EIC's Boring Weekend Spent Stripping

On Saturday, June 11th, Rick and I were accompanied by Freda Cruse Phillips of Exploring Stone County and our friend, Beau, on a sneak-peek of our 2011 Fall Road Trip. While visiting several of the trees we plan to visit during the Fall event, we were able to use an increment borer that Freda had brought to get core samples from a couple of them. Our goal is to find enough evidence that these trees are indeed old enough to have been fashioned at the hand of Izard County's early Native-American inhabitants that we can generate some interest among a few biologists and historians. If we can prove these trees are as old as we think they might be, we may also be able to prove the route of an ancient Indian trace right here in Izard County. It would be a significant achievement. The EIC Crew has high hopes that these are what we think they are and that they do form a trail. But despite our hopes, we realize it is just as possible these trees are either land boundary markers or even storm-damage survivors. The samples are still being prepared for our "analysis" at this time and we should be able to take a good look at them within the next week or so.

Also on the 11th, Warren Smith, Rick, Bo Elrod, and I began the process of stripping the 150+ year build-up of dirt and debris from the logs of the Old Lunenburg Saloon. By this past Sunday morning, working at different times, that crew along with Jim, Junior, and my youngest son, Logan, had managed to finish cleaning the nearly 50 logs of the old tavern. It was a big step on the way to having the building restored and ready for visitors! It won't be too long until folks who come to Lunenburg will be able to stand before...and sometimes even go into...the very place history tells us the name for the town of Lunenburg was adopted!

Enjoy the photos. feel free to comment!

NOTE: Photos by Freda Cruse Phillips and Bo Elrod