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Published: June 15th 2016
The drive from Gunter Hill Campground on R.E. (Bob) Woodruff Lake in Montgomery AL to Benchmark RV Park in Marion MS took me back over the Selma to Montgomery Trail until I reached Selma when I began to see some new real estate. The drive of about 157 miles and about 3 hours was without incident, and my arrival at Benchmark RV Park was, thankfully, routine. I had a very short list for Meridian, particularly when compared to the ambitious list I had the week prior, and started at the
Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museumat the historic Soulé Steam Feed Works in Meridian MS. I was somewhat puzzled by the term “steam feed.”
The majority of products invented by George W. Soulé and manufactured and marketed by his company served the lumber industry. Because steam was the only portable and dependable source of power during this period, the patented Soulé Rotary Steam Engine was used in several types of lumbering operations from 1892 until 1922. The rotary engine was used to drive a sawmill carriage or “feed,” thus “steam feed,” and was a dependable means for the sawmill operator to move the log into the spinning saw blade to make lumber from the logs.
The Pattern-Making Shop
Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum - Meridian MSThese rotary engines were also used to power winches that could drag logs out of the woods and to lift the logs onto railroad cars, wagons or into the sawmill. A total of 2,300 rotary engines were built and sold across the U.S. and internationally, and a few of these engines are still in operation in Australia and India. The other important product patented and built by the Soulé Steam Feed Works was the automatic lumber stacking system. A much more detailed history of the company can be found on the web site.
Don’t be fooled by the address. I’m not sure if the address came from the Internet or from Irene (my GPS), but the entrance to the museum is on the northeast corner of the building and is shrouded by ornate ironwork. The door where Irene dropped me (on 19
th Avenue) opened into an historic office area with several placards and some artifacts. It turned out that the office I had entered is a part of the museum but was near the end of the tour. I wandered around, took some photographs and hollered for a response to no avail. As I walked out the door, a
man passed by and asked if he could help. With the proper instruction set, I made my way to the museum entrance where I was told the door I entered should have been locked and the address has been corrected numerous time only to become reverted to the “corporate address” when Soulé Steam Feed Works was still in business. I suggested a sign be place on the errant door.
I wish I knew who to contact to get wrong stuff fixed on the Internet, my GPS, Google Earth, my c-o-m-p-u-t-e-r, etc.; but they don’t even provide a hint of “I’m interested in correcting the issue.” Who’s in charge of the damn Internet, anyway? Where’s Al Gore? Where’s my window?“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Let’s do it together! “We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!” Feel better? I do. I guess I spent too much time last week listening to motivators, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream that someday all things electronic will work as they were designed ALL THE TIME! I have a dream that when the equipment doesn’t work and (in
those rare instances) when there is tech support that the agent knows more about the equipment than do I!”
One of the more interesting stories I heard during my tour is that of “The Flying Keys.” Brothers Fred and Al Key became interested in aviation after World War I. They started doing some barnstorming in the 1920s and continued their interest as the managers of the Meridian Municipal Airport. With the onset of the Great Depression, the city of Meridian began doing whatever it could to save money and the airport was slated to be closed. Having no desire to see this happen, they came up with a plan to draw attention to Meridian and its airport by breaking the standing flight endurance record of 23 days. At that time, air-to-air refueling was a dangerous affair. If gasoline was spilled, which often happened, it could be ignited by the hot engine exhaust. To solve this problem, the Key brothers, along with local inventor and mechanic A. D. Hunter, who worked at Soulé Steam Feed Works, invented a spill-free fueling system that consisted of a valve on the end of the fuel nozzle which was opened by a probe in
the neck of the fuel tank. The valve would not allow fuel to flow unless the nozzle was properly inserted into the fuel tank. During fueling, if the nozzle was removed from the tank, the fuel would automatically stop flowing. This nozzle was later adopted by the U.S. Army Air Corps, and, with some modifications, is still in use today.
