A Memorial Day Memory and Thank You!

Thank You... to all who attended and all who helped make Memorial Day Monday a success. 

Thanks to  Jim Monahan for use of the Auction Barn property and for going above and beyond getting his 1790's Revolutionary War Fly up to give us shade. Thanks to Pam Wexler for showing up early to help with setup and with donuts, Carolyn Tine... plus our usual crew... Jen Caloia, Barb Keough, and Michele Kelly...and anyone I forgot.

A great thank you to Dianne Morris Chilson and Doug Chilson who set up a display in the little Mini Museum next to the old one. Doug provided a glimpse into area World War II veterans, which included his father and Viet Nam...himself.  Medals and patches however cannot tell the whole story of their sacrifice.

Memorial Day in Old Eaton

The can drive was a hit and you still have a few days before they are counted... so drop any you have off at Michele's place on Mill Street or my house on Brooklyn Street.  The Cats and Museum would thank you if they could.. thank you! 

The day brought out a number of the original members of founding families which in essence is what makes a history day or old home day an important part of the community.  Our roots seem unimportant until we have children or grand children and then take the time to look back... wondering about our ancestors and how we came to be!

Eaton's history is fun to learn about for many reasons and learning about history is a great way to prove that everything is a circle and learning history gives you a glimpse into the future as well,,, it acts a like warning device. I was reminded of an old story about Eaton.  The story actually revolves around the house next to the museum on River Road, the road that was once called Water Street. The building is one of the oldest in town and was owned during the period before and after the Civil War by the Leach family. It is "Henry" I believe who served in the Confederate Army while the rest of the town for the most part was pro North.

Small towns in those days stuck together in a more cohesive way than today I guess... and after the War (Civil War) had passed, it is said that on all holidays and during parades old Mr. Leach would don his Confederate uniform and march in the parade with the many members of the GAR.  Both sides it is noted paraded up and down the streets with pride.  As a matter of fact... it wrote Mr. Leach into history and he has become part of the "Tales told of Old Eaton"... ones that you can enjoy.

Curiously, when redoing the museum we held a very large opening day celebration... and Chris Staudt with whom I bought the building and refurbished it to become  the museum for Eaton... invited friends and family down for the occasion. 

Chris' dad came down and toured...after the crowd had gone home and as he was leaving, he looked up at the American flag flying over the door, he glanced across the yard to the Leach house and said... "You really need a Confederate Flg flying here also".  To this day I wonder if old  Mr. Leach was around giving us a hint of his past... could be I guess.... after all it was Memorial Day!

The concept of Eaton Day arose from Eaton's traditional 4th July Celebration which has been taken over by Hamilton today. In "the Old Days" it was a celebration of honoring the dead warriors, remembering the past and enjoying community, today Eaton's little history group has tried to keep that spirit alive.

The Museum will be open pn Father's Day from 11 until 1.

Christmas, Children's Books, Mog the Cat and Sainsbury history... all rolled into one!

With all of the Christmas advertisements, internet marketing, and media blitzes to entice us to buy for Christmas or the “Holidays”....  I was amazed to find an advertising campaign that I loved.  I fell upon it while surfing, it was an ad for a very British supermarket chain called Sainsbury.  So of course I was on a "history quest" to learn more, since I remember Sainsbury’s from a trip to London at Christmas many years ago.

Located on historic Druy Lane the company was founded in 1869 by a man named John James Sainsbury and his wife Mary Ann.  Eventually the company expanded and by 1922 it was London’s largest grocery store…in our area much like Wegman’s. Early in its existence it featured “self-service”... a unique concept in those days of personal help in the local stores, it also featured its own brand of goods.

The success of the store was due to its ownership, which remained rooted in family members.  In World War II it stayed open despite the bombing of London and its stores in many other areas (one of which that was severely damaged) and the rationing of foodstuffs. 

The company later was overcome by a competitor Tesco Foods, but today after being split into 3 corporate entities and much needed change was implemented, it opened its 1000^th store.

