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Phoenix Flies — Be at One of Its Many Destinations or be Square!

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Starting tomorrow and continuing through the 22nd of March, Phoenix Flies 2010 will be upon us.  This truly amazing opportunity to see a huge number of Atlanta’s historical attractions — on the cheap — should not be missed.

Like so many of the other participants, the Wren’s Nest will be offering special events and extended hours, in addition to free admission for the weekends of Phoenix Flies:

• On (Saturdays) March 6th and 13th, we’ll have our regular hours (10am – 2:30pm) with two storytelling sessions: 11:30am and 1pm.

• On Sunday — you heard me — March 7th (as well as the 14th), we’ll be open from 1 – 4pm, with storytelling sessions at 1:30 and 3pm.

In other words, don’t believe a word of what you read on Pecanne Log.  Except the part about Oakland Cemetery.  That’s all true.

Phoenix Flies is put on by the Atlanta Preservation Center every year and, simply put, provides an outstanding range of events, almost all for free.  If I may be a crybaby for a moment, this is one of the few times it really busts my hump to work at such a small place, because in order for the Wren’s Nest to be open for Phoenix Flies, we can’t, you know, attend many other events.  Boo hoo.

So please, see all the neat things you can — for me.  I beseech thee.

“Ooh, Yeah, History Right There.”

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The Wren’s Nest was featured this morning on CBS Atlanta in their “Blog Stew” segment, airing at 5:43am.  I missed it.  Shoot.

Luckily, the whole clip can be found right here.  We’re at the beginning, in case you can’t free up more than 58 seconds in your schedule.

Sue Rodman, of the wonderful Field Trips with Sue, led the segment, and was kind enough to highlight the Wren’s Nest as one of the many, many worthwhile destinations being showcased this weekend as part of Phoenix Flies (more on that tomorrow).

The best part is that they’re basically scrolling through the Wren’s Nest Facebook picture page as they chat, meaning that Lain and I are now totally famous photographers.  Well, along with Jonathan Hillyer.

Wait, did I say that was the best part?

I meant that the real best part is the quote featured in the title of this post, which embodies how I feel when I walk into the Wren’s Nest every single morning.  Breathe it in.

This clip also highlights a challenge we face every day at the Wren’s Nest: “Joel Chandler Harris” can be very hard to say.  Most frequently, people lob off the Harris and drop an “h,” leaving us with the esteemed Joel Candler.  Being that we’re in Atlanta and Candler is a name seen often around town, it’s understandable.  Plus, I mean, three names?  Who does this guy think he is? Mary Lou Retton?

Anyhow, thanks to Sue Rodman and CBS Atlanta for showcasing the Wren’s Nest this morning — it was great!

Huckleberry Hound Tells the Uncle Remus Stories

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Lately we’ve been showing you all manner of greatness influenced by Brer Rabbit and Uncle Remus (1,2,3).  Eventually, we were bound to run out of impressive, possibly life-changing material.

Luckily, now is the opposite of that time.

(Thanks to Gasoline Alley Antiques for the picture)

Allow me to introduce you to “Huckleberry Hound Tells Stories of Uncle Remus.”  First, a primer on Uncle Remus himself:

Uncle Remus

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Just lays it right out there, doesn’t it?  If there’s anything Huckleberry Hound hates, it’s ambiguity.

Next, a story with language so rich, all I can do to prepare you is to say that the phrase “snitchin’ my goobers!” is featured. Strengthening my point?  Someone is “caught red-headed” in this tale.  This guy knows what I’m talking about.

Dollar a Minute

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HI-sterical!

I think this last one sounds like The Rascals’ never-released surf jam:

Brer Rabbit

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And this is just the tip of the iceberg.  It seemed a little excessive to post the entire album, but after listening further — well, it may just have to be done.  We owe it to Huckleberry.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Wax n’ Facts for giving us a copy of this album and piquing our interest.  It took us a while to track down the, uh, tracks, but man alive am I glad we did.

Elephants in Atlanta — Then and Now

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Jamie Gumbrecht has a thoughtful and concise post up at the AJC’s Inside Access page about the controversy surrounding the elephants in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Show.  It opened Friday night in Atlanta.

Two animal rights groups have appealed to Mayor Reed to keep the elephants out of the show, and PETA made an unusually tasteful protest last week with a sad pachyderm statue in Woodruff Park.

