Biscoe 1883 Family Picnic

   Do you know what you are doing at the exact year, month, day, hour, minute of each day? Thomas Biscoe knew; it was August 11,1883 2:30 p.m. when he took this picture. Biscoe photographed hundreds of scenes around Marietta, often with family.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Thomas Biscoe Family Picnic, courtesy Marietta College Special Collections

     Scan the photo carefully; what do you see? I noticed the odd position of the hammocks, almost touching the ground. The left side of each hammock is anchored to the tree. The right sides are tied to branches of the same tree, pulling them - and the hammocks - down almost to ground level. The curtain of leaves is not from a bush but from the pulled down branches. The tree with the smooth bark is a beech tree; they could have carved their initials on it to mark the occasion.

     We see two adults, likely Biscoe himself and his wife Ella, "asleep" in the hammocks. How did he take the photo if he's in it? There are two boys on the right, one facing the camera, the other wearing a black hat in the back carriage. A book sits open in the front carriage. Picnic food and supplies are on the blanket to the left. The site appears to be a rural grassy area which has been mowed or worn down with activity. This could be a park or someone's yard.

     And where are the horses? It looks like tethers or halters sitting on the grass at the front. There are two carriages in the picture. Maybe more than one family is picnicking. The carriages look like Stanhope Phaeton models made by Studebaker (they later built cars), described by one source as a “popular, sporty open carriage." It lacked power (only 1 horsepower, you could say) but was “fast” because of its light weight.

     This picture looks so idyllic. Perhaps it was staged to create an artistic work, rather than to document a family gathering. To me, the photo succeeds in doing both. It’s wonderful that we can still view Biscoe’s work today at the Marietta College Legacy Library Special Collections digital website.

Charles Dawes One Hit Wonder

      You may have a vague recollection that a Marietta native was Vice President of the United States. It's true. Charles Gates Dawes of the prominent Dawes family was serving as VP exactly 100 years ago under President Calvin Coolidge. He was an austere-looking dude, smart (Marietta College graduate), and dedicated to public service. Dawes was the 10th Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) from 1898-1901, at age 33 the youngest person in that role. 

     The OCC website aptly describes him as "a man of enormous and varied talents: lawyer, engineer, scholar, financier, businessman, diplomat, and politician. He was also a self-taught pianist, flutist, and composer, whose melodies are performed even today (italics added)." Fascinating that his musical talents are mentioned. So, did he write hit music as the words in italics suggest?

Vice President Charles G. Dawes (right, with psychedelic halo effect), with President Calvin Coolidge. Viewed at interestingfacts.com; Original photo by Everett Collection/ Shutterstock

     He wrote a tune in 1912 with the generic sounding title of "Melody in A Major" that became popular in the 1920's. Dawes was indeed an accomplished amateur musician. He said the "Melody" composition was based on a tune that he couldn't get out of his head. Fritz Kreisler, a renowned violinist, and others recorded it. What did Charles G. Dawes think of “his” song performed by others? He was flattered when it was played in his honor at events but complained that some arrangements of it "manhandled" the tune. A self-deprecating Dawes, who was also a banker, implied in a speech that his musical notes were maybe not as solid as the (financial) notes held in his bank.

     Fast forward to 1951, sadly the year that Charles Dawes died; songwriter Carl Sigman rearranged the melody and added lyrics. It became "It's All in the Game." In 1958, Tommy Edwards became the first Black artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. with his rock and roll ballad recording of the song. Over the years it turned into a pop classic performed by dozens of artists. The soulful lyrics suggest that ups and downs in life’s situations are to be expected. That matches pretty well with Charles Dawes’ pragmatic nature.

     Interestingfacts.com: “…Dawes remains the only chief executive — president or vice president — to score a hit on the Billboard Hot 100." So, the earlier quote about the Dawes' song being "performed even today" is true.  OK, the song itself was not actually written by Dawes but inspired by his "Melody in A Major." When you hear this song, think Charles Dawes, Marietta native, and his many accomplishments.

     Other presidents had musical talents. President Bill Clinton grooved away with his sax. Woodrow Wilson and Thomas Jefferson were violinists. Harry Truman was an excellent pianist. He once joked that his "bad" piano playing coerced Joseph Stalin into signing the Potsdam Agreement in 1945. Perhaps President Donald Trump can use music as he negotiates with foreign leaders - a thundering version of Y-M-C-A (a favorite campaign rally song) perhaps?

     I welcome ideas for these history articles. This one came from my wife Suzanne when she saw an article from interestingfacts.com. Thank you, dear!

“Water, Water Everywhere, nor any drop to Drink”

     This is an oft-quoted line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." A sailor is adrift at sea and runs out of drinking water. Though surrounded by water, he can't drink it because it's salt water. Williamstown WV faced a similar situation on December 3, 1921, when their water supply was shut off. Though millions of gallons of Ohio River water passed by, it was not purified and couldn't be used. Water shut off? How could that happen to a municipal water system?

     According to history book Fruitful Valley, Williamstown in the early 1900's obtained water from several sources. Two public wells were still in use from the 1800s and there were several family and neighborhood wells. Many residents had cisterns which collected rainwater. Williamstown water was "the purest in the area;" a 1903 Parkersburg newspaper reported, attributing that to the deep wells and springs. Springs on Crystal Heights supplied water to Marietta's Crystal Beverage Company in later years.

     However, the primary source of Williamstown's water in the early 1900s was from...Marietta. It had upgraded its water system in 1891. Andrews’ History of Marietta and Washington County Ohio in 1902 noted with pride, "New (equipment has) been added… additional mains laid and the service extended until it covers…the city and its flourishing suburbs." Williamstown became a "suburb" of Marietta, at least for water supply purposes. In 1902, water flowed through an underwater pipe. Later a two-inch pipe was installed along the walkway of the Williamstown Bridge which had opened in 1903.

