Greenbrier Resort

Greenbrier a Favorite Stop

On a recent trip driving through West Virginia, we came to a beautiful area where the famous Greenbrier hotel and resort is located.

Since it was nearly lunchtime, I asked if anyone was ready to eat, which was answered by all with a resounding, yes! Unbeknown to the others, I called and asked if we needed a reservation to eat in any of their restaurants, and received no as an answer.

In about 25 minutes we departed the interstate at White Sulfur Springs, and headed toward the resort, leaving them in wonderment.

When we finally drove into the entrance of this famous resort, which is one of the largest hotels in the eastern United States, it soon came into view, surprising my wife and friends since we had been in mountainous and rural West Virginia for miles.

The Greenbrier is an award-winning resort located in the Allegheny Mountains and is listed as a National Historic Landmark. The Greenbrier's classic architecture, exquisite interior design, abundant scenic beauty, and outstanding amenities have hosted distinguished guests from around the world since 1778.

A spring of sulphur water is at the center of the resort property. It issues forth below the green dome of the white-columned springhouse that has been the symbol of The Greenbrier for generations. Mrs. Anderson, a local pioneer, came to follow the local Native American tradition of "taking the waters" to restore her chronic rheumatism and for the first 125 years the resort was known by the name White Sulphur Springs.

The property soon fell into the hands of a prominent Baltimore family, the Calwells. Under the Calwells, the resort would begin to take shape. They sold cottages to prominent Southern individuals, many of which still stand today. Notable guests of the time included Martin van Buren and Henry Clay.

This renowned hotel offers 721 rooms, including exquisite guest and estate houses and more than 50 recreational activities including three championship golf courses, indoor and outdoor tennis courts a 40,000-square-foot spa and more.

To many travelers, this property is unknown, which is surprising because of the history and age of this famous hotel. Since I had been here before, a number of years ago, I have spent some time researching its history, and I’m including it below.

In 1857, a hotel was built on the property. This original hotel, The Grand Central Hotel, known by the moniker "The White" and later "The Old White", was torn down in 1922, several years after the addition of the current building. During the Civil War, the property changed hands between the Confederate Army and the Union Army, who almost burned the resort to the ground.

As a Civil War student I found it interesting that at White Sulphur Springs in1870, following the Civil War, the resort reopened. It became a place for many Southerners and Northerners alike to vacation, and the setting for many famous post-war reconciliations, including the White Sulphur Manifesto, which was the only political position issued by Robert E. Lee after the Civil War, that advocated the merging of the two societies. The resort went on to become a center of regional post-war society, especially after the arrival of the railroad.

In 1910, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway purchased the resort property, building additional amenities and The Greenbrier Hotel in 1913. At this time, the name officially changed to The Greenbrier, as the neighboring town adopted the name White Sulphur Springs. During World War II, the resort served both as an army hospital and as a relocation center for some of the Axis diplomats interned as enemies of the United States.

After the war ended, C&O bought back the property from the government and reopened the resort, now redecorated by Dorothy Draper. Its reopening was a social event of the season, attracting such luminaries as the Duke of Windsor with his wife, Wallis Simpson, Bing Crosby, and members of the Kennedy family. In recent history, the resort has hosted several presidents and vice-presidents, foreign dignitaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Debbie Reynolds, and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco. Twenty-six presidents have been hosted at The Greenbrier. The Presidents' Cottage Museum is a two-story building with exhibits about these visits and the history of The Greenbrier. The building is open seasonally. The last U.S. president to stay at The Greenbrier was Dwight Eisenhower.

On March 20, 2009, the resort filed for bankruptcy, listing debt of up to $500 million and assets of $100 million. The resort lost $166 million in 2008. On May 7, 2009, the Justice family of West Virginia publicly claimed that it had purchased the resort for $20 million. The Justice family, headed by patriarch James Justice, has extensive farm and milling operations in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina including 50,000 acres that it farms through its Justice Family Farms group headquartered in Beckley, West Virginia. In early 2009, it sold its Bluestone Coal Corporation network of West Virginia coal mines to Mechel.

Due to the proximity to Washington DC an interesting development occurred in the late 1950s, when the U.S. government approached The Greenbrier for assistance in creating a secret emergency relocation center to house Congress in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. The classified, underground facility, named "Project Greek Island", was built at the same time as the West Virginia Wing, an above-ground addition to the hotel, from 1959 to 1962.

Although the bunker was kept stocked with supplies for 30 years, it was never actually used as an emergency location, even during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The bunker's existence was not acknowledged until The Washington Post revealed it in a 1992 story; immediately after the Post story, the government decommissioned the bunker. The facility has since been renovated and is also used as a data storage facility for the private sector. It is once again featured as an attraction in which visitors can tour the now declassified facilities, now known as The Bunker. For a fee one can tour it, but due to our time we forfeited it.

