"The holy grove, carved a century ago by the druids, was designed to amplify emotion to a cathartic crescendo. You see, druidism (as did most early religions) realized the essential truth that faith is an emotional, rather than a logical, response to the world.
They designed their places of worship around this fact. Love, fear, guilt, rapture, these are religious words. Believers feel their belief. Skeptics contemplate their doubt."
~Scott David Howard
Three Days and Two Knights
Placerville, California, is a strange place. For a town that only has a little over 10,000 people, it has a lot of stories in it's rich past! Firstl of all, the town has had four names, Old Dry Diggins, Dry Diggings, Hangtown, and eventually, Placerville. The Gold rush, as you might expect, played a big part of it's past. I will share some new photographs and describe it's "Old West" persona in a different post, because it is a truly fascinating place, with some quirky and off beat characteristics to it. A part of the town is even said to be haunted, and has been featured on more than one paranormal research and reality show!
But for this post, it's all about an interesting memorial that sits on the opposite side of town. Alan and I must have passed this memorial a hundred times, over the years, as we went to Lake Tahoe or Apple Hill! But it wasn't until this past summer, that I took the time to check out what it was. As it turns out, it is a memorial dedicated to Fredrick Seig, who created the first Druid grove in California, in 1859. The memorial was presented to the city of Placerville, by the Fraternal Order Of Druids, on September 5th, 1926. While I know that memorials are not, technically speaking, public art, I think this memorial is so interesting and quite lovely, so I am adding it to my own Art About Town, public art series. It's fascinating, don't you think?
Like I said, Placerville is an Old West town, and I am thinking about taking a day in October, and just walking from one end of town to the other, just to see all the interesting details, and learn about it's past! There is a lot to take in, from the "Hangman's tree" to all the historic homes around town! There are some really great mid-century signs, mixed in with more modern buildings and businesses. There is a bell tower in the center of town, that was erected in the 1800's to alert firemen, should a fire breakout, and the town even has a link to John Studebaker, the automobile maker! So, there's a lot to look forward to, as I move through this autumn, searching for autumn leaves, and learning about the contribution of California to the history and lore of the Old West.
#5 Leaf Of The Day
September 26th, 2018
Cull Canyon
~Mood: Creative
~Me
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