The Climax

I was having one of my "Worst Mother EVER" days. Everything resulted in screaming and crying. For the kids, too.

Let Joseph help "wash" the dishes? Turn to load dishwasher and he sprays about a gallon of water inside one of the kitchen cabinets. ON PURPOSE.

Tried to take Juliana's 9 month photos about 2 weeks late? BIG FAT TEARS.

And so on. You get the idea.

Please understand - I love my children. I am blessed to stay home with my children, but... On such days, when I feel my internal self morphing into the "Crabby B**ch Monster Mommy From Hell" and have to fight the urge to strangle said loved children, we leave the house.

You can't strangle your children in public. It's frowned upon. I hear they even arrest people for that.

SO. I drop everything. I put the children in the double stroller. I go for a walk. I chant, "Zen Mother, Zen Mother, Zen Mother!!!!" while wiggling my fingers in front of my face. The "Zen Mother" Fingers have magical powers. Probably.

On cold days, we usually end up at the library. The beautiful, heavenly library. Where they have toys and books that keep small children happy and occupied. Most importantly, they  have an entire room dedicated to town-related history. If it were possible to have an affair with a room, I'd jump that room's bones in a heartbeat. I love it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. I am pretty sure that room is actually the TARDIS in disguise and we all know that makes it the.greatest.thing.ever. Even better--because the librarians know me, they let me take things out of that room to read in the children's area so I can responsibly monitor my demon-spawn children.

On this particular cranky day, I finally ran out of World War II newspaper clippings to thumb through. So, I started on the yearbooks.

Whoops. Sometimes babies make it hard to take phone pictures. Shoo bad baby! Mommy is grumpy.

You probably think I'm crazy, but looking through old primary source texts makes me happy. Try to remember I was a high school history teacher for a whole year before the arrival of the demon spawn little people.

So, yes, primary source documents rank right up there with chocolate for me. Primarily because of little gems like these:

I mean, seriously, who knew my town could be home to both a Chinchilla Farm AND a Snake & Monkey Farm in 1953. Read: sweat-pant-clad, greasy ponytailed Caroline sprawled on the library floor suppressing fits of giggles so the librarians won't take away her precious primary sources. Joseph probably thought I was having a fit of apoplexy. Except that he's two and doesn't even know what apoplexy is.

And then I came across this--the real reason I am going to elope to Bermuda with the library's special room some day:

Advertising for my house. Right below the 1953 first grade class. True, I already have this picture, but STILL!!?!?!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Need more yearbooks.

This is the last year the Traveler's Inn & Coffee shop was in business. And there it is. Right on the last page. :) :) :)

Historical house research: chicken soup for the Crabby B**tch Monster Mommy Soul.

You should try it sometime. Works wonders.

Nov. 1945 - L.S. Corbins Residing Here

EEE!! I found another newspaper article relevant to the Coffee Shop & Travelers Inn!!

See, I like to take Joseph to our town library because they have a great kid's area with puzzles and big foam blocks for building towers. Sometimes, when Joseph is feeling cooperative, I have time to browse the Shenandoah Heritage Room and go through the many, many scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings about our town. The scrapbooks don't give me a headache the way microfiche does and I absolutely love skimming through the World War II articles. It makes me happy.

Of course, I'm always on the lookout for advertisements, pictures, or articles about my house... and what do you know?? I ACTUALLY FOUND ONE!!! It was like Christmas! I started jumping up and down excitedly in the middle of the library. Fortunately, they know me there... so it was all good.

Remember the town calendar picture of our house?

The caption at the bottom of the picture reads, "Traveler's Inn & Coffee Shop - L.S. Corbin owned and operated the Traveler's Inn & Coffee Shop from 1946 to 1953."

This was the first picture I ever added to my house history file and it was crucial to my research because it gave me the owner's name, official business name, and the dates of operation. In other words, I finally had some very helpful search parameters. So while skimming one of the scrapbooks, "L.S. Corbins" just JUMPED OUT AT ME. Here's the article:

SO. GOSH. DARN. FANTASTIC.

