January 29, 2010: Today my friend Reuben Perdue of radio station WAJR-FM did his first “Reuben on the Road” broadcast and it was in Weston. I went to be in the audience. It was an informative trip for me. Reuben interviewed the Mayor of Weston and she talked about the Glass Museum among other things. I had forgotten all about it! Gillum House Bed & Breakfast will have brochures about the Glass Museum here for our guests very soon. Weston is a place on my routing for guests as part of a day trip. I also stopped in at Appalachian Glass to say hello and check on their glass blower’s schedule. The glass blower is there, plying his trade, 6 days a week – no Sunday unless it is the Hillbilly Rendezvous Sunday. I asked the young lady at the Lewis County CVB to send me some info about the next Hillbilly Rendezvous – and she did!! Appalachian Glass is located on US Rt 33 as you go in to Weston from I-79.
“One Sunday every month, Appalachian Glass in Weston opens its doors inviting musicians from around the area to come and play for visitors. Open to the public. There is no admission fee. A local nonprofit organization provides lunch for a small fee. During the event donations are collected and given to a local individual or nonprofit organization in need. The next Hillbilly Rendezvous is scheduled for February 14, 2010. Call Chip at 304-269-1030 or WHAW Radio Station at 304-269-5555 for more information. “
January 20, 2010: Tired of being in the house? Want to learn something new? Well Shinnston is the place to do just that!
Lowe Public Library is offering basic knitting classes Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM. Bring a pair of #7 or #8 knitting needles and a skein of yarn. No prior knitting knowledge needed and you can join in at any point. This is a free class. Kathleen Panek of Gillum House Bed & Breakfast is leading the class.
Melissa of Home Style has set up some craft classes for those who want to learn to make specific items. This sounds like a lot of fun! Melissa says, “The January project is a snowman family trio. There’s a dad, mom and son in “The Blizzards”. I’ve got a picture of them on my site, Home Style. The February project is a trio of hearts in honor of Valentine’s Day. The hearts are about 7″ tall, stuffed, and have a wire hanger. They each have a fabric banner pinned to them…one with”Love”, one with “Live”, and one with “Laugh”. These hearts can be hung up, displayed individually or gathered together in a basket. The March project is a basket full of prim eggs. The class will take a new basket and we’ll show them some techniques to make it look older and more primitive. We’ll also be making some really cute fabric covered eggs to put in the basket.”
January 13, 2010: Believe it or not, there are a few places other than Shinnston worthy of a visit. Yours truly of the Gillum House Bed & Breakfast just returned from a wonderful trip. I met up with a group of innkeeper friends for dinner at a restaurant in Warm Springs, Virginia called the Gristmill. The food was great and our waitress, Deborah, was GOOD. We had folks from West Virginia, Virginia, New Jersey, and Indiana. The next day, my friend from McDowell House Bed & Breakfast in Muncie, Indiana and I went to Rocky Mount, Virginia to visit our friends, the innkeepers at The Claiborne House. Claiborne House has 6 wonderful comfortable guestrooms with private baths. And the breakfasts are absolutely awesome – the coffee was excellent! Shellie can give you routings to so many interesting places and things to do. She told us about the Booker T Washington birthplace and the D-Day Memorial and being history buffs, Jane and I said, “Let’s go!”
There is a 15-minute movie about the life of Booker T Washington at the Visitors Center at the farm where he was born. In addition to the reconstructed cabin he was born in, there are farm animals, trails, and living history exhibits in season. It was cold so we did not explore as much as we would have liked. From there we went to the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. This memorial is a wonderful, moving tribute and time-line of D-Day and the valiant soldiers who died there. Why Bedford, Virginia? No other city in the United States gave more of her sons (proportionately) to their Country. Of a city with a population of about 3200, 30 “Bedford Boys” went ashore on Omaha Beach, 19 died, and may more were wounded. The admission was $5. It is a place every American should visit. Most of us will never get to Omaha Beach to see for ourselves what those soldiers did or to understand what they went through. With gardens and symbolism and statues and monuments, those who fell that day – ALL of the Allies – are honored and named at this monument.
Claiborne House is near the beginning of the Crooked Road, a music trail, and there many other interesting things to see and do. We totally enjoyed the Red Clay Restaurant just down the block. See Shellie’s Blog Coffee Talk for more information about her area.
December 22, 2009: We got hit with a lot of snow December 18 & 19, somewhere between 15 and 18 inches, but the streets of Shinnston were clear for traffic Saturday. Public Works started plowing Friday and kept up with the snow all day Saturday. At 11 PM Saturday night they were loading that plowed snow into the City dump truck and taking it to an area of City property where it will not cause a problem. Sunday morning they were clearing snow away from the Volunteer Fire Department, Library, and Police Station. The Public Works employees of the City of Shinnston are to be commended. We are fortunate to have such dedicated workers.
