This shot of the courthouse was among those images.
A couple of weeks ago I got a message from another Flickr member saying he had formed a group to showcase images of historic sites in Hampshire County. And he wondered if I would share some of my pictures. I agreed.
Tonight, I checked my Flickr account and saw I’d gotten the following message from this new guy in my computer. His name is Justin.
For the record, I hadn’t even noticed that there were flowers on the bench.
Here’s what Justin wrote…
“I wasn’t sure if you were aware of the story behind the flowers placed on the benches in front of the courthouse, so I thought I would share it with you. A man by the name of Marshall Taylor resided in the courthouse basement in exchange for his services in support of the building’s maintenance. Nobody was quite sure how old Marshall was, but according to the 1930 census, he was born around 1916. Marshall was a local celebrity and was seen daily sitting on these benches. Local lore has always had it that Marshall would switch benches at noon, but I’m not sure if that was always true. He passed away shortly before this photograph was taken and for many weeks, residents paid their respects by placing flowers and cards on the benches where he once sat and socialized.”
Interesting, eh?
Aw, that’s sweet. And pretty cool that you happened to take the picture during the time that flowers were being placed on the bench.