Oh, small towns... How I love your need to announce the presence of new neighbors to everyone!

This article is full of interesting information:

1. The Corbin's were originally from this area, but lived in D.C. for 10 years.
2. Mr. Corbin was a plumber. I already knew that, but still neat to read about setting up his business.
3. Mrs. L.S. Corbin's maiden name is Ruby White. Those scrapbooks are filled with wedding announcements. Maybe I can find hers?
4. My house was once referred to as the "Beasley House" and was later owned by a Mr. Bushong. Who are they? Must find out.
5. Mr. Corbin remodeled the first floor and is probably responsible for the updated wood floors and 40s era pink bathroom addition and red vinyl kitchen.
6. The second floor was a separate apartment. I'm thinking that Lemuel and Ruby used the downstairs bedroom (now our dining room) for themselves and that the 5 upstairs rooms were used for boarding guests at the Traveler's Inn.
7. If Mr. Corbin had to install a furnace, is he responsible for the radiators in the house? I was thinking they were older, but maybe not.

So, the Corbins moved into the house in November of 1945. Less than a year later, Ruby announced the grand opening of the Coffee Shop and Travelers Inn in the newspaper.

From what I've collected, I gather that Mr. Corbin ran a plumbing business while Mrs. Corbin was mostly responsible for the running of the Coffee Shoppe and Travelers Inn. Here's a picture of Ruby Corbin.

She's making biscuits. Go here for the corresponding article and recipe. And here's the menu that Ruby served up in the Coffee Shop (sometimes called the Tea Room by town residents).

Ruby's Traveler's Inn and Coffee Shop even made it onto a postcard thanks to a local photographer. I like to picture Ruby driving around in the snazzy car by the tree in fabulous Sunday 50s getup. I don't actually know that it belonged to the Corbins, but it's possible.

Apparently the research gods were looking out for me the day I found that newspaper article because I decided to walk through the cemetery on my way home and look what I found...

I think I started laughing like a crazy person at this point...

My thoughts at the time:

1. Aww! They are buried next to each other. *sigh*
2. Wow! Ruby outlived Lemuel by 47 years.
3. Darn it! I missed interviewing Ruby by a little less than 2 years.

And that concludes my house history obsessing for the day. Have a lovely Wednesday!

Mrs. Corbin's Biscuits Supreme

Philip the Historian has done it again!

Yesterday, he shared a newspaper article featuring Mrs. Ruby Corbin with me. In case you may have forgotten, Mrs. Corbin ran the Traveler's Inn & Coffee Shop from 1946 to 1954.

Needless to say, I was very excited when he emailed the article to me! Here's the article, but don't try to read the small print because I transcribed it for you below.

 Favorite Recipes of Valley Residents

              -A feature by Cornelia James Dorgan

 Although modern methods of food preparation and freezing have made Milady's task an easy matter, favorite recipes have been for generations a treasured asset of the distaff side. Whether the recipe is old or new, plain or fancy, whether used once a week or for special occasions only, it is very likely that recipes will continue to be handed down from mother to daughter, from friends to friend. Nowhere has this custom been more prized than here in the Shenandoah Valley. 

"I like to study", says Ruby White (Mrs. L.S.) Corbin of [our town] and her interests cover a wide range of subjects, only one of which is cooking. The biscuit recipe she gives as her favorite is one she has given to many friends upon request and was a great favorite with the late Mr. Corbin and in her own family.

One of only two  women at [our town] Manufacturing company skilled in her particular job of industrial mending, Mrs. Corbin says "believe it or not, one of my hobbies is sewing!"

She also is interested in writing and horticulture. She is a member of the Luconacoa Garden Club of which she currently is treasurer, a member of the Reformation Lutheran church and the Lutheran Church women, and "likes to baby sit with my little niece and nephew, Teresa and Bruce Foltz, who live nearby."

Until they returned to [our town] in 1945, the Corbins lived for more than nine years in Washington, D.C., and during the war she was a Civil Service clerk in the office for Emergency Management, Printing and Duplicating, and also worked at Government Services, Inc., for the Navy department at the Bureau of Ships and Docks.

