May 31, 2010: We are blessed that the Gillum Family keeps in touch with us at Gillum House Bed & Breakfast. Last year, Troy and Anna’s great-granddaughter (grandson Michael’s daughter) Erica graduated from Veterinary School in the State of Washington.
Last week we received the announcement of Michael’s grandson Tyler’s graduation from Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. There are several things that make this a special event. Tyler’s Dad, Paul, will be at the graduation since he is home from Iraq. Paul Gillum followed in the footsteps of his Grandfather Paul and great-uncle Virgil as career military, except he is Army instead of Air Force.
Future baseball star: Tyler Gillum
The other thing that makes this special is the announcement that was in the announcement – Tyler Lee Gillum Northeast Class of 2010 has accepted a full baseball scholarship to Roane State College in Harriman, Tennessee.
Tyler, we wish you success in your college and baseball careers and in whatever you do in life.
May 30, 2010: Thursday, June 3 begins the annual Blue and Gray Reunion in Philippi, West Virginia. The covered bridge at Philippi (longest of all the covered bridges in WV) was the site of the first land battle of the Civil War. The battle was for possession of the bridge that crossed the Tygart River.
Battle Flags; Battle of Philippi
If one stops in at the park just south of the bridge on the west side of the river, the battle flags of each unit that participated in that battle are displayed with plaques at the base of each flag pole telling which unit’s flag is flying there.
Friday is Kids Day with approximately 40 “stations” set up to depict Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and life on the home front during the Civil War. At 7:30 p.m. Friday the Reunion Parade will be held. Line-up begins at the Subway on Main Street. The evening will end with a candlelight tour of Philippi’s Historic District. Registration (required) will begin at 8:45 at Sutler Row. Tours, beginning approximately every 15 minutes, will be take place from 9 to 10 p.m.
Registration for the Blue and Gray 5K Run will begin at 7:00 a.m. Saturday at the gazebo. The Run starts at 9:00 a.m. The Civil War camps will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration for the Little Soldiers Battle (ages 6 to 12) will start at 9:30 a.m. with the battle at the Covered Bridge area at 10. An artillery demonstration will take place at the Bridge at 11 a.m. and the skirmish at 1 p.m.
For the ladies, there will be a Ladies Tea at Adaland Mansion (US Rt 250 north and turn left onto WV Rt 76) at 10 a.m. Saturday. Ilene Evans will portray Harriet Tubman in a presentation titled, “Behind Enemy Lines”. The Civil War Ball will be on the Courthouse lawn at 8 p.m.
On Sunday activities begin with an 1800-style church service at 10 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church. The re-enactment of the Battle of Philippi will begin at 2 p.m.
There will be activities on the square all weekend including a car show Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shinnston is just 35 miles from Philippi, a lovely scenic drive that takes one past the Anna Jarvis House in Webster where General George McClellan made his headquarters during the Battle of Philippi.
May 19, 2010: When I told my co-workers in Illinois that I was house hunting in West Virginia they asked what I was looking for in a house. My answer was it MUST have a big front porch. If it has a porch, the house will tell me when I find it. The house did just that! We walked up on the porch, opened the door and walked in. The house told me, “Stop looking. I am yours!”
Although the house I grew up in did not have a front porch, to me a porch was a place to sit and relax reading a book or chatting with the neighbors or just enjoying being alive. I knew I needed a front porch, especially since I knew I was going to make this house into a bed & breakfast.
The front porch has become the “common area” of the Gillum House Bed & Breakfast. It is a place where guests love to sit chatting and enjoying the peace and quiet of Shinnston. There have been many times our guests met each other on the porch and chatted sipping iced tea or the beverage of choice into the night. One lady who comes as often as she can wants to have her breakfast on the porch as she reads and relaxes in the tranquility of West Virginia.
The porch invites relaxation.
We have even served candlelight dinners for two on this porch. The first couple who dined there talked for hours (the candles burned to nothing!) as they got to know each other – she came to a festival and since he was here on business planned to return to her home but ended up getting a room also. The porch was part of the beginning of a relationship that blossomed into a wedding.
While Rev. Anderson was the minister at the First United Methodist Church here, he referred to the Gillum House as the guestrooms of the parsonage because his family always stayed with us. When his daughter married, after the reception many of the extended family drifted over to sit on the porch reminiscing for several hours with so many people on the porch – on chairs we brought out, on the glider, the porch railing, and the steps – that you felt the step back in time to when the family gathered on a Sunday afternoon! It was wonderful, the kind of thing that an innkeeper makes a notch on her broom handle for.
It seems many bed & breakfasts agree with me – a front porch is as important as a comfortable bed and a wonderful breakfast.
