Burlington, W.Va.
August, 16, 1919Dear Mary:-,
I was mighty glad to have your nice letter and truly have intended writing to you for ever so long. But we too have had company and the summer has been a very full one for me. Since the seventh of July, I have been one busy woman. On that date I started for Columbus Ohio as a guest in my aunts car. Aunt Sallie Arnold (Uncle Dave's wife) has been planning this trip to the Centenary Exposition [of American Methodist Missions] since last winter and by the original plans, I was to drive the car. But Uncle Dave decided it was too long a drive for me to have full charge of the car as he asked George Wilson to drive. George is the best driving I have ever ridden with. Well, we started with these in the party: Mrs Cavitt, Aunt Sallie's sister, and her little boy Jimmie, Aunty Sallie, George and myself. We traveled all the way on the Old National Highway of Washington and Braddock fame and which runs through the upper edge of Maryland and into Penna. across the Pan Handle of W.Va. to Wheeling and on due west to Columbus. I suppose it leads further west but that is where we stopped. I cannot begin to tell you what a wonderful road it is. And Scenery! Oh my, it is beyond my ability to tell. I only wished for you about a thousand times and am going to give you this bit of advice. If you ever have a chance to do so, tour Ohio in an auto. Slip across Pen. into Ohio and get on that Highway and you will see such country as you never even dream before. The wheat harvest was on at that time and these vast fields of wheat were being cut and shocked. As far as the raw eye could see were hills with wheat, timothy corn and rich pastures growing to the very tops. That was the strange part to me as our hill tops are not productive and are mostly forrested.
The road bed was perfect and we could go as fast as we cared to. 55 miles per was the fastest we did and that just to beat a saucy motor-cycle that offered us a race. - (note - He won).
We left home at seven oclock. Carrying our meals along. We reached Zanesville Ohio for the night. That is the town of the big potteries. We visited the Weller Pottery the next morning and were so interested that we tarried there until nearly noon, when we should have been on our way. That is the lovely thing about traveling with Aunt Sallie. She is never in a hurry and takes in every thing of interest as she comes to it. The Pottery was wonderful and I saw lots of pretty designs that I might put on my jar but I find they have escaped me now.
We reached Columbus in the afternoon of the second days drive with the seedometer [sic] registering some 287 miles. I shall not attempt to tell you of the Exposition more than to say we all enjoyed it thoroughly and got a new vision of the missionary work.
We visited on the way home. Spent Sunday in Wheeling with a cousin of Aunt Sallies and from there drove through the hilliest road that our little Mountain State can produce to Fairmont. There we stayed all night and George and I went on home alone next day having Aunt Sallie and Mrs Cavitt there to visit their sister. We attempted to come home on the famous Old Northwestern Turnpike, surveyed by an engineer from Napoleon's army in 1830, but it kept getting rougher and steeper and narrower with each mile and we got caught in one of those sudden Mountain storms which was most beautiful - (for a storm). We had a time getting the curtains on, working frantically to get the right-hand curtains on the left-hand side but we managed it finally and kept dry. By the time we got into the real mountains, those old fellows that are 3000 feet high the night was coming on and we had no desire to be caught out in the night. We passed a house about once in ten miles and occasionally a lumber camp so when we came to a little town with some people in it inteligent [sic] enough to direct us, we got directions to the good old National Highway our old friend of the outward trip, and then it was plain sailing. That is as far as road-bed was concerned but it began raining at nine oclock and there were great pockets of fog which retarded our speed to such an extent that it was three oclock in the morning when we reached Uncle Dave's whereas we should have been there by twelve. It certainly was a grand trip in every respect. I wish you could have seen the wisps of fog hanging along the mountain sides after the storm.
Well, haven't I made a long story of this trip? It lasted just ten days and when I got home Ruth Wilson was at Hattie's waiting to come to my house. Two days later Grace Van Horn from Brentwood Md and her cousin Elmer Guilford came[.] So we plunged in to a whirl of picnics and swimming and other gayeties such as take place in the country in summer.
Now, about the trip to Petersburg. I am afraid you will be disappointed when you find that this Petersburg is in W.Va. and is a bare 30 miles from Burlington, just up the valley in the next County and not Petersburg Va, below Richmond.
Trully [sic], though, I believe we had just as good time as if we had gone farther . We got up just at the break-o'-day and started out for an all days gypsying trip. Stopped at about seven-thirty and fried bacon and eggs and made coffee over open fire. Washed our tin plates and cups carefully and journed on to the villiage [sic] of Petersburg. Visited some friends there and then hunted the prettiest spot we could find and started our dinner fire. This was a longer process than breakfast as we had young chickens to fry and must have a thick bed of coals to put the skillet on. We also had corn-on-the cob boiled in an iron pot, coffee, tomatoes and nic-nacs.
Wait a minute, I must tell you who was along. Ruth Wilson, Grace Van Horn, Ann Charlotte and myself. Ruth took a number of pictures of the various activities but none of them was good. I am sorry, I meant to send you some.
We made gravey [sic] too. And you never tasted anything quite so good as that fried chicken.
We stopped again in Petersburg and sent postal cards. We sent about thirty and the girl in the office said she could not get them off until next morning. We presumed she wanted to read them. By the way, when you see Carrie Smith and she tells you she received a card from me from Petersburg just tell her it was Petersburg W.Va. only thirty miles away and not in Virginia.
We also had to buy some more provisions in the villiage [sic] for supper as we had nothing left but two chicken gizzard[s] and three tomatoes. We got some lemons and canned goods and started on toward home. Stopped at supper time and finished up the contents of the larder, reaching home in a state of well fed content and feeling thoroughly happy with the world at large and our selves in particular.
Ruth was with us about two weeks and we certainly did enjoy having her. Grace Van Horn left about a week ago so we are without company now. But Camp meeting began yesterday. We have moved in our cottage and have old Aunt Ann installed in the kitchen. This is Saturday afternoon and there is no service until to night so Ann and I came down to the house to straighten up a bit and write letters.
I had no idea of writing such a long one when I started and can only hope you will not find it too long. But this is a review of my summer activities and I think you will say with me that I have had a truly beautiful time. First was my delightful visit with you, then the trip to Columbus and then a house full of young people. Not to mention the little trip I took to Winchester in May.
Yes, I dilivered [sic] your greetings and the girls were mighty glad to be remembered. Write again and greet the family for me
Love
Mary V.