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blairstales · 1 year

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Scottish Historical Beltane/May Day

Bealtiunn (Beltane) is a cross-quarter day, meaning it is approximately half-way between a equinox and solstice. Due to this, it was one of the four main fire festivals of the year, and a time when the veil between our world and the otherworld was said to thin. This was thought to allow fairies in particular to be extra dangerous.

"The first–called “Beltaine” in Ireland, “Bealtiunn” in Scotland, “Shenn da Boaldyn” in the Isle of Man, and “Galan-Mai” (the Calends of May) in Wales–celebrates the waking of the earth from her winter sleep, and the renewal of warmth, life, and vegetation. " Celtic Myth and Legend by Charles Squire[1905]

It was once a huge celebration that may even last a whole week, but it also served as a marker for when to start farming practices. For example, it marked when to sow barley, or put cattle out to graze.

Due to the pagan origins of the day, opposition towards May Day celebrations was not uncommon, and eventually led to it’s fall in popularity.

"In 1696 a number of persons were tried before the Kirk Session of Aberdeen and censured for celebrating May Day morning." Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland

For customs click "keep reading." ⬇

May Pole

May Poles are a pole that was raised on beltane and raised with a crown of flowers on the top.

“The May Pole is up , Now give me the cup, I’ll drink to the garlands around it, But first unto those Whose hands did compose The glory of flowers that crown’d it.” “Faiths and Folklore: Volume 2,” By William Carew Hazlitt (1905)

It was also often decorated with flowers, leafy garland, ribbons, and more. Thought to be a fertility symbolism, with it came the queen and king of May.

"We may infer,’ says Frazer, ‘that our rude forefathers personified the powers of vegetation as male and female and attempted, on the principle of homeopathic or sympathetic magic, to quicken the growth of trees and plants by representing the marriage of the sylvan deities in the persons of a King and Queen of May, a Whitsun Bridegroom and Bride, and so forth. Such representations… were charms intended to make the woods to grow green, the fresh grass to sprout, and the flowers to blow. And it was natural to suppose that the more closely the mock marriage of the leaf-clad or flower-clad mummers aped the real marriage of the woodland sprites, the more effective would be the charm." Silver Bough 2 By F. Marian McNeill

Dressing the Home

Due to the veil being thinner, all sorts of supernatural dangers were thought to be at play. To counteract that, people dressed their homes in flowers, greenery, and other decorations.

“To counteract their evil power pieces of the rowan-tree and woodbine, chiefly of rowan-tree, were placed over the byre doors, and fires were kindled by every farmer and cottar. “ “Notes on The Folk-Lore of the North-East of Scotland,” By Walter Gregor (1881)

It was not just leafy garlands, however, but flowers as well.

"In the country west of Glasgow it is still remembered how once the houses were adorned with flowers and branches on the first of May” “Essays in the study of Folk-Songs,” by Countess Martinengo-Cesaresco (1886)

May-Dew

The very first thing many girls wanted to do in the morning was race out to collect the morning dew.

“COUNTY OF EDINBURGH. At Edinburgh about four o’clock in the morning there is an unusual stir ; and a hurrying of gay throngs through the King’s Park to Arthur’s Seat to collect the May-dew.” “British Popular Customs, Present and Past; Illustrating the Social and Domestic,” by T. F. Thiselton-Dyer (1876)

Depending on the area, where you would collect it from may change. It might be from a specific hill of grass or a specific type of trees.

This liquid, called may-dew, was said to have curative or beautifying powers.

"It was long an article of popular faith in Eastern and Western Europe , that a maiden , washing herself with dew from the hawthorn on the first day of May at daybreak , would preserve her beauty for ever, the operation being of course annually repeated.” “Faiths and Folklore: Volume 2,” By William Carew Hazlitt (1905)

“Till quite lately there was a belief in some parts of England that a weakly child would be made strong by being drawn over dewy grass on the morning in question. To effect a complete cure, the treatment had to be repeated on the two following mornings.” “Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs,” by James M. Mackinlay (1893)

However, the dew inside a fairy ring would have the opposite intended effect.

“May-dew from the grass was equally efficacious, except when gathered from within a fairy ring, as the fairies would in that case counteract the influence of the charm.” “Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs,” by James M. Mackinlay (1893)

Egg Rolling

Egg rolling, something we trend to associate with Easter, was occasionally practiced on Beltane. Colorfully decorated eggs would be rolled down a hill.

"Egg rolling, something we trend to associate with Easter, was occasionally practiced on Beltane. Colorfully decorated eggs would be rolled down a hill." “The Folk-lore Journal, Volume 7; Volume 24,” By Folklore Society (Great Britain)

Visiting Healing Wells

“Besides saining with fire, there was also saining with water, and Beltane was the great season for visiting “magic” or “holy” wells. The custom has by no means died out, the most notable survival being the annual “pilgrimage” to the Cloutie Well on Culloden Moor, near Inverness, which described elsewhere.” The silver bough vol 2

Visits to healing wells was a common occurrence for people on May day.

Two centuries earlier an attempt was made by the kirk-session of Perth to put a stop to an annual gathering on May Day at a cave in the face of Kinnoul hill adjoining the town. This cave was called the Dragon Hole, and was the scene of ancient rites of a superstitious nature. Other illustrations might be selected from the Folklore of May Day, but those given above show that the season was held in much superstitious regard. Accordingly, we need not be surprised that well-worship took its place among the rites of May Day, and of May Month also, since the whole of May was deemed a charmed time. "Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs" (in regards to Hone’s Every-Day Book on Edinburgh)

Mock Human Sacrifice

During the quarter days, quarter cakes were eaten ritually. For Beltane, this was called bannoach Bealltain or Beltane Cakes.

"Beltane cakes were also made at Keith, being baked the day before. The upper side was watered with a batter, made of whisked eggs, milk, and oatmeal. Struan Michaels and Beltane bannocks were prepared in Ross-shire down to the close of the nineteenth century." “Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland,” by Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1929)

Exactly how they were eaten would depend on the area.

"In Caithness, within the last seventy years, each family in the neighbourhood of Watten carried bread and cheese to the top of a hill called Heathercrow and left it there. After sunrise, the herds might take away the spoil for their own homes." “Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland,” by Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1929)

For some, it involved a mock human sacrifice.

The boys would go out, kindle a fire, have a meal, and sing and dance around it for fun. After, someone would produce a bannock and divide it for the group.

"Towards the close of the entertainment, the person who officiated as master of the feast produced a large cake baked with eggs and scalloped round the edge, called am bonnach bea-tine—i.e., the Beltane cake. It was divided into a number of pieces, and distributed in great form to the company.John Ramsay, laird of Ochtertyre, near Crieff, the patron of Burns and the friend of Sir Walter Scott." The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer[1922] Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe

One piece stood out from the others, and the person who picked it was doomed to be “sacrificed.” It was just a symbolized sacrifice and the group would act as if (but would not actually) throw the person into the fire.

“There was one particular piece which whoever got was called cailleach beal-tine—i.e., the Beltane carline, a term of great reproach. Upon his being known, part of the company laid hold of him and made a show of putting him into the fire; but the majority interposing, he was rescued. “ John Ramsay, laird of Ochtertyre, near Crieff, the patron of Burns and the friend of Sir Walter Scott." "The Golden Bough" by Sir James George Frazer[1922] Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe.

Unfortunately for the poor boy, the victim would then be referred to as dead for as long as people remembered for the year.

“Similarly at the Beltane fires in Scotland the pretended victim was seized, and a show made of throwing him into the flames, and for some time afterwards people affected to speak of him as dead.” “The Golden Bough,” by Sir James George Frazer (1922)

Luckily, in other places, the sacrificed only had to jump the fire(typically either three or seven times), then that would be the end of it.

“….then lots are cast, and he on whom the lot falls, must leap seven times over the fire, while the young folks dance round in a circle. Then they cook their eggs and cakes, and all sit down to eat and drink and rise up to play.” Old Scottish Customs, Local and General by Ellen Emma Guthrie 1885

For others, it was not as dramatic.

"While the fire was blazing, a common meal was partaken, part of which was offered to the spirit of the fire." “Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland,” by Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1929)

After making and kneading a bannock, the boys would bake it on a flat stone placed on embers. When it is properly baked, they divide it to the same number of people there is in the group (trying to keep the pieces the same shape).

"They kindle a fire , and dress & repast of eggs and milk of the consistence of a custard . They knead a cake of oatmeal , which is toasted at the embers against a stone . After the custard is eaten up , they divide the cake into so many portions , as similar as possible to one another in size and shape , as there are persons in the company ." PERTHSHIRE . In Sinclair’s Stat . Acc . of Scotland ( 1794 , vol . xi . p . 620 ) British Popular Customs, Present and Past; Illustrating the Social and Domestic

Only one piece is selected and covered with charcoal until it is completely black.

That done, all the pieces are placed in a bonnet, and everyone is blindfolded to pick out a piece. The person who is holding the bonnet gets the last.

Whoever was unlucky enough to pick up the black piece is the symbolized sacrifice and must jump the fire three times.

“The boy, to whose share the black piece falls, is obliged to leap three times through the flames, at which the repast was prepared.” Statistical Account of Scotland, 1794, XI. 620, Witchcraft & Second Sight in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland

For others still, they would take a bannock, face towards the fire, and break a piece of the bannock while throwing it over the shoulder as an offering of protection. The request was different for each throw.

‘This I give to thee, preserve thou my horses,’ and ‘This to thee, preserve thou my sheep,’ and so on. After that they use the same ceremony to the noxious animals, This I give thee, O fox, spare thou my lambs! This to thee, O hooded crow! This to thee, O eagle!’ When the ceremony is over they dine on the caudle.” “Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland,” by Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1929)

Fires

The Beltane fires were man’s response to the attack of the powers of darkness which were believed to be abroad with peculiar force at this season. “Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland,” by Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1929)

A large heap of old thatch, straw, or other materials were piled. Traditionally, this was done on a hill.

“To the south of the Forth several sites are known to have been specially associated with Beltane fires. In Lanarkshire two such sites were, the hills of Tinto and Dechmont. “Tinto, indeed, means the hill of fire. It was used for beacon-fires as well as for those connected with nature-festivals, and was well adapted for the purpose, being 2335 feet above the sea, and 1655 feet above the Clyde at its base. Though not nearly so high, Dechmont hill commands a splendid view over the neighbouring country. Early in the present century a quantity of charcoal was discovered near its summit hidden beneath a stratum of fine loam. The country people around expressed no surprise at the discovery, as they were familiar with the tradition that the spot had been used for the kindling of Beltane fires. In Peeblesshire, too, the Beltane festival long held its ground. Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs

For some, this would serve as the need-fire; which was a purification fire that was lit by friction.

"Tein-ēigin, neid-fire, need-fire, forced fire, fire produced by the friction of wood or iron against wood." Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2, by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900]

It was a saining practice done on quarter-days, when there was some sort of calamity, or just when someone needed extra luck for an especially important event. It was considered bad luck to bring fire out of the house or gift any to someone on the day. For Bealtane, two fires might be lit, and cattle would be driven through to purify them.

"When the sacred fire became kindled, the people rushed home and brought their herds and drove them through and round the fire of purification, to sain them from the ‘bana bhuitseach mhor Nic Creafain,’–the great arch witch daughter Cranford, Mac Creafain, now Crawford." Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2, by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900]

After, the ashes would be scattered, sometimes with yells to “burn the witches.” The intent was to destroy and scare off the forces of evil, which would allow the area to become fertile.

“The fire in consuming them destroyed the powers hostile to man, purified the air, and allowed man and beast and vegetation to thrive and become fertile.” The circumambulating the fields with blazing branches carried the virtue to areas a considerable distance from the bonfire. “ “Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland,” by Joseph McKenzie McPherson (1929)

It would work in a way, too. The ash would fertilize the soil, helping to make it healthier for the coming growing season.

Other

Another significant ceremony, as showing the adoration of nature, was the combat between winter and summer which took place on May-day (Laa-boaldyn); the latter, which was represented by a young girl, decorated with leaves, being victorious, and thus typifying the victory of Nature’s reproductive power. The Folk-Lore of the Isle of Man by A. W. Moore[1891]

"On the night preceding it, i.e. Beltane eve, witches were awake, and went about as hares, to take their produce (toradh), milk, butter, and cheese, from the cows. People who believed in their existence were as earnest to counteract their machinations. Tar was put behind the ears of the cattle, and at the root of the tail; the animals were sprinkled with urine to keep them from fighting; the house was hung with rowan-tree, etc., etc. By having a churning past and a cheese made (muidhe ’s mulchag) before sunrise, the Fairies were kept away from the farm for the rest of the year. If any came to ask for rennet (deasgainn), it should not on any account be given to them. It would be used for taking the substance out of the giver’s own dairy produce.When the day arrived, it was necessary, whatever the state of the weather, though people sank ankle deep in snow, or (as the Gaelic idiom has it), though snow came over the shoes, to get the cattle away to the summer pastures among the hills (àiridh)." Witchcraft & Second Sight in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland

John Duncan’s “Riders of the Sidhe” (1911) “The artist here represents the fairy folk “setting forth on a Beltane eve in a kind of ritualistic procession, carrying symbols of their faith and power, and their good pleasure dowering mortals with spiritual gifts.” E.A. Taylor; Art. Some Pictures by John Duncan in The Studio, Vol. 80 (1930)

#folklore #scottish folklore #fairies #fairy #fae #scottish mythology #mythology #scottish #scottishfolklore #FairyDays #beltane #Bealtiunn #Beltaine #may 1 #ImportantScottishDays

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script-a-world · 5 months

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Submitted via Google Form:

I would like to build a world that has intentionally similar street, town/city names, basically think of all the confusing addresses the world already has but magnified significantly. Like when you think Paris? Well the world has a couple of towns named Paris in Canada, Indonesia, plenty in the US, and a few other countries. Reality? They are around the world. The most issue we'd get is probably the US if you mix up states. But then the addresses likely won't match/have the same street names. Also, they are tiny towns compared to the Paris in France. So what would happen to a city named 'Paris' in my world? It may be the capital city of 2 countries. There may be 50 cities (not town) of significant population in 15 other countries. Also, street names will also be highly repetitive. Why? Because there is a lot more globalization, and large empires renaming all the cities. What would happen to everywhere when an empire such as the equivalent of British in my world? You get large countries like India with 20 cities each named London, Birmingham, Aberdeen, Manchester etc. How about the streets then? Newly built roads will repeat the street names from ones in Britain, many more will get renamed. If it's not like this, then you get individual cities that trade between each other like 'sister cities' renaming their cities and streets so that they are similar.