CLICK TO ENLARGE. This bridge carried horses, trolleys, vehicles, and water from Marietta to Williamstown. Photo from Harmar Village Facebook page, courtesy Williamstown Historical Society. 

 

      Back to the water shut off. There had been a few minor disagreements on water bills in years prior to 1921. This time, the bills to the Williamstown Water, Light, and Power Company went unpaid for 8 months, amounting to $2,000 ($25,000 today). It's not clear why - whether there was a dispute or lack of funds. An ultimatum was issued by Mr. Watson, Marietta's Service Director, for 1:00 PM on December 3, 1921: No payment, no water.

     Water was shut off at 1:00 PM. Schools closed. American Bisque which made toys and dolls was rushing to fill Christmas orders. They suspended operations. Fenton Glass had a water storage tank which kept them going. An informal bucket brigade was set up in case of fire.

     Residents were angry at Marietta; a petition to boycott Marietta merchants circulated. 1,100 signed it. Meanwhile, people coped as best they could. Marietta Register-Leader on December 6, "Wells and cisterns...are at a premium and neighbors are getting together and sharing these. The spring water companies are making a rich harvest furnishing the people with drinking water."

     Williamstown sought relief through the WV Public Service Commission (WVPSC), hoping for some type of court action to restore the water. Oddly, WVSPC issued an order stating in part that the Williamstown Water, Light and Power Company was "hereby required to forthwith obtain an adequate supply of pure water for its patrons and consumers in Williamstown and vicinity." The order seemed at odds with the situation since compliance, at least temporarily, was not possible with the water supply shut off. Negotiations with Marietta continued.

     "Controversy Ended - Town Given Water," so read the Register-Leader on December 9, 1921, "Williamstown is no longer a veritable Sahara (Desert)..." The Farmers and Mechanics National Bank (Williamstown Bank today) stepped up and guaranteed the water bill payment to Marietta. In the 1930s, the City of Williamstown expanded its water system with Depression-era WPA funds and in 1939 decided to drill its own wells for water supply.

     The rancor against Marietta and the boycott of merchants? It faded, “water under the bridge,” so to speak.

Nature Carries On

      While much has changed from early pioneer days, one thing changes little: nature. Summer gives us nature in full force. August nights in the woods start at dusk with lightning bugs, birds singing, and the plaintive buzzing of seasonal cicadas. After dark there is a din of whirring crickets, tree frogs, and squawking katydids. Recently it dawned on me – settlers two centuries ago saw and heard the same things.

     Meriwether Lewis at the beginning of the Lewis and Clark Expedition floated down the Ohio River. His journal in September 1803: "observed a number of squirrels swiming the Ohio River...” Squirrels migrated then - millions of them. Lewis said his dog Seaman recovered several squirrels, and “I thought them when fryed a pleasent food." On September 13 Lewis stopped at Marietta. There he "... observed many passenger pigeons...". Now extinct, their huge flocks often blocked the sun.

     What's warm weather without bugs? Col. John May was "tormented beyond measure by myriads of gnats. They not only bite surprisingly but get down one's throat." Bugs (Ok, insects) could be dangerous. Mosquitoes bore diseases, such as malaria. Many were the poignant cases of sickness and death. Civic leader Ephraim Cutler moved from New England to Marietta in 1795. On the journey two of their children died of illness. Cutler himself was bedridden on arriving here. Several times, including 1822 and 1823, there were epidemics that infected hundreds. In late 1822, 95 people died in Marietta, which then had a population of 2,000.

     The buzzing periodical cicadas have been around for millenia; the first experience of pioneers was in 1795. Their scientific name is magicicada septendecim, attesting in Latin to its "magical" reappearance every 17 years. Scientist and historian Samuel Hildreth was one of the first in the country to observe the cycle, write about it, and draw illustrations.

Periodical Cicada from Roger Hall Illustration 

at inkart.com

Samuel Hildreth was a gifted artist. This shows the life cycle of a butterfly. From findagrave.com

     The rivers offered water for settlers and for transportation – but were fickle. Thomas Walcutt in February 1790: "Rivers choked with ice, which stopped all river traffic." A week later, "At sunrise water rising fast...before we could get our breakfast done, water came in so fast that the floor was afloat..." With no locks and dams, rivers had shallows, deep pools, riffles, and slack water. One could wade across during dry spells and walk over them when frozen.

     Rivers provided food. In 1790 James Patterson caught a 96 lb catfish. He had set out a trotline, then anchored his canoe and slept. The fish hooked itself and managed to drag the anchored canoe into deep water near an island – where Patterson found himself upon waking. Meriwether Lewis saw "a great number of Fish of different kinds, the Stergeon, Bass, Cat fish, pike.” Walcutt marveled at another water critter, a crayfish: "a complete lobster in miniature about two inches in length…found in streams and springs." 

                           Crayfish - Can Stock Photo

     The area teemed with plant life. Towering trees provided needed lumber for construction, but their shade hindered growth of crops. One of today's nuisance plants also bedeviled settlers; Colonel John May reported "feeling the effects of poison ivy" after clearing land. Plants also were a food source. Ever heard of nettle, celandine, and purslane? They helped settlers survive periods of famine early on. Historian Samuel Hildreth: "(the) tender tops (of nettle) were palatable and nutritious. The young, juicy plants of celandine afforded also a... pleasant dish.” Hildreth, also a scientist, was awed by this plant life. He observed that purslane grew "as if by magic" when exposed to sunlight from "seeds scattered ages before, by the Creator of all things.”

     Mark your calendars: the periodical cicadas will return here in 2033. The cycle of God’s creation goes on.