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Loving - The Movie. A beautiful portrayal of a forgotten civil rights story

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Ruth Negga (2 nd from right) stars as Mildred and Joel Edgerton (right) stars as Richard in Jeff Nichols LOVING, a Focus Features release. Credit : Ben Rothstein / Focus Features   Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving grew up in the rural unincorporated town of Central Point, Virginia. They met in high school, spent time together, and eventually, when Mildred became pregnant, decided to marry. But this was the 1950’s and Mildred was African American and Richard was white. Virginia had anti-miscegenation laws which made their marriage illegal. How did these two young people get beyond Jim Crow and fall in love? Well that had a lot to with Central Point VA. Central Point was and is still a very rural area. At a distance of about 90 miles south east from Washington DC it was community with a history of poor farmers, black and white, ignoring the rules of segregation, living together. According to a 2012 article in the Washington Post , Central Point and Caroline Count...
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Leaf-Peeping in Central Massachusetts

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  The middle of October is high leaf-peeping season in New England. And the Connecticut River Valley is a wonderful place to peep those colorful leaves. A recent trip to the area gave me the chance to visit two historic towns and see some great scenery. Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts Salmon Falls   The town of Shelburne Falls was founded in 1756 where the Deerfield River goes over the Salmon Falls. The falls were a traditional fishing spot for native peoples and are well known for their glacial potholes. These rock formations were created by water flowing out from under glaciers, carrying along small stones. As the stones became caught in whirlpools under the falls, they carved out dozens of holes in the rocks. The falls provided a source of power for a factory owned by Silas Lamson, whose mill produced blades for knives and scythes. The company still exists today, and maintains a factory store in town.  In 1910, a dam was built across the falls as part of the Deerfield D...
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Location: Shelburne Falls, MA 01370, USA
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The National Womens Hall of Fame. Seneca Falls NY

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The town of Seneca Falls, NY has a long history in the movement for women’s rights. In 1848 the town was the site of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in the United States. So, when organizers were looking to found the National Women’s Hall of Fame , Seneca Falls was the natural place for its home. The National Women’s Hall of Fame (NWHOF) was incorporated in 1969, and inducted its first class in 1973. The NWHOF was first hosted on the campus of Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls. In 1976 it moved into its second home, a refurbished bank building on Fall St., the town’s main drag.  In 2007, the Hall acquired the former home of the Seneca Falls Knitting Factory, the town’s last tie to its industrial history. It then took on a thirteen year renovation project, and in 2020 the third home of the NWHOF opened. Its new home offers two large floors of exhibition space. On the ground floor is the their permanent exhibit, showcasing the history of the women’s ...
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Location: 1 Canal St, Seneca Falls, NY 13148, USA
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