Tex: Toponymy is a fascinating subject, and an exceptionally revealing perspective of how people view the world around them in what orders of importance. I believe two of the sub-topics you’re looking for is tautological place names and toponymic related concepts.

Wootzel: We’re not really sure what you’re asking us, but a couple thoughts for you:

When it comes to cities having the same name, it’s pretty common historically for people coming from the great city of Tuftylump to start a new, small town and call it Tuftylump, and then for that small town to grow in size and repute until it’s also famous. This could happen several times in various places and be perfectly plausible.

However, existing cities aren’t likely to undergo a name change unless forced to by an invading power, and even then it’s not likely to stick if the invaders get kicked out eventually. Place names come with history and identity, and while it might not seem like an arbitrary name change would matter, I think people would be extremely resistant. It would also be a bit of a nightmare to have to either change all historical records related to the place, or make it part of all public education that the city has an older name but it’s no longer in use.

What cultural significance is making this phenomenon happen in your world? Is there some kind of widespread taboo against coming up with new names for things, ever? Is there an idea that sharing a name carries some kind of power? Does this phenomenon of repeated names occur in people too?

Miri: The big question I have is why are they making their lives more difficult like this? Wootzel has some suggestions above that may be factors. There’s entire industries out there dedicated to making things function smoother, and making things more likely to be confused flies in the face of our desire to make things functional and less prone to error when possible. Sending things to the wrong place can have disastrous financial and other consequences, and constantly clarifying which version of a city you mean gets tiresome, from personal experience.

I have a friend who once decided she was going to write a story where all of the characters had very similar names because she intentionally wanted to confuse and irritate her audience. She quickly realized she was irritating herself just as much in writing it, and that people were more likely to just stop reading than put up with it.

#google submitted #geography #naming

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invernessremovals · 5 months

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Smooth Moves: House Removals in Aberdeen and Inverness

Moving houses can be a daunting task, filled with stress and anxiety. However, with the right assistance, the process can be transformed into a smooth and hassle-free experience. In this blog post, we delve into the world of house removals in Aberdeen and Inverness, exploring the expertise offered by professionals in the field. From the picturesque streets of Aberdeen to the tranquil landscapes of Inverness, let’s navigate the journey of moving homes with ease.

Embarking on a journey to a new home is an exciting chapter in life, but the logistics of house removals can often cast a shadow on the thrill. Fortunately, in Aberdeen, a city steeped in history, and Inverness, nestled in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, there are reliable professionals ready to make your transition seamless. House removals in Aberdeen are known for their efficiency, while Inverness boasts services that cater to the unique challenges of moving in a rural setting.

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In the bustling city of Aberdeen, where the energy of urban life meets the serenity of the coastline, house removals take on a unique rhythm. Local removal services are well-versed in navigating the narrow streets and historic neighborhoods, ensuring a smooth move for residents. From the city center to the suburban outskirts, professionals in Aberdeen understand the intricacies of each locale.

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When it comes to home removals in Aberdeen, finding a trustworthy partner is paramount. Local removal companies often have a deep understanding of the community, and their reputation is built on reliability and customer satisfaction. Whether you're moving across town or to a neighboring suburb, these professionals are equipped to handle the nuances of each locality.

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Navigating Inverness: Challenges and Solutions House Removals in Inverness: Embracing Tranquility

In contrast to the urban bustle of Aberdeen, Inverness offers a unique set of challenges for house removals. The rural landscapes and remote locations can make transportation more complex, requiring a specialized approach. However, removal companies in Inverness have honed their skills to navigate the scenic but sometimes challenging terrain.

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For those relocating within Inverness or to this idyllic region, opting for removal services that understand the local geography is essential. Companies in Inverness provide services that go beyond the standard offerings, including specialized packing for fragile items and secure transportation through the twists and turns of the Highland roads.

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One of the crucial aspects of a successful house removal is the art of packing. In Aberdeen, removal companies approach packing with precision and care. They understand that each item, from delicate glassware to bulky furniture, requires a tailored packing solution.

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Home Removals Aberdeen: Customized Packing Strategies

In the realm of home removals in Aberdeen, customization is key. Removal companies work closely with clients to create packing strategies that suit individual needs. Whether you prefer a hands-on approach and want to pack some items yourself or desire a full-service packing experience, professionals in Aberdeen are ready to accommodate.

Additionally, many removal companies offer environmentally friendly packing options, reducing the ecological footprint of your move. From recyclable materials to eco-conscious packing practices, these services align with the environmentally conscious ethos of Aberdeen.

Aberdeen to Inverness: Bridging Urban and Rural Transitions Smooth Transitions: House Removals Aberdeen to Inverness

For those making the leap from the urban charm of Aberdeen to the tranquil beauty of Inverness, the transition can be both thrilling and challenging. House removals that span these two distinct regions require careful planning and coordination.

Removal companies that operate between Aberdeen and Inverness understand the nuances of the journey. They ensure that the efficiency of urban removals seamlessly transitions into the adaptability required for rural moves. This ability to navigate diverse landscapes makes these professionals the ideal choice for those embarking on this unique relocation journey.

In the world of house removals, Aberdeen and Inverness stand out as havens of expertise. Whether you're navigating the urban landscape of Aberdeen or embracing the rural tranquility of Inverness, professional removal services are ready to make your move a smooth experience.

As you embark on this journey, consider the unique offerings of removal companies in both cities. From the efficiency of house removals in Aberdeen to the adaptability required for Inverness, these professionals are equipped to handle the diverse challenges of each locale.

If you've recently experienced a house removal in Aberdeen or Inverness, we'd love to hear about your experience. Share your thoughts in the comments below, and let's build a community of insights and advice for those embarking on their own relocation adventures.

#house removals #Removal Services Aberdeen #Removal Companies Inverness

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aqua-fast-water-damage-clean-up · 1 year

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Tudor Hall

Tudor Hall is one of Bel Air's most famous landmarks and a must-see for all history buffs. It is the home of the Junius Booth Society, a non-profit group that is dedicated to maintaining the house and its historical significance.

A tour of the home is open to visitors on select Sundays in the spring and fall, as well as during special events hosted by the Booth Society. The home is a fascinating blend of historic architecture, history and culture.

This is a great place to visit for families who enjoy art, music and history. The museum features exhibits and collections about Bel Air and the local area, including artifacts from the past 200 years.

The Bel Air Farmers' Market is a wonderful place to find fresh, locally produced produce and artisan foods. This farmers' market started out as a small parking lot with a few vendors, but it now attracts over 50 local vendors and food trucks who specialize in organic products and foods.

Pairings Bistro is a popular food truck that offers a variety of tasty dishes at the Bel Air Farmers' Market, including breakfast burritos made with organic produce from local farms. Their food is accompanied by a large selection of beverages, including beer, wine and cider.

Looney's Pub is another establishment that aims to keep the clientele entertained, with an exceptional Irish bar and grill. This spacious branch has built a loyal following among Bel Air residents and visitors alike. It is a place where everyone can feel comfortable, without worrying about their belongings being stolen or being waylaid at the bar.

Independent Brewing Company is a Harford County brewery that has been open for just over a year, serving up craft brews and 'liquid alchemy' classes in its taproom and patio in the heart of historic downtown Bel Air. The team produces small batches of gluten-free ales and ciders, which are served on 26 rotating taps. They also offer six-packs and cans to go. Bend and Brew yoga classes, Trivia nights and live music evenings are held regularly at the brewery.

There are a number of great restaurants in the area, including Sunny Day Cafe and Pairings Bistro. Both of these restaurants are favored by locals, who can't get enough of their delicious meals.

The Country Inn & Suites By Radisson, Bel Air/Aberdeen, MD is a great option for tourists looking for a comfortable and affordable hotel in the area. It has all the amenities you would expect from a top-notch hotel, including free Wi-Fi and taxi services.

This quaint neighborhood is perfect for families or couples who want to enjoy Bel Air's history and natural beauty. There are many beautiful parks and green spaces in the area, as well as a wide array of outdoor activities to choose from.

If you're looking for a new place to live, you'll find many condo and townhome communities in Bel Air to choose from. These developments have changed a lot over the past decade making them a popular choice among home shoppers.

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whitepolaris · 1 year

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Perryman Mansion

On the Perryman Peninsula in southern Harford County, there exists an old and crumbling manor house. Once the estate of the Boyer family, the sprawling mansion lies on the coastline of the Bush River.

The once extravagant multi-level mansion was abandoned by its longtime tenants decades ago when Baltimore Gas & Electric Company purchased the home along with two hundred and fifty acres of land on which to build a regional plant.

The home and property were cut off from civilization for years because of their unique location and situation. Surrounded by water on three sides, the peninsula is accessible by only one road, which is closed off to the public once it reaches the BG&E plant. On one side of the peninsula runs an active railroad line, and on the other side is the Aberdeen Proving Ground-the heavily guarded and fenced U.S. Army Post.

Situated as such, the mansion was literally cut off from human contact. Naturally, rumors begin to spread and its legend grew. Any Maryland ghost hunter worth his salt has heard of the Perryman mansion and its storage goings-on.

There are stories of ghostly green lights moving in patterns along the walls. Visitors say they have heard voices and other unexplained noises. Many get chills just gazing at the imposing structure and refuse to enter its doorway. Maybe that’s because the ground outside the mansion is littered with small bone fragments. And animal carcasses are commonly found along the road leading back to the house.

Historical records also point to an old graveyard on the property, which is now covered in weeds and shrubs. Most investigations of the mansion have uncovered death-in one form or another.

Photographs taken in and around the mansion routinely captured orbs or other mysterious lights and objects. One recent investigation of the Perryman mansion did result in the positive identification of one of its reclusive inhabitants. A strange crying spooked the team and led its member upstairs, where they were able to definitively pinpoint the shrill whine-a baby raccoon!

Those brave enough to venture into the attic-the highest point in the mansion-are greeted by the putrid smell of decay where coal-black turkey vultures have been found silently guarding clutches of bloody eggs.

There is little left of the mansion now. A fire destroyed much of it. The suspected cause of the fire was arson, but no one was ever charged. -Brian Goodman, acurse.com

Perryman Memories

The Perryman mansion has been almost a playground to my friends and I for more than six years. Every time I have been there something or someone has made itself known. It starts with the hike to the house. The first 10 minutes are ducking the lights of the electric company, BGE, and staying close to the sporadic trees to hide in the shadows from any disgruntled workers. This is the only area you will feel safe.

As the large lights disappear you are surrounded by thick woods to your left and the train tracks to your right. Even if you feel you are brave enough and nothing can keep you from venturing on . . . a train goes by and drowns out all the noise around you. You can’t hear if you are being followed in those brief seconds.

At the end of the paved you hang a left and became swallowed by woods. A long walk and you can see far enough ahead to trick yourself into thinking there is someone waiting beside the tree lines. As you approach the mansion itself, there are rhododendrons near the stone entrance. A fence surrounds the house but there is a hole cut out to squeeze through . . . or get caught up in while trying to escape.

There have been more than three occasions when I have heard women speaking as I made my way left of the fence. I am not the only one who heard them. Left of the house you can go to the old pier that sits sideways over the river. You almost forget that you are about to go into a haunted mansion and will more than likely have some sort of unexplainable experience. Let me just tell you of a couple.

A group of us went into the house. Outside were bones of some sort of animal. There are always bones. We stuck together in a uniform line and decided to go through the living room and upstairs. One of us stayed behind due to fear of seeing something. I had been there so much I honestly wasn’t worried about it. Until we began to walk up the steps . . . one by one pushing each other to go faster. I heard someone whisper in a very stern and serious tone, “LOOK.”

We all turned our heads at the same time as if in a bad Robert Palmer video and on the wall behind us leading up to the stairs a green glow seeped through. At first it was still . . . then slowly moving up. Then back down. Then up, down and side to side. A cross shape? Needless to say, we didn’t go upstairs or in the basement. We ran out of there. Another adventure also included a large group of people. We made our way to the basement . All of us going our own ways. As we explored, many of the group talked to keep their spirits up. All of a sudden a loud thump came from the first floor. My friend and I stared at each other wide eyed. Only three of us heard it. As I saw my friend’s mouth open to warn the others I demanded her to not say a word. The last thing you want to do in an old building that is literally falling apart is to give reason to freak out and run. We kept our secret until we were safe outside.

There is nothing special about the way the mansion looks from the inside. It is the sight of it from the fence that makes you shudder. The blank gaze of hollow windows seems to warn you. -Melissa F.

