Funk Heritage Center

It was another beautiful day in North Georgia. I swear, I was just going out for breakfast and to stop for some vinegar (my favorite new "green cleaner") but couldn't resist the turn up another country road. There's something about being out in the convertible that just makes me want to keep going.

I ended up in Waleska, GA, home of Reinhardt College and Funk Heritage Center. This old house caught my eye so I pulled over to take a photo. My fixed length lens and vantage point prevented me from capturing the true essence of the old home. It looked like it had been built onto year after year and maybe was made up of tiny apartments for college students.



Right across the street from this house I noticed a sign for Funk Heritage Center. I've been told of interesting artifacts housed at this museum so decided it was a good time to check it out. Once inside, I had a nice chat with the women working there and then sat and watched a short digital film on The Southeastern Indians.

I had been to many of the nearby places mentioned in the film. Ball Ground, GA the site of the Cherokee Indians' ball field - a flat area where they would gather in large groups and play stick ball which is sort of like the modern day lacrosse.

Also mentioned were the Etowah Indian Mounds. What was once a large village with burial grounds and a plaza to people of this land is now a state park.

The museum does have a great abundance of Southeastern Native American Indian artifacts, a kajillion arrowheads, pottery shards, and the like all lining the halls going into a room that housed this huge petroglyph they called "The Rock". It was found in Canton at the current location of the Canton Super Walmart. Isn't that enough to make your stomach turn? I'm so glad the owners of the property donated what was left of it after blowing the rest up looking for buried gold.



As I was back in the lobby looking at other displays, the director of the museum introduced himself and asked if that was my car out in the parking lot. I told him it was and then proceeded to tell him how much fun it is to drive. We had a nice chat and he told me that I should go down and look around their "settlers village". He explained that they usually just take large groups of people down there but I was more than welcome to walk down and take a look around by myself.

Sun was shining, I had my camera around my neck so I took him up on the offer. I'm glad he explained how to get down there because it was a series of wooded unmarked trails and small foot bridges to the village.



Apparently, I did not take the most direct route because when I got to the clearing, there was a big field ahead of me. I walked the field and made my way to a small pond. Realizing I wasn't going to wade through the muddy water, I scouted my way around the pond, through another field until I saw an old log cabin in the distance. Ah! The settlers' village.











I'll save my favorite part of the museum for another post. There are many "Tiny Pharm Wife" chores to attend to since I've been out galavanting for the past few days.