By Dr. Bruce Smith ——Bio and Archives--October 28, 2024
We recently made a favorite journey to the family property long known as Possum Trot, not far from the Mississippi River in Illinois. It has been in the family for a very long time. Fortunately for our family, the property, and its history, it has been the focus of my brother-in-law Joe and his family for more than 50 years. When he took over the work of maintaining the property there wasn’t much to maintain.
It had been a very small working farm of sorts from its early years, but it’s difficult to keep body and soul together on a sloping property with little arable ground.
Various ancestors lived there, but weather and wear eventually took its toll. Only traces had been left of the very old days, but Joe set to work. Over the years, while visiting just a few times per annum, he rebuilt the log cabin, added to it, reused other structures, then rebuilt them, updated it mechanically and structurally, conserved the natural beauty that surrounded it, formed alliances with the neighbors, and dug into the family history in a nearby small town smack in the middle of the Heartland.
In the past ten years he has added solar power, running water, indoor plumbing (everyone remembers the old way and thanks him for that!), a building we call the bunkhouse, and a host of improvements that have made the place less grueling but more relaxing. He has been a dynamo of energy and labor at Possum Trot, and we are amazed at his most recent accomplishments each time we visit. He shares it freely with all family and friends. He is a blessing to us all.
We honor the practical thinking behind the Rumford fireplace. It’s a wonder of old-time technology. Tall and shallow, it’s truly a fireplace for heating the space around it, not just for looks. The sides angle toward the back, and the back angles toward the room at the top. With plenty of thermal mass to surround it, a fire built in it with dry oak quickly brings warmth to the room and cheer to those sitting near its hearth. It’s one of the pleasures I most enjoy when visiting there. For this trip we spent much of one day splitting red oak blocks into firewood that will keep those in residence warm for many a winter day. Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count von Rumford (1753-1814) was a British loyalist subject born in America. After the Revolution he went back to England but he had a keen interest in practical matters. He developed his signature fireplaces to produce more heat and less smoke. Thomas Jefferson was familiar with Rumford’s essays and eventually had eight Rumford fireplaces built at Monticello. The example of his genius at Possum Trot warms us in the best way every time we are there.
We honor the primal gathering of family members to enjoy hot drinks on a new morning with the tradition of kaffeeklatsch, which is strong in this family. For everyone visiting Possum Trot it’s a ritual along the stone walkway in front of the old cabin. We enjoy it year round, whether on muggy mornings in July or in frigid huddles with plenty of throws at winter dawns. Even before the hot cups of coffee and tea come out we enjoy the fun of bundling up and leaving an opening for eyes and one hand for the steaming mug. Out in the meadow there are birds and wildlife to charm us as the sun comes up. We can see our breath in the chilly air.
We honor the ritual of sharing food with farm breakfasts and hearty evening meals. Around the table on the stone floor with fireplace blazing, favorites and specialties are always in order. There is much thought and preparation put into preparing them. This year a special treat was persimmon pudding, a pioneer favorite with a long tradition in this part of the Heartland where persimmon trees thrive. In this way we honor ties to the family ancestry on starry nights and crisp mornings, with love all around.
We honor the beauty of nature that surrounds us there. There are barred owls, great horned owls, and screech owls. There are deer and coyotes and bobcats. We heard the wood ducks on the pond and the snow geese high above. There was a comet visible just at sunset. Orion and Ursa Minor and the Pole Star were all there to comfort us on our journey of more than 500 million miles around the sun each year. We saw chipmunks and squirrels and little amphibians about, and remarkably large shiny beetles in the woodpile. There was a tiny ring-necked snake and plenty of crickets in a chorus at night. There were possums, of course. We enjoyed cool sunny days and crisp, clear nights with deep sleep.
This year, especially this year, we thank God for allowing us to be here at Possum Trot, to see it yet again in this golden sunny October, in the year of our Lord 2024.
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Dr. Bruce Smith (Inkwell, Hearth and Plow) is a retired professor of history and a lifelong observer of politics and world events. He holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. In addition to writing, he works as a caretaker and handyman. His non-fiction book The War Comes to Plum Street, about daily life in the 1930s and during World War II, may be ordered from Indiana University Press.