HISTORY, BALLPARKS AND SKYLINE CHILI

Oak Grove Cemetery

I woke up to rain this morning which forced me to delay leaving the motel. But by 10 a.m the skies to the west were showing signs of clearing and I ventured out to my first stop of the day, historic Spring Grove Cemetery.  Spring Grove is one of oldest (founded in 1845) and largest (733 acres) in  Cincinnati.  It is also one of the most beautiful and most ornate cemeteries that I have visited.  Only  Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis comes close.  I was most impressed with the architecture and the thousands of stately monuments that are present throughout the cemetery. Unlike many cemeteries of today where all a person gets is a flat marker with a name and the dates of birth and death, the monuments here tell the story of a person.  Just reading some of the monuments in Spring Grove you leave with a feeling that the person truly deserves to be remembered and has a place in history no matter there stature in life.  Rich or Poor, Farmer, Banker or common man, reading these historic stone you get the know the people who made this country great.

Jesse & Hannah Grant

There are a number of notable people resting here including Jesse and Hannah Grant, the parent of General and President Ulysses S. Grant.  Also buried here are a number of Ohio Governors including Salmon P. Chase who was also the 6th Chief Justice of the United State Supreme Court, serving from 1864 - 1873.  A little know fact (and good trivia question) is "who's face appears on the $10,000 bill."  Of course it is Salmon P. Chase who served as President Lincoln's Treasury Secretary.

Salmon P. Chase

Miller Huggins

It was still sprinkling rain when I arrived at the grave of Miller Huggins. Old Time Yankee fans will remember him as the Yankee Manager from 1918-1929 including the famed "Murderers' Row" which won six American League pennants and three World Championships.

Johnny Appleseed

Standing in one of the Northern most sections of Spring Grove is a monument dedicated to John Chapman.  Chapman was a pioneer who introduced and planted apple trees throughout large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.  He became a legend during his life due to his kind and generous way and the fact that he was also a man of God serving as a missionary in addition planting his apple trees.  Still curious about who John Chapman is, well most of us know him simply as Johnny Appleseed. And as Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the Story."

After spending almost two hours in Spring Grove it was time to move on but I could not leave without making one final stop to pay my respect to Coach Skip Prosser.  Coach and I came to Wake Forest at about the same time and from my seat (most often) behind the Wake Forest bench, we shared some monumental victories.  I will never forget one night when we were playing Duke, who had Duhon and Redick, and as Coach was walking through the tunnel he unexpectedly turn  to me and simply said, "We need you tonight, Sneak." We beat Duke that night, stormed the court, and rolled the quad.

Coach "Skip" Prosser

One of my favorite Coach Prosser stories goes back to when we were playing Virginia at Old University Hall.  My traveling companion at that time was Byron Dickerson and we had decided to travel to Charlottesville and just so happened bought general admission tickets in the UVA Student Section.  Just before the opening tip, Byron and I took off our Jackets to reveal the Black and Gold of the Tie Dye Nation.  Needless to say we stood out like sore thumbs and got plenty of attention. To the UVA Students Credit they took it all in stride and treated us very well. The fact that UVA won a close game might have helped. When Coach Prosser and a some of the player came out of the dressing room all they could do was look up at us and shake their heads.  I was later told by one of the student managers that Coach Prosser thought it was hilarious and during one of the film sessions later in the week told the team that "Those two are getting more TV time than 'Big E' (Eric Williams.)

Coach you left us too soon, and you are missed, but you will always be remembered.

Several months ago a fellow contacted me on my Flickr Site and requested permission to use several of my photos in a book he is writing about Jerry Garcia the "Grateful Dead."  We have talked a few time through e-mail and as a result he has ask if I could take a few photos various venues that he doesn't have during this trip.  So after leaving Oak Grove Cemetery I made my way down to the old Cincinnati Gardens for a few quick photos.

No visit to Cincinnati would be complete without sampling the famous Skyline Chili.  I decided to go all the way and say "To Hell with the Diet," and treated myself to a famous "3-Way," a heaping plate of spaghetti, covered with the famous Skyline Chili and topped with a mound of shredded cheddar cheese. Like a I have said before, few highly touted things live up to their hype, but I have to say my lunch as Damn Good.

After a quick lunch, I decided to make my way down to the river front for a visit to the Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium.  Think that is wouldn't be crowded on the weekend I wouldn't have any problems.

WRONG!!!!!!!!!

Little did I know that the circus was in town. And not just any circus, but "The Greatest Show on Earth," the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus.  The downtown Riverfront area was flood with parents and Kids and parking was anywhere from $10 to $25.  But the parking gods smiled on me and I was able to find a metered spot just a couple of block north of Paul Brown Stadium.

Paul Brown Stadium

 I managed to spend a couple of hours walking around the riverfront visiting the statues of Red's greats at Great American Ballpark and treading my way through a sea of cotton candy eating kids.

Great American Ballpark

The early morning rain had put me behind so after finishing my downtown adventure, I decided to get out of town and head west for one final stop in the Cincinnati area.

Tomb Of William Henry Harrison

It took me close to an hour to drive the 20-miles from downtown to the small community of North Bend, Ohio.  Located on the banks of the Ohio River and in the shadow of another nuclear power plant, North Bend is the final resting place of William Henry Harrison who was the 9th President of the United States and the grandfather of the 29th President, Benjamin Harrison.

William Henry Harrison died on April 4, 1841 after serving only one month in office. He took the oath of office on March 4, 1841 which was a cold rainy day Washington.  During the inaugural activities he road through the streets on horseback wearing neither overcoat or hat.  He also gave the longest inaugural address in history, lasting almost two hours.  On March 26, 1841, President Harrison fell ill with a cold that turned into pneumonia and pleurisy.  Doctors treated him with Castor Oil and leeches but the Presidents condition worsened and he died a few days later, thrusting  Vice President John Tyler into the presidency.

The Presidents Body was originally laid to rest in Congressional Cemetery in Washington but was moved a few months later to this tomb in North Bend.  Resting inside the tomb, in addition to President Harrison are his wife Anna and his son John Scott Harrison.

It was late afternoon when I finished my visit to the Harrison Tomb and it was time to make tracks west toward Indianapolis.  On the way west I made a quick detour to the small Community of Milan, Indiana.  Milan is the small town that inspired the movie "Hoosiers." As I entered the town I saw a sign that proclaim them the Indiana State Basketball Champions of 1954.  Indiana did not have different classifications and back them it was a monumental feat for tiny Milan to defeat might South Bend Central.

"HOOSIERS"

As I drove through the streets of this tiny hamlet, I got the distinct impression that not much has changed in the 60-years since they won the title. The people that I talked too during my quick visit still hold dear that small town pride and those small town values that made America Great.

After my quick visit to Milan, it was really time to beat feet to Indianapolis. It was getting late and I was still over an hour from my lodgings for the night.

For a Saturday Night, Traffic on Interstate 465 was a little heavier than I thought it would be and it took me about and hour and a half to make the 85-mile to Indianapolis. But I made it and tomorrow I will venture downtown and visit Indiana's Capitol City.