#weird maryland #type read

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joseph-mansfield · 2 years

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On Day # 67 of our Great American Road Trip, we traveled from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington to Estacada in Oregon. We had two ‘Lewis and Clark’ moments: We took a selfie with the Pacific Ocean at our back, just over two months after staying on Cape Cod. We crossed a continent with a Bambi in tow. After that, we still had quite a drive through Washington State - which was becoming a bit boring, frankly, especially through depressing towns like Hoquiam and Aberdeen - but it was a beautiful moment when we saw the five mile wide Columbia River. Drove along the Washington (north) side of it towards the 4.1 mile Astoria-Megler bridge, the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. And what a great crossing it was, even with us having to tow Bambi up the high part of the bridge on the south (Oregon) side. The second moment was when we visited the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park with the replica of Fort Clatsop. Very nicely done! A lady told us about many of the artifacts that were shown, including the peace medals, the flag with 15 stars, musket balls, tools, skins, tobacco. Nancy posed with a statue of Sacajawea and her young son Jean Baptiste (Clark, who adopted the boy after his mother died, called him ‘Pompey’ or ‘Pomp’ for short). #travelswithscooby #olympicnationalpark #astoriaoregon #lewisandclark #fortclatsop (at Astoria, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch0XXa1v4oS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#travelswithscooby #olympicnationalpark #astoriaoregon #lewisandclark #fortclatsop

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boujeeboutiques · 3 years

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Shopping in the past Style - It's Aberdeen City and Shire

michelle mea hoodies clothing If shopping tops the list of your favourite pastimes, plus Aberdeen City and Shire won't disappoint.From designer boutiques to a host of high street names, you'll locate all the labels and pinnacle character outlets you'd expect from a major city.The city has for centuries been the main shopping destination for a big catchment place, and a popular destination for European shoppers taking a weekend crack. With its striking skyline, historical obsolete town and impressive granite buildings this is a prosperous, cosmopolitan city.

The pleasing range of excellent shopping centres ensures that you'll always be practiced to locate exactly what you'on the subject of looking for and if it's something more exclusive or a tiny quirky that you'concerning after, one of Aberdeen's independent retailers will be skillful to meet the expense of that too.At a mile long, Aberdeen's Union Street is Britain's longest high street and is jam packed subsequently than than than a host of household names and high street favourites. At the upper encroachment less you'll locate the newly opened Hugo Boss, G -Star Raw and Cruise, along moreover premium stores once Jaeger and Jones the Bootmaker.

Cruise, which opened in the autumn of 2007, michelle mea hoodies clothing is one of the UK's leading independent luxury retailers gone a fabulous reputation not by yourself for designer brands, but as a showcase for well-ventilated spiteful edge fashion. Brands currently also-door door to at Cruise optional association Gucci, Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Dior, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Fendi, Chloe and Jimmy Choo to state a few. At the bottom halt of Union Street, just past it meets the historic Castlegate, is The Bon Accord St Nicholas Shopping Centre.Right in the heart of the city it has a impressive range of stores and is the prime retailing place in Aberdeen. The biggest shopping center in the city, it is split into two buildings and has three floors extending to 630,000 sq ft on summit of two levels. Built in a serpentine touch to maximise shop unit frontage, it is covered by a barrel vaulted glazed roof gone a 90-ft high glazed field.

Flagship stores member in the works New Look and Monsoon, one of the largest in Scotland, a large Boots and Woolworths and shops such as The Body Shop, River Island, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Ortak and Oasis. A auxiliary Costa Coffee will revive the most weary shopper, though the restaurants within the Upper Mall, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer, located at either fade away of the Centre, remain a poplar rendezvous for a casual lunch and a catch-occurring gone links. And of course, there's a Starbucks, taking into account an outside sitting place, if you fancy a spot of cafe culture. Just across from the city's Union Terrace Gardens, The Mall Trinity is a good, one floor shopping middle following about 27 stores including Debenhams, Argos Extra, T-Mobile, HMV, Superdrug, Waterstones and a large Primark.

Cobbled Belmont Street, known for its well-liked bars, cafes, and art habitat cinema, is with the location for The Academy shopping centre. Surrounding an Italianate style piazza, it has an excellent range of upmarket brands and individual shops, coffee shops, bars and restaurants, and the gate-space piazza is often a focus for alive entertainment throughout the summer months. Here the style living will locate independent shops such as Attic, AB10 and Concept, which specialises in casual designer-ware for men. A real style leader in Aberdeen, Attic is continuously introducing choice collections including U.A.R.M, Green Apple Tree and Six Pack. AB10 has anything from footwear to trappings, following many main stream brands including G-Star, Ted Baker, Miss Sixty, Replay, Firetrap and Gio-Goi.

Nicknamed 'Little Chelsea', the Thistle Street place of the city is the usual style quarter of Aberdeen considering a range of independent shops stocking anything from clothes, shoes and frills, in colleague in crime to avow shops, delicatessens, French bakers, florists and art galleries. Bellino and Hamish Munro both have excellent ranges of shoes by continental designers, and if you craving a dress for a big night out, attempt Frox - as soon as anything from funky to formal, it's evening wear behind than attitude. Esslemonts and Esslemonts 2 p.s. a stylish unconventional of menswear and women's fashion from leading brands such as Camel Active, Tommy Hilfiger, Remus, Hobbs and Turnover.

Verdict, along with re Thistle Street, stocks a broad range of really unfamiliar designer clothing and superfluities that are both wearable and attractive. From contemporary evening wear and fused accessories through to casual jeans and edgy tops, Verdict was named by style guru Caryn Franklin as one of the peak ten independents in Scotland.

For stylish, eternal designs Kafka, just not in the disaffect away afield afield off from the corner in Alford Place, has the latest from Armani, Burberry and Prada, even if Kafka for men can be found taking into account mention to Rosemount Viaduct.

Aberdeen's taking place and coming place, The Green, is residence to a range of first class bistros and colossal dining, and a number of trendsetting shops have plus opened in the place, including Coco Violet, designs for the cool and accepted. It houses an eclectic amassing of fashion for the girl that wants to stand out from the crowd, taking into consideration stunning items you won't locate anywhere else in Aberdeen, let alone the UK. For shoes subsequent to a difference find the money for a see at Fenner and Coburn at Netherkirkgate when an wonderful accretion of distinctive designs.

Meanwhile Zoomp, tucked away in Jopps Lane astern John Lewis, has a broad range of clothing covering unnamed casual to Jimmy Choo and Matthew Williamson.

If it's a retro vibes you'as regards after, head to The Closet in Jopps Lane for quirky, vintage retro - an Aladdin's cave of retro finds and one off pieces , or manageable Retrospect, which was recently featured in Vogue magazine, even though Vintage Phoenix in Chattan Place will tailor your finds to fit.

Jewellery, art and antiques

Aberdeen is not known as the Silver City for nothing - the excited granite buildings that make taking place much of the city are testament to that - however the city is plus the residence of some independent jewellers who can design that signature fragment to celebrate a enormously special occasion.

Family-owned Finnies the jewellers, has Scotland's largest amass of diamond jewellery - and biggest accrual of grandfather clocks. As ably as more than 26 watch brands, you'll locate unfamiliar gifts including silver snooker chalk holders. Jamieson and Carry is substitute intimates make a attain of, conventional in 1733. From pearls to pendants it's a true favourite gone jewellery lovers. You can even commission a special fragment to be individually intended and made in-house. Sandy Menzies Designer Jewellers push a constantly evolving range of contemporary jewellery. The design and production of commissioned pieces in precious metals and gemstones is also easy to use, even if George Kite on the subject of Holburn Street features a range of objector Scottish designers.

For antiques, head for the city's West End, where you'll locate Elizabeth Watt going considering reference to for Thistle Street, specialising in ceramics, silver and jewellery even if Rendezvous, re Forest Avenue, has immense art deco finds as proficiently as contemporary art. Thistle Antiques upon Esslemont Avenue is the area to go for satisfying earliest mirrors and lamps, and Atholl Antiques upon Great Western Road has character furniture and paintings. For earliest maps, grow Colin Wood upon Rose Street, who carries a definitely earsplitting range.

Gallery Heinzel specialises in contemporary Scottish art from its base in Aberdeen's Thistle Street. The gallery hosts occurring to 10 exhibitions a year showcasing the play a share of conventional and emerging Scottish artists. The Carby Art Gallery, in a contemporary art freshen, offers a unique gallery experience. Resident performer Ian Carby, famed for his vivacious landscapes and shoreline scenes, exhibits adjacent-door door to international and local artists plus sculptures, ceramics, jewellery and photography

If you'vis--vis searching for that special flavor that's a tiny bit every second from the unspecified, Nova upon Chapel Street has long been a favourite behind Aberdonians. Its combined have enough maintenance selection ranges from the cool and funky to the timeless even if Annie Mo's, upon Holburn Street and the bottom fall of Union Street, as well as stocks an uncharacteristic range of gifts along previously some beautiful furniture.

Markets

Aberdeen's Country Fair is a monthly have enough maintenance gone on zenith of 30 stalls of full of beans farm fabricate, local crafts, in flames-baking, food and beverage. The main vent takes area upon the last Saturday of all month and there's a smaller weekly report all Saturday at the Academy Shopping Centre. One of the largest markets in Scotland, it provides local farmers and crafters the opportunity to showcase their setting home-grown and handcrafted products. A typical Aberdeen Country Fair will feature everything from Aberdeen Angus beef, fish landed at Aberdeen and Peterhead Harbours, local fruit and vegetables, baking, cheeses, confectionary, Scottish whisky, wines and handmade crafts.

#dressing

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smallfrost · 4 years

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MFSRI: The Burning of Scylla Ramshorn Comprehensive Analysis; Scylla as Ovid’s Phoenix

A while back I proposed the Burning of Scylla Ramshorn as a theme for our Sexy Weird Necro (now re-branded, Sassy Sexy Weird Murder Nugget Necro). This was primarily about how she may have been burned in the past, either literally (her family was burned) or figuratively (Porter turned in her dodger parents). This evolved to include the fact that Scylla is literally wreathed in fire throughout the season, with actual flames and with more vague references to burning dancing around her. After having separate posts about this (here and here) in addition to my original theory, I figured I would first make a comprehensive list of all the times Scylla has referenced burning or is surrounded by actual flames throughout the season and then propose several options for what this might mean. Including, how the use of fire imagery combined with “nothing ever really dies” parallels to Ovid’s Metamorphosis and the Phoenix.

This one is a long one but come with me on this ride...

To start, we have all of the times she has used fire for Spree Glamour. (Note: Faux Raelle burning is still Scylla’s motif because she represents someone she cares about and loves, and the flames are reflected in Scylla’s eyes).

Then we have Scylla and Raelle in Memorial Hall discussing if the Burning Times are really over, followed directly by a shot with a fireplace in the background and Scylla in the foreground. The same fireplace Porter is standing next to a few seconds later (re: Porter burned Scylla).

And we have Scylla saying she has been burned before and tends to burn.

She also mentions the recent burnings of witches, even as recent as last year while she’s in the dungeon.

So, what does this all mean? The strength of this theme for Scylla is ominous. Is it possible foreshadowing of a literal burning? Could be. Perhaps Scylla is terrified that she herself will be burned at the stake since a witch had been burned as recently as last year. She is terrified she will be executed.

Perhaps this theme is referencing something that happened in the past, such as witnessing her parents being burned or being betrayed by someone she cared about as previously proposed. The parallels to Greek mythology in MFS have been a favorite topic of discussion amongst the theorist community and at the Research Institute, leading to many posts including analyses done by @captainjeclid and @trash-deluxe. We know that Scylla is a Greek monster. We know that Odysseus, whom Raelle parallels, encounters Scylla on his journey home (after having visited the underworld). Could the Burning of Scylla be referring to her own personal Odyssey through the underworld; her own inferno? Would be quite fitting, seeing that she is a Necro. But I think there is yet another possibility… and that is fire as a form of rebirth; that which has died, transforms into the living - shedding a previous nature for a new one.

After seeing how Scylla and Raelle parallel the Odyssey, I hope to convince you of yet another series of mythological parallels, this time as it relates to balance, resurrection, and life becoming death, over and over again, all while linking Scylla to the phoenix as a symbol of rebirth [through fire].

Ovid’s Metamorphosis is an epic poem thematically contemplating transformation. Here we get stories like that of Narcissus, the man doomed to love himself, and Arachne being transformed into a spider. Over 15 ‘books’, the Roman poet, Ovid weaves his tales and ends on one containing the teachings of Pythagoras. And what do we learn? To quote directly, “All things are always changing, but nothing dies. The spirit comes and goes, is housed wherever it wills, it shifts residence from beasts to men, from men to beasts, but always it keeps on living”. Sound familiar?

Scylla teaches us the same lesson in the graveyard when she shows Raelle the Death Cap. Death is not so cut and dry. Nothing ever really dies. Life becomes death which becomes life again. Over and over. Scylla is almost quoting Ovid verbatim here, “Nothing remains the same: the great renewer, Nature, makes form from form, and, oh, believe me that nothing ever dies.”

Pythagoras really says nearly these exact words several times. He explains that death is not what it seems and not to fear it, but to understand that our souls are deathless, and that when they leave our bodies, they will find new dwelling places. Things are not static. They are always changing. The soul, the life force, is recycled in a never ending and eternal circle… That which once was, is no longer the same but still present. It is a process of renewal… In other terms, while Necros cannot bring the dead back to life, the cycle of souls shifting residence is itself, a form of resurrection. So, even if Willa Collar is death, her soul is not gone. Just… repurposed. It’s going to be up to our little Necro to find it.

Aside: I just want to point out that this portion of Metamorphosis is riddled with examples of duality (day and night, fire and water, life and death), one of our favorite themes throughout MFS. And the never ending, harmonious cycle of renewal fits perfectly into a magic system built on the foundation of maintaining balance.