The porch at Claiborne House in Rocky Mount, VA
The innkeeper at Claiborne House Bed & Breakfast in Rocky Mount, Virginia has collected photos of B & B porches as she puts it “from Louisiana to Saskatchewan”. Here is the link to her Blog – http://claibornehouse.blogspot.com/ .
May 18, 2010: Shinnston is a forward-moving small City. Not only is it moving forward to be a city where people want to live in the 21st century while retaining its identity with the past, but it is a fiscally responsible city.
Yesterday I had the privilege of appearing on a local talk radio program in my capacity as City Clerk with our City Manager to talk about the up-coming City Election. We wanted to make sure the word was out regarding the City Election on June 1, 2010, training for our poll workers on May 26, that financial statements of the candidates being due was given to all candidates, and notice of early voting was given. News Director Reuben Perdue asked about Shinnston’s plan to “piggy-back” future elections with the County’s Primary elections.
This shows how fiscally responsible Shinnston’s City Council and City Manager are. They no longer want to spend as much as $3000 to run an election in the manner proscribed by State Law (required number of poll workers of Political Party even though it is a non-partisan election), when often no candidate is opposed. The first reading of the Charter Change required to allow this has taken place. There will be a Public Hearing before the second and final reading takes place. The change will allow all candidates to be At-Large (County is planning to combine precincts and there is no way to break out voters by Ward) and to allow the election to take place with the Primary instead of in June.
Why am I talking about the politics of Shinnston? Because it is my hope that folks will recognize what a great place this is, come see, and perhaps decide to stay. With our Museum, Rail-Trail, Activities Park,
City Park seen from large pavilion
City Park with walking trail, playground, pool with waterslide, bocce courts, and other amenities in planning, history, Festivals, Shinnston Community Band, civic organizations, excellent school system, and businesses,
Shinnston's past begins (circa) 1778
Shinnston is a place with a past that is moving with the future.
Longest of the WV Covered Bridges
May 15, 2010:
Come see some history. Start off with the Revolutionary War era with a tour of the Levi Shinn 2-story log house (circa 1778) – it is right here in Shinnston (free-will donation)! Then move up the history time-line and visit the Anna Jarvis House a place of history itself. Anna Jarvis was the founder of Mother’s Day and during the Battle of Philippi, General George McClellan made his headquarters at the Jarvis house. Travel on to the reason for the Battle of Philippi, the covered bridge that spans the Tygart Valley River. Just south of the bridge is a small park where the battle standard of every unit that fought in the Battle of Philippi is flown. Take a picnic lunch and dine at the picnic table there or cross the bridge and lunch at The Medallion, a very nice little restaurant up the main street beyond the Courthouse. The food is good and the prices are quite reasonable. If it is open, one should also visit the Depot Museum. Adaland, a lovely historic house is also nearby.
Battle Flags of all units at the Battle of Philippi
May 13, 2010: The news is still full of the “bad economy”. Let us help you to have a wonderful vacation, enjoying lots of things, while spending little. Gillum House Bed & Breakfast has turn-by-turn routings to many things (can be customized – no longer turn-by-turn but will get you to your particular interests) to see and do that will not break the budget. Come explore West Virginia – a land of scenery, history, culture, and activity.
Covered bridges – West Virginia has 17 remaining covered bridges and 9 of them are within 60 miles or less of the Gillum House. Shinnston’s circa 1778-log house is a free-will donation. If visiting Shinnston on a weekend the museum is open (free) and the drive-in shows a double feature (current movies) for $6 per adult. There are antique shops, West Virginia crafts, the State Wildlife Center, many rail-trails, historic sites, fishing, museums….. The rail-trails are free. The bridges are free. Visit any of our several State Parks in the area. They are also free.
Make Gillum House your base with the hearty breakfasts (we have been told lunch was not necessary), and Kathleen can route you to places of interest that cost little or nothing.
May 8, 2010: Happy Mother’s Day tomorrow to all you Mothers. I had my Mother’s Day early and it was wonderful! Our youngest daughter and her friend came in from Chicago for my daughter’s birthday. She took us to a baseball game – the three of them went to a CUB game and I went to a Pirate game (and we won!) – and we had a great time. Today was departure day – but first…..
Today was also the day of the Mother/Daughter Celebration at the First United Methodist Church and for the first time, I had a daughter who would be here. It is usually in the evening and a week before Mother’s Day and this year it was a brunch and the day before. Sheryl & Linda were not too sure about this, but they humored the old girl. We met up with “Mama” Lucille Anderson. The theme this year was The Price is Right! Sheryl won the prize for the most dangerous job (a box of colored band-aids) and Linda won the prize for coming the longest distance (WV travel info which was wonderful because Linda cannot get enough of WV and has seen more of WV than most locals) and they had a wonderful time. We got back to the house in time for them to pack up and head out for the airport.
