomes over $500,000.

Second, we’ll recreate the WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps — two of the most successful job innovations of the New Deal – and put people back to work directly. The long-term unemployed will help rebuild our roads and bridges, ports and levees, and provide needed services in our schools and hospitals. Young people who can’t find jobs will reclaim and improve our national parklands, restore urban parks and public spaces, recycle products and materials, and insulate public buildings and homes.

Third, we’ll enlarge the Earned Income Tax Credit so lower-income Americans have more purchasing power.

Fourth, we’ll lend money to cash-strapped state and local governments so they can rehire teachers, fire fighters, police officers, and others who provide needed public services. This isn’t a bailout. When the economy improves, scheduled federal outlays to these states and locales will drop by an amount necessary to recover the loans.

Fifth, we’ll amend the bankruptcy laws so struggling homeowners can declare bankruptcy on their primary residence. This will give them more bargaining leverage with their lenders to reorganize their mortgage loans. Why should the owners of commercial property and second homes be allowed to include these assets in bankruptcy but not regular home owners?

Sixth, we’ll extend unemployment benefits to millions of Americans who have lost part-time jobs. They’ll get partial benefits proportional to the time they put in on the job.

Yes, most of these measures will require more public spending in the short term. But unless we get this economy moving now, the long-term deficit problem will only grow worse.

Some in Congress will fight against this jobs plan on ideological grounds. They don’t like the idea that government exists to help Americans who need it. And they don’t believe we all benefit when jobs are more plentiful and the economy is growing again.

I am eager to take them on. Average Americans are hurting, and their pain is not going away.

We bailed out Wall Street so that the financial system would not crash. We stimulated the economy so that businesses would not tank. Now we must help ordinary people on the Main Streets of America — for their own sakes, and also so that the real economy can fully mend.

My most important goal is restoring jobs and wages. Those who oppose me must explain why doing nothing is preferable

FLOUR SACKS AND A HISTORIC MILL

1924 Garrard Mill Paper Bag

At one time, many grist mills were located in rural settled areas where they milled grains. This provided fresh grains in the form of flour, feed, and  meal.  Local farmers brought their grain harvest to the mill and paid for the milling by giving the miller a portion of his harvest. The grist mill miller turned around and sold his share to area folks and  commercial establishments.

The 1901 Garrard Mill in Lancaster, Kentucky,  marked their grain bags with their logo (see above photo). They  also packed their flour in cotton cloth bags of various colored patterns -- women used this cloth to sew clothes or make quilts.

1901 Garrard Mill, Lancaster, Kentucky

The  Garrard Mill established delivery routes, much like the milk-man routes, which delivered the products of the mill. Grains were delivered in the logo printed large paper bags and flour in the patterned cotton cloth sacks.  Women would request certain patterns of the cotton cloth sacks for home projects they were working on. A common name for these cotton sacks was 'flour sacks." There was a ledger kept by the Garrard Mill with the customer's name and the type of patterns they needed. If the right patterns came along they would be delivered  to the customer .

Just perhaps some of the strip quilts that we see today have pieces of flour sack material in them?

Garrard Grist Mill was built in 1901 and was sold at auction in the latter part of the twentieth century. It is now in private hands and no longer mills for the area.


The Garrard Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places


Resources:
Margaret Simson, Garrard Historical Society
Southern Folk Art and Antiques -- Photo -- Garrard Mill Bag

A WORKING GREENHOUSE

STUDENT WORKER'S GLOVES HANGING AROUND 

What does a college do that has a large beautiful old glass and steel greenhouse and lots of young energetic students in the Agriculture and Natural Resource Department? Well in 1871 the college decided to grow vegetables and flowers and make them available for a reasonable cost to the area residents. It was successful and grew to become the farm sales program which exists to this day. The money raised helps fund the department's program. 

FRESH GREENS FOR YOUR GARDEN

Students work in the greenhouse as well as in other parts of the farm program which has grown to include hoop house gardening,  hog farming, bee keeping, growing Shitake mushrooms, outdoor gardening as well as a few other projects.  

SALE IS POPULAR WITH TOWN RESIDENTS

Every spring the students hold a large plant sale in the old greenhouse. The plants are considered first harvest as they are seeded and grown on the grounds of the college. Community support is high for the event and the plants are quickly sold. It's a win-win situation -- the residents get freshly grown plants, mostly organic, and the students raise money to help with the continuation of the program.