Now, I’m not here to use this space to argue either way — though it should be noted that, all PETA disparaging aside (and believe me, I had to curb it), I LOVE elephants.  I went through a pachyderm phase circa 1991 that was unparalleled, featuring an evolutionary pictograph (thank you, Kids Discover magazine) and a barf-green sweatshirt with an African elephant standing in purple grass.  Note: I hate purple and should never, ever wear olive green, but the elephant on the front triumphed over good sense.

Nope, I’m here to talk about the elephant tooth we have here at the Wren’s Nest.

Once upon a time Clio the Elephant was the biggest attraction at Atlanta’s Grant Park zoo.  When Clio died, parts of her body were gifted to noteworthy people, including our very own Joel Chandler Harris.  He kept her molar on his desk at the Atlanta Constitution.  We like to have kids guess what it is as part of the tour.

Kind of a horrifying practice, right?  But also a product of the times.  We use this example a lot when people deride Harris for being insensitive or un-PC — also known as “a person who lived 100 years ago.”  As usual, our argument remains: present judgement should be reserved for present situations.

That said, you may believe that circus elephants are a relic of an ignorant time gone by, and I don’t think I disagree.

The Potential Customer is Always… Right?

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Here’s a quandary for you:

A woman calls to ask questions about visiting your museum.  She’s surprised her friends want to visit, given all the controversy surrounding the place, but is intrigued by their interest.  She’s on board, seemingly, but hesitant.

With me so far?  Sounds pretty typical if the museum in question is the Wren’s Nest, which would be a fair assumption.  Onwards!

The woman, as your conversation continues, is very, very up-front about the fact that she doesn’t like the person your museum honors.  In fact, she seems to, uh, hate him.  Still, she appears to like the idea of coming in to have a verbal throwdown, if nothing else.

Someone has an ill opinion of Joel Chandler Harris… or, uh, someone else?!  Wouldn’t be the first time.

As she goes on, it becomes clear that the things she hates about this historical figure are, you know, completely false.  It’s obvious why she would hate this guy, based on the history she knows, but it’s completely misinformed.  And she is SURE of its validity.

Do you correct her?  Or do you do what it takes to encourage her to come to the house of someone she hates, but on false pretenses?

I have a lot of respect for Joel Chandler Harris and like to defend him.  Usually, the easiest way to do that is to give accurate information. “No, Joel Chandler Harris didn’t write Song of the South — he had been dead for 38 years,” and so on.

But her claims were so out of left field that there would have been no defending.  Examples:

• JCH’s otherwise ignored illegitimate child whose existence is proven by his mention in Harris’ will (this sounds like how his (non-existent) will claimed that he wouldn’t let African-Americans enter the Wren’s Nest)

• The forsaken history of Atlanta’s wealthiest freed slave (who wasn’t the same as Atlanta’s actual wealthiest freed slave)

 It would have just been me telling this woman, as nicely as possible, that she was completely wrong.

I want her to come to the museum, not only because we like visitors and the entrance fees they pay (let’s call it like it is, folks), but because the legacy of Joel Chandler Harris is an important one.  We take the educational component of our mission for, like, serious.

So what do you do?  Throw JCH under the bus to get someone in the door, assuming the tour will set them straight?  Or correct them immediately, knowing they may be so put off by your perceived “attitude” that it justifies their stance?

Go on, I’m listening.

Decatur Old House Fair — Right Up Our Hallway!

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This may come as a shock to you, but the Wren’s Nest is more than a National Historic Landmark celebrating literature, folklore, and African American history.  It is also an old house.

A surprising (to me, I guess) number of visitors come here just as eager to discuss 100-year-old window panes as they do the work of Joel Chandler Harris.  Living in an old house is a unifying factor, I tell you what, and Lain and I are in the know.  (Let me just say that space heaters become really, really important.)

Which is why we’re so excited about the second annual Decatur Old House Fair on March 6th.  The fair brings together experts in repair and maintenance, design, energy efficiency and historic research with owners of old houses and the likes of you and me.

Last year’s fair — with the awesome tagline “The Greenest House is the One Already Built” — yielded our relationship with Tom Bretherton, who ended up installing our windows during our restoration.

In fact, Lain had such a great time he’s now on the 2010 volunteer committee.  If joining a committee isn’t a sign of love, I don’t know what is.

Added bonus: one of our Board members, Ken Thomas, is co-leading the “Researching Your Old House and What Style is My House?” seminar.  Yay Ken!