Refueling the plane wasn't their only concern. The engine needed regular maintenance during the flight in order to stay in good running order. To facilitate this, a catwalk was built so that Fred could walk out and work on the plane while it was airborne. On June 4, 1935, The Flying Keys, as the brothers later became known, lifted off in a borrowed Curtiss Robin monoplane named “Ole Miss” from Meridian Municipal Airport. For the next twenty-seven days, they flew over the Meridian vicinity. Several times each day, the crew of a similar plane would lower food and supplies to the brothers on the end of a rope, as well as supply fuel via a long flexible tube. They landed on July 1 after traveling an estimated 52,320 miles and used more than 6,000 gallons of gasoline. Their non-stop
endurance flight lasted 653 hours, 34 minutes (that’s just short of 4 weeks). The “Ole Miss” is permanently displayed in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC (the facility on the National Mall). After this historic flight, Meridian Municipal Airport was renamed Key Field in the brothers' honor. Both served as bomber pilots during World War II.
The Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum is a great attraction IF you are a steam power enthusiast or a mechanical engineer, but I cannot recommend it for the average tourist. The only way to visit the facility is on a guided tour (offered twice daily); however, the museum hosts an interesting hootenanny. From the web site: “The
Soulé Live Steam Show, a family friendly event, was held on November 6-7, 2015. The show and Meridian RailFest combined together and created one of the most unique events in the southeastern United States. The Carousel Organ Association of America hosted their Fall Rally again in 2015. The Happiest Music on Earth played during the event! Due to heavy rain, the Vintage Wheels Car Show was cancelled, but plans are underway for a car show next year.” That sounds like it could be a
The Art Is Beautiful Unto itself
Dentzel Carousel Highland Park - Meridian MS fun weekend.
Speaking of the Carousel Organ Association, the City of Meridian is, rightfully, the proud owner of the only remaining two-row stationary Dentzel menagerie in the world. Okay, Larry, so what is a Menagerie Carousel. Time to get out your Google, boys and girls. According to
one web site I found, a menagerie figure is, “Any carousel animal that was (sic) not a horse. Some popular menagerie figures were tigers, lions, bears, deer, pigs, goats, giraffes, rabbits, and cats. Some mythical creatures like the sea monster and hippocampus (front half of a horse and back half of a fish) were also found on carousels and would also be considered menagerie figures.”
Stationary and menagerie are two key words, for I had never seen a horseless carousel wherein the figures were stationary and did not move up and down. The Highland Park Dentzel Carousel, declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, was manufactured in 1896 by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia PA for the 1904 Saint Louis Exposition and later sold to the City of Meridian for a mere $2,000. Meridian's Dentzel Carousel arrived in the city in 1909 and has since occupied the same location in Highland Park. Its house,
Popcorn, Peanuts – True Americana
Dentzel Carousel Highland Park - Meridian MS also a National Historic Landmark, is the only remaining original carousel building built from a Dentzel blueprint. The designation of National Landmark has been given to only 11 carousels nationwide. Original oil paintings of museum quality adorn the top crown of the carousel.
The carousel building was closed from 1983 to 1984 for major restoration. The carousel animals were removed and placed in various local institutions while funds were raised. The City of Meridian’s 1909 $2000 investment is valued today at more than a million dollars. The restoration of the carousel animals totaled more than $112,000, while restoration of the carousel house was nearly twice that amount. Meridian views the Dentzel Carousel as a unique community and national treasure. Restoration continues as needed on a yearly basis to ensure that the carousel will remain not only a source of enjoyment but a part of our nation's history. The attraction is highly recommended while visiting Meridian – makes ya feel like a kid again; and it is part of our history.
My next stop was the Jimmie Rodgers Museum – across Highland Park from the Dentzel Carousel. James Charles "Jimmie" Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933), also
known as "The Singing Brakeman," "The Blue Yodeler" and "The Father of Country Music," was an American country singer in the early 20th century, known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling. Rodgers' affinity for entertaining came at an early age, and the lure of the road was irresistible. By age 13, he had twice organized and begun traveling shows, only to be brought home by his father. His father found Rodgers his first job working on the railroad as a water boy. Here, he was further taught to pick and strum by rail workers and hobos. As a water boy, he was exposed to the work chants of the African-American railroad workers known as gandy dancers.