This whole area is beautiful and has many stops for a traveler, but one should never be near the Greenbrier without stopping as we did for lunch or to stay in this spacious and beautiful hotel. I will remind you that the accommodation expense far exceeds the Holiday Inn.

Today, extremely expensive homes surround the hotel and resort grounds and are a beautiful tour in itself.

After a tour of the hotel and a sitting to eat a tasty meal, we drove around the grounds before leaving for Virginia to spend the night.

“In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” -- John 14:2 (NKJV)

Unexpected Grave

A Grave by Surprise

One of my desires in London was to visit the tomb of John Wesley near his home and the church where he preached many years ago. As my wife and I viewed the home, and then found the grave behind the church and the house, I inquired of the groundskeeper, where Mrs. Wesley was buried, after which he suggested that I go to the street and looked to the right and cross the street and go down through the Bunhill Field cemetery, where I would find her gravestone. Not only was I to find her stone, but would find the stones of other notable religious people whose history reflected itself in America.

I find it interesting to note that all the grave stones were small and just above the ground. I saw only two that were above the ground tombs. One was that of Daniel Defoe, who wrote Robinson Crusoe and the other John Bunyan, who had been imprisoned for twelve years for preaching without a license. It was while in prison, he wrote Pilgrim's Progress, an allegory of a man named Christian fleeing the City of Destruction and directed by Evangelist to follow a narrow path to the City of Zion. Unknown to many, it was the friends and dangers he meets along the way inspired the modern story Wizard of Oz.

This classic of John Bunyan, who died August 31, 1688, was translated into over a hundred languages and found in nearly every colonial American home.

Pilgrim’s progress has been read by many because it is such a classic and has been quoted by many great leaders, such as Ronald Reagan, when greeting Australia's Prime Minister, said: "Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, 'We are all travelers in what John Bunyan calls the wilderness of this world. And the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend-they keep us worthy of ourselves.'"

Also Franklin Roosevelt said: "When Theodore Roosevelt died, the Secretary of his class at Harvard, in sending classmates a notice of his passing, added this quotation

from Pilgrim's Progress: 'my sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and

My courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who now will be my rewarder.'"

I have visited the graves of many great men but this memorial to one of Christianities great writers was a real blessing, especially since I was not searching for it but rather the grave of Susanna Wesley.

Afterwards, I found this bit of history and thought you might like a brief on this great man.

John was tried by magistrates in Chapel of Herne for not attending the parish church and for holding unlawful meetings. He was jailed for 3 months but, after just one month, he was visited by the magistrate’s clerk, who sought to persuade John to give a promise to cease preaching at 'private gatherings'. He told John that what the magistrates were concerned about was not the fact that John was not a licensed preacher but that he was preaching at conventicles) A secret or unlawful religious meeting, typically of people with nonconformist views.) These were private gatherings around England which the authorities suspected were being used as a cover for meetings where plots were being made to overthrow the King.

John argued that he had a higher obligation than to the king, that he had an obligation to God, to preach His word wherever and whenever he could. John argued that, if he promised not to preach in private places, this would prevent him - for example - from preaching to his neighbor in the privacy of his home and thus John would be failing in his obligation to God.

And there he remained, mostly, for the next 12 years. I find it interesting that in history people have done many great works, because in that same year Bunyan published “Profitable meditations”. In the years to follow he wrote and published “Praying in the Spirit”, “Christian behaviour”, “Serious meditations” , “Ebal & Gerizm”, “The Holy City”, “Resurrection of the dead” , “Prison meditations” , “Grace abounding” ,“Confession of faith” , “A defense of the doctrine of justification by faith”

In 1672 under King Charles' Declaration of Indulgence, John is released from prison and May 9^th was licensed as a teacher. He was officially pardoned by Charles in September. John was elected church pastor and a barn at end of Mill Street, Bedford was purchased and this becomes his new chapel, but in 1675-6 John's preaching licenses are recalled was imprisoned for six months in Bedford County Goal where and he wrote the first part of “Pilgrim’s Progress” and in1684 the second part of “Pilgrim’s Progress” was published.

Of his works, “Grace Abounding”, “The Holy City”, and “Pilgrim’s Progress” are my favorites.

On August 31st, during a visit to a friend, John Strudwick, in London - John Bunyan contracted pneumonia and died. He was buried in Struthwick’s family tomb in Bunhill Fields, City Road, London.

^“And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" -- Romans 10:15

From my weekly column.

