Wickland, Home of Three Governors, circa 1825-1828, at 550 Bloomfield Rd., Bardstown, Kentucky.

Many people visit historic sites with the hope of finding ghosts. I don’t. However, I’ve always been envious of others who walk around a centuries old room on tours, let their fingers linger on a few of the do-not-touch pieces, nod, and say with confidence, “Oh, there’s a spirit here all right. I can feel it.” I’d never felt anything. Until my visit to Bardstown, Kentucky, that is.

The Spirits of Wickland

Wickland is a Federal-style three-story manor house built circa 1825 to 1828, by Charles A. Wickliffe. Wickcliffe, a Whig member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, and governor from 1839 to 1840 after Governor James Clark died in office, left the estate to his son, Robert C. Wickliffe. Robert served as the last pre-war Louisiana governor from 1856 to 1860. The third and last governor to occupy the mansion was John Crepps Wickliffe ( J.C.W.) Beckham, grandson of Charles A. who was the governor of Kentucky from 1900 to 1907. The full history of Wickland is available on the Bardstown site at: http://visitbardstown.com/wickland/history.html

Dixie Hibbs, local historian, took me through the mansion, room by room, sharing details about the Home of Three Governors (nickname for the estate).  Its high ceilings and long windows full of the day’s last rays, created an atmosphere of cultured elegance.

Entrance to Wickland, Home of Three Governors

Dixie saved the kitchen until last as it’s the room where the spirit of Waleta, the cook, is always found. Now, as I said, I’ve never had that gift of being able to feel a ghost or presence when I’m walking around, so I had to take Dixie’s word that Waleta was present.  I watched with interest when Dixie picked up two divining rods and asked Waleta to cross them. Right on cue, the pieces of iron moved into place. Interesting, I thought, but not exactly evidence that would stand up for most folks to prove a spirit was present.

Dixie handed the divining rods to me. Arms out, I stood still and waited. Nothing much happened.

I could see a look of disappointment on Dixie’s face. She was obviously convinced that Waleta was there, so I said to the empty air, “Waleta, cross the rods.”

I felt a giggle — now I know it’s impossible to feel someone else’s giggle, but I did. Then, I sensed a gentle pressure against my hands and the rods began to move. I watched in amazement — me, a ghost was really responding to me? In a few seconds the rods were crossed.

“I guess she just needed my permission,” I said to Dixie, and dropped the rods. I couldn’t stop grinning.  “Darn, I should have got a picture!”

Dixie grabbed my camera and I took the rods again — they immediately crossed when I held them out this second time. Once again I was surprised at the distinct sensation of my hands being pushed gently together.

Linda Aksomitis in the kitchen at Wickland, Home of Three Governors, holding diving rods that have been crossed by the spirit of Waleta, a cook at Wickland around the mid-1800s.

Over dinner Dixie told me intriguing stories about the spirits of Wickland, then we shared coffee with the two young mediums who communicate with them — Michael and Katie Wilhite.  Luckily, anyone can participate in the Spirit tours with these talented twins as they’re held weekly at Wickland. See: http://visitbardstown.com/wickland/tours.html

Here’s a video about the spirits of Wickland:

Ghosts at the Jailer’s Inn

Jailer's Inn in Bardstown, Kentucky, located at 111 West Stephen Foster Avenue. Stocks outside for photo taking.

During my trip to Bardstown I stayed at the Jailer’s Inn. For a history lover it was the perfect place — operating as a jail for 168 years, the walls certainly had many tales to tell. You don’t need to stay to hear them though, as visitors can also tour the Inn, peek in the cells, and hear about some of the prisoners who spent time behind the bars and walked in the stone fenced yard at the rear. On the far side of the fence, you can wander through the graveyard reading tombstones dating back to the 1700s.

My nights, as I expected, were peaceful — I didn’t even hear the high winds of a storm through the 30 inch stone walls! No ghosts at all.

On my last morning I lingered over breakfast, enjoying the fresh baked muffins and conversation with my host, Paul McCoy, and the two other visitors who’d spent the night. Deciding to take some photos of the upstairs rooms (my room was on the main floor), I grabbed my camera, climbed the stairs and opened the door to the first room. The camera — new batteries the night before — wouldn’t turn on.

Although I figured I’d somehow left the camera on, I called to Paul, “I guess your ghosts don’t want their pictures taken this morning.”

He laughed.

