Serendipity
BY TONY COOK, EDITOR
The story in this issue about the mural
paintings on display at Jackson's Mill came about in a way that
most people would ascribe to serendipity—or, as I often
say, "pure dumb luck."
Nearly two years ago I was invited by the WVU Extension Service
to give a talk at its Jackson's Mill center, near Weston, W.Va.
I had never been to Jackson's Mill before, and knew nothing of
its past other than that it had been the boyhood home of General
Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Actually, before moving
to West Virginia, I had no idea that Stonewall Jackson had family
roots on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains. I assumed
that because he was a Virginian he had come from some Tidewater
place. Not so.
The fact that one of Virginia's famous sons actually lived on
a farm in West Virginia and is a hero of both states intrigues
me—even though I grew up in South Carolina. South Carolina
and North Carolina were once a single Carolina. Long ago, before
the birth of the United States, they parted company. This schism
didn't amount to very much. These days, the two states squabble
over which was the birthplace of President Andrew Jackson. And
they are known to many visitors from Northern states as "the
Carolinas," implying that their geography and history are
either unknown or irrelevant. After all, you drive hundreds of
miles across North Carolina to vacation at Myrtle Beach. Does
it matter that the destination is actually in South Carolina?
Not really, and it's too confusing. Besides, nobody cares.
People don't often confuse West Virginia with Virginia. I've
heard television weather forecasters speak of "the Virginias,"
which sounds odd. Sometimes my relatives and friends back home
ask me how things are going in Virginia—but this is simply
a quirk of memory. By and large, people seem to recognize that
there is a significant difference between the Mountain State
and the Old Dominion. Geography cannot be ignored when it takes
the shape of rugged, mountainous terrain. History cannot be ignored
when it includes a calamitous Civil War that ended slavery.
At Jackson's Mill there is a wooden structure called the West
Virginia Building, where my presentation took place. Upon entering
it that rainy October morning, I saw for the first time a spectacular
series of murals that I recognized as having been painted during
the 1930s—I had seen other examples of "WPA art"
in public buildings dating back to the Great Depression, and
these were in the same style. I felt that more people must see
these images and learn how they came to exist and why.
Greg Ellis, a photographer at WVU and a colleague of mine, arranged
to photograph the paintings. Florita Montgomery, Ed.D., an Extension
associate professor and communications specialist, found archival
materials related to them. With Florita's help, an Extension
staff writer, Eric Hrin, did a very fine job of sleuthing information
and writing about the paintings and their creator. Dean Hardman
and Richard Hamric of the Jackson's Mill staff helped in important
ways.
Thanks to the pure dumb luck of an editor happening upon a story
idea, and due to many hours of hard work by devoted professionals
who turned the editor's idea into something tangible, the part
of West Virginia history that is represented within a building
tucked away at Jackson's Mill can now be appreciated by many
thousands of readers nationwide. We hope you will enjoy learning
about this unique place as much as we enjoyed exploring it on
your behalf.
T.S.C.