Dr. Alton Loveless is the former CEO/President of Randall House Publications, Nashville, Tn.; He is a freelance writer and has written for assorted publications printed both nationally and internationally. To see photos and read other stories click on http://altonloveless.blogspot.com/

Columbus Washboard Company

Washboard Company

More than 60 years have passed since I have even seen a washboard like my mother used to keep our garments clean while scrubbing in the wash kettle.

While I have a complete recollection to what the washboard looked like, I did not have knowledge of how it was made, nor the properties in which it was made until recently when the Golden Seniors group of our church, visited the Columbus washboard factory that was started in Columbus Ohio in 1895.

With the passing of the years, this factory was moved to Logan, Ohio, where it still manufacturers for many hardware chains throughout the country as well as ships all over the world that is not as mechanized as we are in the United States.

I was amazed to learn that one of the places where many of the scrub boards is shipped is to our military boys in Afghanistan and Iraq, in which they are able to use to keep their garments clean.

The Columbus Washboard Company is the only manufacturer of this type still operating in the United States. They still make the boards in the traditional construction methods for the normal washboard uses and even produce for an annual Washboard Music Festival.

While the washboard of my grandmother and mother was galvanized, the company offers washboards with a variety of rubbing surfaces including spiral metal, galvanized, stainless steel, brass, and glass. The company also offers chalk, cork, and mirror surfaces. All of these boards are hand assembled one at a time with equipment dating back to the 1900's and can be assembled in just 45 seconds.

Today’s washboards are still used for hand scrubbing just like our Grandmother did. They are also used as decorative pieces for laundry rooms and kitchens, as furniture accents, and as a musical instrument.

While the building is very old so is the equipment, with some of the original 1800s machines kept around for posterity. Although, the present equipment is not much better than the older ones, they still produce the needed amount of washboards now manufactured for the company’s purchasers.

While you are here you can buy a washboard souvenir, listen to some of the employees do a washboard musical, and then help as washboards are passed out to each of us so we can join in. It was fun but didn’t match my genre of music.

When you are leaving the building, you can check out the world's largest washboard at 24 feet positioned high on the multi-storied building.

While it may have been a necessary item in the days of our parents, this instrument is still used by more than I realize today for their necessity.

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:2

Dr. Alton Loveless is the former CEO/President of Randall House Publications, Nashville, Tn.; He is a freelance writer and has written for assorted publications printed both nationally and internationally. To see photos and read other stories click on http://altonloveless.blogspot.com/

Largest Washboard Factory in U.S.A.

Washboard Company

More than 60 years have passed since I have even seen a washboard like my mother used to keep our garments clean while scrubbing in the wash kettle.

While I have a complete recollection to what the washboard looked like, I did not have knowledge of how it was made, nor the properties in which it was made until recently when the Golden Seniors group of our church, visited the Columbus washboard factory that was started in Columbus Ohio in 1895.

With the passing of the years, this factory was moved to Logan, Ohio, where it still manufacturers for many hardware chains throughout the country as well as ships all over the world that is not as mechanized as we are in the United States.

I was amazed to learn that one of the places where many of the scrub boards is shipped is to our military boys in Afghanistan and Iraq, in which they are able to use to keep their garments clean.

The Columbus Washboard Company is the only manufacturer of this type still operating in the United States. They still make the boards in the traditional construction methods for the normal washboard uses and even produce for an annual Washboard Music Festival.

While the washboard of my grandmother and mother was galvanized, the company offers washboards with a variety of rubbing surfaces including spiral metal, galvanized, stainless steel, brass, and glass. The company also offers chalk, cork, and mirror surfaces. All of these boards are hand assembled one at a time with equipment dating back to the 1900's and can be assembled in just 45 seconds.

Today’s washboards are still used for hand scrubbing just like our Grandmother did. They are also used as decorative pieces for laundry rooms and kitchens, as furniture accents, and as a musical instrument.

While the building is very old so is the equipment, with some of the original 1800s machines kept around for posterity. Although, the present equipment is not much better than the older ones, they still produce the needed amount of washboards now manufactured for the company’s purchasers.

While you are here you can buy a washboard souvenir, listen to some of the employees do a washboard musical, and then help as washboards are passed out to each of us so we can join in. It was fun but didn’t match my genre of music.

When you are leaving the building, you can check out the world's largest washboard at 24 feet positioned high on the multi-storied building.

While it may have been a necessary item in the days of our parents, this instrument is still used by more than I realize today for their necessity.

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:2

Dr. Alton Loveless is the former CEO/President of Randall House Publications, Nashville, Tn.; He is a freelance writer and has written for assorted publications printed both nationally and internationally. To see photos and read other stories click on http://altonloveless.blogspot.com/

55th Class Reunion not better than the Big One

Going Home

The small lake in front of our home is always full of Canadian geese making their way south.

