Real Estate News, Etc.

Gayle and I just returned from a long weekend trip over Labor Day to Washington, D.C. This was courtesy of our family as a wedding anniversary (one of the decade variety), and we are very thankful.

We were concerned that hurricane Earl might spoil the fun, but to the contrary, the weather could not have been better. After arriving on Friday afternoon, we were given an orientation driving around the Mall area by a cousin of Gayle’s, Denise, who lives in Alexandria. That was very good not having been there before. The entire area was not what I was expecting, more hills, compact, except the Mall is very open.

We started Saturday morning by Metro and walking, with a tour of the Capitol, then to the Library of Congress, and over the three days, saw most of the monuments and Smithsonian museums, at least in a overview fashion. You could probably spend all day or more in each looking in depth. On Monday, we also rode with Denise to the National Cathedral, the National Archives (where the Constitution and Declaration of Independence reside), and past the Pentagon to the Air Force Memorial.

The sights that exceeded my expectations were the Cathedral, for its architectural, construction, and size; and the Library of Congress which is a beautiful building, where I would like to spend more time in the exhibits. I was somewhat disappointed in the Vietnam War Memorial, but conversely very impressed with the WWII and Korean Memorials.

The weekend finished with a fantastic football game at FedEx field, with Boise State winning over a “home” team in Virginia Tech. The Metro ride back to the hotel was very crowded, but Metro is the way to get around D.C.

I would highly recommend a visit if you haven’t been, and would be happy to share additional thoughts on sites and logistics for your planning.

Wayne

I have a listing in north Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, and travel on US 231 (Memorial) north through an area called Walter Hill at the intersection with Jefferson Pike. I am always curious about the history and geography of places, so did some checking on this, and have found some information of interest.

Walter Hill, was once called Blacks Cross Roads, and was named for a store keeper and postmaster in 1895. That is not too untypical especially as a postmaster giving their name. I checked the tax records and found one property owned by a person named John T. Black, just north of the intersection, would be curious if there was a connection. I also found one person named "Walter", and none named "Hill", however, out of 512 families in the area, would not be statistically unusual.

Walter Hill became the site of the country's first hydroelectric power plant, built on the Stones River by the Tennessee Electric Power Company in the early 20th century. This company originated in Chattanooga and was eventually purchased by TVA, but not the origin of TVA.

Walter Hill is also the site of the 34-acre Walterhill Floodplain State Natural Area, established to support a rare plant species found in the Stones River floodplain, the Stones River bladderpod. Going north on 231, just before the bridge, turn right to enter a park by the dam spillway.

Walter Hill is best known in the local area for being the site of Allied Waste Industries' Middle Point landfill, also known offically on the tax roles as the Jefferson Pike Landfill, with an address in Houston, TX.

Sources: Heritage Center; Rutherford County; Wikipedia; misc. Google searches

I just had the pleasure of visiting with Jennifer Butt of The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro & Rutherford County.  She and they have a wealth of information on the history of the area, and have modest permanent exhibits and several mobile displays on location, but more importantly a good resource to begin research of your areas of cultural, geographical and historic interest.

The center is a joint venture of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area and Main Street Murfreesboro / Rutherford County, Inc.  Additional sponsors include the City of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University, Rutherford County, and State Farm Insurance. The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area receives funding from the National Park Service and is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University.

They also will do presentations for school classes and civic groups looking for programs, and can prepare their programs specific to the audience.   

Hours:
Open M-F, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.; Walking tours available on the hour. Group tours available Monday-Saturday by advance reservation.  Tomorrow, May 15, is a FREE DAY in coordination with other Rutherford County sites, however, the normal addmission is also FREE.

The center is located at 225 W. College St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130, just off the courthouse square.  Their website is www.tncivilwar.org.   

With the weather starting to change to spring, our family got out and planted our vegetable garden last week, just ahead of Saturday's rain event (2.5 inches at our house).  We just bought our home last fall, and this is the first garden we have planted in Tennessee.  The plot had been tilled before, but overgrown with grasses, so had to do several passes with the tiller.

If you are interested in a garden at your present home or if you are moving, and are planning a garden area, we have several resources available for gardening in the middle Tennessee area.  The Rutherford County Extension Service, located at the Lane Agri-Park, 315 John Rice Blvd, Murfreesboro, and associated Master Gardeners Program, offer classes and programs for the novice through experienced gardeners.  

Check out the websites:

• http://rutherford.tennessee.edu/
• http://mastergardeners-rc.org

Also, the Rutherford County Farmers Market will open on May 14, and open twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6am - 11am, also at the John Rice location.

Getting started in gardening doesn't necessarily require a large plot of ground or significant time, but can be a very rewarding activity, "just checking" how the plants are doing after a busy day at work.

If you have additional information on this, please email back, or comment below.

Wayne

Everybody knows about the civil war battle and site, but there is more in Murfreesboro's history I was not aware of. 

Murfreesboro was originally known as Cannonsburg, which explains the park and historical settlement area close to downtown.  Murfreesboro was also the capital of Tennessee from 1818 until 1826, when the capital was moved to Nashville.  We might look further into the politics of the move, but Nashville probably had the economic advantages of the Cumberland River and railroad transportation systems.

Wow, is it me or did I miss Spring??  I think I remember this year, it was last Thursday from 10-4pm.  That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.  Anyway, the trees are budding and the flowers are opening, so we may have a spring lasting into May and June like the calender says after all.  Remember in meteorology, average is not the same as "normal".  It may be a hot summer like we had a couple of years ago.

The overriding issue is we really don't have any control over the weather, and it is best to appreciate the good weather when it comes, that's what the bad weather is for.