The Artist s Almanac October 2011

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Randolph Carter
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1 The Artist s Almanac October 2011 Every country where the sun shines and every district in it, has a theme of its own. The lights, the atmosphere, the aspect, the spirit, are all different; But each has its native charm. - Winston Churchill Painting As A Pastime October light is splendid the best of the year. The trees are golden and red and opening views of the sky as their leaves flutter to the ground. October sharpens our vision of reality, with its final burst of glory before the dark sets in. We literally see things in a new light, in which the landscape painter pierces to the very essence of things. Our modern secular world does not believe in such, dismissing it as the pathetic fallacy, a term coined by the artist and critic, John Ruskin. Pathetic is not a derogatory term here, but refers to pathos, and to the theory of things having feelings, Every sensitive artist and writer uses it to illustrate, and even scientists say things like nature abhors a vacuum, when we know nature feels nothing. Yet the tradition has a long and noble history from the dawn of time, through the Greeks, Romans and Indian Tribes, to today. We know better, yet fiction uses it freely, as in the Harry Potter books and in The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, and The Witch and the Wardrobe. While I am not a believer in such, it is useful to all of us as simile, metaphor and in depiction of things, without which our language and art would be barren. I do recognize the spirit of place what the Romans called genius loci. Who has stood above the Grand Canyon and not felt awe at the mystery of time unfolding before his very eyes. Who has viewed the mist hanging in the coves of the Great Smoky Mountains and not sensed their timeless beauty and reflected upon the spirits the ancient Cherokee saw up there. Cataloochee Bill Puryear, Artist

There are certain places, like certain people, We know that we have known always; Even at our very first encounter, We speak as familiar friends Buildings, too,

I have felt it in an ancient Shinto temple in Japan, visited the Spanish missions in the Southwest and experienced the palpable reality of the Priests teaching

2 There are certain places, like certain people, We know that we have known always; Even at our very first encounter, We speak as familiar friends Buildings, too, may be evocative. I have felt it in an ancient Shinto temple in Japan, visited the Spanish missions in the Southwest and experienced the palpable reality of the Priests teaching the Indians. Mission San Juan Capistrano Bill Puryear, Artist And who has stood in a country church yard and not thought of their ancestors, who literally inhabit their bodies today with their DNA and genes and their very spirits with the values learned from them. Communion of the Saints Bill Puryear, Artist

Wikipedia says spirit of place refers to the unique, distinctive and cherished aspects of a place; often those celebrated by artists and writers, but also those cherished in folk tales, festivals and

3 Wikipedia says spirit of place refers to the unique, distinctive and cherished aspects of a place; often those celebrated by artists and writers, but also those cherished in folk tales, festivals and celebrations. It is thus as much in the invisible weave of culture, etc.) as it is in the physical aspects of a place (monuments, rivers, woods, architecture, pathways, views and so on.) But the spirit of place is fragile and can be destroyed, paved over, burnt down, defaced by poor planning and codes, or bulldozed by developers, replaced by shopping centers and rows of identical homes. Exactly this is what is currently being proposed for what is one of the most beautiful spots in Tennessee Castalian Springs, in Sumner County, or as the old folks always referred to it, The Lick, for Bledsoe s Lick. Here the prehistoric stone age peoples raised their temple mounds and traded with the Mayans. Painting by Greg Harlin, from the Frank H. McClung Museum, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Once this civilization mysteriously disappeared, the buffalo herds swarmed here to lick the nutritious salt from the springs, and the longhunters and French Voyager followed, until the buffalo were all slaughtered.

4 Castalian Springs has been inhabited for more than 32 centuries, first by Stone Age Indians, then by the Cherokee and wandering hunting tribes. The first white settlers came down through Kentucky in 1770, to hunt, plant corn and build cabins. Then in 1788 a direct road was opened across the Cumberland Mountains, halving the distance for immigrants from the 13 seaboard states to the west, to Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and into President Thomas Jefferson s Louisiana Purchase. This became America s Thoroughfare for Freedom, and as many as 60,000 settlers poured through it each year. Along came Andrew Jackson, who dominated US history for a half century, and the soon-to-be King of France, Louis Phillipe. This road passed through the middle of Castalian Springs and Bledsoe s Fort was the first place of refuge for foot weary travelers as they entered Middle Tennessee. Later a log inn was built along this highway which became a refuge for weary travelers and a resort for the people.

