Visiting my mother these past few weeks, during this early
November of 2012, has made me appreciate my “sweet home, Alabama” setting--
rural Winston County, near Nauvoo.
My daddy’s land is the land on which he was reared and it is also the
land where I was born and grew up.
How many people can return to the land of their roots and
still see everything as it was? My
brothers, sister, and I are fortunate to be able to do just that.
I have observed that in Alabama we usually have our peak
fall colors during this time of year.
As I walked in the woods on the home place of my childhood, the beauty
of autumn is in full display. The word ubiquitous comes to mind when I think of
all those leaves. As nature makes
a move toward dormancy, there are all kinds of leaves clinging from twisting branches
in different arrays of color. In
contrast, the falling leaves have blanketed the ground underneath those trees
in varying faded colors.
The scene ministers to my inner spirit. Life has a slower pace. All this results in a personal sense of
appreciation. God has blessed our family so much as we lived out our lives on this land. We have a great heritage. With reverence I walk the land. I feel the fresh air of an early
morning dawn as the chill of the night disappears in the mist. It is as if nature has created its own
special lens for viewing the moment. All is tranquil. I see beauty in the simplicity of the old home place. The land is at rest. All is well.
As I walked up the road from my mother’s house, the same
house where I was born more than 67 years ago, the thought came to mind that I
needed to capture all this on camera-- the light shining through the trees, the
early sun spotlighting the house, the road itself winding through the woods,
and the leaves covering the ground.
Let the
pictorial journey begin. Needless to say, the camera does not capture what I
saw. It does create a record of
the land and structures that are enduring to the Kilgore family.
The following photographs are of the property of Cecil and Beatrice Kilgore, who moved there in the early 1940s. They bought the original house from Cecil's Father, Virge Kilgore for $600.00.
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| Winston Co. Road 21 from Poplar Springs to Nauvoo |
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| Gate to the property and signs posting for personal property and alarm system |
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| Upper house cottage moved to property from Double Springs, Alabama and is location of Cecil Kilgore Family holiday gatherings |
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| Private Drive from the upper cottage to the main house Distance is approximately 1/8 of a mile. |
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| Circular drive from mail box and wooded yard near main house |
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| Main House of Cecil and Beatrice Kilgore Originally it had only 4 rooms. Presently it has 8 rooms. |
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| Off of Winston Co. Rd. 21, this is the driving entrance to the Virge and Sarah Kilgore home site |
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| Woods taken from the dirt road on to the property |
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| Dirt road entrance on the old homestead |
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| Tagged wire gate on road entrance recently put up by cousin, Jimmy Kilgore next to a no trespass sign |
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| Dirt road ends into a big field going to the house |
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| Field which has been bush hogged and a portion cut with a riding lawn mower ready for winter |
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| The 100 year old house of Virge and Sarah Kilgore. 9 children were reared in this small home. |
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| The chimney side of the old house build by Virge Kilgore |
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| Front view of the old Kilgore home place |
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| The early morning sun is shining on the front porch of the old house as you see a panoramic view of the blacksmith shop and the old barn shaded by two enormous oak trees. |
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| Petunias blooming in November near the foundation of the old house's front porch. Originally the house foundation was open and supported by large rocks like those in the chimney on the ends and ever so often under the support beams. All wood in the house was from the land and made into lumber at the hands of Papa Kilgore. |
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| Two big trees overshadow the barn structures |
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| Small Shed on the property used for a garage and also for a storage area |
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| Originally this structure was a small barn but was mainly used as a blacksmith shed. |
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| The early morning sun beams through the trees and unto the large barn in the distance |
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| A front view of the blacksmith shop |
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| A large back field behind the large barn. The very back portion of the field belongs to my brother, Mike. He bush hogged the field for winter. Our cousin, Jimmy Kilgore has a deer stand on the edge of the field. |
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| The woods next to the back field. As a child we use to raise corn in the field, and also watermellons, and peas. |
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| From the back field, this is a back side view of the barn. |
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| The old barn has been used for storage for some time. |
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| Inside the old barn |
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| Taken from the barn, this view is of the two big oak trees and the blacksmith shop and the old house in the distance. |
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| The oak tree branches span across the yard between the house and the barn. There use to be a bigger oak tree next to the house, but a portion of it fell on the ground a few years ago. Presently, all that is remaining is the trunk |
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| Front roof line of the barn |
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| Side view of the old house. |
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| Side view of the front portion of the old house |
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| Side roof line of the old house |
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| This view is taken from the field behind the old house looking toward the barn and the larger back field with a panoramic view of the woods circling the back field. |
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| This is an outhouse built on the property when we started having Kilgore Cousins' reunions there. |
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| A panoramic view taken from the back side of the front field to capture the trees and house from a different angle. |
Johnny Kilgore
:)
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