Tragedy at the Museum

Photo by Larry S. Chowning taken from the Southside Sentinel article referenced and linked to below

This morning I woke up, showered, stumbled into my office and checked my Facebook.  I was horrified to find this article from the local paper the Southside Sentinel. Deltaville's one and only museum- the Deltaville Maritime Museum was destroyed by fire yesterday.  Both the main building and the pavilion are a loss.  This includes the artifacts housed in both areas as well (please read the article for details). 

I'm rendered nearly speechless at the news.  I just can't believe all those artifacts are lost.  I'm nostalgic.  I love history and especially history that includes my own family (there was an exhibit of Deltaville during the Civil War that included my great-great-great grandfather James Jackson).  I save mementos, I scrapbook photos and I write this blog to preserve memories, stories and information for future generations.  Fire terrifies me in that it's one of the surest ways to lose tangible things from the past.

Deltaville has gone through more than its share of strife these days.  The town is still in the process of rebuilding after the F2 tornado that came through April 2011.  But there is one thing that the tornado tragedy taught us, that despite the loss, it will be rebuilt better than it was.