These were some lovely “junque store” finds — some little wooden buildings, clearly hand made, possibly for wargaming, “dust collector” display shelves, or folk art? The first set was meant to be mine. I saw them at the serendipitously-named CIRCA in Charlottesville, VA, while visiting my son, in law school. I initially talked myself out of them, but decided later that day I had to have them. They were still there the next day, which basically never happens with stuff I want, so they were purchased.
Daybreak; a rustic village on the river.
The villagers congregate.
A quick nip, al fresco.
Competing debate societies.
Barkeep.
Simple, desultory philippics.
Another day at the mill.
The next set were on clearance at a different junque shop, this time in North Carolina. The wood on these was more cleanly cut, and the windows and doors were “stamped” on with ink. They were perhaps a child’s toy? At any rate, the same sort of debating societies are prevalent.
Posing for a Daguerreotype.
These buildings may inspire me to begin collecting 15mm American Civil War miniatures.
The general area in which I live is replete with historical import. Beginning on the coast, you have Manteo and the site of the “Lost Roanoke Colony.” Down a bit, one finds Ocracoke Inlet, site of Blackbeard‘s dispatch, and Beaufort Inlet, resting place of his Queen Anne’s Revenge. Closer to my home in the piedmont, we have Bennett Place, where Johnson surrendered to Sherman in 1865, and amble further west to the site of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
Opened in 1859, the Academy was yet another casualty of American Civil War, and by 1870 it was closed and the widow of the founding superintendent (Colonel Charles Courtney Tew, first graduate of the Citadel, killed at Antietam) haunted the upper floor, alone.
The barracks in 1938, demolition imminent.
What remains today? That dirt road in the picture above is now paved and called “Barracks Road;” I run down it 2-3 times a week. The little wooden structure on there right was the “social hall” (according to this website). It still stands, and according to the sign is the All Saints Anglican Church, though I’ve observed nary a soul within.
The most impressive bit is the Commandant’s House across the street, now a private residence. Below is what it looked like yesterday. You can almost make out the cool crenelations. For most of the 20 years I’ve lived in the area, the holly bushes in front were grown up almost to the height of the building and one had to peek through the brambles to catch a glimpse.
Here’s a historical photo giving a better view of the architecture.
This drawing shows the relationship between the two structures.
I shall endeavor to track down more such tidbits that I stumble over in my backyard…
I am not a frequent traveller. On my occasional rambles, I do encounter inspiration for gaming. Last fall, my wife and I visited the somewhat-nearby college town of Athens, GA. Mostly a pilgrimage for artifacts of my favorite band from adolescence, R.E.M., we unexpectedly encountered a bit of military history from the era of VSF.
Keeping watch over a town square, this beauty was an authentic failure of the military imagination. The accompanying documentation tells the whole story. There’s a Wikipedia page, too, which fleshes things out a bit.
A replica in miniature would be a straightforward scratch building affair, intended for either the VSF or Warhammer milieux. When fired, I imagine it would have a certain chance of inflicting double damage or flying wild and potentially hitting friendly troops…