Saturday, May 18, 2019

Two Lane Adventure to Ohio – Saturday, May 18th 2019


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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