I changed the batteries and climbed the stairs once again. Before entering the bedroom, I stopped to take a photo of the long wooden table that filled the foyer.

Shock filled me as I stared at the three second display of the photo I’d snapped. There was no table. No chairs. Not even any walls or ceiling. Instead, the picture showed  the two shapes in the photo below. I’m not sure which ghosts or spirits they were, but I’m sure they weren’t part of the realm I usually see!

Ghosts at the Jailer's Inn, 111 West Stephen Foster Avenue, Bardstown, Kentucky.

by Linda Aksomitis

When it’s minus 40 degrees and the wind is howling, I always say it’s time to look for a warm spot with lots to do. Last winter I discovered the thirty-two mile stretch of Alabama’s gulf shore around Gulf Shores/Orange Beach. With The Beach Club in Gulf Shores as my central point, I set out to discover the area.

I was ready to stretch my legs and enjoy the sunshine when I arrived, so I headed out for a hike. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge was perfect. I took the two-mile hike (one way) up the Pine Beach Trail, which had lots to see and learn on the way.

The first thing I noticed was the unfamiliar sound of locusts–while I’d heard of them, I’d sure never actually heard the hum of a swarm.

Some other amazing things included: wind-bent Sand Live Oaks, a ghost crab, a beach mouse, the Piping Plover, different varieties of cacti, reindeer moss and saw palmettos, along with the alligator slide. Panting my way right to the end of the trail, the wind-swept dunes were a great reward for the exertion.

When you’re from the prairies, like I am, everything on the Gulf is new and exciting, so I found myself an educational tour. Janet & Skip Beebee at Sailaway Charters were some of the best teachers I ever met! A group of us boarded the “Miss Janet” for a tour through the estuaries and backwaters of Longs Bayou and Wolf Bay on the Gulf.

In a few short hours Janet taught me the basics of life on the water: shrimping, farming oysters and crabs, and more amazing, what lives in the water! I was able to get up-close to all kinds of sea creatures, such as the puffer fish, silver eel, sea robin, croakers, jelly fish and mud flounder. She pointed out the different kinds of birds, shore grasses, and gave us a run-down of rules and regulations as well. This was the best nature tour I’ve ever taken–bar none!

While I’m in an area I always have to check out the history too–and discovered Fort Morgan. My Living History Interpreter, Bill Matthews, did a fabulous job of telling us why the Fort was important for more than a century, and what it was like to live in the Fort. A site of defense through the: War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish American War, and World Wars & II, the Fort is located at the end of a peninsula, protecting the US from invasion through the Gulf waters.

Fort Morgan flies a variety of flags to show all of the Nations that have claimed it through its tumultuous years, including France, Spain, and England. From the men’s living quarters to the powder magazines, the areas of the Fort are in exceptional condition—the Fort isn’t a replica, but rather a well-preserved historical structure. Part of the reason can be explained by the fact that the Fort wasn’t occupied on a full-time basis, but only when there was a threat of invasion. For much of its life it was occupied by solitary maintenance men assigned to walk its empty walls.

I was in for some great Gulf shore meals too! King Neptune’s Seafood Restaurant in Gulf Shores was fabulous. I enjoyed sampling the crab claws with cocktail sauce, an oyster platter, and thick gumbo–with a sumptuous bread pudding for dessert. The Gulf Bay Seafood Grill offered meals just as tasty in nearby Orange Beach. Try the Jumbo Shrimp stuffed with crab meat, along with steamed zucchini for a memorable dinner. Doc’s Seafood Shack served up a great plate of one of the local specialities, royal red shrimp.

And I have to admit I spent some time just laying on the sugar white beaches, soaking up the sunshine, building sandcastles and watching the kids have a great time.

After all, the beach was right out the back door of The Beach Club. From my sitting room I watched waves lap against the shore and enjoyed a fresh fruit breakfast from my kitchen. When the sun set, music and the king sized bed were all I needed to drift away.

There was only one flaw to my Gulf Shore visit–it didn’t last nearly long enough. Before I knew it I was back to winter.

