April 12, 2022
Old school riding
A glimpse into the past
WE HAD STOPPED at an historic building, an example of rural Florida construction in the middle of the 19th century, when an older gentleman drove up and rolled down the window of his pickup truck. "Would you like to see inside? I can open up in a second." He lives next door and had spotted us as we circled the outside, and came over to offer us a tour.
With no further ado he had the padlock off the door, admitting us to what was once a one room school that served the sparse, widely distributed population of the area from the 1869 until 1924.
It's somewhat gone to seed but still contains artifacts and relics of a century ago. He showed us,and demonstrated, the classic hoop rolling toy of the sort one sees in period illustrations.
As he went around the room he would stop and explain what we were seeing: blackboards revealed when interior paneling was removed, old class photos, a jump rope made of vines, a combination broom and mop made from corncobs and their husks, and sundry other memorabilia.
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It seemed as though he had personal connections with most of the objects: many were made by his kinfolk.
They all seemed to have the surname Hurley, so as we shook hands before parting I thanked "Mr. Hurley". "My name's Davis. But you were close." came the correction.
Other images from today:
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Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 193 miles (311 km)
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