There were no scheduled tours today, so Charlie and
I headed out to see a covered bridge that is close by, the Helmick Covered
Bridge. We started out following the GPS route, but an accident at an
intersection forced us to take an alternate route. We quickly learned that
there are quite a few county roads in Ohio that are gravel. But, it is about
the journey, not just the destination!
We saw a few goats in a field, well we saw the back
of the goats at least. The grass was pretty tall, but they will have that down
in no time flat.
The Helmick Covered Bridge was built in 1863. It is
asserted to be one of the oldest covered bridges in Ohio. It was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It is located east of Blissfield
on Township Road 25, in Clark Township, Coshocton County, Ohio. It was built by
John Shrake and is a two-span wooden truss covered bridge.
The bridge cost $2,107. It was an integral part of
commerce in the village of Helmick during the early days. The bridge provided
access to two grist mills used by farmers from as far as 25 miles away. Named
for Congressman William Helmick of Tuscarawas County, the covered bridge was
built by John Shrake of Newark, Ohio.
The bridge fell into decay, and was closed in 1981.
Citizens raised over $250,000 to restore the bridge and completed the project
in 1996.
It is sad that the community raised huge amounts of
money to restore the bridge and people deface it. It angers me evey time I see
it. There is just no respect for what is not their property, anymore.
We traveled on Chief Petty Officer Raymond Border
Memorial Highway. The events of Operation Enduring Freedom — taking place
almost 7,000 miles away — were brought home to Coshocton. He was from nearby
West Lafayette, Ohio. He was assigned to Navy Mobile Construction Battalion in
Gulfport, Mississippi. This Navy Chief Petty Officer died October 19, 2011, while
assessing a route in Yahya Khel, Paktika province, Afghanistan, during
Operation Enduring Freedom. This section of Route 16 was named for him, Chief
Petty Officer Raymond Border Memorial Highway.
There is a marker at intersection of Coshocton County
Roads 24 and 26 describes activity in 1764 when Bouquet’s army liberated 206
men, women, and children from Native American captivity. In the autumn of 1764,
the British military went on the offensive. Colonel Henry Bouquet, the
commander of Fort Pitt, led a force of nearly 1,500 militiamen and regular
soldiers from the fort into the heart of the Ohio Country in October. Bouquet's
force moved westward slowly. He had no intention of surprising the American
Indians. He hoped to avoid battle altogether by convincing the American Indians
that they had no chance against the sizable number of British soldiers. Bouquet
had every intention of destroying American Indian villages -- especially those
of the Lenape (Delaware) and the Seneca-Cayuga, in eastern Ohio -- unless they
surrendered and agreed to all of the colonel's demands. On October 13,
Bouquet's army reached the Tuscarawas River. Shortly thereafter the Shawnee,
the Ohio Seneca-Cayuga, and the Lenape (Delaware) informed Bouquet that they
were ready for peace. They promised to return all English captives in their
possession if the British spared their villages. Over the next several weeks,
the American Indians brought in their captives. In return, Bouquet promised not
to destroy American Indians villages or seize any of their land. Bouquet's army
left for Fort Pitt on November 18. His campaign became known as Bouquet's
Expedition.
The Delaware Nation Council House Memorial is just
off 2nd Street. Coshocton was the capital of the Delaware Nation. On
March 9, 1777, Chief White Eyes met with the British commanders and decided to
remain neutral. His decision aided the colonists in winning the Revolutionary
War. Chief Koquethaqechton, known as Chief White Eyes was a leader of the
Lenape Delaware Indian people in Ohio during the American Revolution. White
Eyes was a tireless mediator in turbulent times negotiating the first Indian
Treaties with the United States. He was sometimes called George White Eyes. In
the early 1770's Chief White Eyes founded a town called White Eyes town near West
Lafayette in Ohio.
Chief White Eyes dream was to bring his people
under the influence of Christianity. He also wanted to establish a (fourteenth)
state for Indian Nations, which would join the other thirteen. His death was
under mysterious circumstances during the American Revolutionary War. Chief
White Eye's British-Lenape wife Rachel Doddridge was reportedly murdered by
white men in 1788. Their mixed race son George Morgan White Eyes (1770-1798) was
cared for by the family friend George Morgan. Later he was educated at the college
of New Jersey (later Princeton University) where his tuition was paid by the
Continental Congress.
This afternoon we enjoyed a catered chicken dinner in the
hospitality area. Before dinner we sat outside and visited with the neighbors.
Tonight, before entertainment, they awarded the game
winners. Last night, they honored the veterans, but one special veteran was
there tonight. He is a World War II veteran. He got a standing ovation.
Our entertainment tonight, was Kenny Evans. WE have
seen him many times, but his show never disappoints! It was so hot here
tonight, he dressed casually … just like his Good Sammers do! Music has always
been a part of Kenny’s life. As a child he sang in a family quartet with his
father, brother, and younger sister. The Evans Family Quartet toured the
southeast doing concerts at churches, festivals, and theatres. In 1994, Kenny
signed with a booking agency and quickly began a grueling tour schedule that
would put him on the road for more than 250 days a year as the opening act for
some of country music’s biggest stars including Kenny Chesney, Charlie Daniels,
Lonestar, Sara Evans, Toby Keith, Tracy Byrd and many others.
In February 1998 Kenny signed a record deal in
Nashville and released his debut album “When You Love Somebody” and just as his
career was taking off tragedy struck as Kenny and his band were almost killed
by a drunk driver while on tour. It took several months to recover from the
accident, and in the spring of 2000 Kenny left the country music industry to
serve the Lord. Kenny is a studio musician and vocalist and for the past 17
seasons has been performing at various theatres in Pigeon Forge, TN. From
2000-2005 Kenny headlined the “Faith and Fifties Show” in Pigeon Forge where he
performed a tribute to the Golden Oldies hits of the 50’s and 60’s and some of
gospel music’s most treasured classics. Kenny now performs Golden Oldies and
Classic Country hits as the male vocalist in “The American Oldies Show” at Red
Skelton Tribute Theatre in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Walking home from the entertainment, we got a glimpse
of the full moon!
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