Civil War Era Coming Home to the High Ground: A Brotherly Call from 1865 M Gwinn, December 28, 2025December 30, 2025 “yess Laban leave that Horrible mud Hole and go to your farm In Virginia to a Country where corn matures and Wheat does not dround out” Gather ’round, neighbors, because I’ve got something special to show you today. It’s a letter from the summer of 1865, just as the dust… Continue Reading
History A Ledger, a Letter, and a Lesson in Lumber M Gwinn, December 27, 2025February 1, 2026 We dont want Lumber as the cooperage Co will not take lumber for their part. Pull up a chair, friends, because I’ve just unearthed a little slice of our shared past that’s as crisp as an October morning in the mountains. This week, I’ve been leafing through a letter dated… Continue Reading
History A Handshake and a Harvest of Timber M Gwinn, December 27, 2025December 27, 2025 “it ant often you can buy one half interis in a farm and pay in lumb” Gather ’round, friends, and take a look at this little scrap of history I pulled from the archives today. It’s a letter from September of 1883, written by a fellow named R. H. Maxwell… Continue Reading
Civil War Era A Soldier’s Hope for Spring: A Message from 1865 M Gwinn, December 27, 2025February 19, 2026 “I trust that the tim Will Speadly Com that I Can return and injoy a Citizens life again” Pull up a chair and let me share something truly special with you today. I have got a letter here that has traveled over a hundred and fifty years to find its… Continue Reading
History A Little Note from the Sheriff’s Desk: A Glimpse into 1891 M Gwinn, December 27, 2025February 21, 2026 “My demands are such that it is a matter of necessity not a matter of choice.” Come on in and sit a spell, neighbors. I’ve got something special to show you today—a little scrap of paper that’s traveled over a hundred and thirty years just to tell us a story…. Continue Reading
History A Winter Note from Mr. Cooper’s General Store M Gwinn, December 27, 2025 “I will need the money badly thought best to notify you in time” Pull up a chair and let me share a little treasure from the archives that feels like a warm handshake from the past. It’s a letter from February of 1884, written on the handsome letterhead of Mr…. Continue Reading
History A Neighborly Request from Hinton: The 1884 Debt of Laban Guinn M Gwinn, December 27, 2025January 18, 2026 “Although you agree to pay me 12% I cant wait on you longer than the 1st day of August.” Pulling a piece of history out of its envelope can feel a bit like shaking hands with a ghost, and this little treasure from July 1884 is no different. We have… Continue Reading
History A Brotherly Hand in Hard Times M Gwinn, December 27, 2025January 13, 2026 You had better go as soon as you git this Pull up a chair, friends, because I’ve found something special in the stacks today. It’s a small piece of paper, dated August 16, 1866, and it feels like holding a piece of a conversation that happened over a century and… Continue Reading