• A
Pilgrimage to remember •
More than 1,000 visit city
By SUE
WATSON
Staff Writer
This
year’s attendance at the Holly Springs Pilgrimage
was up by several hundred, according to Susie Murphy,
chairperson of the garden club planning committee. An
estimated 1,200 visitors toured the historic homes, up
from between 900 to 1,000 last year. Final attendance
figures were not available this week.
Irene
Strickland was this year’s co-chairperson and
Suzanne Lafever is president of the Holly Springs Garden
Club.
There was
excitement stirring as early as Wednesday and Thursday
with a preview of Walter Place Estates, Cottages and
Gardens drawing about 150 ticketed visitors, according to
Jorja Lynn.
Peak day for
visitors was Friday, Murphy said.
This
year’s attractions included a Crump family reunion
at Crump Place, open this year after extensive
restoration and remodeling; four new homes open for tours
- Crump Place, Hilltop, Polk Place and Featherston; a new
botanical garden open at Walter Place Estates Cottages
and Gardens; and The Terrace, open this year after
remodeling.
Also new
this year was the dedication of the Van Dorn Raid walking
tour accompanied by the attendance and participation of
Civil War re-enactors who brought about 100 guests to
downtown.
The cemetery
tour played two nights instead of the usual one. Further
details of the weekend’s activities follow.
Crump
reunion
The Crump family reunion brought about 70 guests
to Crump Place, freshly restored by new owner David
Person. People of all ages from as far away as California
and Virginia joined Crump relatives from Memphis and
local relatives and their friends, Person said.
A portrait
of the late Memphis Mayor E.H. Crump, who lived in Holly
Springs until he was age 19 before moving to Memphis to
make his fame and fortune, was loaned and is on display
at Crump Place. Mayor Crump died in 1954.
Local
relatives attending the reunion were Dottie Rather,
mother of Marie Rather McClatchy, Carey Rather Crain, and
Ed Rather. The Rathers are relatives of one of the Crumps
and were frequent visitors at the house.
Person said
the idea to hold a Crump family reunion in Holly Springs
developed about a year ago when Demetria McLaughlin
visited last year.
“She
had not been in the house since she was a young girl and
then we thought about trying to get all the relatives to
come,” Person said. “I met more of the family
at the dedication of the Crump papers at the new Memphis
Library last fall.
“The
Crumps greatly appreciated this time to be back in Holly
Springs where their roots are very deep.”
Among the
guests at the reunion were three representatives working
at the Memphis library in the Crump Collection stored in
the history and genealogy section.
“They
expressed an interest in having a stronger connection
with Holly Springs,” Person said. “E.H.
Crump’s mother, Millie N. Crump, owned the house and
moved here just after the Civil War. She raised her
children after her husband died of yellow fever.”
Civil
War re-enactments
An estimated 100 attended the dedication of the Van Dorn
walking trail historic markers Saturday, according to
Jimmy Thomas, director of the Tourism Bureau.
He estimated
that a group of 80 re-enactors, their wives or friends
added to the festivities downtown, at Walter Place
Estates and at Galena Plantation.
“The
48th Tennessee Infantry camped at Walter Place with their
wives and made a civilian and a military camp of about 30
people,” Thomas said. “Women demonstrated
cooking over an open fire, the use of a spinning wheel
and knitting.”
The 15th
Mississippi Infantry camped at Montrose with additional
re-enactors joining the group for the day Saturday.
“A
group out of Memphis called Morton’s Battery brought
an artillery piece and set it up on the square,”
Thomas said.
The gun was
taken to Galena where it was fired and guests had supper
together.
Gen. Parker
Hills (Ret.) spoke at the dedication of Van Dorn Trail
markers on the effects of Van Dorn’s Raid on the
Vicksburg Campaign.
Len Reiedel
presented Thomas and Mayor Andre’ DeBerry a print of
one of the marker signs suitable for framing.
“There
was a lot of interest in the Van Dorn Trail and I saw
lots of visitors standing and reading at the marker at
the Hugh Craft House,” Thomas said.
A 12-page
booklet including maps depicting the walking trail will
be for sale in May at the Tourism Bureau Office.
Walter
Place Estate
“My husband’s biggest complaint was
that people didn’t take time to sit by the waterfall
- people were just pushing,” said Jorja Lynn.
“They
also learned that houses that are remodeled or restored
need handrails for seniors,” Thomas said.
Lynn praised
the involvement of the community in getting the town
ready and the volunteer hostesses.
“I
thought the town and the weather was beautiful,” she
said. “People really cleaned up for the Pilgrimage.
“What
inspired me was the pilgrims’ enthusiasm for the
events. Everybody was most appreciative of seeing the
houses and enjoyed it.
“The
Civil War re-enactors were very enthusiastic and very
authentic. It reminded me of Mrs. Grant’s words in a
book of looking out and seeing “a sea of Union Army
tents.”
Some Union
re-enactors came with the 48th Tennessee Infantry, she
said.
“I
thought the re-enactors in town added a huge amount for
the Pilgrimage itself,” Lynn said.
Hostesses
were invited from Memphis, Oxford, Collierville, Baldwin
and Ripley to help at the three historic homes and with
the garden at Walter Place Estates, she said.
FAM Tours
from Tunica provided light hors d’oeuvres for
Thursday afternoon’s wine and cheese tasting at
Walter Place Estates.
Lynn
estimated that 1,500 visitors turned out to tour Walter
Place Estates for the five days of events.
“I’m
guessing. That number is wildly speculative,” she
said.
Cemetery
tour
The cemetery tour featuring actors telling
stories of the dearly departed was a hit again this year
with 120 attending that tour Friday and Saturday
afternoon, according to Murphy.
She praised
volunteer actors who performed at the cemetery, the many
hostesses who worked at the open houses, and the Tourism
Bureau for advertising.
We could
have used more hostesses this year, she said.
“It is
very important for the community to get involved,”
Murphy said. “Tourism is a big thing for Holly
Springs and we need everybody involved. We were pleased
with the success this year.
“A big
thing this year - all the re-enactors - was a great plus
for the Pilgrimage and something Holly Springs can build
on. The Civil War people will go anywhere and set
up.”
Proceeds
from the Pilgrimage go to the Holly Springs Garden Club
for the upkeep of Montrose.
Event
calendar
The year’s remaining big events include the
Lessye Lee Davis May Day Parade and other related
activites on May 7, the White Oak Walking Horse Classic
May 21 at Thomas Arena in Holly Springs, the Holly
Springs’ Kudzu Festival in June, the Ida B.
Wells-Barnett Celebration set for the first week of July,
the Byhalia Clydesdale Festival in June, the Hummingbird
Festival at Strawberry Plains in September and the
Christmas House Tour held the first weekend in December.
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