As I entered Beaufort, NC I was stopped by a drawbridge--a sure sign that there are fishing boats and good seafood around. Before I leave here I am determined to satisfy my craving for raw oysters.
Vintage vehicles seem to be the norm for carrying crab traps and fishing nets.
In Louisiana these would be called fishing camps--places to spend time away from city noise plus they are great catch-alls for driftwood, shells and all manner of flotsam and jetsam.
Birdhouses
Being the 'true southern woman' that I am--I could not drive past something called "Old Burying Ground' without stopping for a look.
The cemetery is tucked away right in the downtown area of Beaufort....
...and every headstone tells a story.
I love the $ mark on Emma Davis' grave. Does anyone know what that signifies? Did Mr. Davis marry her for her money?
N.P. Willis caught my attention--he was killed early in the Civil War (Oops--The War of Northern Aggression) plus he shared my birthday with 100 years in between.
Old soldiers never die--they just stand at attention for all eternity.
I wondered where all the graves were for the Indians that died during those early years of exploration and colonization.
Only two years old. See what I mean...graveyards carry so many stories.
As I headed out of Beaufort I caught a glimpse of this restaurant and had to do a u-turn to make sure I had read the name correctly.
Yep! "Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant"--there just had to be a story here. This restaurant was started as a very small diner back in the '30's by two fishermen friends and the lease read that they could not sell alcohol (You know this is the bible-belt) plus they had to keep the premises 'Sanitary'. The name was their way of poking fun at the landlord. Well, 80 years later their families are still running the very busy restaurant and now it seats 600 people!
And I can tell you why. Those oysters were perfect. (At least one of my sister's is salivating right now) And those funny looking cheeto-like things in the bowl are actually the best tasting hush-puppies I have ever eaten. And the place is still pretty sanitary.
The symbol on Emma Davis' headstone may represent "IHS" which are the first three letters of Jesus' name in the Greek alphabet. Wendy
ReplyDeleteWendy.. I was going to say the same thing. The "S" sits on top of the "I" and the "h". Usually there is a small curved horizontal line connecting the center and right bars. This one seem to not have that, or uses the top bar of the "S" to do that function.
ReplyDeleteOver time, the meaning of the "IHS" acronym has taken on additional meanings.
Latin: "Iesus Hominum Salvator" (Jesus, saviour of mankind)
or "In Hoc Signo [Vince]" (In this sign, conquer).
English: In His Service
It seems this monogram was the fashionable thing for headstones in the 1700's.
Here is an article about the monogram from a website dedicated to interpreting headstones.
http://www.historyfromheadstones.com/index.php?id=1000
Toni,
ReplyDeleteThanks for these entertaining and informative pieces about a place I've never seen. Maybe one day...
Lynda
It's wonderful how they keep that cemetery looking so spiffy. Around here we have some very old cemeteries with headstones defaced and knocked over... very sad :(
ReplyDeleteThe oysters look really good! I've never had raw oysters but I'll try them once I get out to a place close enough to the source to make them good. Southwestern Ohio just doesn't qualify :p
I was going to say the same thing as Wendy did about the symbol on the headstone. Aren't blogs and blog readers full of helpful information. Glad you enjoyed your day and your dinner of oysters. Thank you for also stopping by our blog and taking the time to comment, we appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to vote for us, aussieexperiences.com/contest/entry/red-centre-kevin-read/
Kevin and Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com