STOLEN Statue of Nancy Ward again advertised for sale!
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: History

A new development in the long struggle to return a stolen historic artifact to Tennessee.  The Nancy Ward Statue that was stolen from Maggie Farmer's grave in Grainger County in 1980 and resurfaced in Maine in February 2006 has again resurfaced for sale.  This time in Massachusetts.

To learn more about the famous statue, go to: https://smithdray.tripod.com/nancyward-index-5.html

Ray

Historically Speaking weekly newspaper column

The weekly column, Historically Speaking, is published in The Oak Ridger.  To view each week's installment, go to www.oakridger.com and search on "historically speaking."

The past two weeks have been devoted to the July 6, 1944, troop train wreck in Jellico, TN.

Ray

Nancy Ward Statue
Progress continues to be made on returning the statue to Tennessee.

Vanderbilt Retirement Learning Tour
Mood:  bright
Topic: History

60 members of the Vanderbilt Retirement Learning program were given a tour of Oak Ridge on March 30, 2007.  I met the tour at the K-25 Overlook.  Next the group had a wonderful lunch at the Flatwater Grill.  Then they visited the American Museum of Science and Energy followed by a drive by of Y-12, a lobby presentation of the Spallation Neutron Source, a visit to the Graphite Reactor and finally a driving tour of K-25.

Many members of the group indicated they left their tour with a much better appreciation for Oak Ridge than they had before the tour. 

Ray 

Mim Eichler Rivas coming to Oak Ridge
Mood:  a-ok

Mim Eichler Rivas, a native of Oak Ridge, is coming to visit her home town next week.  She will be the featured speaker at the Altrusa Club and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club's Literacy Luncheon.

Mim wrote the wonderful story of Beautiful Jim Key, the world's smartest horse who lived from 1889 to 1912.  See the details at: http://www.smithdray1.net/bjk/beautifuljimkey.htm

She also ghost wrote "Finding Fish" and is co-author of "Pursuit of Happyness." 

Mim will speak at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, March 25, 2007 at the Community Room of the Oak Ridge City Center.  Tickets are available from the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club and the Oak Ridge Altrusa Club. 

Ray

Nancy Ward Statue
Mood:  sad

It has been over a year now since the Nancy Ward Statue was located.  It still has not been returned to Tennessee.  I continue working on that.

Ray

Nancy Ward Statue FOUND!
Mood:  incredulous
The Nancy Ward Statue was located recently. I received an e-mail from a person in Alabama who had seen the statue in the Arts and Antiques Magazine for February and March 2006. It had been in an art show in New York City and was in the possession of an antique dealer in Maine. This statue was placed on Maggie Farmer's grave in the Arnwine Cemetery in 1912 and stolen from there in the early 1980's. I have been looking for it for 23 years! See the story here Nancy Ward Web Page Ray

History of Emery Road
Topic: History
Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society meeting Saturday, August 12, 2005. Presentation on the history of the Emery Road - first road cut to run from Clinch Mountain in present day East Tennessee to Nashborough (present day Nashville). Web page links on early roads and trails in Tennessee that you might like to see:

Historic Trails
Earliest Trails to Tennessee

Ray

Sarcodosis Web Page
Topic: web page update
The links on Fanny's Sarcoidosis Web Page have been updated. Sarcoidosis Ray

Some Oak Ridge Web Pages
Topic: web page update
The websites listed below were created to focus on the historic elements of Oak Ridge, Tennessee:
K-25 Preservation
Oak Ridge History
Secret City History
Historical Markers
Secret City The Movie
Hymn to Life
John Hendrix and Y-12
Back of Oak Ridge
Calutron Girls
SmithDRay Web Pages
Thanks and please send comments to: D. Ray Smith
Thanks, Ray