A Place of Honor

-painting by Stan P.

We receive many wonderful praises from our guests, mostly in the form of a nice note or a review on Trip Advisor.  However, this past week, we couldn't believe the very special gift bestowed upon us by Stan P. from Virginia.  He and his lovely wife previously stayed with us for a weekend in October and to our pleasure and surprise, made plans to return with his sons,daughters and their spouses, for a holiday celebration weekend in December. 

Imagine our surprise when Stan presented us on his arrival with this fantastic painting of the Historic Fairfield Inn, complete with all the details that make her so special.  We are truly honored by this very special portrait which must have taken hours of work. 

We are eagerly discussing places of honor where we can proudly display this.  We hope when you come to visit, you will enjoy admiring this beautiful piece as much as we do.  Again, thank you Stan for sharing your talent with us.  We appreciate it more than words can ever say.

Epiphany

Friday, January 06, 2012
Time: 7:00pm
Culinary Event

Join us on the 'twelfth night of Christmas' as we bless the Inn by marking the eves in the dining room and tavern with the Chalk Blessing inscription 20+C+M+B+12 - the 20 and 12 signifies the new year, the four crosses stand for the four seasons, the letters C, M & B stand for the three wise men, Caspar, Melchior & Balthazar. There will be a special toast and everyone will receive chalk & the blessing. Reservations required.

The History of Epiphany

January 6 is known in the Christian calendar as Epiphany. It is sometimes called the “Twelfth Night” being the 12th Day of Christmas. It signifies the event of the Magi, or Wise Men visiting the baby Jesus. So, the 12 days of Christmas don’t end at Christmas, Advent does. Instead, the 12 days start with Christmas, and end with Epiphany, and these 12 days are also sometimes called Christmastide. Epiphany is a Greek word that means manifestation, appearance, or showing forth. Historically, Epiphany began in the eastern Church as the celebration of the nativity of Jesus Christ. As the celebration of Christmas spread eastward, Epiphany changed to its present meaning.  January 5th is Paramony, the Eve of the Feast of Epiphany.
.

Thinking of Those Before Us

In a letter to his sister Anna Simpson, Tally Simpson wrote:

"December 25th, 1862

My dear sister,

This is Christmas Day. The sun shines feeble through a thin cloud, the air is mild and pleasant, a gentle breeze is making music through the leaves of the lofty pines that stand near our bivouac. All is quiet and still and that very stillness recalls some sad and painful thoughts. The day, one year ago, how many thousand families, gay and joyous, celebrating Merry Christmas, drinking health to absent members of their family and sending upon the wings of love and affection long, deep, and sincere wishes for their safe return to the loving ones at home, but today are clad in the deepest mourning in memory to some lost and loved member of their circle..."

"When will this war end? Will another Christmas roll around and find us all wintering in camp? Oh! That peace may soon be restored to our young but dearly beloved country and that we may all meet again in happiness."

When everyone takes time to celebrate this joyous season, let us remember all of those before us who sacrificed so much for the good of our country.

Great Place, Great Food=Great Times!

The Historic Fairfield Inn was pleased to host a recent afternoon get-together for Mr. and Mrs. Martin and their lovely friends from Hagerstown,MD. The meal was replete with our famous Ham and Bean Soup, Chicken and Biscuits and plenty of warm slices of our fresh baked Fruits of the Forest Pie (a la mode), of course!
We are just a short drive away from MD,DC and VA, not to mention you West Virginians! Why not make us the place to meet for lunch or dinner? See you on the Confederate Retreat!

How the Winter Solstice Relates to the Civil War

For an observer in the northern hemisphere, the December solstice marks the day of the year with the least hours of daylight for those living north of the Tropic of Cancer. It's the longest night of the year. From this point forward, we can start looking forward to longer days, more sunlight and Spring is only three short months away! This year, December 21, 2011 is when most of us in the United States will observe the transformation.

An interesting fact you may or may not know is that the the primary elements of the American Civil War Memorial in Waterloo, New York are aligned in an axis along the meridian like a sundial and not only mark the different times of the day,but specific times of the year, like that of the Winter Solstice. Pietro del Fabro, the designer, poured incredible detail into this creation. The Star Stone lies at the north end of the axis, at the south end is the flag pole. In between, along the same axis, are the portal and the North South Cenotaph. When the shadow cast by a vertical object, such as the Memorial flag pole, is precisely over the meridian, it is local apparent noon. The red flagpole bears the 36-star flag of 1865. Nearby is a North-South cenotaph — a pillar of 36 stones, one from each state in the nation at the war’s close. Behind them is a limestone portal leading to a grove of cedars. The trees circle a white marble stone dotted with star-shaped indentations overlaid with 23-karat gold leaf. Townspeople and visitors have been adding individual notches since 2007, each one representing 1,000 of the war’s 620,000 fallen combatants.
Spaced out in rows to the left and right are 57 individually carved limestone shafts with brass plaques. They pay tribute to the unluckiest of Waterloo’s 350-plus soldiers — men aged 18 to 47 who died in battle or, more commonly, from disease. Another stone pillar memorializes women caught up in the conflict, from mothers and medics to disguised soldiers and spies.
On one wall of the central enclosure is an inscription from President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address: “All dreaded it, all sought to avert it ... and the war came.”
“He was very clear about forgiving the southern side as the war was coming to a finish (so as) to bring the country back together,” said del Fabro. “And unfortunately, when he was shot, it went the other way.”
The Winter Solstice noon mark (unmarked) falls in the middle of the south face of the Star Stone of this memorial.
As we observe this time of year, let's take a moment to think about those who gave so much for our country and new beginnings. Happy Winter Solstice Day!