If you visit:

Area information: Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau: 800/745-SAND.
http://www.gulfshores.com
Gulf Shores is the last point on Alabama’s Hwy #59. It is about an hour from Mobile, AB, and Pensacola, FL

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge: 12295 State Highway 180; Gulf Shores, AL
Phone 251-540-7720
http://www.fws.gov/bonsecour/

Sailaway Charters: 24231 Gulf Bay Road; Orange Beach, AL
Phone 251-974-5055
http://www.geocities.com/sailorskip/testimonials.html

Fort Morgan: 51 Hwy. 180 W., Gulf Shores, AB
Phone 800-745-7263
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Morgan,_Alabama

Restaurant Guide: http://www.al.com/gulfshores/cityguide/index.ssf?dining.html

Standing on the Kentucky/Virginia state line in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park

Walking the Wilderness Trail, where Daniel Boone and nearly 300,000 settlers had trod in the late 1700s, turned back the pages of time for me. Maybe because I’d already watched the new movie, “Daniel Boone, the Westward Movement” at the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park Visitor Center, I could almost see them struggling over the rugged terrain.

The day was warm, almost hot. I could envision the wagons of settlers, women in bonnets, children playfully walking along, men with their horses. How difficult had it been for them to traverse this wilderness?

From the top of Pinnacle Overlook in Cumberland Gap park, I stood in the state of Virginia, while the town below was in Tennessee and the vehicle parking lot was in Kentucky. Although the view was somewhat hazy, the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, a hundred miles away, were visible. Of course three centuries earlier, the borders hadn’t existed.

Back in 1775, Boone had negotiated a deal with the local Cherokee people for the land. The final negotiations had been held at Sycamore Shoals (now Elizabethton, TN), an ancient sacred Cherokee treaty ground on the southern bank of the Watauga River. After it was signed Boone and his men chopped a trail through 200 miles of wilderness.

Gazing out, I could see Middlesboro, Kentucky, hidden in a large bowl of fog below me at Pinnacle Overlook. The bowl, I discovered, has a history even longer than that of the original peoples of the area, since it is a meteor crater. Geologists have uncovered enough evidence to support a theory that a meteor hit the area around 300 million years ago, creating a crater four miles long in diameter.

Hikers coming down trail

However, the really unique thing about Cumberland Gap is that it is being restored to its 1790s appearance. US highway 25E, which once clung to the mountain’s sides until 1995, has been removed and is now routed through one of the safest tunnels in the world under the pass. It will take several decades until the trees grow up over the landscape—but it will happen.

I soon met a group of hikers coming through the hills, their walking sticks providing secure footing. Trails cover over 70 miles, providing visitors with access to some of the most beautiful park area in the world. The shortest hike into the Gap is 6/10 of a mile, making it accessible for even novice hikers and families.

The foliage was just starting to take on its rich mix of yellows, oranges, and reds for fall. Black gum, sassafrass, and dogwoods, the first to turn, stood out in the against summer’s greenery. Overhead, Red tailed hawks soared against the clear blue sky.

Scene from overlook of Cumberland Gap National Historic Park

Much of the rock face was covered with green large-leaved vines I soon found out were the kudzu vine. It sprawled across everything, overtaking the landscape wherever it could. The vine, promoted for erosion control during the 1930s, has the nickname of “mile a minute,” “foot a night vine,” and “the vine that ate the south,” because it grows so fast. Indeed, it readily grows sixty feet a year!

Historic Hensley Settlement is another part of the park that provides a view of days gone by. The Wilderness Road Tour guided tour by Park Rangers goes through weathered hand-built massive chestnut log cabins, barns and other structures. This settlement documents the lives of the Hensley and Gibbons families, who lived off the land in a self-sufficient community from 1903 until the 1950s.

One of my favorite parts of the park experience was Gap Cave. Following the Park Guide, I used my lantern to view such exquisite formations as: Cleopatra’s Pool, the coal miner, the Pillars of Hercules, and Lover’s Leap. While most man-made intrusions into the cave have been removed, there are still several stairways to make it safe for visitors to navigate the underground caverns.

Corn husk doll

Of course, once I’d explored the park I had to stop at the Visitor’s Center, and look at all the locally produced goods. Over 220 craftspeople, including potters, weavers, basketmakers, and woodworkers sell their work through the Southern Highland Craft Guild shops. Some of the crafts really captured my imagination–like the cornhusk doll. While others, like a Jonesville crafter’s quilt, were more traditional, but no less beautiful.

No matter what kind of adventure you’re looking for, you can find it in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.
If you go:

Contact Southern & Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA) in Somerset, KY for full information and details. Call 877-TOUR-SEKY or visit www.tourseky.com

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Visitor’s Center is located near Middlesboro, KY. Website is www.nps.gov Phone 606-248-2817

Copyright 2006 by Linda Aksomitis.  All Rights Reserved.

by Linda Aksomitis

Old world pubs and patios. Windows and doors thrown open to the street. Laughter. Lively discussion. Classic buildings telling tales of gold and treasure. Paris? Rome? No, Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, Alberta’s Old Strathcona District.

