 |
| Copyright 2014 Diane L Richard |
I am writing this piece as I sit on a train. Literally, I am on the Carolinian (train 79) and we are between Fredricksburg and Richmond in Virginia .
I love riding the train – there is a tranquility when I see
so much untouched landscape. I know that
so much history has taken place along this route. Every time I take this train, I see new
things and have a greater appreciation for all that there is to see.
I am surrounded by individuals who are reading books (print
or digital), listening to music, napping, working on their laptops (and often
listening to music). All I hear is the sound of the heat flowing into the rail car and the whistle blowing as we approach a crossroad. It is very quiet and that often leads to contemplation.
How often in our hectic world do we take the time to notice
and appreciate the roads we travel or the places we go? Do you think of what life was like in earlier
times? Whose ancestors may have lived or
died at that same spot? History and
people are all important to our research.
 |
| Copyright 2014 Diane L Richard |
On a train, I get to see the new, the abandoned and the
historic. I get to see the cultivated,
abandoned or virgin forests along the way.
I have traversed many water bodies (small streams to pocosin (fancy word for a type of swamp in NC) to larger rivers) that we so effortlessly cross on the train. What we cross in seconds were huge obstacles (and time consuming to cross) for those living in the 18th century.
Most of my fellow travelers have not even looked out the
windows as we journey! There is so much
to see ... much to contemplate ... much to learn.
Its one thing to know about the great Dismal Swamp (at the VA/NC line just east of where the train runs) and it’s another to cross mile after mile of pocosin and really gain some insight into what an obstacle this landscape was and continues to be both as one tries to navigate the terrain or to farm.
 |
| Copyright 2014 Diane L Richard |
As you cross disused and abandoned rail spurs, often leading
to long abandoned or now nonexistent structures, you are reminded of industries
that used to exist and employed many.
You pass through small towns where once-proud railroad
stations used to sit, now converted to restaurants, offices, or something else
as the trains no longer stop in these communities.
You pass what once were vibrant main streets and now are
mostly composed of abandoned storefronts.
You see efforts to revitalize these once busy locales in hopes of making
them again an important hub in people’s lives.
 |
| Copyright 2014 Diane L Richard |
You see wonderfully restored historic houses that preen in
the sunlight whose neighbors have fallen into complete disrepair. You see new
condominiums being built next to old cottages.
You see such untouched beauty! I imagine some of it was just as it was in
the 1700s when settlers first moved into the area or earlier when the
Besides the above, here are some of what else I have
observed on my journey today – water towers of all sizes, a Civil War monument
(Fredricksburg), ramshackle barns and buildings, cotton and other crop fields,
abandoned factories, freight trains, main streets, college campuses, quaint
country churches, dilapidated farm machinery, a colorful sunset, graffiti, lots
of barren trees, railroad crossings, piles of railroad ties, trailer parks,
cemeteries (from large and orderly to abandoned and un-kept), etc.
Next time you are traveling – whether by bus, train, car,
airplane, boat, etc – try to not just view your journey as a means to get from
point A to point B. Use it as an
opportunity to really look at the landscape that you are passing through. I think you will find that you will gain a
new appreciation for those who have and do live along your travel route.
I don’t care how many maps I have looked at, how many
documents I have examined or the countless county histories I have read, every
time I take this train and look out the window, I gain an invaluable and
intimate view of an ever changing and
yet often the same landscape. A
priceless experience ...
Editor's Note: Yes, the photos are not crisp. Yes, they were taken by a cellphone camera. Yes, they capture the often grimy windows and imperfect nature of taking images from a moving train. And, most importantly, they provide a literal window into all that can be experienced by just really "looking" out at the world as we travel it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
copyright ©
National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington,
Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want to learn
more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with
Upfront with NGS Blog posts!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NGS does not
imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this
blog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Republication
of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for
non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a
note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written
permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles
for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission
to [email protected]. All
republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the
copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Think your
friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post
interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS
posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to [email protected]
No comments:
Post a Comment