Meanwhile we have enough snow on the rail-trail for cross-country skiing. And anyone booking in to the Gillum house Bed & Breakfast for 2-consecutive nights in the month of January will receive a bonus of $20 in Jimmy’s Diner Dollars (available only at the Gillum House Bed & Breakfast). Come visit our Winter Wonderland – the covered bridges and winery are open……
December 19, 2009: Cross-country skiing anyone? We are having one of our rare “big” snows! We actually have enough snow on the trail for cross-country skiing! And the span is in, with railings, across the washout. It is supposed to snow into Sunday with snow showers after that! We may have our first White Christmas in a while. So come on down to the Gillum House Bed & Breakfast for Christmas. The “guest’s” tree is decorated upstairs and any guests in-house are invited to join with our friends and ourselves for Christmas dinner as friends do (meaning as our guests). Here is a view from the deck at the kitchen door looking at the Library and from the front porch to the highway….
Looking across front yard
Looking toward US Rte 19 from front porch
December 18, 2009: Shinnston area’s Lincoln High School has one of two Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp Units in the State of West Virginia. In early December Commander Paul Kast took his team to the annual NJROTC Area 3 Rifle Meet at Camp Perry, Ohio. The team placed third, missing second place by only 9 points. One cadet on the team placed first in the Prone and Kneeling positions as well as first in Overall. (We would like to honor the team members by name and the young man who placed First, but are prevented from doing so by privacy regulations.)
Lincoln’s Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp Unit has had a rifle team since it’s inception in 1994. The team normally consists of 8-12 cadets and they compete in both postals (targets mailed in to be graded and scored against other participating units from around the nation) and rifle “Shoulder-to-Shoulder” meets from August to December every year. The team participates in Three-Position Shooting events using .177 caliber pellet guns in the “Sporter Division”. The local community supports the team in several ways: the local American Legion purchased additional rifles for use, the Lumberport Rifle & Pistol Club provides an indoor range facility for practice, and local resident John Panek of the Gillum House Bed & Breakfast coaches the cadets in the finer techniques of competitive shooting. Congratulations to Commander Kast and his rifle team!
December 6, 2009: Yesterday we had snow! Big fluffy flakes of snow created a blanket of white for our Christmas Parade and Concert. Thanks to the help of City workers “Elmo” and Dustin the Christmas tree at the junction of WV Rt 131 and US Rt 19 got its Christmas adornment. The festive baskets on the street corners were filled and hung with care by City Manager Debra Herndon. By 6 PM all was ready and the street was lined with people ready for the Parade. Afterward most people came to the Baptist Lighthouse for hot chocolate, coffee, and cookies before the Concert. At 7 PM Picture of Grace performed. At 7:30, Shinnston Community Band Conductor Mike Cale took to the podium to begin the 13th Annual Christmas Concert with Sleigh Ride. There were about 300 people in attendance – it was standing room only! The concert ended with everyone singing White Christmas before the Band sent the audience off with a rousing rendition of Up On a Housetop!. For those who missed this wonderful evening of music, there is one more opportunity on Sunday, December 13 in Morgantown at the Riverside Apostolic Church. The music begins at 6 PM.
November 22, 2009: It is a wonderfu day to be alive and in Shinnston. The sun is shining and a breeze that is great for laundry drying is wafting through the trees. It is one of those days that you sit back and say, “GOD is in his Heaven and all is right in my world.” The Revolutionary War period clothing will come downstairs today in preparation for our 18th Century Thanksgiving Package. One turkey is in the freezer and I will be getting the second one tomorrow (each family will have their own turkey) as well as the pork roast. The venison is in the freezer waiting to be thawed and cooked. Tuesday will be the veggie run for green beans to be snapped, potatoes and yams for baking, squash, salad fixings, and fruit for breakfasts. Just as Granny started preparing for Thanksgiving, Wednesday will be cranberry sauce making and pie baking. Oh it is such a wonderful day to be alive and planning for such a wonderful Holiday – a time to give thanks for our bounty. No matter what our circumstances may be, each and every one of us has much to be thankful for. I, personally, am thankful for being given the grace to know how much I have to be thankful for. To each person who reads this, I am thankful for you.
November 8, 2009:On Friday, November 6 I had the privilege to attend a West Virginia Humanities Program at the Bice-Ferguson Memorial Museum in Shinnston. The program was Becky Park portraying Colonel Ruby Bradley in the year 1958 shortly after she received her “Bird” Colonel rank. She was Colonel Bradley and it was 1958.
She spoke briefly about being born in 1907 and growing up in the country outside Spencer, West Virginia and loving school so much that after high school she saved and went to Glenville Normal School (now Glenville College) and then taught school for a couple years in the school she had attended. She then went to nursing school and in 1934 joined the Army and worked with her sister at Walter Reed Hospital. Longing for adventure, she transferred to the Philippines. Then she told of the bombing of her location in the Philippines, hiding from the Japanese, surrendering, and the Santo Tomas Internment Camp where she was a captive for over 3 years. You could feel the emotion of what she lived through and the liberation when it came. Then there was Korea. She said in the question period – as Col. Bradley – that she was in an Evacuation Hospital Unit for about 5 months and then became the Chief Nurse of the Korean Theater. When asked about after the Korean War ended, she said she was about to be stationed in Europe and was looking forward to seeing Farnce, Germany, and Italy.
