I have a million thoughts swirling through my head tonight...or I should say, a million more than usual.
Yesterday, a dear friend of mine read my blog entry about Galileo. She said it was incredibly well written and asked me " are you sure that you don't want to go on to study history/become a historian?" I had to concede that I have toyed with the idea. I chuckled a little, given that she was a fellow Psychology major. More importantly, though, we met through a writing lab senior year. I must give credit where credit is due: if it hadn't been for Dr. Silvia, I don't think my writing would be as good as it is now. Granted, I've always been a good writer, but it was his class that transitioned me from academic writing to professional-esque writing. You'll probably never see this, but thanks Dr. Silvia!
Last weekend, thanks to Micah Robinson, I was able to meet one of, if not Danville's most prominent historian: Gary Grant. Micah mentioned that I had been researching his house for him, and then Gary and I started talking. We talked about the house, the information I had, and the abstract Mary Cahill had written on 1021 Main Street that didn't make it into Victorian Danville: Fifty-two Landmarks: Their Architecture & History. He said he would drop off a copy of the abstract with Micah so I could read it next time I was in town.
As we talked, I mentioned my use of the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps, and come to find out that there are only two copies available in Danville. While I have access to all the maps (though without color coding), he hasn't been able to access them. Gary expressed interest in seeing them, and I said I would look into printing out hard copies of each map.
I also mentioned that the Southern Historical Collection at UNC has a copy of a ledger from the Mount Vernon Villa Company that I have been wanting to check out. This seemed to really intrigue him, and he gave me a little more insight into the Mount Vernon Villa Company. Apparently, they were the movers and shakers of the early 20th century. I knew that they were one of the main sources of westward expansion in Danville, but never knew that they had their hands in so many pockets: the power company, the street car company.
It turns out, as well, that Gary is the first person with whom I've spoken who is aware that Ms. Gott's house is the second oldest in that neighborhood. While most people immediately assume the house across the street is, he had absolutely no surprise when I reported that a newspaper article had listed her house as such.
The most important thing he said to me was that he would be very interesting in sharing information if I can get information from the Mount Vernon Villa Company ledger. In fact, this excited me so much that I immediately starting formulating ways I could get a chance to get to Wilson Library to check it out.
Given that I'm required to take a mandatory 30 days off from work -- the joys of being a temp -- I thought that would be a good time to see what I could find. So, I decided I would ask my coworker and my boss if, perhaps, I came down one day during my break around lunch if my coworker could drop me off at the library on his way back out onto campus. It would save the money from parking, and my sister said she'd be willing to pick me up when she gets off of work.
When I broached the idea with my coworker, he was fine with it. I figured my boss would be okay with it, but I felt it better to ask. I must say, I really do have an awesome boss! He didn't even hesitate and said it would be fine. I'm sure he knows if I'm there while Bryan is unloading the truck, I'll certainly help. Not necessarily to expedite the process of getting to the library, but to thank them both for helping me. Now, all that's left, is more me to figure out when would be best for me to come back to Chapel Hill from Danville and spend an afternoon reading a 100 year old ledger.
The ledger should prove to hold key information on the westward expansion of Danville, and if at all useful, might give me reason to document and perhaps write a book based on that and the knowledge I've already gained from newspaper archives.
A more pertinent blog entry should be soon following. Next Monday I fully intend to spend an entire day research deeds and building permits on Ms. Gott's house and on 1021 Main Street. Hopefully, having all an entire day and making some detailed notes of what I need to research will allow me to get some answers on Ms. Gott's house. Until then, however, I will be living with excitement and anticipation of what comes next.
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