Thaxton Trip

Even with a map, it had required a bit of luck and persistence to locate Liberty Hill Cemetery. Then as we were leaving, Neal Huskison, driver of the lead vehicle, asked me if I thought we would be just as well off to continue down the gravel road, rather than turn around and go back the way we came. I agreed the road should take us back to the Lafayette Springs road, and off we went. We hadn’t traveled a mile when we came to a fork.

"Which way?" Neal asked, and before I could respond he made a decision to take the left fork.

A mile or so further we came upon a Tee. Again Neal asked which way but remained stopped until I answered.

Flipping the map upside down to get a sense of direction, I stated, "Take a left."

Jeannie, Shannon’s younger daughter had switched vehicles with Brenda and was beside me in the backseat.

"Did you just turn the map upside down?" she asked.

"Yes."

"My husband thinks it's weird when I do that," she shared.

"Well it sometimes helps," I replied. "Since we’re both Carters, I’d say that might account for our similar thought processes."

We didn’t have to drive very far until we came to Lafayette Springs Road and knew where we were for the first time in a while. Our plans were to stop at Janie Luther’s cabin, where part of the expedition would be spending the night, then drive into nearby Thaxton to visit the Thaxton Cemetery where other Carters are buried. Janie Luther and Ladine, Shannon’s late wife, were half sisters. Janie owns a home in Pontotoc but lately spends a lot of time at the cabin her son built. It’s a modern log cabin, and all the floors and interior walls are wood. After a few minutes spent taking in the cabin and its remote location, it was easy to see why Janie enjoyed staying outside of "the city."

The two young girls had all the traipsing in cemeteries they needed for one day and willingly chose to remain at the cabin with Janie while the rest of us headed to Thaxton. Continue reading>>

Graveyard Tour

After the recognition ceremony at the Museum for my cousin, Shannon Carter, those interested in locating the cemetery in Lafayette County, Mississippi where several of our Carter ancestors are buried loaded into two vehicles for the expedition. I was concerned that some of the gravel roads might have softened and become difficult to navigate because of recent heavy rainfall and had asked Neal Huskison if he would transport some of us in his extended cab pickup.

It would have made more sense for Neal to have returned home with his wife and then bring his truck back to the Museum, but neither of us thought of it until Virginia had left the premises. So, I drove Neal to his house, parked my car there, and we returned in his truck.
The interim provided Brenda the opportunity to photograph her father standing adjacent to the sign in front of the museum. Brenda explained the logo on the sign depicts a picture of her late grandfather and one-time postmaster, Cary Conlee, delivering the mail. Brenda’s mother, Ladine Conlee Carter, was Shannon’s high school sweetheart and his wife of fifty years before she died in 1994.

As a footnote to last week’s article, Shannon’s Plaque, Brenda recently shared the following: "Although he started Carter Wood Products in Starkville, MS, Shannon's business success was as co-founder and VP Production of Howard Furniture Manufacturing Company, which became famous for its oak, family room furniture. He was a partner in this corporation that also included Herschede Hall Clock Company, MotorGuide fishing motors, Rookwood Pottery, and Briarwood Lamp Co."
"His love was collecting antique tools, antique cars (His 1917 Overland won 100's of trophies), and turn of the century Americana, of which most was donated to the Pontotoc Historical Museum. He also donated much of his antique tool collection to Mississippi State University, and they are now displayed in the Forestry building."

"He was President of MOTAA, the Mid-America Old Time Automobile Association and the Mississippi Antique Car Club for years."
When Neal and I returned to the Museum, Mr. Dick Hagans, Brenda, and Shannon rode in the truck with us. Mrs. Doris Hagans, Jeannie, Cary, and Paige rode in a separate vehicle. Continue reading>>

Shannon's Plaque

The caller ID feature of my home phone indicated the call was from Richard Jaggers. Upon answering the phone, I heard the voice of Sammie. I don’t recall the words verbatim, but when she asked had I heard about Shannon, I braced myself for bad news.
Shannon Carter and my dad were first cousins, the result of their respective fathers being brothers. Born in Thaxton, Mississippi, Shannon spent much of his life in Starkville, where he owned a thriving wood products business where his company manufactured grandfather clocks. Shannon is now widowed and living in an assisted living facility in Birmingham near where his younger daughter works.

