What Am I?

Okay, all you smart blogger friends, I need your help.  What is this and what was it used for?  I found this interesting object while walking in an alleyway in downtown Flagstaff, Arizona.  It was about three and a half feet from the ground, flush with the exterior of an old building.  Its dimensions were approximately 24 by 18 (at least by my memory), and as you can see, it was hinged from the top.  Although the bottom was immovable, I got the distinct impression that it would be pushed from the outside toward the inside rather than vice versa.  It had been immobilized so I could not get the plate to move in either direction.  I'm thinking maybe it was some type of kindling box for a wood stove (but it would seem more logical to have the hinges  underneath the door rather than on top), and I have found online a Majestic brand of stoves, although I could not find any reference to any antique ones.  Have any of you ever run across something like this in your background or your studies or travels?  I'm hoping someone out there can solve the mystery.

The Road Trip Comes to a Close

Linden, Texas is the gateway to the Piney Woods of East Texas so once I got to Linden, I knew I was close to the end of my trip.  Linden is home to the Music City Texas Theater.  The facility will hold 25 percent of the town's population and hosts several concerts throughout the year.  (The theater has a seating capacity of 450 and the town's population is 2250.)  Upcoming concerts scheduled are the T-Bone Walker ("Daddy of the Blues") Blues Festival, a Summer Bluegrass Show featuring Hickory Hill, and Doyle Dykes, a fingerstyle guitarist.  Linden's native sons include Scott Joplin, T-Bone Walker, and Don Henley, lead singer and guitarist of The Eagles.

Last stop on the trip home was Jefferson, Texas, a quaint little town filled with history, lots of antique shops, and beautiful historic homes.  Below is a small sampling of some of the things I saw in the two hours I spent there.  And because I had one of the best barbecue brisket plates I've had in a long time, I'm definitely going back when it's cooler to take in all the sights.  

Thanks for joining me on my road trip.  I drove 3,131 miles and went through places such as Concord, Reklaw (Walker spelled backwards), Maydelle, Palestine, Beverly Hills, Early, Bangs, Claude, Goodnight, Memphis, Estelline, Oklaunion, Magnolia, Electra, Belcherville, Paris, Reno, Blossom, Detroit, Malta, New Boston, Boston, Old Boston (yep, all three), and Maud.  I had a grand time.  Hope you did too.

Moving on Down the Road ~ Barns, Wind Power, Eagles

Rock Barn

Saint Joe, Texas

Daybreak near Muenster, Texas

Wind Turbines

Shortly after sunrise in Lindsay, Texas

An older, more traditional form of wind power

Building detail in Paris, Texas

Chillicothe, Texas

Chillicothe, Texas

Population 800

Jackpot:  I found FOUR rusted antique tractors at a little park in Chillicothe.  Although rusty and without tires on the rims, I found it interesting that this one had a big wet oil spot right underneath the motor, so it may be antique but it shows signs of having been operated not too far in the recent past.

 

Metal dome on the First Methodist Church in Chillicothe.  The original stained glass windows were crafted during World War I in Germany and crossed the Atlantic three times before being accepted by US Customs in New York and shipped by train to Chillicothe.

Road Trip Day Two ~ Leaving New Mexico, Arriving Texas

 

Glenrio Texas/New Mexico Diner

Day Two finds me still on Interstate 40 with not many chances for photos.  I decided to take an exit right at the border to see what a little town called Glenrio had to offer.  My studies had told me that it sits on the Texas/New Mexico state line straddling old Route 66.  Although Glenrio is pretty much a ghost town these days (even though I did hear a dog bark while taking a few photos), it was the site of the "First Motel in Texas" and the "Last Motel in Texas."  I suppose the same could be said for New Mexico due to its strategic location.  The town (although I think that's a description which may be a misnomer) consists of the remains of the Courtyard Motel, the Texas Longhorn Cafe and Phillips 66 station, the post office, and a few other buildings, including an old diner and adjacent Texaco station, and even the old Route 66 roadbed which had something similar to a modern-day median down the center. 

I next ventured off the interstate in Vega, Texas, because it had a courthouse I wanted to photograph.  It was somewhat disappointing compared to all the other fabulous courthouses I had seen on this trip and I found this old bus stop much more interesting.  This area of Texas is called the Panhandle.  I've never understood the logic of that because if you look at the US map it is obvious that the Panhandle belongs to Oklahoma.  Oh, well, Texas has always been known to be overreaching I suppose. 

Mulkey Theater, Clarendon, Texas

Shortly after leaving Amarillo I was able to abandon the interstate and continue my travels across the Panhandle and Northern Texas through the little towns that I love so much to visit.  My first stop was in Clarendon,  which had a population of 1974 in the 2000 census.  I had lunch at the Dairy Queen (there seems to be a DQ in EVERY town in Texas!) and then went rambling where I found the Mulkey Theater.  After arriving safely back home and doing a little bit of Googling I discovered in an article from the Amarillo Globe-News last March that the community of Clarendon has managed to raise $11,000 toward a necessary $20,000 to get the Mulkey's marquee lights up and running again as a first step toward revitalization of the property.  The theater is on the Top Ten List of Most Endangered Properties by Preservation Texas, a private advocacy group that encourages support and funding for historic places, archives, and artifacts.  Maybe I'll have the opportunity in a couple of years to revisit this area and take in a flick at the Mulkey.