Returning to Becky Park, we were told Col. Bradley retired from the Army in 1963 and returned to Spencer. In 2002, her caregiver was unable to continue and Col. Bradley moved to Kentucky to be cared for by a nephew and died shortly thereafter. She was buried with full miltary honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Becky Park had a few copies of the book We Band of Angels by Elizabeth M. Norman and I am now reading the story of the American nurses who were trapped on Bataan. All I can say is - it is gripping reading.
If you ever have an opportunity to attend one of the Humanities Programs go. It will be time well-spent. I cannot wait to find out who will be coming to Shinnston in 2010!
November 6, 2009: We have a new store in town. I stopped in this afternoon to welcome them to Shinnston. The new business is Home Style at 411 Pike Street and the phone number is 304-592-3443 and their hours are Wednesday 10 to 6 and Thursday thru Saturday 10 to 5. Melissa will be holding a Holiday Open House November 13 and 14.
They had a really neat chair I am considering getting for my porch. It is not a rocking chair but is really interesting. Lots of nice “country” décor items, wall hangings, crafts, etc. Stop in and tell Melissa hello.
October 17, 2009: There is joy in Mudville tonight – otherwise known as the Gillum House. A kind lady in Maryland saw a doll on eBay and in searching for info about the maker found our web site and sent me the link to the item. It is a wood carved doll made by my late Mother-in-law, Margaret Panek, that was signed and dated by her – 1966. We won the auction! Whoopee!!
October 17, 2009: November is a month that West Virginia honors Veterans. I received the following message from Maxine Weser, Director of the Bice-Ferguson Memorial Museum in Shinnston: On Friday November 6th, we will have a West Virginia Humanities program at 7 pm. The portrayal will be of Col. Ruby Bradley of Spencer, WV…the most decorated female soldier of WW II. Of course the Veterans Day parade will be at 11 am. The program at the Museum will begin at noon on November 11th.. We will honor all Veterans. The 2 honorees this year are Carl Junior Nuzum and Floyd Fullen. Refreshments are served at all programs.
A reminder to all those with a valid military ID that reservations are to be made at the individual bed & breakfasts (all of whom are members of the MountainState Association of Bed & Breakfasts) for a FREE night lodging with breaklfast the night of November 10, 2009. It is our way of saying Thank You for your service in a way that counts. The Gillum House wants our Veterans to be here in Shinnston when the avtivities start. All three of our rooms are available to a Veteran (or Active Duty).
October 13, 2009: In the 18th Century most cabins were one room with a loft for the children to sleep in and a fireplace on the back wall for cooking/warmth etc. The chimney was built outside the cabin because chimneys were prone to catching fire so were built to be knocked down away from the cabin. It was much easier to build a chimney than a cabin and to lose everything in that cabin would be devasting on the frontier. Levi Shinn, however, circa 1778, built not only a 2-story log house with 4 rooms but it also had 18th century central heat. His house had not one, but two fireplaces – back to back – with a stone chimney in the center of the house. The fires heated the stones and although it was not much heat, it was more than was found in most 2-story houses in that period. Come to the Gillum House and go see this wonderful piece of history. There is no admission charge – just a free-will donation.
One of the two fireplaces at the 1778 Shinn Log House.
Shinn descendents from California & Pennsylvania
- The Levi Shinn Log House framed by Fall leaves
October 12, 2009: Today some Shinn descendents visited Shinnston. The Gillum House is able to take our guests inside the log house that was built circa 1778. This is the original house on the original site. It is not a re-creation. It is estimated that 90% of the outside wall logs are original. This could be you coming back to visit history. Come back to where history has not been forgotten.
October 8, 2009: GOD and Nature are at the canvas again, giving us mere mortals fantastic beauty. The leaves are changing to their glorious finery. Today as we went to Clarksburg I noticed that some hills are 40 to 50% while there are others at 20%. I suggest planning the leaf peeping trips soon because the difference today from what it was Monday was dramatic! The oranges and reds are dotting the hillsides being framed by the yellows and greens around them for a more glorious effect.
If you enjoy photography or just like covered bridges, now is the time. Many of the covered bridges have a lovely backdrop of leaves. Oh the great photo op this time of year presents.
Although we have not had a frost yet, I have turned the furnace on some. Since we still have a chance of some really warm temps, the A/C units are still in place, but snuggle under the down-filled comforters (Harris Room is feather/down-free so that comforter is fiberfill) or set the thermostat for the electric baseboard heat in your room to your comfort zone.
Maria’s hills may have been alive with music, but Kathleen’s hills are alive with wonderful color. Do come see our beautiful West Virginia Hills.