How much do you know about the place you call home?
I don't mean your house, but the area you think of as home- that town?
Throughout my life I have never lived anywhere longer than 5 years. As a result of this nomadic lifestyle my concept of home is two things; where I am living right now and Washington, IL. I have family that still lives near there in Peoria. So, when they ask how will it play in Peoria I can make a phone call to find out.
Anyway, I was avoiding some writing by pretending to do some research when I decided to wikipedia Washington. It's still a mostly white town out in the middle of the Illinois cornbelt. I've seen it described as a suburb of Peoria. But, in my opinion it's too far away to really be a suburb or Peoria isn't big enough to have one that far away. In either case Washington is a charming small town out in the middle of corn fields. It's the sort of place people don't lock their doors. Well, my parents didn't lock their doors when we lived there. It's a great place to be from.
I learned some nice things about the town- like my 1st grade teacher was likely descended from the towns founder. A guy used to raise world famous Shetland ponies there.
It is also the site of a World War II prisoner of war camp where German men were forced to labor in the local fields and factories. The foundation of one of the guard towers is still visible at the intersection of Wood and Jefferson. I know where that's at. As a child during the summer Mike and I biked past there on our way to the pool. I think we even played on and around it. The actual prison was less than a mile away from Mike's house.
And, that kind freaks me the hell out.
I'm pretty anti-war and the place I think of as home was part and parcel of a war. Not in the way that husbands, brothers, and sons left and never came back- there were many like that and I value their sacrifice. No. This was a prison.
A place that I have an idealized view of, a place that I think of as good and safe was also a place where men were forced to work against their will, and if they tried to escape they would have been shot.
So, how well do you know the place you call home?
I don't mean your house, but the area you think of as home- that town?
Throughout my life I have never lived anywhere longer than 5 years. As a result of this nomadic lifestyle my concept of home is two things; where I am living right now and Washington, IL. I have family that still lives near there in Peoria. So, when they ask how will it play in Peoria I can make a phone call to find out.
Anyway, I was avoiding some writing by pretending to do some research when I decided to wikipedia Washington. It's still a mostly white town out in the middle of the Illinois cornbelt. I've seen it described as a suburb of Peoria. But, in my opinion it's too far away to really be a suburb or Peoria isn't big enough to have one that far away. In either case Washington is a charming small town out in the middle of corn fields. It's the sort of place people don't lock their doors. Well, my parents didn't lock their doors when we lived there. It's a great place to be from.
I learned some nice things about the town- like my 1st grade teacher was likely descended from the towns founder. A guy used to raise world famous Shetland ponies there.
It is also the site of a World War II prisoner of war camp where German men were forced to labor in the local fields and factories. The foundation of one of the guard towers is still visible at the intersection of Wood and Jefferson. I know where that's at. As a child during the summer Mike and I biked past there on our way to the pool. I think we even played on and around it. The actual prison was less than a mile away from Mike's house.
And, that kind freaks me the hell out.
I'm pretty anti-war and the place I think of as home was part and parcel of a war. Not in the way that husbands, brothers, and sons left and never came back- there were many like that and I value their sacrifice. No. This was a prison.
A place that I have an idealized view of, a place that I think of as good and safe was also a place where men were forced to work against their will, and if they tried to escape they would have been shot.
So, how well do you know the place you call home?
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