As a way to give back to the community this year it asked children’s book author and artist Judith Kerr to take her famous clumsy hero cat Mog out of retirement in a book and commercial for the holiday season. 

The new book is being sold by Sainsbury's that will donate all of its profits to Save the Children in its effort to promote child literacy… a very important mission of Kerr’s artistic and wonderful children’s books... she has written 15. 

Kerr herself is at 92 and has had an association with her publisher Harper Collins Books for over 50 years, for fun she actually gets a cameo in the video.  Bringing Mog,  her clumsy feline character to life on the screen was a remarkable accomplishment that she thought she would never see.

The commercial edition with its message of sharing has skyrocket around the world via the web and in this year of tragedy and terror I have taken to watching the little video many mornings just to smile and enjoy Mog and his antics. 

Watch and enjoy the Christmas Message! 

Merry Christmas to all!

This week, the Government shut down, World War II, Patton, and The Lost Children!

What a week…. government shut downs…people burning themselves…. unarmed mentally ill people being shot in their cars ... instead of having their tires shot  out… boats of refuges trying to escape war capsized...  everyone on edge?????

I have been doing this year’s calendar for Eaton and decided to do it on the events and pertinent dates of World War II, the second war to end all wars… which of course never end.

I actually have finished my list of 7 books to read on the war from Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe, Ambrose’s Eisenhower and the 5 volumes of Churchill’s…  I came away horrified that we still go to war without realizing the cost.  It appears our wars are more civilized now… war is not civilized.

Eisenhower’s book in his own words concentrates on the alliance of the Allied countries,  trying to keep all of the leaders happy, his work to win the war with the fewest losses, and at its ending … forming a world body to prevent war ... or to have countries work together toward that cause.  

Churchill on the other hand deals with it as facts and figures.  This or that ship went down… sunk… with 2,000 men drowned. 

Thousands of men on boats went down unable to be rescued in the cold waters of the North Atlantic… thousands.  In the book “The Grand Alliance” he talks with our general in charge of transporting troops to Europe and says the ship Queen Elizabeth can carry them… to paraphrase - "Our General asks how many troops at a time could she carry safely."  Churchill claimed... "If you get rid of the lifeboat worry (which could only save 8,000) you could carry a Division or 16,000 men…"   "and if it is sunk?"  It was basically the price of “War”.

Churchill seemed to be speaking of soldiers like the little plastic soldiers we post -war kids played with as children behind book forts. The more soldiers you had ... the most power you had.  We failed as children to realize each of them represented a young boy or man going off to war. (Today a woman.)

So to finish the calendar I decided to put in quotes on each page, mostly by soldiers or generals.  Some are famous like Patton’s - “When we get to Berlin I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I'd shoot a snake!” 

Some are to voice of reason; my favorite is Einstein’s… “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

Then I remembered a song by Gordon Lightfoot called “The Lost Children”.  Few people remember it …but this Viet Nam era song says it all.  I include the song and music video with words after it!

Down the hall their voices ring, their feet are on the run
Phantoms on the winter sky, together they do come
Faded lips and eyes of blue they're carried in the wind
Their laughter filled the countryside but they'll not laugh again

All the games are ended now, their voices have been stilled
Their fathers built the tools of war by which they all were killed
Their fathers made the uniforms showing which side they were on
And the young boys wear the middle name for guns to prey upon

You've seen the fires in the night, watched the devil as he smiles
You've heard a mother's mournful cry as she searches for her child
You've seen the lines of refugees, the faces of despair
And wondered at the wise men who never seem to care

Goodbye you lost children, God speed you on your way
Your little beds are empty now, your toys are put away
Your mother sings a lullaby as she gazes at the floor
Your father builds more weapons and marches out once more

Down the hall their voices ring, their feet are on the run
Phantoms on the winter sky, together they do come
Faded lips and eyes of blue they're carried in the wind
Their laughter filled the countryside but they'll not laugh again