So besides quoting Ovid almost verbatim, giving us our MFS Necro “religion”, why else is this portion of Metamorphoses relevant? Because immediately following discussions on how the life of one creature can come from the death of another, we learn that while “all of these things have their beginning in some other creature, there is one bird which renews itself, out of itself. [They] call it the phoenix.”

Now, Pythagoras does not necessarily say that the phoenix is born out of its own ashes. In fact, the historical association of the phoenix with fire is hard to trace and I had difficulty finding anything related to the exact origin of flames. But the symbolism of the phoenix throughout its mythology associates with the sun and fire. In Egyptian mythology, the phoenix flies to Heliopolis, the “City of the Sun” and builds its nest atop the Temple of the Sun, or brings its remains there after rebirth. In various versions of this myth, the nest catches fire from the rays of the sun. I’m not about to make this a thesis on the origins of fire being associated with the phoenix, but for now, let’s fall back on our western mythology of being reborn in flames and connect them to the theme of “nothing ever dies” in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Indeed, Pythagoras discusses fire several times throughout Book 15 and how fire itself is part of these changing cycles. Including one instance where he literally states that “[They] set wood on fire by pouring water on it in the dark of the moon.” Considering @theycallmestephlee established that Scylla is Fire and Raelle is Water … the parallels are hard to ignore.

The Phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary could lead us down another rabbit hole of parallels with Christianity and Lesbian Jesus Christ, Raelle Collar as @likethefoximalwayschanging has established.

Ovid’s use of fire imagery throughout this portion of the poem, and the eventual association of the Phoenix with fire as a form of rebirth that is rooted in western legend, strongly suggests that Scylla is going through her own transformation by being wreathed in flames. She has lived her life by one set of values up until now, but her current nature is dying. Through that death, she will be renewed with a new moral compass. Scylla is questioning the foundations of her morality. She still believes that the Army is evil but knows that what the Spree asked her to do was equally horrendous (she has regret, she did not hand over Raelle). She has been through fire and brimstone, her own inferno. Her motivations were driven by that. She committed horrible acts. But now we’ve seen her begin strip away her old nature. Because Raelle, like water, found the cracks and flowed her way into Scylla’s fiery heart.

So even if there is a literal Burning of Scylla Ramshorn, she won’t die. She will be saved and “reborn” in a new light with a new nature. She has been scorched by fire in her past; what she has been through has led her to commit things which she regrets. There used to be no room for attachments, for love. But through her journey and through meeting and loving Raelle, her perspectives have changed. “That which has been, is not; that which was not, begins to be…”

Quotes from Rolfe Humphries’ translation of Metamorphoses.

#MFS Research Institute #mfs theories #mfs analysis #motherland fort salem #motherland: fort salem #scylla ramshorn #the burning of Scylla #sassy sexy weird murder nugget necro #necro things #ovid's metamorphoses #raelle collar #raylla

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sadbirder · 3 years

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Aberdeen: Political Corruption On A Local Scale

Here is an excerpt from the research I carried out for project proposal I wrote in second year and submitted as part of my coursework for my Contemporary Art Practice course. Below, I speculate upon the planned destruction of St Fitticks Park, a natural wetland & ecological heritage site in Torry, in order to build what is being called a “Green Energy Transition Zone” (ETZ).

AKA, the city of Aberdeen would like to level a natural habitat and green space of environmental and historical significance into a grey industrial site to fulfil the needs of a greenwashing campaign led by corrupt men, namely Sir Ian Wood, with huge stakes in both Aberdeen’s Big Oil industry and board members strategically placed within Aberdeen City Council.

Yeah. It’s a big old yikes.

Friends of St Fitticks Park is an organisation that is trying to save the park from industrialisation and destruction.

I have visited St. Fitticks a lot over the years but I have never checked it out on the map. I was surprised to notice that the entire area where St Fitticks park lies is not coloured green, but grey, on any digital map of the area (above). I thought the visual implication of this was important because it denies the park its status as a green space on the map. If you click zoom out once more the park’s titles do not appear on the map either (below). This means if one was to glance at the map, looking for a new green space nearby, they would not assume that there was one present in this location. (This is an activity I carry out regularly, and I am sure others also do.) I wonder if this is a deliberate action to chastise the park of many visitors.

I felt like I ended up choosing the wrong project. 3 weeks in and I found I couldn’t bare to think about St Fitticks because it makes me feel upset that losing this green space could happen, but fighting the institution and thinking about politics and social issues wears me out emotionally and makes me withdraw myself. I don’t want to research all the messed up backdoor dealings behind this. It’s too negative. I don’t have the energy to be angry about the threat to this park. Equally, I do not want to lose the park but I do not have the will power or the emotional space to continue. I spoke to my mother about this problem and she said there’s nothing I can do against the power of the institution. If they decide the park will go, it will go in the end, fight or no fight. She explained that by fighting and being angry, not only do I waste energy, wear myself out and upset myself, but I also play into the hands of the institution. As mentioned in projects last semester, I believe any negative action contributes to the overall negativity around all things. Even if, my negative reaction is justified by my values, it is not a useful reaction. It creates more negative energy around the already negative area of the potential loss of this park. My mother explained that being angry plays into a predetermined set of check-boxes that the institution will be expecting and it will always, in some way or another, result in the institution having more power to carry out the action.

The contribution of illustration from artists, and use of collective memory in exploring folklore and stories from conversation with inhabitants of Torry by Thomas White Ogilvie in The Book Of Saint Fittick is what I consider to be a collaborative effort to create this book. I think that in the context of the era, 1901, it is obvious that the well respected, gentleman-scholar input was going to be emphasised and Ogilvie was always going to recieve most or all of the credit. If you scratch beneath the surface of the book just a little, to me it is without question a collaborative effort to create a shared memory of a place which the local people are in love with.

From attending Friends Of Saint Fitticks meetings, it is clear that shared memory and love for their surroundings seems to be a longstanding trait or tradition among the people of Torry that continues today. They treasure the area in which they live and have a lot of respect and passion for the areas of wild habitat and historical significance around them. Over time, these types of places throughout Torry have become reduced and destroyed. Nigg Bay Harbour Development is one of the more recent examples, big business moved in, completely dominating and depriving a community of their beach by destroying it. Fragments of these places do remain and the people of Torry still treasure them.

I have learned that the threat Sir Ian Wood is presenting to St Fittick’s park is a very powerful one, riddled with corruption. He has members of his board high up in the council which means if he wants something, he can get it, seemingly regardless of it not being completely allowed or legal. He has people who can push his plans through in a way that is hidden from scrutiny and public eyes until it is too late. I often wondered over the years why Aberdeen looks like a total shit-hole. Whether in a “nice” area or a so called “bad” area, they all look like totally uninspired and unloved heaps of trash. I have had this thought since moving here at 9 years old and it continues to this day.

Aberdeen is (Or maybe was, who knew that oil could run out? Just keep drilling baby.) the second wealthiest city in the UK, after London. The average Londoner wouldn’t be able to point to Aberdeen on the map. When I moved to Scotland, I kept getting it confused with Australia. Today I consider this pertinent to living in Aberdeen, it might as well be as far away from London as Australia. Australia seems like an amazing place where I’d love to live, but a large part of it is a desert and it is really far away from everything. My point is, as terrible as London is, it is also filled with culture and is a visually amazing place to be - some of that money is somewhat being put to good use. In Aberdeen, you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking that it is a wealthy place, except from the cars. Where is all the culture? Aberdeen seems to be a cultural desert. Where is all the beautiful amazement around the city that wealth is supposed to bring? Our high street is based almost entirely around addiction and anaethesia. Vape shops, booze shops, phone shops, gambling shops. It’s cheap, it’s impoverished, it’s sad and it’s ugly. Our civic square - Marischal Square - is not a civic square, it is a shopping mall. A failed shopping mall that’s mostly empty. You cannot hang-around our “Civic Square” for long without being harrassed by security and even police. It is hard to be somewhere, for no reason in the city centre of Aberdeen and a good civic square should be a space for just that. A diverse place with cultural happenings and the freedom to loiter and gather. Instead, we have a city council that considers a nation-wide chain selling garbage food, Tony Macaroni, a high quality local business and an integrated surveillence system throughout the city centre that quickly extinguishes any organic culture that could emerge from gathering.

I spoke to my friend Neil about this and he agreed. We spoke about meeting people from around the world here and they ask things like;

“Isn’t this the Oil Capital of Europe?”

Begrudgingly we would respond; “Yes, and it’s the second wealthiest city in the UK after London.”

Disappointed, they would say; “It doesn’t look like it.”

They are right. Where has the money gone?

Neil said to me - “This is what political corruption looks like on a local scale.”

Ian Wood and similar monsters have forced their fingers without consent into many of the things that have contributed to the totally lame approach to culture that this city has. Every time I walk past a steak grill surrounded with people wearing Barbour jackets I want to puke. The faux-luxury of the steak houses of Aberdeen is one of the more grotesque sorts of unacknowledged cannibalism in this world. The blood thirsty herds of Range Rover driving cattle pay good money to engage in the heinous act of grazing upon a mostly raw lump of their Angus bretherin.

This is frustrating because Aberdeen is a really, really cool place with amazing people. You can walk 40 minutes and be in actual wild habitat, the coastal path (and Saint Fitticks!) to the south, Donmouth to the north and more. Of course there are groups of people trying to bring cultural ideas to the city; Look Again, Peackock Visual Arts, Mood of Collapse, Kekun Studio, Bandit Bakery and Cult of Coffee, to name but a few. One of the best things about Aberdeen for me is that it is the only city in Scotland that has a surfing beach within walking distance. For me, this alone makes Aberdeen the best city in Scotland. My experiences in the more “fringe” places of Aberdeen have been wonderful and prove this place has a potential to be beautiful, cultural and inspiring. To give but a few specific examples: I have conversations about wildlife with strangers along the Don in Seaton Park. Up the Dee path I had a fire while sharing the experience of bird-spotting around a heronry with passing people of all ages stopping with binoculars. Every time I go surfing, a passerby strikes up a friendly conversation with me. I volunteered at Peacock Visual Arts and learned there is a largely unseen by the mainstream but well respected global arts community in Aberdeen. I worked at Foodstory cafe and discovered there are many talented chefs, bakers and baristas in Aberdeen. It’s all here, but it isn’t obvious, and it’s hard to spot. I have a lot of love for Aberdeen and I want it to be better, but I feel powerless against the corruption and the culture-hating centre of this town.

The idea of fighting or exposing the corruption wears me out emotionally. This is not the path I want to take with this project. I feel like issues like this all too often lead to possessiveness, anger and negativity. I do not want to contribute to any of those things within myself or other people. I am going to opt for a perspective rooted in kindness, compassion, sharing and positivity because I believe these are the truest emotional traits of Aberdeen and it feels good for me. I think emphasising these things will ensure there are positive experiences happening in St. Fittick’s park right now. I think ultimately that ensuring people are using and enjoying the park is the best way to oppose the corruption. The action will speak for itself and will expose the selfishness of Ian Wood’s plans. It might fail. At least if it does, people will have definitely enjoyed their time with the park while it is still here and there will be a legacy of collective memory that Ian Wood will not be able to steal or fake with what he might create there.

#Writing #art writing #art #green energy #climate change #nature #aberdeen

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scotianostra · 1 year

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On February 25th 1888 a conference advocated the adoption of leaving certificates in Scottish schools.

Scotland has long enjoyed an international reputation as historically one of the best-educated societies in the world. The foundation for this reputation was laid in the 17th century and was the result of Calvinist emphasis on reading the Bible. Putting men and women in touch with the word of God was seen by the Scottish authorities and clergy as of paramount importance. To achieve this goal schools paid for by the Church of Scotland and local landowners were established in all rural parishes and burghs by an Act of Parliament in 1696. These educational establishments were run by the Church and were open to all boys and girls regardless of social status.

The democratic nature of the Scottish system so impressed the 18th century writer Daniel Defoe that he remarked that while England was a land ‘full of ignorance’, in Scotland the 'poorest people have their children taught and instructed’. The openness of the Scottish system ran all the way from the schoolroom to the university. A talented working class boy the 'lad o'pairts’ through intelligence and hard work and by utilising a generous system of bursaries was able to gain a university education, something largely unthinkable in England in the 18th century.

That’s not to say it was perfect on further inspection I found out that even in 1892 when all elementary and most secondary education became free, and scholarships were more widely available, few working-class children were able to take advantage of the opportunity. Only just under 5% of pupils attended a secondary school in Scotland in 1897. The real priority for children from working-class backgrounds was to find work and begin earning a wage.

For a small nation Scotland was particularly well-endowed with universities, boasting five in the 19th century - a figure which included Aberdeen’s Marischal and King’s Colleges. The universities were considered to be national, public institutions and, therefore, less elitist than Oxford or Cambridge in England. Because of this they were said to be more open to working people and, indeed, over 18% of the student population of Glasgow university in 1860 was from working-class backgrounds, quite a high number considering the low percentages of working class children who were educated.

The existence of a substantial number of workingclass students has given rise to the view that universities in Scotland were more democratic and based more on merit than the class-ridden universities of England. The wider implication was that Scotland was a less class obsessed society than England.

Again all was not as it seemed, and while we had a working class getting into University, the system was somewhat broken in a way. At Glasgow University in 1889-90, out of 225 students taking the junior Latin class 200 failed. The quality of university education in Scotland was generally poor and inferior to that offered in England. The low quality was mainly due to the fact that there was no university entrance examination and, therefore, children could enter the system as early as fourteen or fifteen, the 1888 act would possibly put this to rights.