In 1924 at age 27, Rodgers contracted tuberculosis. The disease temporarily ended his railroad career but, at the same time, gave him a chance to get back to the entertainment industry. He found himself bouncing between entertainment and the railroad until he emerged with some limited success in the entertainment industry. On November 30, 1927 Rodgers recorded four songs which sold nearly half a million copies over the next two years and propelled him into stardom –
Ben Dewberry's Final Run,
Mother Was A Lady,
Away Out On the Mountain and, his most famous of the four,
Blue Yodel (better known as "T for Texas"). By August 1932, it was clear that the tuberculosis was getting the better of him. He had given up touring by that time but did have a weekly radio show in San Antonio TX. During his last recording session in New York City on May 24, 1933, after years of fighting tuberculosis, Rodgers was so weakened that he needed to rest on a cot between songs. Jimmie Rodgers died two days later on May 26 from a pulmonary hemorrhage at age 35. At the time of his death, Rodgers accounted for ten percent of RCA Victor's sales in a drastically depressed record market. The awards and accolades bestowed upon Rodgers exceed the limitations of this blog; however, if one would like to see just how far country music has come since sung by The Father of Country Music, listen to
">Blue Yodel No 1 (T for Texas).
What’s up with this? Last week, the Hank Williams Museum – died at 30. This week, the Jimmie Rodgers Museum – died at 35. Two of the first three inductees into the Country Music Hall of
Fame in 1961 died so young (the third was music publisher and songwriter Fred Rose who died at the young age of 57). I ended my entry about the Hank Williams Museum last week with two thoughts, “Given that those who were alive when Williams was at his best are now in their eighties, I can only recommend this museum to the most diehard country music fan. Oh yes, you’ll have to take my word for it because photography is not allowed.” First, Hank Williams died in 1953. Jimmie Rodgers died twenty years before Williams so his fans would be in their … err, you do the math. Second, “Oh yes, you’ll have to take my word for it ….”
is in Meridian with a handful of specimens in nearby towns and have been placed (for the most part) outside government buildings, businesses and private homes. Each of the over 60 horses that are displayed is uniquely designed and painted by a commissioned artist. I spent three mornings seeking out, admiring and photographing these works of art. Meridian’s motto is "A Better Longitude on Life." That is quite clever, but, with the community pride it has in the
Dentzel Carousel, I expected it to be something like, “Life Has Its Ups and Downs” – in spite of the fact that Meridian’s Dentzel menagerie is stationary! I didn’t visit every carousel horse “around town” but saw over half of them. Some are more ornate than others, some are tightly grouped geographically whereas some are widely dispersed, some have themes that reflect the geographic location (i.e., a locomotive theme in front of the railroad depot) or the sponsor of the art.
Seeking out the art was somewhat of an old time scavenger hunt for me – only made possible with the help of Irene. As much as I detest texting and driving, I’m not sure I would be willing to attempt map reading and driving, and there is no doubt I could not look at a map beforehand and REMEMBER the path to the target. Most of the art is nicely done and is relatively self-explanatory – something this art unaficionado could appreciate. There were a few pieces I could not locate; however, those seemed to be early in the hunt when I had not yet developed “The (Carousel) Eye!” I started as soon as the Meridian rush hour
was over (yeah, right – my hunting days were Saturday, Sunday and Memorial Day) and “hunted” until the humidity got the best of me. Heat I can deal with, but I cry Uncle when the atmosphere is so thick (humid) I have to slice off a piece to breathe!
Meridian, Mississippi! There is something here for every mechanical engineer, carousel enthusiast and country music scholar. For the rest of you, you’re out of luck. Although I never considered my safety to be in jeopardy and although some public works projects are recently completed and some are underway, the city proper is quite dilapidated. The streets are deplorable and there just plain isn’t a lot for the mainstream visitor to do or see. Most of the housing appears minimal at best, and it seems that most of the more affluent households have moved to the hinterland. Although there are some truly majestic houses, this only accentuates the economic disparity found in the community. I saw the best and the worst of Meridian on my scavenger hunt, learned about the manufacturing end of Mississippi’s industrial heritage and got to ride “the only remaining two-row stationary Dentzel menagerie in the world.” I’m
IF I happen to be passing through in early November) I truthfully cannot see any particular reason to return.