From Flagstaff to Santa Rosa

The first day on my return trip to Texas took me across Arizona and into New Mexico on Interstate 40.  There were not a lot of places to stop for photographs so I made the most of the time, saving lots of time for the next two days when I ventured back onto highways which didn't bypass all the small towns.  But much like the rest of Arizona, this area of the state has dramatic, although sometimes stark, scenery.

Near Window Rock, Arizona

Capitol of the Navajo Nation

 Stained Glass Window

Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church

 Santa Rosa, New Mexico

My first day was from Flagstaff to Santa Rosa, New Mexico.  The hotel clerk recommended the Lake City Diner for dinner.  I think he may have been a relative of the young man who was my waiter.  I was the only patron at 5:30 p.m. and the only one when I left at 6:30, and it was obvious it was a new restaurant, but if my visit is to be a typical one, it should be a resounding success.  The diner is located in an historic building just across the square from the Guadalupe County Courthouse, which in itself is an historic structure listed on the National Register.  If you had to guess, what kind of a building was the diner originally?  If you say bank, you're exactly right.  The front room still contains the original black and white tile floor, and the white marble on the countertop between the dining area and the kitchen was the original marble used on the front of the teller cages.  The kitchen is located in the bank vault with the original steel door which can be used to shut off the kitchen from the dining area.  Even the stamped tin ceiling (show below) is original and is in excellent condition.  I spent quite a bit of time talking with the cook/proprietor and his wife about the history of the building and the town of Santa Rosa. 

Now if all that weren't enough, I had a big plate of delicious New Mexico soft beef tacos with corn tortillas, scrumptious pinto beans (whole, not refried) and homemade Mexican rice, all for the sum of SEVEN whole dollars! 

Intricate stamped tin ceiling of the Lake City Diner, Santa Rosa, New Mexico

Flagstaff and Sedona

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Gothic structure of native volcanic rock constructed  in 1929 

Gargoyles on the east side of the church

(not visible in above photograph)

Historic building in downtown Flagstaff

Red rocks of Sedona

Archway in Tlaquepaque, Sedona

Tlaquepaque is a collection of galleries, shops and fine restaurants

(Pronounced ta-LOCKY- POCKY)

Scenes from Jerome

I've spent the last two days in Sedona and Flagstaff and will be leaving on Friday for home.  I scheduled this auto post in advance so I'll be returning on Sunday with the finale of my road trip and will get caught up with everyone's blogs next week.  Wish me safe travels, and until we meet again, happy trails!

Day Trip to Jerome

Every tourist who comes through Central Arizona should take a day trip to Jerome.  It once was a thriving copper mining town named for Winston Churchill's mother, Jennie Jerome Churchill, which later became a ghost town which later become a Hell's Angels outpost which later became an artists' colony which later became a revitalized ghost town and tourist attraction.  The above picture is of the Bradshaw Mountains between Phoenix and Cottonwood on the way to Jerome. How would you like to ride across those hills in a Conestoga wagon or a mule on the way to California?  Many people did!

This is Jerome, built on the side of a mountain.  It is a fascinating place with much history and an absolute blast to visit.  When I first moved to Arizona in 1972 it had seven (that's 7) residents and most of the buildings were falling off the side of the mountain.  There were two open retail establishments, the House of Joy restaurant - reputed to originally be a house of ill repute, which was only open on weekends, and a bar down (or up, as the case may be) on Hill Street.  In the coming days I hope to show you more of Jerome.  For history, just Google it!

Phoenix ~ Favorite Buildings

Brophy Chapel

Student chapel of Brophy College Preparatory School

at St. Francis Xavier 

Westward Ho Hotel

Hot spot of the Hollywood crowd during the 1930s and '40s

Now a residence facility for special needs adults

Arizona State Capitol

With her copper dome polished and bright

In anticipation of Centennial

February 14, 2012

Arizona Scenery ~ Day 3 ~ Arizona Road Trip

West of Pima, Arizona

Thanks to irrigation Arizona has a large amount of arable land.  I love this scene of a field outside of Safford, Arizona, with the mountains in the background.  Although not positive, I would wager this is a field of cotton since the Safford area is well-known for its Pima cotton, named for the Pima Indians in Southeastern Arizona. 

Rust and Dramatic Vistas ~ Day 3 ~ Arizona Road Trip

I stayed overnight in Deming, New Mexico, having logged a little over 500 miles closer to my destination.  Loading Truck up the next morning for the last leg of the journey I found this VW trailered in the hotel parking lot.  Even in the dullness of the pre-sunrise light, I immediately spotted all that rust and the juices started running.  The trailer had an Indiana plate, and I immediately wondered why anyone would trailer a rusted-out car halfway across the country.  Different strokes for different folks, I guess.  My gain!

The further west I travel, the more dramatic the scenery.  

Van Horn and Sierra Blanca ~ Day 2 ~ Arizona Road Trip

Day 2 of my trip found me in far West Texas and I took a quick cruise through Van Horn where I spotted this shell of an old building.  It must have been something in its day with the arched windows and the intricate wrought iron fence dominated by two rows of five-pointed stars  signifying the Lone Star of Texas.

The Hudspeth County Courthouse in Sierra Blanca, Texas, is the only working adobe courthouse in the state. The Mediterranean style architecture includes walls which are 18 inches thick.  Built in 1919, it was effectively gutted and renovated in 2003.

Detail over the door of the Hudspeth County Courthouse.

Zephyr and Brownwood ~ Arizona Road Trip Day One

Zephyr, Texas

Population 200 

Brown County Courthouse

Brownwood, Texas

Constructed in 1884 but totally remodeled in 1917

Note to Magpie:

The steps don't lead to the second floor on this one!