As a result, philosophy, which had previously formed the core of the arts degree, was made optional. Students were also forced to compete for bursaries and this acted as an unofficial entrance examination. The setting up in 1901 of the Carnegie Trust Fund, set up by the great philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, provided a further source of assistance and by 1930 70% of university students in Scotland were receiving awards from the fund.

The numbers of students in higher education institutions increased from 4,400 in 1830 to 6,000 in 1900, to 10,000 in 1938. At Glasgow University, working-class students increased as a percentage of the total, from 18.6% in 1860 to 24% in 1910.

The period from 1900 to the outbreak of War in 1939 did not witness the same degree of change in the educational system as had occurred in the 19th century. However, there were important developments in the sphere of primary and secondary education. These changes did little to alter the class bias of education, but collectively they made important contributions to the

creation of an all encompassing modern educational system in Scotland. Education in Scotland has been the subject of much myth-making as regards the openness of the system and the quality of provision. In the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, the educational system catered mainly for an elite section of Scottish society. Although the door to higher education was more open than in England, workers and their families, women and Catholics in general were excluded. For these groups, education was sparse and the quality poor.

Legislation gradually improved the access of all groups to better education, but it was only after the introduction of comprehensive education in 1965 that attempts were made to provide adequate standards for all children in Scotland.

#Scotland #scottish #schooling #exams #leaving cerificate #education #history

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ifindus · 4 years

Text

Know that you are wanted and adored

- my final written piece for the sixth day of @nordicrareshipsweek about two weeks too late, but at last I am finished.

Pairing: Norway/Scotland Wordcount: 765 words Summary: They have finally reached the city of Aberdeen and it’s time to say goodbye. Historical context: In october of 1940 the British established what would later be a force fully under Norwgian control stationed on the isles of Shetland in Scotland that lead several missions over to coastal Norway during the war, smuggling in weapons and rations to the resistance and bringing wanted people back over to Britain. Several of the ships would be sunk by the German forces, yet they would not stop their efforts until the war ended. Many Norwegian sailors and voluenteers participated in this.

The smell of the ocean wafted towards them as the door of the train swung open and they stepped down onto the platform. In the end, they had caught a ride to Dundee and jumped on the train up from there. The city of Aberdeen appeared far from welcoming with its endless streets, grey sky and grey buildings. Pulling his coat tighter around him, Norway hoisted the strap of his bag further up his shoulder. The docks only lay a couple of hundred meters away from the train station, so they didn’t have to walk far this time. Still there was about an hour before the ferry was scheduled to depart and so both countries had slowed their pace considerably as they strolled down the lane.

Out on the docks, seagulls flocked to the fishing boats that had just returned from the sea, filling the air with their hoarse screams. The familiar smell of fish and salt produced an even stronger sense of longing in Norway. If he just got to place his feet on the deck of a boat, he was sure he would feel calmer and more reassured. Reassured that everything would be all right in the end, even if the sky was covered with grey clouds right now. He felt his hand twitch where it gripped the bag strap.

“And what’s your plan now?”

Norway blinked himself back to the moment and turned his head towards the nation beside him. Scotland had a worried crease between his large eyebrows, eyes pinned on a point far ahead of them.

“I suspect you already know.”

“Have you talked to England about it?”

Norway sighed.

“Yes. I have.” He tucked away a lock of hair that had fell into his eyes. “Shetland is a good location for a base of operations. England will send up any Norwegian refugee willing to join… along with weapons and boats.”

“And you’ll be what? Leading?”

“Of course not.” Norway furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the ground. “I will be… assisting. I will go with the first boat and then… we’ll just have to see how it goes I suppose.”

“Smuggling weapons and information over and bringing people back?”

“That’s the general idea of it, yes.”

They came to a stop as they reached the gangway up to the ferry. It would take almost a whole day to arrive in Lerwick, yet Norway was eager to begin the journey. Still, in a way it felt wrong to leave like this. He knew he was disappointing his generous host. However, these were feelings none of them could afford to have at the moment. There was a war going on.

“Scotland.” Norway turned to his friend with a serious look in his eyes. “I cannot express how much I appreciate what you have done for me. Thank you for letting me stay. And thank you for letting me go.”

Scotland chuckled. It was sad, yet… he still looked happy. A hand reached up and tousled the dark curls as he once again focused on Norway. They were at last facing each other fully.

“We twa hae paidl’d in the burn Frae morning sun till dine; But seas between us braid hae roar’s, Sin auld lang syne.”

Scotland smiled at him, green eyes stirring something deep inside him and Norway remembered why he really had to leave. It burned. It burned as Scotland continued.

“And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere And gie’s a hand o’thine,” he reached out and took Norway’s free hand in his own. It was calloused and rough, spreading warmth between them. “And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught For auld lang syne.”

It felt as if something was stuck in his throat and it was only after blinking away what might have been tears that he did manage to speak.

“You’re quoting Burns now?” If Scotland noticed the quiver in his voice, he didn’t mention it.

“Well, love burns sometimes.” There it was. The word neither of them had mentioned until now. Avoided. Love. Love burns. And Norway truly felt it burn.

“Yes. It does.” Strangely, their handholding right now seemed like the most intimate thing they had ever done. And he really did not want to let it go. But now was not the time and they both knew that. He gave the warm hand a squeeze before he released his grip.

“We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.” He smiled warmly as he took the first step up onto the gangway. “I’ll see you soon, Scotland.”

“See you soon, Norway.”

#nordicrareshipsweek #hetalia #scotnor #norscot #aph norway #hws norway #aph scotland #hws scotland #omg just kill me now #end my endless load of uni work and let me focus on hetalia again #pls

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bigmacdaddio · 3 years

Text

Hitler’s car, not Goring’s car...

"Hitler's Car" and the Canadian War Museum: Problems of Documentation and Interpretation

Cameron Pulsifer - Canadian War Museum in Ottawa

1 One of the best known and also most problematic artifacts on display at the Canadian War Museum (CWM) is the black Grosser Mercedes automobile that was once used by Adolf Hitler. When the car came to the CWM in 1970 it was believed to have belonged to Hitler's Deputy Führer and Luftwaffe commander Hermann Goering. But then a critical piece of research, undertaken by CWM librarian Ludwig Kosche, and published in the magazine After the Battle in 1982, revealed conclusively that the car had belonged to Hitler.1 Kosche's study is thorough, meticulous, and indisputable, and it transformed the significance of the artifact. An object of moderate interest when associated with the second-ranking Nazi leader, it became one of intense fascination when associated with the arch-villain behind the whole Nazi enterprise, the Führer himself.

The story of the car has been well told by Kosche. The following will, in the main, be concerned with its story as an artifact at the Canadian War Museum. It will focus on the manner of its acquisition, the nature of its "restoration," the problems of its documentation, and the difficulties inherent in its exhibition. As such, it should serve as an interesting case study of artifact acquisition and research in what must be seen now as a markedly aggressive era in the history of museum collecting, and as an illumination of the approach the CWM has taken over the years to the documentation and the presentation of this particularly contentious artifact.

3 The CWM's vehicle is a Grosser Mercedes 770 W 150 of which Daimler Benz of Stuttgart produced three versions between 1938 and 1943. The first was unarmoured; the second was armoured; and the third was a larger more powerful version termed a Staatskarosse. The CWM's car is one of the second, armoured, versions. Weighing 4100 kilograms, it was powered by a 230-horsepower engine, and could produce top speeds of between 145 and 150 km/h. The doors were armoured, the windows were 2.5-centimetre-thick bullet-proof glass, and a 0.6-centimetre-thick armour plate could be raised behind the rear passenger seat. There are separate front seats for a driver and a passenger, and a bench style rear passenger seat. In addition, immediately behind the front seats are three folding jump seats to hold additional passengers if required. There is one compartment in the front dashboard and two in the rear seat for holding pistols.

4 The car has a number of features that, according to Kosche, have "so far not been found in photographs of other Grosser Mercedes 770 W150." These are: "an ornamental hole in the radiator; four vents directly beneath the wind screen; two door hinges on either side ... short, curved side rear windows; and twenty cooling-slits on both sides of the central hinge on top of the bonnet."2 These distinctive features, together with the car's one surviving registration plate at the rear, were eventually to enable Kosche to confirm that the car had been one of Hitler's, not Goering's.

5 The CWM acquired the vehicle in May 1970 from Quebec City businessman and entrepreneur Claude Pratte for a gift tax receipt. He had purchased it some years previously from H. J. O'Connell, a Montreal collector, who in turn had acquired it in an auction at the American Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland in November 1956 for $2,725 (American). O'Connell had hired R. J. Rumble of Rumble Motors in Toronto to do the bidding, and after its purchase the car was shipped to the firm's Toronto premises, where a further $5,000 (Canadian) was spent on an extensive "restoration."3

6 The car was well known at the time as Goering's staff car. It had been associated with the Luftwaffe commander virtually since its capture by the Americans in May 1945. Sergeant T. Joe Azara of the 20th Armored Division had found the car sitting on a flatbed in a railway siding in the village of Laufen just north of Salzburg, Austria. After a short fire fight with some German snipers, Azara secured the car, removed it from the flatbed, and soon had it running. (He soon, however, had to replace the original engine with another of the same power removed from a Mercedes found at Hitler's retreat at Berchtesgaden, located just to the north of Laufen across the Austrian-Bavarian frontier.)4

From a reading of the 20th Armored Division's newspaper, The Dispatch, Kosche attributes the association of the car with Goering to a statement made at the time by a Dutch civilian worker in a garage near where the car was captured. He claimed that the car was being shipped from Berchtesgaden, "because it was out of gas, and even Goering could get no more."5 Kosche concludes that this rather ambiguous statement was the origin of the car's becoming identified with the portly Reichsmarschall. Whatever the case, after the car was shipped to the United States in August 1945, it was used as the centre piece of a number of war bond drives identified as "Goering's Personal Car."6

8 In October 1956, it was put up for auction, after having spent the previous nine years in storage with the Property Disposal Office of the American military. Again it was advertised as one of Goering's cars, and was apparently acquired by H. J. O'Connell with this understanding. Another car sold at the same sale was one of two Mercedes that had been captured by the 101st Airborne. It was a 1943 Mercedes that its captors had termed the "Blue Goose," which had indeed belonged to Goering. R. J. Rumble evidently assumed that his car was the other Mercedes known to have been captured by the 101st. Since the other car taken by the 101st was known to be a Staatskarosse, Rumble based his "restoration" of his own car upon a photograph that he had available of a Staatskarosse. The result was the centre light mounted on the curved bar above the front fender, which the CWM's car never had originally.7

The car purchased by Rumble had suffered some gunshot damage. Bullets had pierced the armour plate at the back, and the dashboard had also been hit. In addition there were three bullet holes in the front wind screen with some cracking, and the right passenger windscreen was badly splintered. It had long been believed that this damage had been inflicted after the war by trigger happy G.I.s at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, anxious to test the effectiveness of the car's armour plate. However, Kosche has shown conclusively, again by reading The Dispatch, that this damage had in fact already been inflicted at the time of the vehicle's capture in May 1945. How or when it was done is not certain. One can only note that the car had been sitting on a railway flatbed for some time in what was clearly a combat zone.8 Work carried out by CWM conservator Leslie Redman in 1996 on the leather seats has revealed gun-shot damage especially to the left rear and to the jump seats. Indeed a reinforcement bar in the latter was found to have a large elliptically-shaped hole blown in it, leading to some speculation by CWM staff that it was caused by a fairly large projectile, as from an aircraft.9 Whatever the case, attempts were made to repair most of this damage during R. J. Rumble's "restoration" of 1956, except for that in the windows. As Rumble explained to CWM Director Lee Murray: "Mr O'Connell required everything to be restored to its original condition except the windows, which he felt lent more authenticity to the war action the car had seen."10

10 Rumble also drew attention to the fact that the car had had a total of eighteen layers of paint applied to it. These were said to alter "from black to 'Luftwaffe green' — the car being repainted for state events or for field trips." The presence of the so-called "Luftwaffe green," of course, lent credence to the story of the car having belonged to Goering.11

11 As these alternating layers of black and so-called Luftwaffe Green paint were subsequently cited frequently in support of the notion that the car belonged to Goering, Kosche's own thoughts on the matter are worth recounting before proceeding further. He concludes that although the "car had undoubtedly a few layers of paint, the two uppermost being American in origin... [t]here is ... no support for this story." He quotes a driver who sometimes drove for Hitler to the effect that "to the best of his knowledge, none of the cars were given camouflage paint — there being no other explanation for the alleged 'Luftwaffe green'." Indeed, the type of vehicle possessed by the CWM was not usually used for field trips at all, which instead were the domain of another type of Mercedes, the much heavier six-wheeled Mercedes 770-G. "In any event," observes Kosche, "it is more likely that the colour would have been Army green rather than Luftwaffe grey."12

12 Claude Pratte offered the car to the CWM towards the end of October 1969. As Lee Murray wrote to his superior, Dr William Taylor, Director of the National Museum of Man*, on 3 November: "A gentleman from Quebec City has offered to make available to us, either by loan or gift, Field Marshal Goering's Staff car." Murray considered it to be "a very valuable historical item, and its acquisition would be very timely as it could become one of the chief features of our V-E Day display."13

