Old Willow Grove

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Yes, another adventure for the fearsome threesome! On the coldest day of November, so far, Brookie, Chris and I were on a boat traveling across Dale Hollow Lake! We froze our butts off, but it was worth it! The Gravedigger, Darren Shell, was our guide and we took another history tour, this time of the Old Willow Grove that is under water. It ran cold chills over me seeing the past come to life. Be sure to watch my smilebox to see the photos. Willow Grove School's foundation is at the top of the water, a houseboat got stuck on it last week! Eddie Irons is supposedly still cemented in the steps of the school! We visited a couple of cemeteries that were relocated before Dale Hollow Lake was made, Old Sulphur Cemetery and McCluskey Cemetery. The grave indentions are there and amazing to see. I can't explain the feeling you get when you visit these old grave sites. Even though we have this wonderful, beautiful lake, you remember what people must have endured leaving their homes behind, their relative's graves being relocated. How sad that must have been. The grave indentions won't be visible much longer, Darren's noticed quite a difference since last year. As Darren said, "Mother Nature is reclaiming its ground." I feel honored to have witnessed a little of our local history before it disappears forever.

"History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days." Winston Churchill