I kept looking for the day come for us to go south to my class reunion where I would see many of my classmates that graduated with me in 1955.

Finally the early morning came and we flew from Columbus to Little Rock where we first attended the 1956 class gathering. It was indeed a privilege to visit with many friends that I had not seen for 55 years.

However, it was the for next day that we had taken the trip. And un-estimated gathering of our class and their spouses met at the home of one of our classmates at 10:30 a.m. and then at 2 p.m. we met at the building which was where we had classes until our graduation. At the end of the tour of the building we had our class photo. That night we met in a building at the University of Central Arkansas for a banquet.

I had been asked by the planning committee to address the class and do a memorial for the 25 of our classmates that had already made their journey beyond this life.

The following are some of my remarks:

“Since 2005; I lost a friend, you lost a friend, and we have all lost friends. This Bible verse reflects our status, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. Psalm 37:25

“If your life has been like mine it has been a good journey. One thing I know for sure is that life is more than what you make It.--It is more often what God does for us that make things better to live with.”

Afterwards I recited a poem I wrote as a senior that had directed my life for these 55 years entitled, “The Bible.”

“As I grow older I am often drawn back to my youth in my memory and to recall the “good ole days” and wondered what life would be like. Remember what we wrote for our life’s testament before we graduated? My was, “I will be driving my 1938 Cadillac to Seminary.” It was 15 years old then and would be 72 years old today. Boy! What would it be worth today.

“Today the future is not as far as it used to be when I wrote that, and many aspirations changed.

I thought I had been a fairly good fellow in school until I read what two had recorded in my class annual in 1955.

“Mrs. McHenry, an English teacher; wrote in my annual in 1955, “Congratulations to my sweetest headache.”

“Mary Elizabeth Lewis, who had sat by me for four years in assembly, wrote, “Try to stay out of mischief. You know you are a little devil.” Recently she wrote me a note, “I would have been as rough on you if I had have known you would have done so well with your life.”

“This year is another milestone in our life as the high school senior Class of 1955 celebrates its 55^th reunion.

“Today it has been great to visit with classmates and their mates. To say with great compliment it is a classy group of 73 year olds.

“I cannot begin to relate the many things each has accomplished over the years. Three have been ministers for over 55 years, one a city mayor, college professors, school teachers, medical doctors, salesmen, farmers, successful businessmen, a NASA researcher, Airline pilot, printers, Fire chief, insurance providers, lawyers, store owners, a boxing promoter, author, columnist, along with a number of widows and widowers. I believe we have some of the most beautiful woman and handsome men still in the class of 1955. And can honestly say our class was a class of achievers.

“It is sad that eleven have died since the last meeting five years ago and 14 previously during 1955 – 2005.

“And I could have been another, looking back at a total of 5 months as I struggled for my life. However, like me, we are all here tonight by the Grace of God!

“For a total of 25 since 1955 and it is unknown how many mates have died during these years and losing your partner is also sad.

“It will never be the same again, and will change faster, as we get farther into the journey since demographers say 78 is the life expectancy for men and 82 for women for those that have reached 73 already.

“For a believer what made the small obituary page here - made HEADLINES THERE.

“ I like what a Swedish chemist read as he woke one morning to find his obituary which read: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, had devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and He died a rich man.”

“It was not his, but his brother. But the idea of reading his own obituary changed his life and he set up the Nobel Prize for those who seceded in their field of endeavor.

“He said, “Everybody ought to have the chance to read their own epitaph in mid-stream and then write a new one.”

“I am grateful for the promises in the scriptures that reveal God’s concern for all of mankind. While these verses apply to another in the Bible, they are truths for us as well.

“ And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.” - Genesis 33:12

““Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning: The LORD is his name:” - Amos 5:8 “

“Prayer of Memorial
We did not know the time that God was going to call your name. In life we loved you, in death we remember you. It broke our hearts to lose you, but you did not go alone; for part of us went with you the day God called you home. You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide, and though we cannot see you, you are always by our side. Our class chain has broken and nothing seems the same, but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again. It is my prayer no link will be missing in Heaven.”

After the 10 p.m. program we headed back to the motel to finish packing and leaving my boyhood hometown at 3 a.m. for a 5:30 boarding in Little Rock to travel back home.

All the way back I rejoiced at hearing the “Amen’s,” but wondered about those who do not rejoice in the permanent home God has prepared for them that love Him.

^“In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

And where I go you know, and the way you know."
Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”-- John 14:2-6 (NKJV)