5 Iris and Roses in Garden at Wynnewood David Wright - Artist Now this oasis of peace is threatened. The October issue of The Courier of the Tennessee Historical Society tells the story: And now, the story really begins: Castalian Springs vs. Hoover, Inc. Word about a proposed rock quarry project in Castalian Springs seemed incredulous at first, spreading rather quickly in search of the truth. Confirmation of a land transaction surfaced bit by bit until it was increasingly clear. Hoover, Inc., purchased more than 350 acres of prime farmland and a few residential tracts under the guise of Western Farm Products, LLC a rather innocuous name. Was their intent, however, to farm the land? Combined with a rock crushing plant, asphalt plant, and a concrete plant, a quarry would have a devastating effect on historic Castalian Springs. To complicate matters more, they bought the land from a well-known local land preservation activist, who was devastated when the anonymous buyer s plans were revealed. Appalled residents and alarmed historic preservationists alike bolted into action. Their homes, their community, and their historic sense of place were threatened. Places at risk included State-owned properties including National Historic Landmark Wynnewood, c. 1828; Hawthorne Hill, c. 1800, birthplace of former Tennessee Governor William B. Bate; Cragfont, c.1798 home of Memphis founder James Winchester and the Cheskiki Native American Mounds, a village site that reached its zenith during the Mississippian Period. Sumner County owns Bledsoe Fort Historical Park, which has numerous historic resources including the archaeological remains of Bledsoe s Fort. Bledsoe Creek State Park is also nearby and could see an impact from its proximity to the quarry.

6 When Hoover, Inc., came knocking on history s door, the community rallied: fiery red t-shirts emblazoned with Crush the Quarry became the new uniform, the Save Castalian Springs blog served as an efficient communication tool, and media outlets sounded the alarm across middle Tennessee. Securing legal representation, the community approached the matter at hand with the grave seriousness it deserved. (My friend and resident, Tom Neal, organized this.) In July Representatives from Hoover, Inc., cordially presented their plans to a standing room only crowd, followed by a question and answer session. The company was not asking for zoning Change, but rather an exceptional use of R1-A, which they claimed quarrying rock could be deemed agricultural. Going into the zoning hearing, the Castalian Springs coalition had the support of the staff and members of the Tennessee Historical Commission, which had passed a resolution against the quarry. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Tennessee Preservation Trust also registered opposition to the quarry. During the hearing, key people including State Rep. Mike McDonald denounced the appropriateness of approving the request. I (the writer of the article) spoke briefly on the historic value of the area as did executive director Patrick McIntyre. I implored the zoning commission to choose wisely, giving them the choice of economic benefits generated from tourism or the promises offered by the corporation. Many Speakers received accolades from the crowd, including State Historian Walter Durham, but the real standing ovation went to Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt, who announced he would fight this all the way. After a few minutes of discussion, the zoning commission resoundingly and unanimously told Hoover, Inc., No. Since that evening, Mr. Holt and Sumner County staff have been working toward creating a historic district overlay intended to protect middle Tennessee s Cradle of History. In the meantime, Hoover has filed a lawsuit in chancery court. How this one will end no one knows. To turn off highway 25 into the old road and enter Castalian Springs is to enter a peaceful time warp. This will change with the fumes, dust, noise, heavy truck traffic, and blasting associated with a rock quarry, crusher, and concrete and asphalt plant. The entire Cumberland valley overlays limestone deposits; but there is only one, precious, unique place called Castalian Springs. History is not just some abstraction: history is who we are. If this is allowed to proceed, we may find it is not just the Spirit of Place that is killed, but, to a grievous extent, our own. ****************************************************************************** Recent and Upcoming Events Click here to listen to my Word on Words interview with John Seigenthaler where we review Thoroughfare For Freedom. The broadcast originally aired 10:30 AM Sunday Sept 25th on WNPT, Channel 8. (The interview MP3 is approximate 9MB. Please be patient while it loads.) See the November issue The Tennessee Magazine mailed free to 500,000 customers of Tennessee Electrical Cooperatives, or pick up a free copy at your local Electric Co-op office the first week of November.

Missouri. Copyright 2010 LessonSnips

Missouri. Copyright 2010 LessonSnips Missouri Missouri is located in the Midwest, surrounded by the states of Iowa to the north; Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma to the west; Arkansas to the south; and Illinois and Kentucky to the east. The