One of the memories Mrs. Corbin treasures the most is standing right at the foot of the White House Portico steps when President and Mrs. Roosevelt made their first public appearance after he was re-elected for the history-making third term. A newspaper picture taken of the event includes her in it and is one of her treasured keepsakes.

Before the war, Mrs. Corbin worked as cashier for Warner Brothers theaters. After she and Mr. Corbin returned to [our town], she put her inherited skill at cooking to work and operate a Coffee Shop and Tourist Home for a number of years.

She was for a while desk clerk at [our town] lodge, and meeting the public in the various positions she has had, is high on her list of interesting things she has thoroughly enjoyed.

About her biscuit recipe, she says, "These are appropriate for afternoon tea or as a base for creamed foods. Makes about sixteen medium-sized biscuits. Delicious with ham or pot-pie!"

What an interesting life she led! I find myself fascinated. I want to learn more!

Here's her recipe:

I held in my hand (on the screen of my laptop, that is) a recipe used by Mrs. Corbin. Victory! Naturally, there was only one thing for me to do... Make some biscuits!

I mean, how could I possibly pass up supreme biscuits?

So I sifted a little flour and cut in a little shortening...

Did a little light mixing...

...and came away with some tasty biscuit dough.

I like to eat dough. It grosses my mom out.

It was pretty tasty baked, too. A little crumbly. I'd give them a solid B+. I mean, have you tried smitten kitchen's cream biscuits? Melt in your mouth amazing! And don't get me started on my mom's biscuits. She's a pastry chef. I have spoiled taste buds.

But the fact that these could have been served alongside ham or pot pie in the Coffee Shop 60 years ago? It makes my heart go pitter pat.

I have to say that the Ruby Corbin biscuit experiment was a success. And it made me extremely happy. It's the little things. Plus, Stephen & I got to have biscuits'n gravy for breakfast. Mmm mmm.

If you pay attention to the details in that newspaper photo, you can see that Ruby is standing in a kitchen. Philip the Historian wanted to know if the kitchen in the photo was the same as the original kitchen in my house. After closer inspection, I decided that they were definitely too separate kitchens.

The knobs, handles, & countertops don't match up. However, it is possible that the picture could have been taken in the kitchen of the Coffee Shop, but I have no way of knowing that unless I can find an old picture of it. I doubt it, though, because I think the Coffee Shop kitchen was lined with shelving instead of cabinets. It's just hard to say for sure because that part of the Sandwich Shoppe was badly water damaged.

Then again, the Corbin's sold the property in March of 1960 and Philip the Historian thinks that the newspaper article was published sometime after that, so it's probably Mrs. Corbin's home kitchen. Who knows. This is all just speculation.

The best part about this whole biscuit experience though, is that I now have a picture of Ruby Corbin! EEEE! Isn't she classy looking? Now I have to try and hunt down the picture of Ruby standing right at the foot of the White House Portico steps when President and Mrs. Roosevelt made their first public appearance after he was re-elected for the history-making third term.

A Bunch of Dead Henkels

It was a beautiful day last Friday, so Joseph and I took a walk. Enjoying the view of the mountains, we walked by this lovely old church and through the cemetery behind it.

I actually like walking through cemeteries. In the daytime, naturally. Cemeteries are obviously creepy & teeming with ghouls at night. Obviously.

I enjoy reading the epitaphs on all of the gravestones. Especially the older, decrepit ones that are hard to make out. Of course, there is always a part of me that is really hoping to come across something along the lines of, "Here lies good old Fred. A great big rock fell on his head." I think real cemeteries need more headstones like that, don't you?

Anywho, this wasn't the first time I'd walked through this particular cemetery, but this was the first time I noticed a grouping of Henkel grave markers. And it was the first time I became inappropriately excited in a cemetery. I may or may not have done happy little jigs between the lines of headstones. I give a whole new meaning to "dancing on your grave".