13 This appears to have been the only justification necessary for the CWM to acquire the car. Like many other museums at this time the CWM had no acquistions policy and no formally constituted collections committee that vetted artifacts proposed to be brought into the collection. Indeed, the CWM had only moved into its new museum quarters at 330 Sussex Drive in Ottawa two years earlier. With only 67 000 artifacts in the collection, the primary impetus amongst museum staff at the time was to increase this number, the result being the close to half a million objects that the CWM has in its collection today. Inevitably, a large number of items came into the collection in this era that, while they were related to the general theme of warfare in the twentieth century, lacked that specific association with Canada's involvement in this warfare that has become the prime concern of today's collecting priorities. Examples are a large number of Soviet artillery pieces, two early marks of German Panzers, an Italian Carro Veloce 33 "tankette," and a turret off an American M-48 tank, none of which have any specifically Canadian reference at all. Probably the most prominent and well-known example, however, is Goering's, later, Hitler's, car.14

14 Pratte himself wrote on 10 November enclosing details of "Goering's bullet proof car that were given to me when I bought the car from Mr H. J. O'Connell."15 As these materials were very skimpy, however, over the following number of months the CWM attempted to obtain more information about the car, and also to find someone qualified to do the evaluation that was necessary to issue a gift tax receipt. It is interesting to note that almost from the beginning the CWM seems to have not been prepared to accept the car's attribution to Goering at face value, and looked for some means of associating it with Hitler. Thus in a letter to R. J. Rumble of 14 November 1969, requesting whatever additional information he had on the car, Lee Murray wrote: "In collaboration with the owner of the Second World War German Staff car that was reputed to have belonged to Adolf Hider... this Museum is attempting to piece together the history of the car and to evaluate its present worth—both as an antique car and as a relic of the Second World War."16 Note that there is no reference at all in this letter to the car's established reputation as having been associated with Goering. And a letter written a few months later to the potential evaluator, E. A. Jurist, President of the Vintage Car Store of New York, N.Y., Murray wrote: "This is one of seven [cars] delivered to German Army Headquarters in 1940, and which have since become known as 'Hitler' cars because it was in one or more of these large, armour-plated, open touring limousines that the German leader usually rode on ceremonial occasions." This letter noted only that the car was "reported to have been assigned to Field Marshal Goering." Whether there were solid historical reasons for such doubts, or whether they arose from wishful thinking is not certain, although one suspects the latter. For his part, Rumble attempted to correct what he perceived to be Murray's deviancy on the issue by repeating the received mythology: "There were seven of these units purchased in 1940 by the German Army Headquarters and this particular car was then issued to Goering, not Adolf Hitler as stated in the first paragraph of your letter. These facts were substantiated by the serial number, etc. and [sic] was used as his personal staff car."17

15 Rumble did supply one piece of critical information that up to that point had not been known — the car's factory serial number of 429334. He had taken it down, along with other technical data, off a plate attached to the car's bulkhead firewall. This discovery was "a big breakthrough," wrote Murray, and he immediately had it cabled off to the Daimler-Benz plant in Stuttgart hoping to receive more detailed information on the history of the car.18 The German Company did not respond, however, with Murray commenting wryly in a letter to Pratte of 29 January 1970: "I have noticed a reluctance in many Germans to admit they were around at all during the Second World War, and have a feeling that the same is true of this company."19 Finally, when by 11 February they had still not heard, Murray wrote for help to the German ambassador in Ottawa, Dr J. F. Ritter. "The Museum is extremely interested in a Mercedes Benz type 770 car which is in Canada," he wrote:

It is one of seven of these magnificent vehicles which were purchased by German Army Headquarters in 1940 and issued for service. The one that we are interested in is vehicle number 429334 and carries the original military license place [sic] 1Av148697. [Note that the license plate number was known this early, despite claims by Kosche that it was not revealed until 1980.] Part of the legend surrounding the car is that it was assigned for the use of Reichs Marshal Goering [sic].20

16 This at last produced results. The Embassy contacted the Ministry of Defence in Bonn, which in turn approached Mercedes Benz. The result was the first substantiated piece of historical documentation that was ever acquired on the car. The Embassy's military attaché, Colonel G. E. Stamp, wrote to Murray on 12 June:

It was confirmed by Mercedes Benz, Stuttgart, that the car in question had been delivered to the adjutancy of Adolf Hitler on 8 July 1940. It could not been [sic] found out whether the car had been used by Hermann Goring himself, but it is possible.

Additionally they found that the car had been sent to Daimler-Benz Company for repairs on 19 April, 1943 and was returned to Adolf Hitler's adjutancy again on 15 September 1943.

A photocopy of the factory worksheet was enclosed.21

17 In the meantime, a number of correspondents had been expressing doubts concerning the car's presumed affiliation with Hermann Goering. Thus on 17 February, when delivering his evaluation, Jurist contended that a:

... mistaken impression which has gained publicity is that each of the high-ranking members of the military and political staff of the Third Reich was assigned a particular 770K. Nothing could be further from the truth. The government provided car pools for visiting dignitaries who drew vehicles from these pools during their various visits to areas where parades or other public or private events were being held. However, several cars were assigned for Hitler's use ...22

18 On 16 June, the CWM's deputy chief curator, Ralph Manning, described the car in a briefing note for Olive Dickason, then of the Public Relations office of the National Museum of Man, as a "Mercedes Benz armoured staff car that was delivered to the adjutancy of Adolf Hitler on 8 July 1940 — one of the famous 'Hitler' staff cars." Manning evidently felt no need to draw attention to the car's association with Goering.

19 As has been seen, the CWM's acquisition of the car was completed on 15 May 1970, when Pratte was sent his gift tax receipt. The vehicle was not delivered to the CWM until September, as in the interim, at the special request of Mayor Jean Drapeau, it was put on show at the Man and His World exhibition in Montreal, a carry-over from the famous World Exposition of three years earlier. It is interesting to note that here it was displayed without qualification as "Hitler's Car."23

20 Despite the tendencies noted above to dissociate the car from Goering, when finally put on display at the CWM the vehicle was identified as "Goering's Staff Car." The caption, written by resident CWM historian, John Swettenham, repeated the known fact that it was delivered to Hitler's headquarters on 8 July 1940. It then introduced the slight qualification that "it is said to have been issued to Reichsmarschall Goering." It did, however, repeat the stories of its having had eighteen coats of paint, with Luftwaffe green for field trips and black for state occasions, and that it had been captured in 1945 by the 101st Airborne Division.24 Although there already were some doubts about these stories, both outside and inside the CWM, and in retrospect we know that this information was almost completely false, in fairness it must be said that the caption did reflect the prevailing weight of "expert" opinion on the car to that date. Evidently prepared to be hung for a sheep as for a lamb on the issue, the CWM even went to the trouble of putting fake number or registration plates on the car with the number WL-148697 — the initials WL being those of the Luftwaffe! This included painting this bogus number over the number on the car's one original registration plate at the rear!

21 On 14 September 1971 the CWM received a letter from Ottawa resident Collett Calverley casting further doubt on the association of the car with Goering. Calverley wrote expressly "to contest the claim that the vehicle was used by Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering." Although avowing that it was "always unpleasant to shatter delusions" he drew attention to the fact that the British already had a Mercedes, captured at Bad Homburg in 1945, that they claimed to have been Goering's. And noting that the British car had three door hinges, whereas the CWM's had only two, he argued: "Assuming the Nazi hierarchy was supplied 'from the top down,' and assuming there was a valid reason for changing the number of door hinges on the series of vehicles ... would it not be reasonable to conclude that the earlier models were more heavily armoured than later ones and that the Canadian one would fall into a more lightly armoured, later, and therefore more junior position in the series."25

22 Despite the weakness of Calverley's arguments his letter seems to have provoked a momentary flurry of doubt and reappraisal within the CWM. Thus Manning wrote to Murray on 17 September:

You know my feelings on the so-called "Goering" car we have. We have nothing to link it to him; nor do we have any worthwhile supporting evidence for its having been painted Luftwaffe green. This legend originated with Rumble Motors in Toronto, who did the overhaul in Toronto, and they wouldn't know Luftwaffe green from Wehrmacht green. I did at one time suggest a method by which the colour might be tested but [a staff member's] sickness has kept it from being pursued.

Should not John S[wettenham] prepare the reply — he prepared the caption?

Murray replied back two days later: "Ask John to prepare reply and maybe we should make our own test as suggested by you."26

23 Manning's plan as outlined to Swettenham in mid-November involved the removal of a paint chip from the car and then comparing it with a chip from another item in the collection "known to be still painted with Luftwaffe green." He also asked Swettenham to "carry the ball on this." Swettenham responded testily to Lee Murray on 23 November:

1. Ralph can hardly fob this one off on me.

2. He ... was behind this project all through. You will recall that it was Hitler's car until he changed it to Goering's at a meeting.

3. I wrote the label from research material which he supplied and there is a note of caution in it — the car "is said to have been issued" to Goering.

Swettenham's remarks suggest that CWM staff had been on the verge of identifying the car with Hitler, and that it was only Manning's reservations that prevented them from doing so. If this indeed was the case then Manning, who had strong personal doubts of his own about the attribution of the car to Goering, was clearly not yet willing to let these doubts influence the historical message that the museum presented about the car to the public.

24 Meanwhile, the CWM's letter to Calverley of 5 November, presumably written by Swettenham but bearing Murray's signature, pointed out that "we have been careful to caption this specimen as 'said to have been issued to Hermann Goring' — which may seem somewhat disingenuous in light of the fact that the caption was headed 'Goering's Staff Car'." Swettenham went on to observe that the possibility of the car being Goering's was "enhanced" by its having alternate coats of black and Luftwaffe green paint, "thus supporting the premise that it was used by a high Air Force officer when visiting units in the field."

25 Whether or not the test on the paint chips was ever carried out is not recorded. In any case, Swettenham's caption, identifying the car as Goering's, was that which visitors to the CWM continued to read for the next decade, and the artifact continued to be known to most, both inside and outside the museum, as Goering's car. Indeed, the February 1974 British periodical After the Battle ran an article on the car entitled "Hermann Goering's Mercedes Benz." This article repeated most of the myths and legends that had accumulated concerning the car that linked it to Goering, and a photograph clearly shows the CWM's faked registration plate of WL-148697.27 Eight years later this same publication was to carry Ludwig Kosche's corrected version, that for the first time told the real story of the car.

26 Although his official position was as the CWM's librarian, Kosche had an M.A. in History besides his library degree and while at the CWM his interests went well beyond the holdings of the library. He was perhaps especially well suited for a study of the Mercedes, in that he was of German origin, and his command of the language permitted a thorough sifting of German sources.

27 By November 1979 plans were afoot to move the car from the CWM's Third Floor to the Second Floor Galleries. Victor Suthren, then the museum's chief of exhibits, noted in a memorandum to museum historian Bernard Pothier of 1 November that it "seems to need a new caption," and asked Pothier to undertake it.28 When completed, Pothier's own caption contained no reference to Goering at all, which probably reflected growing doubts on this point amongst CWM staff. Instead it was entitled simply "German Staff Car, 1940-45." While it contained no specific references to the Reichsmarschall, the new caption did, nonetheless, repeat the hoary old tale of its being painted with eighteen alternating coats of Luftwaffe green and black paint, to be "used alternatively for Luftwaffe field inspections and for state occasions." And its capture was still attributed to the 101st Airborne Division.29

28 In his comments on the caption, Ralph Manning reverted to suggested emphases that he had not raised since the car had been first acquired back in 1970. "Could we not get in here that this is one of the so-called 'Hitler staff cars'? of which there were eight?", he asked Pothier on 11 January 1980. He then went on to repeat his earlier opinion that "This Luftwaffe green was made up out of whole cloth by the car dealer in Toronto... "30 And earlier, probably in response to a memo from Lee Murray questioning the absence of any reference to Coering in the caption, Manning wrote: "we have been unable to come up with one tittle of evidence that our German staff car had any particular relationship to the Field Marshal. I think we should drop the reference in any caption."31

29 It was probably concerns such as these that inspired Kosche to begin his research on the car. Kosche was helped immeasurably by an action the CWM took in 1980 before he began to work. The layer of paint that had been applied to the car's original registration plate at the back was removed to reveal the original number underneath — 1 Av148697. (Although in fact the number had only been obscured since the car was first put on exhibition in 1971, and the CWM had been well aware of it before then.) The uncovering of this number was to prove crucial to Kosche, and was to enable him, along with the car's original factory production number, to search out more specific information on the car than anybody had found before. He was to prove conclusively that it had in fact been used by Hitler himself and not by Goering.

30 Kosche's investigations revealed that the 1A in the registration number denoted a Berlin location, and that the superscript letter v (in red) became mandatory soon after the outbreak of war in September 1939 for all vehicles that were not affiliated with such official bodies as the army, airforce, police, and postal service. This was in fact proof that the car was not used by the military, and perhaps most significantly for our purposes, not by the Luftwaffe.

31 Furthermore, and probably most helpfully, Kosche discovered a number of photographs showing Hitler actually riding in the car. One, taken eleven days after the car's arrival at the Reichs Chancellery, shows the Nazi leader riding in its front passenger seat on his way to make a speech at the Kroll Opera House, the substitute Reichstag. All the physical details of this car are similar to the CWM's, except minor ones that could easily have been altered later, such as black out lights and metal covers for the spare tires, and the registration number 1 Av148697 clearly visible.32 Other photographs show Hitler using the car on 10 September 1941 during a visit to Marienbad to meet the visiting ruler of Hungary, Admiral Horthy; on 28 November 1941 when he attended the funeral of the fighter ace Werner Môlders; and on 15 March 1942 when he arrived at the Zeughaus in Berlin to make an address. The latter is the last known occasion that Hitler used the car.

