Sifting through the files . . . some random photos and thoughts

Was going through some photos, trying to cull a few and reduce the number - several hundred - on the hard drive at home. There were so many in one directory that the access speed reminded me of the old disk drives that barely held a megabyte. Remember those and how slowly they performed? Here are a couple of photos that I'd forgotten about but captured my attention anew. These were scans of either prints or negatives . . . all taken on vintage cameras from the 1950s.


The organ pipe photo above appeared in an art/photo show sponsored by the Episcopal Church a couple of years ago. These pipes belong to an organ in one of the oldest churches in the U.S. The parish, located near Jamestown in Virginia, dates to about 1619 (just twelve years after Jamestown's founding).

The tombstone image is from a very old graveyard attached to the burned out brick shell of an 18th century Episcopal Church near Bacon's Castle in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. This area, on the south side of the James River across from Jamestown, was a last outpost for rebels who tried to overthrow the Virginia colonial government in 1676. For a long time historians liked to highlight Bacon's Rebellion as a harbinger of the American Revolution. Coming exactly a century earlier, it was easy - although incorrect, it turns out - to make the analogy and suggest that Bacon and his backcountry supporters - most of them former indentured servants - somehow presaged the later colonial opposition to royal authority.

This final photograph shows detail from St. Luke's Episcopal Church, another 17th century church located in Isle of Wight County (not far from Smithfield . . . think ham, bacon and anything pork-related). Although not used for regular services now, it's open daily for tours, is a popular destination for school field trips, and is used for occasional services by the nearby Episcopal parish in Smithfield. Only a few minutes from my parents' home, I always stop by to stroll the grounds when visiting Virginia. (My oldest friend, India, who still lives in the area and teaches high school social studies, can correct me if any of my history proves incorrect.)