The Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta – Tuscany
The Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta is located on a hilltop in the village Vitaleta, in the heart of Tuscany, on the road that connects San Quirico d'Orcia to…
Impressions of Tuscany
Siena, one of Tuscany's medieval hill-top towns, basks in the rich morning light. The large Duomo dominates the skyline. Back in the day, the size of your Duomo mattered.…
Mrs. Johnson and the Praise House
For the better part of the next hour, Mrs. Johnson tells us her story - she recently moved back to St Helena from New Jersey - and the history of this praise house. This area was once a part of the Mary Jenkins Plantation. Thus, we are standing in the Mary Jenkins Community Praise House. Prior to the Civil War, slaves who were living on plantations were often allowed to build small structures for worship known as praise houses. After Emancipation, former slaves who remained in the area would build more substantial praise houses. This one was built in 1900. Mrs. Johnson tells us that the community is dwindling and services are no longer held on a regular basis. But her eyes brighten and a smile crosses her face as she tells us that the services they do have are lively affairs with much hymn singing and praising, and ending with a shout. A shout was a tradition practiced by African slaves where the worshipers move in a circle as they chant, clap their hands, and shuffle and stomp their feet.
Biggin Church Ruins – Along the Road Less Traveled
Way down in South Carolina's Lowcountry, not too far from Moncks Corner, and just a stone’s throw from the Cooper River lies the Biggin Church Ruins. It was constructed in…
Sheldon Church – Mystery and History of Backroads
Our road trips take longer than they used to. Whenever possible we travel the back roads, the blue highways, the roads less traveled. While America’s interstate highways are efficient, they are also predictable and boring. But there is a lot of mystery and history to be discovered on the roads less traveled. Recently, while exploring the swamps and marshes of coastal South Carolina, we learned of the ruins of a pre-Revolutionary War church. After more research and reading we found out there are actually five such church ruins tucked away in these backwaters and all but forgotten.