32 The next documented reference is for 19 April 1943 when, as noted, it was sent back to the Daimler-Benz plant for repairs. There is no record of what the problem was, and the vehicle was returned to the Reichs Chancellery on 15 September. Thereafter all references to it ceased until it was captured by Sergeant Azara at Laufen, in May 1945.33

33 Azara was able to use the car only briefly before it was taken over by one of his superior officers of the 20th Armored Division, Brigadier General Cornelius Daly. For the latter's use it was painted olive drab and provided with the marking of a large white star, which was the distinguishing mark born by all vehicles used in the Western Allied armies. It is interesting to note that recent conservation work has revealed the "barely visible outline of a star" in the centre of the fabric roof, its presence being verified by infra-red photography. This doubtless dates from its period of use by General Daly, and confirms that this roof is the original.34These were the colours and markings the car bore when it was shipped to the United States.

34 After its arrival in Boston on 8 August 1945, an article in that city's Daily Globe was headlined: "Goering's Auto Bullet Proof to protect Fat Marshal's Hide." The newspaper ran some photographs of the car, one of which, showing the dashboard and the inside surface of the windscreen, appeared later in the Newsweek magazine of 20 August. The caption noted that "there were three broken points on the windscreen with veins or cracks running from each, unquestionably where someone had taken a pot-shot at Hermann or some American G.I. had tried to find out if that glass were really bullet proof." Clearly the damage evident in the photograph exactly matches that on the windscreen of the CWM's car today, confirming that the two cars were indeed one and the same. In addition, the reading on the car's broken odometer upon its arrival in the United States was 13 900 kilometres, precisely the same as that on the CWM's car, the gauge evidently having never been subsequently repaired.35

35 The car's subsequent history has been outlined above, from its sale at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1956 to a Canadian collector, its donation for a tax receipt to the CWM in 1970, and the subsequent quandaries experienced within the museum as to the precise history of the car. Kosche's article, which answered most historical questions about the car, and firmly identified it with Adolf Hitler, was published in February 1982. The wheels of CWM bureaucracy revolved slowly, however, and it was not until a year and a half later that revisions were made to the caption that accompanied the car in the galleries, which still linked it to Goering. The new caption, which was ready in April 1984, finally identified the car with Hitler. "Photographic evidence shows that Adolf Hitler made use of it at least until 1942," it read, and its capture was at last correctly attributed to the U.S. 20th Armored.

36 Work then proceeded on constructing an exhibit space deemed appropriate to the display of the newly significant artifact. In September 1986 its opening was announced, and Kosche's discoveries about the car emphasized, in a CWM press release. "A Bavarian streetscape and two German officers provide a new backdrop for the Canadian War Museum's 7.7 litre Grosser Mercedes," it proclaimed. "Once attributed to Hermann Goering, the sleek Daimler-Benz armoured convertible has now been positively identified as Adolf Hitler's personal staff car ... Archival research by a former librarian has matched the car's original number plate (later overpainted) with the German police registration number 1Av148697."

37 The car sits in the CWM's Second Floor Gallery in front of its mock Bavarian Streetscape to this day. A visually striking and impressive artifact, it is one that visitors to the museum tend to remember — not infrequently to the exclusion of anything else. Thus in an interview with J. L. Granatstein just before he took up his appointment as CWM Director General and Chief Executive Officer in mid-1998, it was the only CWM artifact that CBC Ottawa host John Lacharity could remember. Moreover, in an article on the holdings of Ottawa Museums published in April 1998, the Globe and Mail chose to run a photo of it in preference to all the other artifacts that the CWM has on display.36 It is doubtful mat the car would have the same effect if it were still identified as belonging to Goering.

38 Thus while the artifact itself remained the same, its identification with Hitler not only greatly increased its monetary value, but transformed its significance, both for the museum itself and for the visiting public. It is not, of course, that the car as an artifact provided any more insight into the nature of Hitler's persona or policies than it did into Goering's. But its positive identification as a car that had been used by the Führer himself imputed to it new meanings and levels of significance that transcended its status as a car, even one with a known Nazi provenance. This, of course, takes us beyond material history as we know it, and closer perhaps to the world of the personality cult and the collector. Still it is a constant of museum life that, however intrinsically fascinating a piece is in its own right, a perceived association with a famous or infamous figure tends to enhance its interest to the public. And this in turn can provide the museum with a useful tool that can help to explain historical developments and the unfolding of historical events.

39 This is what the CWM hoped it could do with Hitler's car. By situating the car against the setting of the Bavarian streetscape, replete with other tangible icons of the Nazi era, such as swastika banners and a mannequin in an SS uniform, it hoped to focus attention on the rise of Nazism and its significance for the origins of the Second World War. But the presence of the sleek black roadster and the accompanying Nazi paraphernalia was in fact criticized for glamourizing the Nazi regime. And doubtless the car and the exhibit did evoke what might be termed the Leni Riefenstahl view of Hitler, with its emphasis on adulating crowds, torchlight parades, and Nuremberg rallies, more than on the Hitler of military aggression, racist politics, and the Holocaust. The Museum responded to these criticisms eight years ago by adding a backdrop of photographs from the death camps to emphasize the horrific consequences of Hitler and Naziism. Yet, as noted, the car is a powerful enough presence that it is still the memory of it, and its associations with Hitler, that often predominate amongst visitors' recollections of the museum — possibly an uncomfortable reminder of the fascination that items associated with Hitler and the Third Reich continue to exert.

40 As has been seen, the car was acquired in an earlier more free-wheeling and opportunistic era in the history of museum collecting. It probably would not be acquired today, when much more tightly focused collecting policies are the rule. The specific mandate of the CWM, of course, is Canadian military history, with which Hitler's car has only a minimal association. The car can in ways be seen as a testament to the possible pitfalls inherent in displaying artifacts obtained under less focused circumstances, especially if, like Hitler's car, they have prominent and evocative associations with important historical developments that go beyond the specific thematic emphasis of the museum. If not handled carefully, they can draw unwanted attention, possibly at the expense of the museum's main message. The problem for the CWM, then, remains that of reconciling the car's undoubted visual impact and interest to visitors with the equally undoubted interpretative and pedagogical problems that its presence in the museum creates. It remains to be seen whether such reconciliation can be achieved.

NOTES:

1 Ludwig Kosche, "Story of a Car," After the Battle (1982): 1-13.

2 Ibid., 2

3 CWM Artifact File 19700158-001, R. J. Rumble, Rumble Pontiac Buick Ltd, Toronto, to L. F. Murray, CWM, 27 November 1969.

4 Kosche, "Story of a Car," 4.

5 Ibid., 5.

6 Ibid., 7-8.

7 Ibid., 9.

8 Ibid.,4-5.

9 See CWM Conservation File, Condition Report and Treatment Record, 12700158 Grosser Mercedes, Leslie Redman, 23 October 1996.

10 CWM Artifact File 19790158-001, R. J. Rumble to L. F. Murray, 27 November 1969.

11 Kosche, "Story of a Car," 9. Unfortunately, the letter where Rumble makes the claim about the eighteen layers of paint is missing from CWM files.

12 Ibid.

13 CWM Artifact File, 19700158-001, Lee Murray to Dr W. E. Taylor, re Field Marshal Goering's Staff Car, 3 November 1969

14 For more on this era in the history of CWM collecting see Cameron Pulsifer, "The Canadian War Museum: Past, Present, and Future?", 20 March 1998, unpublished manuscript on file, CWM.

15 Ibid., Claude Pratte to R. V. Manning, CWM, 10 November 1969.

16 Ibid., L. F. Murray to Rumble Motors, Toronto, 14 November 1969.

17 Ibid., R. J. Rumble to L. F. Murray, 27 November 1969.

18 Ibid., L. F. Murray to R. J. Rumble, 2 December 1969; Canadian War Museum to Daimler Benz, Stuttgart, Cablegram, 2 December 1969.

19 Ibid., L. F. Murray to Claude Pratte, 29 January 1970.

20 Ibid., L. F. Murray to His Excellency Dr J. F. Ritter, Ambassador of Germany, 11 February 1970.

21 Ibid., G. E. Stamp. Col. Air, Military and Naval Attaché, German Embassy, Ottawa, to Canadian War Museum, 12 June 1970.

22 Ibid., E. A. Jurist, Vintage Car Store Inc., to L. F. Murray, 17 February 1970.

23 Ibid., C. Pratte to C. J. Mackenzie, Secretary General, National Museums, 25 May 1970; on its being displayed as "Hitler's Car" see Kosche, "Story of a Car," 10.

24 CWM Artifact File 19700158-001, "Goering's Staff Car," caption, 1970-1980.

25 Ibid., Collett Calverley to The Curator, Canadian War Museum, 14 September 1971.

26 Ibid., Ralph Manning to Lee Murray, re The "Goering" Car, 17 September 1971; Murray to Manning, 19 September 1971.

27 "Hermann Goering's Mercedes Benz," After the Battle, no. 5 (February 1974): 52-53.

28 CWM Artifact File, 19700158-001, V. Suthren to B. Pothier, 1 November 1979.

29 Ibid., German Staff Car, 1940-1945, caption.

30 Ibid., Ralph Manning to Bernard Pothier, 11 January 1980.

31 Ibid., Ralph Manning to Lee Murray, 27 November 1979.

32 Ibid., see esp. facing p. 1 for photograph, and p. 3.

33 Ibid., 4.

34 CWM Conservation File, Condition Rep[ort] and Treatment Proposal, 19700158-001, Daimler Benz AG, Helen Holt, no date (treatment still underway).

35 Ibid., 6-7.

36 "Picasso on the Side," Globe and Mail, 15 April 1998.

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the-busy-ghost · 3 years

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Lords and Lairds and Ladles

And while I’m on the subject of names and titles, it’s worth pointing out another easily mixed up custom that prevailed until at least the end of the sixteenth century (and probably later, it’s not my specialty).

If you were a nobleman whose surname happened to be ‘Kennedy’ or ‘Douglas’ or ‘Gordon’, that does not mean that you would necessarily be referred to as Lord Kennedy or Lord Douglas or Lord Gordon. Those are very specific titles which belong to specific members of those families.

You MIGHT be referred to as ‘my lord’ as like an honorific, if you were a nobleman or a bishop or an abbot- for example, ‘my lord of Aberdeen’ would be the bishop of Aberdeen while ‘my lord of Murray’ could be either the bishop of Moray (most likely) or the earl of Moray (less likely, but still happened) or, very rarely, a nobleman with the surname Murray. However none of these people would hold the official title ‘Lord Aberdeen’ or ‘Lord Murray’, nor should they be referred to as such.

Sometimes contemporary sources do make mistakes- in particular English diplomats often got mixed up when referring to Scottish nobles, and they might, for example, refer to any male member Kennedy family as ‘Lord Kennedy’, even if they didn’t mean the person who actually held that title. But it does not seem to have been common practice back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and it certainly isn’t correct to refer to sixteenth century noblemen who didn’t hold a lordship of parliament using those titles in modern historical writing.

I am not au fait with English titles, but it seems that, nowadays, historians generally use the title ‘lord’ much more flexible- I have seen multiple members of the Howard family, alive at the same time, referred to as ‘Lord Howard’ in secondary sources. Whether that was actually the custom in the 16th century I don’t know, but certainly nobody seems to bat an eyelid now.

But as a general (flexible) rule, Lord Hamilton is the man who has been specifically granted the title, not just any nobleman with the surname Hamilton. In 1503, Lord Drummond refers usually to John, 1st Lord Drummond, not any of his sons, and not one of the lairds of Innerpeffray who also bore the surname Drummond. There is a level in the Scottish peerage known as being a ‘lord of parliament’ and these lordships of parliament are an important concept, if sometimes complex.

This is also why laird and lord are not exact synonyms. Yes laird initially stems from the concept of being someone’s lord, and most lords of parliament were also lairds (as were earls and dukes). Sometimes in poetry and prose you will find lord spelt like laird. But in a strict sense, lairds are a lower level of the nobility than the men called ‘Lord’- although lots of lairds, especially those employed at the royal court, could be influential too.

But when speaking plainly Lord Hume does not usually mean the same thing as ‘Laird Hume’. For example Alexander Hume, 3rd Lord Hume, who got his head cut off in 1516 was ‘Lord Hume’- he held the lordship of parliament and, though some might have disagreed, he would probably be thought of as representing the senior line of the family. Several of his kinsmen who bore the surname Hume were lairds though, such as the laird of Cowdenknowes and the laird of Wedderburn. Technically, Lord Hume was a laird too, in the explicit sense of someone who holds lordship over others. But a laird tended to be an ill-defined and lower level of lordship. Calling Lord Hume ‘Laird Hume’ would be like referring to the Duke of York solely by his knightly title Sir Edmund of Langley- he was both, but one of those is his highest title and the other is merely a subsidiary extra.

Hence how James Hamilton, 6th Laird of Cadzow is created, in 1445, James, 1st Lord Hamilton. His son was later created Earl of Arran in 1503. But while the Hamiltons were an important, large, and influential kindred, this did not mean that other male members of the family were Lord Hamilton. Sometimes they might be Lord Hamilton of XXX (a location) or given another title altogether like Lord Paisley (for Claud Hamilton, third son of the 2nd Earl, in 1587).

Alternatively Alexander Gordon, 2nd Lord Gordon, was made Earl of Huntly in 1457. In the sixteenth century we often find the eldest legitimate sons and heirs of the Earls of Huntly bearing the title Lord Gordon. Alternatively, they could be known as the ‘Master’ of Huntly, a common term indicating that the holder was the heir to the estate. But younger sons were not generally referred to as ‘Lord Gordon’ unless they had been granted possession of that lordship by the Earl of Huntly or someone with equal authority- for example, if they were the heir apparent while their older brother was childless. Otherwise they were usually just ‘my lord James Gordon’, or ‘Sir Adam Gordon of Auchindoun’ or ‘Alexander Gordon, the Laird of Lochinver’.