PART OF GREENHOUSE WORK AREA

For more info on Berea College's Plant Sale click here

INSIDE THE COX FAMILY HARDWARE -- WHERE OLD MEETS NEW IN A SMALL TOWN COMMUNITY

COX HARDWARE STORE

Martha spoke to me on the phone today telling me she is the last Cox of the family to run the Cox Hardware store. The year it opened its doors for business was 1907 -- 104 years ago. Martha's husband was the last in the line of four generations to keep the business running. 


People in town asked her after her husband passed last year if she was going to sell the place. She responded to them with, "no, I have fun running this old hardware store."  She told me that she has worked in the store for thirty years and is very familiar with its operation. I asked her if Cox Hardware was independent. She quickly answered, "a hundred percent independent!" 

ASSORTED ITEMS FOR SALE PLACED ON OLD SHELVES AND BENCHES

Cox Hardware is located on Main Street in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. It is a great store to find just what you need in the hardware line -- even one screw or two nails if that is all you need. Any questions -- someone is there to answer with a friendly smile. 

THE ORIGINAL OLD POT BELLY AND AN OLD SITTIN' BENCH

You can find newer types of paraphernalia here as well as the old. An example of an older type item would be oil lamps with chimneys and the oil to burn in  the lamps. Of course I can't list every new or old type of item that they carry as the list would be very long. 


It is a large hardware in an old brick storefront displaying lots of character with shiny original wood floors and antique items hanging or sitting around the store. Many of the cases and bins are original old  pieces. 

OLD HARDWARE BINS

At one time most small towns had a hardware store. Many have disappeared. Some say it is because of the influx of the big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot. But some family-owned hardware stores say that they are doing fine. They claim that their personal service and community attachments allow them to survive. They have met the challenge of having  the old ways remain while implementing some new practices. 

ONE OF MANY CASES TO HOLD STORE  ITEMS

Some small hardwares have become cooperatives, meaning they form as a group selling the products of a chain. And some have remained independent like Cox Hardware -- meaning running their own show. 

ANTIQUE GLASS DISPLAY CASES

Will the small town hardware stores survive? That is a question that can only be answered by the future.. 

AMERICA'S GREAT BLACK MIGRATION

Caflin University, in the photo above, opened in 1869 in south Carolina, four years after the Civil War ended. It represented one of several small new independent beginnings for African Americans in the United States. Although the slaves were theoretically free after the war they were in reality not free in southern states. The intent of white southerns was to form a caste system labeled the Jim Crow laws that kept blacks in servitude which closely replicated the former slave days. If they stepped outside the Jim Crow boundary lines, the results were often death by hanging or being burnt alive. Fear ruled the southern blacks. A fear that eventually caused a reaction.

THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson is a profound book documenting the story of the movement of the southern blacks to the northern and western parts of our country. This migration was the reaction by blacks to the Jim Crow caste system according to the author.

In her book she says that this movement just grew naturally and individually – eventually into thousands of blacks packing and leaving the south. This "leaving" began to hurt the south in unexpected ways. The labor pool for housekeepers, sharecroppers and such became scarce and had an effect on the already weak southern economy after the civil war. If you were black and thinking about leaving you didn’t mention it. Here is a quote from her book:

There is no mistaking

what is going on;

it is a regular exodus.

It is without head, tail, or leadership.

Its greatest factor is momentum,

and this is increasing,

despite amazing efforts on the part

of white Southerners to stop it.

People are leaving their homes

and everything about them,

under the cover of night,

as though they were going

on a day’s journey –

leaving forever.

The Cleveland Advocate

April 28, 1917

Isabel Wilkerson peels back the layers of this mighty migration revealing the magnitude of it during the years of 1915 through 1970. 

 She employs the narratives of migratory blacks from this period. 

Her documentation is precise and through.

Wilkerson seems to spell out the real reason for leaving was not so much that jobs were available in the north and west but rather the “leavers” were trying to escape the caste system of the south.

Blacks fled to urban destinations outside the south beyond the reach of Jim Crow.  We can find an example of the population impact when we look at the changing number of blacks in Chicago which grew from about 44,103 to over one million by the end of this great migration

I recommend this book highly as another part of our history that has been under wraps for way too long.