I am pleased to report both girls worked very hard to improve the economy of north-central West Virginia. They were so good at it there will be a box shipped out Monday of things that would not fit in their suitcases (and that does not count the books Linda shipped to her home already).
It is windy, bright, and sunny today (although we are a bit sad since they left) but I am toasty as I sit here wearing my new Chicago Police fleece jacket, looking at the lovely silk flower arrangement sent by Shannon, the card from Martin, the text message from John, and remembering the phone calls from Shelly and Ron.
Mother's Day flowers
April 29, 2010: I had planned to tell everyone about how awesome the US Air Force Band Concert was at Lincoln High School (there were over 1000 people there!) on April 25 – also our 35th wedding anniversary, but a phone call we received this afternoon changed that.
Our oldest grandson is in the Navy. Last time we had talked, he told me he had put in for an assignment that would have him assigned to an Army Unit and he really wanted this assignment. So being a good Granny, I told him we were hoping he would get it. And meant every word of it! Today he called to say he got it! He will soon start the rotation of bases he will be sent to for training before he will be deployed to Afghanistan.
I told him about our Thank You Veterans Project and he was “blown away” when I told him we now have bed & breakfasts in 20 States who will be providing a minimum of one room FREE OF CHARGE to anyone with a valid Military ID on November 10, 2010 so they are on-site for any Veterans Day activities. (Shinnston has a parade and a program at the Museum). We expect to have B & Bs participating in all 50 States by September. Gillum House is making two rooms available for November 10 – the third room will not be rented that night. GOD Bless our Veterans!
April 24, 2010: We have had a very interesting couple here for 5 nights to celebrate their anniversary. They had read my blog about the ramps ad wanted to try them. So their second breakfast was potatoes and ramps, sour cream scrambled eggs, toast, and venison brats and bacon. They liked them so much they are taking some home with them. Ramps do need to be refrigerated but will keep for several days I am told.
The first day here, they took the Anna Jarvis house, covered bridges, and West Virginia Wildlife Center tour. We removed the winery since they were not interested in that. They seem to have enjoyed exploring the area. Last night they went to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum for a paranormal tour from 10 PM to Midnight (reservations required). I asked this morning if they thought it was worth the price of $40 per person. They said it was. In fact, they found it so interesting that instead of going to a festival as planned, they went back and did the tour of the Asylum during the daylight. They said it was a totally different experience to actually see it in the daylight (there are no lights at night other than flashlights). The daytime tour is $30 per person and again they felt it was worth it. Just thought I would pass on an experience and feedback from guests about one of our most recent attractions. After 4 days of site-seeing my guests have run out of time but have not run out of things to see and do.
We gave them some ideas of things to see on the way home. West Virginia has so much to offer and just not enough time to see it all! They only saw 3 of our 9 covered bridges. Guess they will just have to come back to see the rest!
Why don’t you come visit Shinnston? Call soon so you will not be like the folks we had to turn away tonight. All rooms are filled tonight so they had to go elsewhere…..888-592-0177 for reservations.
April 16, 2010: Mother’s Day is coming very soon. Gillum House Bed & Breakfast is just 22 miles from both the Anna Jarvis House and the Mother’s Day Shrine (same distance, slightly different route). In 2009, the West Virginia Association of Museums visited the Anna Jarvis House in Webster and the Mother’s Day Shrine in Grafton.
Stained glass windows and paintings adorn the walls
WVAm hears about the Mother's Day Shrine
April 13, 2010: I have been having a great time baking. A friend asked for a bagel recipe recently – “I have one and I even know where it is!” Wrong! The recipe I could envision was for pretzels. Soft pretzels. Yes, I went through a bagel phase after finding a very easy bagel recipe for her, but I wanted pretzels! Pretzels with honey mustard or pretzels with spicy brown mustard. They really are best with mustard.
I am waiting for some guests to arrive. They phoned earlier to say they had been involved in an accident (minor I hope since they are hauling horses!) and were delayed. What shall I do as I wait? I did finally do my taxes so I do not have to do that. All is ready for the guests. Aha! Pretzels!
The guests may be a bit hungry when they arrive, so I made pretzels. Each room has a plate of pretzels with a container of honey mustard for dipping waiting for them on the dresser. What so you think? Would you like to find a plate of freshly made, homemade pretzels waiting for you on arrival? A plate like this?
Kathleen's Homemade Pretzels
Go to Gillum House reservations and reserve your room or call 888-592-0177 for your plate of pretzels.
April 11, 2010: Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Winter seemed as if it would never end and here we are, Easter has come and gone and Mother’s Day is less than a month away! The Gillum House Bed & Breakast is located just 22 miles from the Anna Jarvis House – Birthplace of Mother’s Day in the town of Webster (not to be confused with Webster County or Webster Springs which are way south of here) and 22 miles from Grafton, home of the Mother’s Day Shrine.
