Historic Van Wert Church and Antiquing

This is the historic Van Wert Church and Cemetery in Rockmart.  Built in 1846 by some of the first white settlers in this part of the country, the building and grounds are being lovingly restored by a dedicated group of volunteers from the Euharlee Valley Historical Society.  The dedication ceremony will be October 9, and it's going to be a really big deal.  There are many civil war soldiers buried here, most of whom probably fell during a local battle.

My morning had a strange start.  I had agreed to meet some folks in Rockmart at 9am.  I got up at 6,  had some coffee and fooled with the computer a bit, then went outside to do one garden chore.  Well, that one chore led to more, and before I knew it I'd put new grass clippings into the new raised bed and forked it all under, plus put some of the grass clippings around my young seedlings for mulch.  Our weather is due to take a turn toward the more seasonal starting later today, with thunderstorms and cooler temps for the next few days. Good time to take care of things like this.

So, with that finished I went inside for breakfast and my eye caught the clock: 8:40.  And I'm due in Rockmart about 20-25 minutes away.  A quick glass of milk, teeth brushed, clothes changed, and I was out the door.  Didn't spend much time at the cemetery because the person who was the purpose of the gathering did not show up.  No biggie.  I really only went because I'd said I would. 

I didn't get all the text or any of the map in, but I wanted to be sure it was readable. 

I absolutely love what they've done with the interior.  Much of it is original -- as much as was salvageable.  The ceiling boards are new, but match the wall boards really well, except that they're not tongue-and-groove like the originals.  This sea-green color is fabulous -- very serene, to me.

Many of the graves are unmarked, others have stones that are unreadable.  Many of the stones are made of native slate, as are some of the walls.

I never knew there was a local slate industry in this county, but apparently at one time it was quite large.

One of the soldiers mentioned in the historical plaque.

I loved this one -- my bet is on Welsh as the language here.  Owen Hughes died here in 1860, is about all I can get from it.

Owen was next to these Griffiths, who were from Wales.  I can't help but wonder if I'm related to these, although I think my Griffiths were in the area earlier than these folks.

So, after I left the church I was off to Carlton Farms for milk and eggs, then on down the road towards Douglasville, which sits east of here straddling I-20, about halfway to Atlanta.  I took backroads, of course, since I was starting from Rockmart. I went in search of a Petco, which according to their website had a plain, covered cat litter box.  The town has a PetSmart, too, but theirs were all fancier. Nothing of the kind was to be found locally.  Found what I wanted, decided to hit a nearby Lowes for some Black Kow manure, then stopped for lunch, since I hadn't had breakfast.  Homeward bound on I-20 west, I spotted an 'antiques' sign as I turned off the interstate onto Hwy 27 towards home.  I remembered that there was supposed to be an antiques place here I wanted to visit, so I followed the signs and found an absolutely wonderful place, filled with all kinds of things I'd love to have brought home with me.  Prices were reasonable, too.

I loved this tall table, which would be perfect in my kitchen.  Very tempted -- but I kept reminding myself that I have to spend money on the necessary right now, not on 'wants'.

Loved these, too.  Anybody know or remember what the bucket was for?  If you didn't go cane pole fishing in the deep south many decades ago, you probably have no idea.  Actually, they're probably still in use in some form.  It's a minnow bucket -- you'd stop at the bait shop, buy a bunch of minnows for bait, toss 'em in here and come home with some big fish.  Bass, maybe?  Don't remember that much.  Loved the old wooden keg, too.

Now this had some serious lust attached to it.  I really want a hoosier cabinet for my kitchen, and this one is great.  Worn, but not too worn.  Has the original flour sifter and everything else it's supposed to have.  I remember my grandmother using one of these.  Every baked good -- biscuits, cakes, whatever -- started with a bowl under that sifter getting the flour out.  Looks like the roll-up door works, too, although I didn't move stuff to find out.  Serious, serious case of 'I want'.

Another old cabinet that called to me. Tall and narrow and really nicely worn.  But sturdy. It would be great in my bathroom.

I saw more than one of this general style and color. Who needs modern, cheap IKEA cabinets when I can get stuff like this that has so much character?  And isn't all that expensive.  I came away empty-handed today, but you can be certain I'll be going back to this place, when I have $$ to spend.

Back home once more I added two bags of topsoil and the two bags of manure to the new raised bed and mixed it all together well with my hands.  I love digging in the dirt with my hands, haven't done it for awhile since I've been so focused on windows, so it felt good all around.  Then, since rain and cooler weather are at hand, I went ahead and seeded it with the clover cover crop and some dried molasses.

That's been my rather busy day and it's been fun.  Nice to get out of the everyday rut and do something different.  I have one more coat of paint on the window before it's ready to install, but I can do that tomorrow and it'll have plenty of time to dry before John, my new handyman partner, shows up next week.