As for their ladies, both lords and lairds’ wives might be referred to as lady, but in slightly different ways. So, had she not already borne a title from her first marriage (Countess of Bothwell), the wife of Alexander, 3rd Lord Hume would have been “Agnes Stewart, Lady Hume”. However the wife of Lord Hume’s distant kinsman David Hume of Wedderburn would be “Alison Douglas, the Lady of Wedderburn”, and the wife of the laird of Cowdenknowes would be perhaps “[Dame] Elizabeth Stewart, [the] Lady [of] Cowdenknowes”. Obviously full names were not always given, and bits and pieces get added and taken away, this was just to give a rough idea.

DAUGHTERS on the other hand are never Lady Hume or Lady Elphinstone, unless they inherited the lordship. Lord Erskine’s wife is Lady Erskine, but his daughters are not all Lady Erskine as well, though they might become ladies of their husband’s title- Margaret Erskine, Lady of Lochleven because she married the laird (not lord) of Lochleven. Though their first name might be put in there to make it easier- Lady/Mistress Barbara Hamilton for example, who then becomes ‘Dame Barbara Hamilton, Lady Gordon’ or Lady Janet Stewart/Mistress Stewart who becomes ‘Dame Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming’ but never just Lady Stewart.

The way people are ‘referred’ to in sources from sixteenth century Scotland is very fluid and flexible (and it doesn’t help that a lot of sources are from English or French writers who didn’t know the difference anyway). But from a modern perspective there are just certain unwritten rules. They’re generally easier to pick up naturally through reading primary and secondary sources than to explain exactly. The concept of a ‘laird’ is often confusing and ill-defined, but a lordship of parliament on the other hand meant something. Lord Crichton was not the same as Lord Crichton of Sanquhar, and certainly not the same as any number of lairds or younger sons who had the surname Crichton but held lands that weren’t associated with the lordship of parliament. Lord Lindsay of Crawford referred to the men who became earls of Crawford, but there was also Lord Lindsay of the Byres, and then a bunch of lairds and knights like Sir David Lindsay of the Mount who shouldn’t strictly be called ‘Lord Lindsay’. Stewart of Innermeath, Stewart of Darnley (later son of the earl of Lennox) and Stewart of Ochiltree all held lordships of parliament, but usually they would be referred to as Lord Innermeath, Lord Darnley, and Lord Ochiltree, even if theoretically they were all Lords Stewart. Then there’s a whole host of minor branches of the Stewart family whose heads can loosely be described as lairds, not lords. And in the plural, for example when referring to the political community, people usually refer to the Scots lords (as in the ‘lords of the parliament’ or ‘lords of the council’) not the Scottish lairds.

And then of course churchmen come along and mess everything up even further, but we won’t get into that.

#It's messy and much easier to just Get once you've done a bit of reading and absorbed the info by osmosis #This is not strictly in line with strict heraldic titles of the 21st century #But if I see one more butchered title in a popular novel or history book I will scream #That being said I know it's a pain so I can answer questions if anybody has any #Can't promise I'll always be 100% correct but there's a good chance

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alexriehman · 4 years

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Trip to Bridgeport

In the second week of Chicago excursions I was assigned to explore the neighborhood of Bridgeport. Bridgeport is located in the city’s south side, the neighborhood is confined to the north by the south branch of the Chicago river stretching south to Pershing Road. Laterally the neighborhood spans from the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in the east, to Bubbly Creek in the west. Bridgeport possesses the title as the oldest neighborhood in the city of Chicago, officially becoming Bridgeport Township in 1863. The history of Bridgeport and what survives today projects different stories about the neighborhood. Originally an Irish enclave of industry, Bridgeport today is ethnically diverse with many varying socioeconomic levels residing in the neighborhood.

Map of Bridgeport

Industry began to boom in Bridgeport around 1830 when Stearns’ Quarry established a limestone quarry, dynamiting in the neighborhood until 1969 (Bloom, 2020). Industrialization swallowed the area, by 1905 the first privately owned and managed industrial park was established, called the Central Manufacturing District. The owners of the park invested into the neighborhood, building roads, public emergency services, a bank, and even leisure businesses. The demographic composed today in Bridgeport one will find around two of five residents being Asian, and one of five residents being of Hispanic dissent (Statistical Atlas, 2020). Immigrants from the old world flooded Bridgeport in aims for a working job. The Irish flooded the neighborhood first, soon to follow were northern and eastern European immigrants. Important to the neighborhood during the beginning of the 20th century was the railroad construction nearby (Bloom, 2020). Many of the workers who recently migrated were Mexican, who established homes in the neighborhood (Bloom, 2020). The remainder of the 20th century and leading to modern day, Bridgeport witnessed many Asian immigrants moving to the area. Being within close proximity to the city’s long-standing, well-established Chinatown district. Also residing near the historic district of Bronzeville, the population consists of African American and Hispanic dwellers.

What was once a booming sector of industry, today Bridgeport is now a cultural center for art and diversity. The neighborhood although slightly large on scale, is entitled to a strong sense of community. This strong sense of community may be one such production of the deeply rooted religious structures seen very visibly throughout the neighborhood. Apparent to the neighborhood is its nonsecular nature, with many ornate and magnificent churches. Also clearly apparent in Bridgeport, is the neighborhood’s lust for art, specifically modern, urban art; two art centers stand just a stone’s throw apart from one another. To note as well is the neighborhood repurposing efforts to transition areas of industry into public spaces. Many parks are scattered throughout Bridgeport today. On my visit to the neighborhood I was able to explore one of these parks, also I witnessed a few churches, and was able to tour the neighborhood’s art center.

During the Friday excursion of the neighborhood, I began my day at the Bridgeport Art Center. The art center is located on 35th Street, at 1200 West 35th Street, in the central manufacturing district; once the location for the Spiegel Catalog warehouse. Established in 2001, the Bridgeport Art Center is focused to continuously serve as a resource for creative minds, and to be the beacon for the innovating Chicago art scene (Bridgeport Art Center, 2020). The art center is home to numerous artists, designers, and working professionals. Incredibly, I was fortunate enough and one of the first to attend the art center on the same day of its 4th Floor Gallery opening reception. The gallery’s newest theme entitled ‘Where’s the Revolution,’ is an exhibition featuring political art expressing varying points of view of global politics and social justice standards (Bridgeport Art Center, 2020). The exhibits displayed depict themes current to modern issues in America. At the forefront of the exhibits were criticisms of the current presidency, as well as the extremely salient movement of Black Lives Matter. In one work the artist depicts the final words of George Floyd, “I can’t breathe.” The artistic piece utilizes yarn on canvas to depict the final words, in the artist’s own words, “lives holding by a thread.” Many of the artistic works also present an underlying theme of police brutality targeted against racial minorities.

I Can’t Breathe by Pinar Aral

Floyd by Victoria Goite

Although the 4th Floor Gallery was fascinating to explore and witness, I was able to meet and discuss with internationally acclaimed Italian sculptor, Virginio Ferrari. During my walkthrough of the 4th Floor Gallery I was confronted by a waste management consultant who worked in the building. He thought it would be an advantageous opportunity to meet and have a dialogue with Ferrari. I agreed to his opportunity and he escorted me to Ferrari’s work space in the basement of the building.

Virginio Ferrari’s Workshop in Bridgeport Art Center

I had the ability to have a personal tour of Ferrari’s shop by the man himself. He discussed his life story and beginnings of his artistic career. Mentored by his father and grandfather in the trade of stone cutting, Ferrari learned respect for the craft, and has continued his family’s legacy since. Ferrari is an immigrant of Italy who migrated to Chicago in the 1960s. After his migration to Chicago, Ferrari would serve for one decade as the Assistant Professor of Art and Sculptor in Residence, at the prestigious University of Chicago (Ferrari, 2020). Ferrari has thirty monumental pieces alone in Chicago, and other works can be witnessed all over the world, with sculptures located in Europe, Asia, and throughout the continental United States. Some of his most notable works found in Chicago include the Being Born exhibition near the Ohio Feeder Ramp in Riverside North, as well as the controversial exhibit Dialogo, which casts a shadow annually on May Day that depicts the Communist sickle and hammer (Ferrari, 2020). Even at the age of eighty-three year, Ferrari is still active with his craftsmanship, constantly creating new sculptures in his Bridgeport workspace.

Being Born by Virginio Ferrari

Although the opportunity to meet the world renowned sculptor, Virginio Ferrari, was incredibly exciting, there was still more to see of the neighborhood. After my visit to the Bridgeport Art Center, I continued my morning walkthrough of Bridgeport by viewing a couple of churches located in near proximity. The first church I was able to visit was the Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary of Perpetual Help. This church has been standing in Bridgeport since 1882 (St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church, 2020). Its establishment was influenced by the growing Polish immigrant population in the area. It served as a community home for these Polish immigrants, and still serves today as the parish for the Catholic girl high school, De La Salle Institute. The building itself is magnificent with elaborate towers and a colossal dome, with intricate detailing found all over the building.

St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church, 1039 West 32nd Street

After my walk by the St. Mary Church, I was able to see the Monastery of the Holy Cross. This monastery was established a century later than the previous parish discussed, in 1988. Although the monastery was established in 1988, the building in which the monastery resides was once the home of a Polish parish, the Immaculate Conception Church (Monastery of the Holy Cross, 2020). The Monastery of the Holy Cross was founded by three missionary priests who sought out to combat the challenges of evangelization in the modern world (Monastery of the Holy Cross, 2020). The priest's mission was evangelization of the modern ‘desert’ of the city, which faces issues of violence, alienation, and spiritual poverty (Monastery of the Holy Cross, 2020). To comment on the building, the monastery is found at the location of the former Immaculate Conception church. The building although simple in design, with a only singular vertical turret attached, is known for its beauty. The sheer height of the tower was quite remarkable to witness in person.

Monastery of the Holy Cross, 3111 South Aberdeen Street

As the end of my trip neared, I decided to visit one of the local parks in the neighborhood. Located at 2700 South Halsted Street, in the heart of the Bridgeport neighborhood, I was able to visit the Palmisano Park and Quarry. Prior to the park, the area was most well known for the Stearns’ Quarry, in which massive amounts of limestone were extracted from the earth. This twenty-six acre site offers a bountiful amount of activities for visitors to enjoy. The park includes a fishing pond, interpretive wetlands, preserved quarry walls, trails, an athletic field, a running track, and over one and a half miles of walking trails (Chicago Park District, 2020). The park itself was gorgeous to walk around. It provided an incredible view of the Chicago skyline, and most notably preserves the land of the neighborhood. This park was very refreshing to experience. Being in the city can be overwhelming with the lack of green space, but the Palmisano Park adds a much needed escape from the urban environment. It is hard to imagine, but the natural landscape of Chicago is composed of a marsh, and this is made very apparent through the park. Tall grasses and a pond were just two obvious features of the park displaying marsh characteristics. It was a pleasant surprise to discover this park. Even though I have been living in the area for two years now, it was exciting to explore a new green space in close relation to my university.

View of Chicago Skyline from Palmisano Park

Fishing Pond at Palmisano Park

Looking back on my trip to Bridgeport, the neighborhood is a multicultural enclave in a new emerging art scene. The oldest neighborhood of the city of Chicago surprised me with its numerous cultural identities. Initially founded by mainly Irish immigrants, the neighborhood has transformed its identity through the inclusion of other minorities. Immigrants from Mexico and Asia have built a new home for themselves in the neighborhood. The city in its past has been considered segregated, but this was not the impression I felt during my visit to the neighborhood. Bridgeport if anything, is a hub of acceptance and integration, consisting of many varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Made apparent by the religious institutions littered around the neighborhood, Bridgeport is a melting pot of culture, history, and art. Some individuals debate whether or not Bridgeport is the next ‘hipster’ neighborhood. I think that Bridgeport has the potential to grow to be this hipster hub. With two art centers already established in the neighborhood, along with a collection of unique restaurants, and public spaces for neighborhood residents to enjoy; Bridgeport, although the oldest neighborhood, is still transforming and staying up-to-date with cultural and social activities. I would recommend any visitor of Chicago to explore Bridgeport. As illustrated previously throughout this post, the neighborhood is compiled of varying commercial, religious, residential, and public spaces. Also home to the Chicago White Sox, the neighborhood offers plenty of activities for visitors to expierence. Bridgeport is a neighborhood of detailed and extensive history, but it is still transforming to serve the needs of its people.

Sources

Bloom, J. G. (2012). Images of America: Bridgeport. Retrieved September 25,2020, from https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bridgeport/JpjWCdLKyzEC?hl=en

Bridgeport Art Center. (2020). 4th Floor Gallery. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://bridgeportart.com/

Ferrari, M. G. (2020, September 02). Virginio Ferrari Foundation. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://virginioferrarifoundation.org/

St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church. (2020). History. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from http://www.stmaryofperpetualhelp.com/p/history-of-our-church.html

Monastery of the Holy Cross. (2020). Our History. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://chicagomonk.org/about-us/our-history/

Chicago Park District. (2020). Palmisano Park. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/palmisano-henry-park

Statistical Atlas. (2020). Race and Ethnicity in Bridgeport, Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved September 25, 2020 from https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Illinois/Chicago/Bridgeport/Race-and-Ethnicity

Photos

All of the photos illustrated throughout the blog were taken by me except for the following images:

Map of Bridgeport:

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bridgeport/JpjWCdLKyzEC?hl=en

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