During the Battle of Philippi, the first land battle of the Civil War, General George McClellan had his headquarters in 2 rooms of the Jarvis house. Those rooms were restored as his headquarters when the house was restored. Philippi is 11 miles from the Jarvis House on US Rte. 250 (Rte 250 crosses the bridge).
Surprise Mom with a visit to the very beginning of “Her Day”. Book now and we will have 4 oz. of the coffee of Mom’s choice, fresh-roasted just for her as a gilft of the Gillum House Bed & Breakast.
One Mom chose Zimbabwe because she once lived there.
Reserve online or call us today!
April 4, 2010: It is Spring!! I know it is SPRING!! I saw my first RAMP sign last week. I received my first notification of a Ramp Dinner. In my part of West Virginia, it is not the calendar, not the end of snow, nor the beginning of Daylight Savings time that tell one it is Spring. It is the signs at wide-spots along the roads or where one sees a table with the umbrella through it along the side of the road saying RAMPS that says Spring is here. It is the small ads in the papers and on the Public Access channel on Cable telling which charity or church is having a Ramp Dinner at what time and day and location.
For those not blessed with being from West Virginia, do not feel badly. Unless it was because I was just a kid and in MY day, kids did not know everything, but I grew up in the Northern Panhandle and I never heard of ramps until I came to north-central West Virginia. From west of here to into the mountains east of here, West Virginians are going into ecstasy because they can have ramps again. The season lasts approximately one month.
Ramps grow only in the mountains. Although many have tried to cultivate them, I am told it cannot be done. They are dug out of the hillsides by hand, which is why they are not inexpensive, but are still affordable and usually only found at roadside stands or local produce stands. Let me describe a ramp. Picture a green onion. Now instead of the straight flat green, picture a flat limp green about 3/8 to ½ inch wide and rounded at the top with an onion-like white bottom end.
Now you have seen ramps
Not being fond of green onions, I admit I have never eaten one raw, but they are eaten raw, boiled, fried and cooked with many things. I have made a ramp potato soup that was delicious. I maintain that GOD took the worst of green onions and married it to the worst of garlic and called it a ramp. They go down so deliciously – but do not breathe on anyone, nor in the vicinity thereof, for at least 3 days! The person who ate the ramps is totally unaware of this consequence if their pleasure of dining on ramps. So go ahead! Dive in and sample a ramp dinner with your partner.
March 16, 2010: The Air Force is coming! The Air Force is coming! We have a special reason for celebrating the fact the United States Air Force Band and the Singing Sergeants are coming to Shinnston on April 25 – it is our 35th wedding anniversary.
Emma Patterson, Shinnston’s Office Supervisor has been working on this for a year because of the logistics entailed in making the arrangements. It is a huge honor for Shinnston to have the Air Force Band perform here.
The Air Force Band will perform at Lincoln High School on Sunday, April 25 at 3 P.M. Admission is by ticket ONLY and the tickets are FREE. There will be an ad in the Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram April 1 or you can get the form from Shinnston City Hall after April 1 to order your tickets – maximum of 4 tickets per form. There is a possibility of the Band’s Color Guard appearing also. If they do, they will spend some time with Lincoln High School’s NJROTC.
Gillum House will secure 2 tickets for guests. Tickets ate limited. Call us now.
March 6, 2010: The Shinnston Development Authority supplied the volunteers to be the vendors for Fairmont Federal Credit Union’s presentation of Mad City Money on March 3 at Lincoln High School. We arrived at 7:30 A.M. to set up tables with our “merchandise” and receive our instructions – checks had to be filled out correctly to be accepted. If the check was incorrect, they were to be sent to the Credit Union to find out what was wrong with the check. The students arrived to begin mad City Money at 8:15. The students were assigned professions and salaries. They were told how many children they had, the ages of the children, and whether they were married or single. They were given work sheets for their budgets and a book of checks to use to pay for their purchases. The students were required to visit every vendor (needs) except the “Mall” which was an optional vendor – for the wants. They had choices to make at each vendor. They had to buy a house, a car, clothes (one girl bought her clothes but forgot to buy clothes for her “child” and had to return to the clothes vendor), food, house stuff (your host was this vendor for furniture, appliances, and décor), baby items for those with infants, and entertainment.
Emma studies her materials.
Shinnston’s Office Supervisor is shown studying her pages of choices the students had to choose from. At her table, they had to choose 2 activities for each person in the family over age 3 and could not choose more than one “free” activity per person.
The goal of this exercise was to show the students how to budget, write checks, and see what choices they are going to have to make and how easy it is to get in over their heads. To make things even more real, The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate in a jester’s hat visited each student with one of life’s surprises – possibly a good one, you had a successful garage sale and made $189 or a bummer, you got a $150 speeding ticket (and the check had to be written and taken out of the budget). This was a great (and educational) way to spend a morning.