Hudson's on Whyte Avenue

My husband, David, and I, have specific tastes as tourists, and Old Strathcona comes out on top in weekend getaways for us. While Whyte Avenue’s historic surroundings certainly are part of the attraction, the Strathcona atmosphere suits our fun-loving lifestyle perfectly.

Our weekend started with check-in at one of Edmonton’s boutique hotels, the Metterra at 10454 Whyte Avenue, when the valet whisked the rental away, and hotel staff took care of the remaining details. From there it just got better and better!

We set out to explore Old Strathcona, which spreads out along Whyte Avenue between 102 and 109 Street, as well as a four-block section off of 103 and 104 Street. Incorporated as a town in 1899, its name comes from Lord Strathcona, an icon who embodied the spirit of the west, starting life simply as Donald A. Smith, but during the seventy-seven years between birth and being elevated to peerage by Queen Victoria in 1897, was a Hudson’s Bay Governor, Member of Parliament, railway financier and Canadian High Commissioner.

Elephant and Castle

The spirit of Lord Strathcona is very much alive along Whyte Avenue, as we soon discovered. Hard worker, idealist, adventurer, Lord Strathcona was many things, but when he drove the last spike in the Transcontinental Railway in 1885, uniting 3700 miles of provinces and territories into a nation, he proved he was a visionary who could turn dreams into reality. The same thing is true for the many privately owned businesses along Whyte Avenue, who forestalled the wrecking ball and worked to create a cultural hub in Edmonton.

During a group tour I learned some of the buildings in Strathcona can trace their history back to the boomtown era when goldrush fever lured men from across North America into the Klondike. Thousands plodded with horses and wagons through Edmonton between 1891 and 1899, staking their life savings on dreams of gold nuggets. Businesses grew in response, and the Ritchie Mill, first opened in 1893, is the oldest surviving mill in Alberta and possibly the earliest of its kind in Canada. One of the buildings that took my eye was Strathcona’s Fire Hall, which was built in 1910, and is the only surviving fire hall of its age and type remaining in Alberta.

Dominion Hotel

Many of the buildings, like the Dominion Hotel, retain their historic exteriors, while having been completely refurbished inside. I couldn’t resist peeking in and picking up some small gifts at the shops. Mind you, we made lots of intriguing stops along Whyte Avenue: When Pigs Fly; Chicken Scratch; The Plaid Giraffe; Shell Shock; and The Tin Box!

One of the amazing things about visiting Edmonton in the summer is the length of the days–when I checked my watch it was already 8 p.m. with a temperature still in the upper 20s (80s), and the sun high in the sky. A day’s shopping can certainly be more than anticipated, much to David’s dismay.

Souvenirs gathered, it was time to start sampling the entertainment along Whyte Avenue. First came something to drink, so we plopped onto stools at a table for two in Hudsons, and ordered mugs of beer, along with my bar favourites, hotwings (very hot I might add) and ribs. With so many options, though, there was no time to linger, so we worked our way to O’Byrne’s, which was reputed to have one of the best patios along with Celtic music. We weren’t disappointed either!

After a few songs we wandered back to the Metterra to drop off the camera, so we could scout out dancing spots for the evening, and were drawn to the almost-packed Julio’s Barrio and Mexican Restaurant right next door–lively Latin music pulled me in, while the mouth-watering smell of fajitas on the grill enticed me to sit down and order dinner to follow the appetizers we’d already eaten.

Conversations with the locals tipped us off to the “Blues on Whyte” pub in the historic Commerical Hotel, so we were soon off once again. We settled in right beside the dance floor, and at the first beats of the music knew we’d be there until long after dark finally fell, when we’d make the short trek back to the Metterra. We had it all: fabulous music, great service, friendly people (David even ended up coming home with a new hat he traded for), and conversation. What more can you want in an evening?

Our second day we explored more of Edmonton, but, like many other visitors we knew to this fine city, Whyte Avenue and the Old Strathcona district became our favourite memory to take home and share with friends.

If you visit:

Discover more about Old Strathcona at: http://www.oldstrathcona.ca/ and http://www.strathcona.org/

Published September 7, 2006.