Thankfully, there was no bad news. Sammie was calling to inform me that Shannon and his two daughters were coming to Pontotoc on Saturday and would be at the Post Office Museum for a recognition ceremony. Sammie wanted to let me know of Shannon’s visit, in case I was free to attend the ceremony. I thanked her for the information and shared I would plan to attend.
An hour or so earlier, my New York uncle, Lamar, had sent me an email asking for help in locating Liberty Hill Cemetery, the site where several of our Carter ancestors are interred. He had written that Shannon and daughter Brenda wanted to visit the cemetery and while Shannon, whose memory is failing rapidly, thought he could find the remote location, Brenda wasn’t so sure and had asked Lamar for help. There was nothing in the email stating the visit was planned for Saturday, else I might have been better prepared for Sammie’s phone call.
I found a couple of maps on the Internet and sent Lamar a response to relay to Brenda. I even offered my willingness to help her and Shannon find the cemetery if their planned visit coincided with me being in Pontotoc. After Sammie called, I sent Lamar another email stating I would be available to help them.
It was my understanding the recognition ceremony would be at 3:00 p.m. Saturday. Shortly before 2:30 p.m., Neal Huskison phoned to ask if I were going to the museum.
"Yeah, I’m going in a little while," I shared. "Are you?"
"Virginia and I are about to leave. I think they’re going to be there at two-thirty."
"Okay, I’ll leave in a few minutes." Continue reading>>

Pontotoc Smoking Ban

On Tuesday, April 1, 2008, the Board of Aldermen for the city of Pontotoc, Mississippi, passed an ordinance banning smoking in all public buildings
in the city. It was a bright day for the overly health conscious petitioners who had sought the ban and a black one for American freedom, particularly
freedom from oppression.

Ignoring the fact that many businesses and restaurants in the city are already non-smoking facilities, a choice freely made by the owners of said businesses and restaurants, and the fact that all government facilities are non-smoking, the Board of Aldermen voted to strike freedom of choice from the rights of the business owners.
Sadly, there are too many citizens in this country who are willing to sell their own freedom while denying certain freedoms to others. Apparently, the Board of Aldermen feels there are individuals in Pontotoc whose ignorance regarding exposure to second hand smoke renders them incapable of choosing a non-smoking section in a restaurant and are therefore in need of the controlling influence of big brother.
The average citizen in Pontotoc will not be adversely affected by the board’s decision, but then neither is the frog in the pot of water being heated on the fire, until it’s too late to do something about it. Citizens who allow the erosion of individual freedoms will one day discover they have
no freedoms.
This time, the board’s decision limited the rights of smokers and business owners. However, since obesity among all age groups is a growing concern, the next freedom denied to citizens of Pontotoc may restrict whether or not obese persons can be served in a restaurant. After all, the Board of Aldermen’s decision to ban smoking in public places was based on their interpretation of the "public good."

UIC Volunteers

My sister says that bad things happen in threes. I doubt there’s anything scientific about her statement, but I’m inclined to agree with her. If there is a similar admonition concerning good things, I’m not aware of it. However, I can say with respect to Collegiate Challenge and Pontotoc County Habitat for Humanity, good things came in threes this year.

This year, for three straight weeks, college students from three separate institutions of higher learning traveled to Pontotoc to work as volunteers on two houses being constructed for two deserving families. The first group flew in from Brunswick, Maine, the second drove over from Georgia and the third drove down from Chicago. The first two groups were a delight for all who met them or worked with them. The third and most recent group was no less delightful than the others, and may have been more diverse. Of the ten students from the University of Illinois at Chicago, there were two students from India, two from Korea, and one from Puerto Rico.

There was considerable diversity among the degrees which the students were seeking. Priya and Maggie (picture on page 2) are striving for medical degrees, with Priya wanting to be a Physicians Assistant and Maggie an MD. Korean natives, Beckie and Sarah (their American names) are Business majors. Lisa, the runt of the litter (also the group’s leader) is majoring in Nutrition. Greg, the lone accounting major, aspires to become a CPA. Archit, from India,
is studying to become a Computer Engineer. Carla is majoring in Education and Rana, pronounced to rhyme with Brenna, is seeking a Masters in MIS (Information Services). Last, but not least, Sam or Samantha, is working on a graduate degree in Sociology.

Keith Thomas, construction supervisor had words of praise for the work effort of all the groups and noted of the Chicago group, "None of them knew what to do when they got here, but they all stepped up to the task and were willing to do anything I asked them to do."

In the four days they worked on the job site, the group was able to get the house framed and almost "in the dry." Of course, these inexperienced carpenters were well supervised by Keith and his assistant Rachel Walker and a couple of local volunteers. Continue reading>>