Why so excited about a bunch of dead Henkels??? Because they used to own the property lot that my house sits on. DUH!

I found Ambrose Henkel, the third son of Reverend Paul Henkel (the original owner of our property lot). In 1818, Paul Henkel sold the southern half of our property lot to Ambrose. Ambrose then purchased the northern half from his older brother Philip Henkel, thereby coming into possession of the complete lot.

"In Memoriam. Ambrose Henkel. Evangelical Lutheran Pastor. Departed this Life Jan. 6, 1870. aged 82 years, 5 months, and 26 days; son of Rev. Paul, son of Jacob, son of Jusius, son of Rev. Gerhard Henkel of Germany, founder of the First Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. Veronica. nec Heyl. his third wife, who departed this life Aug. 11, 1851; aged 18 years and 28 days."

In 1841, Ambrose Henkel sold the property lot to the Reverend Solomon D. Henkel. Solomon died in 1847 and in his will, he left the whole lot to his grandson, Solomon Peter Rupert. I had hoped that the gravemarker below was the same Solomon D. Henkel who owned my property, but the date of death doesn't match up, so this is probably a relative or son with the same name. I'll have to go back and see if I can find another S.D. Henkel.

"Solomon D. Henkel, Died October 9, 1872, aged 56 years and 10 months. Honest and upright in all the departments of life. 'O, death where is thy sting, O, grave where is thy victory.'"

Solomon Peter Rupert, the grandson of Solomon D. Henkel, married a local seminary teacher by the name of Jessie who sympathized with the Union during the Civil War. When Solomon P. Rupert committed suicide in 1884, a legal battle ensued over ownership of the property. Jessie Rupert, was able to purchase the southern half of the lot in public auction.  She then immediately sold the property to Lewis P. Henkel, who then immediately sold it to James Cox in December of 1884. Here is Lewis P. Henkel's gravestone:

"In remembrance of Lewis P. Henkel. Born Feb. 3, 1837. Died Jan. 30, 1904."

There were way more Henkel gravesites to investigate and photograph, but at this point, Joseph started complaining that the stroller had stopped all forward motion. So, you should probably thank Joseph profusely for saving you from 50 random pictures of headstones (which would have been super cool, right?!?). He accepts cookies, toys, and cash money.

I'm going to have to more thoroughly explore that cemetery on our next walk. Joseph can read Hop on Pop while he waits in the stroller ;).

Coffee Shoppe Grand Opening!!!

Philip the Historian got his hands on a newspaper clipping advertising the grand opening of the Coffee Shoppe & Travelers' Inn! Woot woot!

Have I mentioned that I'm madly in love with Philip the Historian? Yes? Oh. Well. TOO BAD! I'm saying it again!

I've spent one afternoon scouring through newspaper archive microfiche for mention of Jamie Cox's Skating Rink & the Corbin's Coffee Shoppe/Travelers' Inn. So far, no luck, just a seriously bad headache from staring at newsprint for too long. But I shall persevere. And hopefully find something other than advertisements for Herbert's Shaving Powder.

Would you like cream or sugar with that?

There's this wonderful lady at the town office named Jeanie who's always been interested in the Traveler's Inn & Coffee Shop. She's the one who gave me the picture of the car crash. When Ruby Corbin, the operator of the Traveler's Inn & Coffee Shop, died two or so years ago, Jeanie went to the estate sale. At the estate sale, she purchased a few dishes that used to be in the Coffee Shop.

Being the sweet and wonderful lady that she is, Jeanie was trusting enough to let me borrow these nifty dishes and take lots of pictures of them. Also, she knows where I live. So she could easily send the cops after me if I didn't bring her precious historical town items back. Then, when I did bring them back (to avoid getting thrown into the county lock up), she told me that she and her husband had decided to let me KEEP them. OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!! Did I mention that she's wonderful? I meant super-de-duper marvelously spectacularly fantastically mind-blowingly wonderful!!!

Our first Coffee Shop item is this little glass:

If you take cream with your coffee or tea, this is probably what it would have been brought to you in.

