Archive

A Wing And A Prayer Trip Day 1


We stayed at a One star Red Roof Inn in Cookeville, Tennessee last night. The night clerk was overly friendly and a bit loud. He reminded me of a cross between Eddie Haskell and the Fonz.

“Where you folks from?”

“Paducah, Kentucky.”

“Really? I used to live THERE. I had a farm THERE once. Just on the outskirts of Bowling Green.”

Bowling Green is two and a half hours east of Paducah.

Other than being mistaken about that and needing a bath and a shampoo badly he was okay. I considered offering to give him one of my clean shirts, but the greasy spots splattered down the front added to his character.

The nonsmoking room smelled like an ashtray, but aside from that and a few holes in the sheets it was serviceable.

At three in the morning my phone’s battery died the white noise I sleep with ceased. After searching for my charger I managed to sleep until six. Tina wasn’t so lucky.

What Google Maps estimated would take ten hours turned out to be sixteen due to heavy, sloooow traffic before we reached Charleston. We saw one chain reaction pile up that involved a half dozen vehicles.

Thankfully, we made to Charleston before sundown and were able to see the first item on my list. I was able to visit The Circular Congregation Church that my ancestors help establish in 1681.

The elders are buried among some of the older headstones, but I was able to find some junior ancestors, Thomas and Mary Bennett, just inside the graveyard gates.

I believe Elizabeth Shellback is among the ones in unmarked graves. Her parents died when she was small and she was indentured to work for a Charleston family until she came of age to marry.

It was a good ending to a long day. Tomorrow will be even better because tonight we stay at a Holiday Inn Express! We’re just across the river from old town.

_______________
Rick Algood
June 26, 2022

Archive


Return to eAlgood.com