Today we took a detour off the Parkway to go to Rye Cove, VA.
Before we got started, we went out for breakfast. This was on the window of the restaurant. I guess fried pork chops are big down here. At least this said "breaded" pork chop, not fried. Breaded gives you a little clue as to what it will be like.
Anyhow, back to Rye Cove.
Last year we bought a CD of Old Time Country Music that had a song that captured our attention. It was called The Cyclone of Rye Cove. It was about a tornado that hit the schoolhouse in Rye Cove in 1929 and destroyed the school. Out of more than 150 grade school and high school children, 12 children and one teacher were killed, and 54 were injured, many seriously. When we got home last year we looked it upon the Internet. AP Carter of the famous Carter Family was in the next valley and heard about the tornado. He went there to help out and was so moved by the devastation that he wrote that song the next month. Last night we were somewhat in the vicinity so we decided to take a side trip off the Parkway and see if we could find the plaque that was supposed to have been put on the new school. Our Garmin found the school for us and we actually saw the plaque last night. It was about 9:30 so it was dark but Paul took some pictures. We headed out today to check it all out.
This is the bell that was in the old school. They incorporated it into this little memorium.
In one account of the disaster, the school principle stated "I was walking through the hall when I saw what looked like a whirwind coming up the hollow," Noblin said. "Trees were swaying. As it neared the school building it became a black cloud..I think I yelled. It struck the building. The next thing I remembered I was standing knee deep in a pond 75 feet from where the building stood before it was demonlished."
This is that pond.
We also saw the little log cabin that was built by the Red Cross to help with the disaster. It is beside the new intermediate school near the back. There was a sign on the door, a dedication in 2004 to the memory of the Rye Cove disaster.
We drove around lots of back mountain roads today. Beautiful country, lots of Appalachia scenes.
We were ultimately heading back to Galax to go to the Blue Ridge Music Center to go to an outdoor concert but the Garmin took us on a lot of beautiful back roads.
The concert was really a lot of fun. They have them every Saturday night in the summer.
Tonight they had Women of the Blue Ridge with Jeannette Williams and Heather Berry. So much fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment