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Showing posts with the label American History

Our Home: A Bit of History of Cook Station, Missouri

Entrance to our home on Burley Ridge Rd, Cook Station, MO We moved to historic Cook Station in September of 2020 after my husband retired. At the time I was caring for my father who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, plus we were in the beginning of the COVID crisis. It was a challenging time, but the friendliness of the people here and the natural beauty surrounding us made the transition go much smoother.  Historic Barn near Cook Station, MO The information posted below is from USGenWeb and was written in 1972 by James Ira Breuer: Villages of Crawford County, Missouri - COOK STATION Cook Station had its beginning with the building of the railroad along the Meramec Valley toward Salem in 1872-73. Several years before this Christopher C. Cook and wife had moved from Dent County and settled at the present site of the village. The Civil War came and Christopher enlisted in the Confederate Army where he served first as a private in Company F. Fifth Missouri Cavalry, and later raised

Kent State, the Summer of 1970 and the Grace of God

  Me in 1975 - Seeking God. Al Baker recently wrote an article on the tragedy of the Kent State demonstrations and the killing of four students in May of 1970:  Four Dead in Ohio ( FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS )  . I remember being 12 years-old at the time this happened and the disagreement between my father (a full-time Air National Guardsman) and myself. I could see that he was pained over the event, but he defended the soldiers who fired on the students and I was shocked at his defense of their actions. I also remember that my friends and I embraced the rebellious culture of the time and soon found ourselves acting like our "heroes;" while we were only in our early teens we became somewhat jaded and mistrusted those in authority. By the time I turned 17 years-old, I began to have a yearning in my heart to become a Christian - I wanted to become a new creation, but I didn't know how. (As a child I remember watching televangelists and reciting the "sinner's praye

'An honorable legacy for their descendants'

  Originally posted on Facebook  June 11, 2020 : While researching my family tree I found that many of my ancestors in the South actually fought for the North - in fact, some had to leave Tennessee and relocate in Missouri after the War. But removing historical monuments and statues, plus banning the Confederate flag is a blatant attempt to rewrite history. Why do this? I'm proud of the adversity my ancestors experienced as it made them better people and is an honorable legacy for their descendants. ~ Angela (Somers) Wittman These sentiments are still true today. Plus, I have always admired Gen. Grant - probably due to his St. Louis connection which is where I grew up; and while reading his memoirs I am impressed with his Christian ethics in private, as well as influencing his war ethics and public endeavors. So while I cannot say that General Grant knew the Lord as his personal savior, it is apparent he had a Christian worldview and acknowledged the Providence of God in historical

Encouragement for the Ladies: 'BETTY ZANE AND THE SIEGE OF FORT HENRY, SEPTEMBER 1782'

Written by Eric Sterner and posted at Journal of the American Revolution : "The military stores in Ebenezer Zane’s house were achingly close, but still too far to easily reach without passing through a long gauntlet of hostile warriors, soldiers, and gunfire. The fort’s defenders held a council and decided that one of them should run the gauntlet to retrieve gunpowder from Zane’s house. The colonel’s younger sister, Elizabeth Zane, volunteered. When some objected that a man could make the trip with less risk, she allegedly replied, 'and should he fall, his loss will be more severely felt. You have not one man to spare; a woman will not be missed in the defence of the fort.'[21] The men agreed. She removed clothing that would slow her down, then charged out of the fort when the gates were opened. Her gender reportedly stunned the attackers, who did not feel compelled to attack a woman. They may not have realized the purpose of her dash. Reaching the cabin, Ebene

Patriotic Sneakers, a Sport's Figure and Betsy Ross

By Angela Wittman Most of the baby-boomer generation will remember sitting through history and civics classes as children and young adults. It was the norm for us to be taught about our civil duties and the founding of our country - America. We also said the Pledge of Allegiance in school each morning and at night television stations signed off with an image of the American flag and the national anthem playing in the background. Fast forward to 2019 - we now have a sports figure dictating to a shoe manufacturer what products can and cannot be sold and the manufacturer complying.  It's reported that the sneakers were scheduled to be released to correspond with the anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence (July 4th) and featured the original 13 stars and the 13 red and white alternating stripes that is commonly known as the Betsy Ross flag. That is until Colin Kaepernick, a sports figure and spokesperson for Nike Shoes, found offense with it.  Ni

The History of Our Future Home

Crawford County, Mo 1904 Map Dear Friends, My husband and I own property in Crawford County, Missouri, where we plan to eventually retire. So, while researching area churches, I came across this history of the founding of Cook Station, Missouri, where our property is located. As most of you know, I love history and this area appears to be rich in it. In future posts I plan to share more nuggets of this area's history and perhaps some photos as well. Please take some time to read and enjoy! Villages of Crawford County, Missouri - COOK STATION  Cook Station had its beginning with the building of the railroad along the Meramec Valley toward Salem in 1872-73. Several years before this Christopher C. Cook and wife had moved from Dent County and settled at the present site of the village.  The Civil War came and Christopher enlisted in the Confederate Army where he served first as a private in Company F. Fifth Missouri Cavalry, and later raised and became captain Of

The Battle of Maxton Field

An image of the clash now held by the State Archives - Source: NCDCR On January 18, 1958, the Ku Klux Klan rallied in a field outside of Maxton in Robeson County to “put the Indians in their place, to end race mixing.” ( Excerpt from Lumbees Rally, Klansmen Scurry, in Robeson County - This Day In NC History ) Dear Friends, I've been researching my father's family history and while trying to verify our Native American ancestry, I came across this article and video of folk singer Malvina Reynolds telling the story of the North Carolina Lumbee Tribe and their encounter with the KKK in January of 1958: Lumbees Rally, Klansmen Scurry, in Robeson County On January 18, 1958, the Ku Klux Klan rallied in a field outside of Maxton in Robeson County to “put the Indians in their place, to end race mixing.” A generator powered the public address system and the single light bulb that illuminated the speaker’s immediate area. With only the dim light, the Klansmen, numberin

What on earth was Roy Moore thinking?

Dear Friends, Yesterday I saw this tweet repeating a comment reported by the LA Times that Roy Moore made at a campaign rally last September when one of his supporters asked him when he thought the last time America was "great:" "I think it was great at the time when families were united—even though we had slavery—they cared for one another…Our families were strong, our country had a direction." (Taken from Roy Moore: Last Time America was 'Great" was During 'Slavery';  Newsweek , 12.7.2017 ) I realize this is being presented out of context and sensationalized, but really, folks, what on earth was Roy Moore thinking when he said it?  Regardless of how foolish making such a comment is during a public campaign event for a national office, it's just plain wrong. My father's family is from the south - we can trace our ancestry back to the War for Independence with our family patriarch Capt. John Somers possibly serving under George