It's quite small actually. I would need about 10 of these. Here, Joseph decided to interrupt the photo shoot in an effort to give you an idea of the scale of the glass. So helpful.

Word to the wise: don't attempt an object photoshoot on the seat of a chair if your mobile baby is awake. "No, Joseph! Those are Mommy's toys!"

"But Mom, I want to play with your pretty historical glass artifacts and bang them together. Please? Can I? Pleeeeaaase?"

Next up, is the sugar container that would have been at each table.

I really like the uniqueness of the spout.

Finally, we have this sturdy little bowl.

It's good and hefty and would probably survive a tumble.

I'm betting it was used to serve "Kelloggs cereal with milk" and a variety of soups.

I'm so thrilled to have some Coffee Shop artifacts to display once we've finished the Sandwich Shoppe renovation.

It's going to be the most adorable museum-like living space when I'm done with it. I can't wait to get back to work on it!

I Have THE Menu

Here's what we know: After James Cox sold the property to Mary Hottel in 1889, it passed through several owners until local plumber, Lemuel (yes, that is a real name!) Corbin purchased it in 1947. He was in possession of the deed from 1947 to 1960. Assuming the 2006 town calendar picture was correct, the Corbins operated the Traveler's Inn Coffee Shop from 1946 to 1953.

If the date of 1946 is correct, then it is possible that the Corbins could have rented the property first before purchasing it in 1947. And although the calendar says that the business closed in 1953, we know from a newspaper clipping that it was still in operation in November of 1954.

After the Corbin's sold the property in 1960, the house became a private residence from that day until today.

From interviews with people who remember getting ice cream from the Coffee Shop as children, it is understood that Lemuel Corbin's wife Ruby ran the Coffee Shop. She died about two years ago, right before we bought the house. Philip the Historian plans to interview the lawyer who was in charge of her estate & will to garner more info.

I love small towns.  I love that people wave to you as you walk by on the street. I love that people sitting on porches are openly happy to talk to complete strangers. I love that I can talk to a descendant of Ruby Corbin every time I drop off my water bill at the town office. I love that small town conversations can lead to little things like... oh... say... acquiring a copy of the Coffee Shoppe Menu.

OMGIAMSERIOUSLYSOFREAKINGEXCITEDABOUTTHIS!!!!

Please excuse me while I do a shameless victory jig on my kitchen table. In my robe & slippers. Poor neighbors.

Things that stand out to me...

1. The sign on the outside of the building in the calendar picture reads "Coffee Shop" and the menu reads "Coffee Shoppe".
2. That is the cutest icon of a 40s waitress.
3. "Bill's Bldg" is hand written on the top. No clue as to what it could be in reference to.
4. The Traveler's Inn was advertised as having reasonably priced, comfortable, clean rooms and a bath.

Now for the food. There aren't many prices listed. Maybe there was a large menu with prices on the wall of the coffee shop?

Mmmm. Small town breakfast.

Special luncheon 55 cents!? Free second cup of coffee!? Sold! Oh, coffee shop/tea room/sandwich shop! You rock my world!

And I'm glad that I haven't been erring too much by calling it the sandwich shoppe. After all, they served sandwiches!

I'm not sure about those soft drink listings... I'm not too keen on omelette soda, but I guess I'll try just about anything. Except eye balls. I'm not sure I could eat eye balls. Chilled monkey brains, yes. Eye balls, no.

I love, love, love having this menu. I twirled in happy circles around the town office when I got it. They think I'm a lunatic, but they give me things because they take pity on my cute child. I let him flirt and bat his eyes at them. Works every time.

On the back, there is an advertisement for a "One of Virginia's Greatest Natural Wonders"

Best. Find. To. Date.

I'm working on getting a picture of the inside of the Coffee Shop. Theresa (Ruby Corbin's relative) remembers seeing one somewhere. Ooo and maybe a picture of the Corbins! Wouldn't that be swell?

Now I'm off to do something crafty and related to home improvement to blog about so that I can give you a break from bludgeoning you to death with this house history. Your poor heads.