Hope to see you there!

Miss Nannie is Back! Also, Alive.

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If you’re like our fearless docent Miss Nannie and make a point to read the obituaries every day (a fun-loving group, y’all are), you may have had a Wren’s Nest-related shock on Thursday:

Nannie showed us this today with the intro, “Imagine my surprise when I saw I had died!”  For the record, this made me feel really, really weird.

To the family of (not our) Nannie Thompson, please accept our condolences.

This bizarre coincidence inspired (our) Nannie Thompson to kick what was ailing her to the curb, though I think we can all agree that perhaps she should take cues from subtler sources.

Welcome back, Miss Nannie.

The Georgia Trust’s 2010 Places in Peril List

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This may be the one Top Ten list we’re happy not to be included on.

The Georgia Trust has released their 2010 “Places in Peril” list and, unlike 2007’s list, the Wren’s Nest was not included.  Phew!  In fact, we were even mentioned as a success story.  (See paragraph fifteen of the AJC’s great article to be inspired.)

The list details historic sites in Georgia, from a still operating hospital (Central State Hospital in Milledgeville) to an archeological site (the Leake Archeological Site in Bartow County) that need attention, funding, and general help to stay afloat or, in many cases, existent.

The list can be a tremendous boon to the sites listed on it, though inclusion doesn’t guarantee results.  It does, however, ensure attention and awareness, also known as “half the battle” (though I might push it to about 75% of the battle).

The list features two Atlanta locations, Morris Brown College and Herndon Plaza (pictured above), both of which are manifestations of African-American success in post-civil war Atlanta.  We wrote about the Herndon Home’s troubles recently, and Morris Brown has had no shortage of local coverage of late.  Still, I hope the Places in Peril list is the boost they both need.

Not to poo-poo our Atlanta brethren, but I am completely intrigued by two other places on this list.  First, you have Capricorn Recording Studios in Macon, who we have to thank for introducing the Allman Brothers to folks outside of Macon.  Southern rock aficionados, I leave this one to you.

My real favorite is The Old Dodge County Jail, mostly because looks like it was lifted directly out of Mayberry. The only difference I can gather, other than one being fictional and all,  is the fact that the Old Dodge County Jail features a quaint “hanging room.”  If the Mayberry jail had one, let me be the first to say that it was totally underutilized on the show.

Being featured on the 2007 Places in Peril list made a huge difference to the Wren’s Nest in 2006, and I hope it has a similar effect on these worthy sites.

This Is What The Wren’s Nest Looks Like With Snow On It

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No white after Labor Day my heinie.

For the record, we ain’t afraid of snow.  The house will be open for tours tomorrow starting at 10, and Curtis will be telling Br’er Rabbit stories at 1.

Shout Out to Wren’s Nest Victorian Christmas Volunteers

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While I know we have yet to share all the pictures from our Victorian Christmas celebration (which is not to say we don’t have any pictures*), the house has been looking holiday-ready for weeks.

When visitors compliment the beautiful decorations, Lain and I truthfully reply, “Thanks!  But I had nothing to do with it.”

It’s not just false humility, no sir.

We’re lucky enough to have a wonderful team of volunteers here every year to decorate the Wren’s Nest who, most amazingly, get the job done by lunch.  It’s nuts.  All Lain and I are essentially responsible for is locating scissors and telling folks what they can (nothing) and cannot (everything) touch.

Knowing the house will be in good and talented hands is a huge relief to us every year during this busy time.  We wanted to make sure to give a hearty “thank  you!” to everyone who helped out, whether their generosity was court-ordered or of their own volition.

For the last few years, we’ve been lucky enough to benefit from Lauren and Catherine’s design sense. This year we got a bonus in their mom, Jackie, responsible for these much-lauded dictionary-critter ornaments.

That’s Catherine up top and Lauren below with her mom and volunteer and Christmas-decorator-extraordinaire-and-lady-in-charge-Ida Beth.

So thank you, everyone.  Super special thanks to Marshall Thomas for wrangling all of the folks who have never been here before and Annette Shakespeare for regaling those same folks with a history of the house that, most importantly, didn’t disturb their t-shirt folding output.

If you still haven’t seen the decorations, we’ll be closed Christmas day, but open again (with storytelling at 1pm!) on Saturday the 26th.  Come on by!

*Wait, no, that’s exactly what I’m saying.  We are without pictures, totally.