"On Waltons Mountain the changing of the
seasons marked the rapid day-to-day growth of the younger members of our
family. With all the process of change there were lasting values in our lives,
as enduring as the mountain itself. But there came a time when our values were
tested by events which came upon us without warning".
John-Boy puts a lightning rod up on the roof
as John, Jason, and Ben help out. Grandpa explains the purpose of the lightning
rod. Grandma asks John-Boy to take her to a Rockfish store (but not Ike’s
because last time he sold her a six-cents spool of thread that kept breaking).
They are driving on Jefferson Street, just around the corner from the Whitley
House. The Baldwin sisters are standing outside the house. They remark that
Woodrow Wilson is said to have stopped there, and the Judge is said to have
entertained his “lady friends” (according to Miss Emily) but his “cousins”
(according to Miss Mamie) when it was a tavern. Grandma says many memories are
contained within the house, one special one underneath the front window.
Unfortunately, the house has been condemned. They confront Joe Wheeler, the
county supervisor, but he says the owner lived in Atlanta and let it go for
back taxes. It will have to be torn down because it has deteriorated. John-Boy
suggests the women gather signatures on a petition to save the house. Later,
Jason runs into the Walton house to announce to Grandma that he is going into
the class Advanced Theory and Counterpoint, the only freshman to do so. He
wants to listen to classical music on the radio during supper. Grandma says
that he shouldn’t turn his back on country music because it is a part of his
heritage, and it has been entertaining people for years.
Jason tunes in the radio’s classical music
while Grandma wonders where Grandpa has gone. The younger children leave the
table, not liking the music. Zeb comes bounding in to announce that he got a
job. There’s no money involved but they’ll get a lot of good woods. He
announces that he got the demolition rights on the same house that Grandma is
going to save. Esther and Zeb argue their own sides to the case. John-Boy tries
to look at both sides of the issue. Grandma remembers the dances and social
events held at the house by the Whitley’s. But, Zeb doesn’t remember any
details to the dances at the house. Grandma remembers walking by the house on
her way to school, especially liking the high window with the stained glass.
The ladies of the Rockfish Historical Society are on the march, according to
Esther, and John thinks they should decline the demolition job. But, Zeb
refuses to budge.
In Jason’s class, Professor Thaxton asks who
listened to Hayden on the radio last night. He asks for two volunteers, and
gets Hollis (the violin part) and Jason (for the piano part) at the next
recital. They listen to the last part of the movement. At the newspaper,
John-Boy says hello to Rosie, and Mr. Johnson asks him to write an editorial.
He is thinking of selling the business, and moving to Florida. But, John-Boy
thinks he is only joking. The editorial is about the Whitley house, the passing
of a historical landmark. John-Boy tells him about the division between his
grandparents, and Mr. Johnson thinks the best editorials come when there are
deep feelings on both sides.
Jason practices for the recital, but
Elizabeth interrupts with a harmonica. Grandma tries to get him to play one of
her favorites, but he doesn’t want to stop practicing. Grandma remembers the
parties at the Whitley house as Olivia listens to her on the porch: the men
wearing bay rum, the Japanese lanterns, and Zeb kissing her for the first time
(and then playing his banjo). Esther remembers, but she thinks Zeb has
forgotten.
John-Boy jots notes for his editorial as he
listens to Miss Mamie talk about the Whitley house. Esther and Miss Emily pass
the petition around to the audience. Grandpa walks up to John-Boy and sees the
enemy across the street. He can’t believe the Esther is on the side of the
Baldwin sisters. They try to get Zeb to sign the petition, but he has to tell
them that he is determined to demolish the house. They are flabbergasted at
what he wants to do to the house.
Grandpa wants to know why John-Boy is hanging
around the house. John-Boy responds that he is jotting down some phrases for
the article. Grandma reminisces to John-Boy about the magical times she had in
the old Whitley house. That night Grandma comes out to the living room to find
Grandpa wondering what to do with all of the wood from the Whitley house. They
discuss both sides of the issue. Grandma says she is sick about selling their
souls and blaming it on the Depression. John, Olivia, and John-Boy come down,
wondering what is going on. Grandpa says he has no sentimental connection to
the Whitley place. Grandma says he is “heartless”.
Jason finds Grandma playing the piano, trying
to lift up her spirits. Jason takes over playing “Take Me Back to Old
Virginia”. Hollis and Jason practice their recital in front of Professor
Thaxton. Jason has changed a few chords, but Hollis and Thaxton agree that
changing the music is for Saturday night barn dances, not for classical music.
According to the professor, their music sounds like a “war”.
John-Boy and Jim Bob visit the old Whitley
place, and explore the abandoned rooms. They investigate all the old things
lying around and the height of children marked on the wall. Jim Bob thinks
creatures haunt the place as he opens closed doors in the house. John-Boy
suddenly announces he knows what he’ll write in his editorial. They leave
hurriedly because the place gives Jim Bob “the creeps”. Jason tells Grandpa
that supper is ready, but is chopping wood and will come inside later. The
family sits down to supper. Grandma comes out to talk with Zeb. She says he is
“chopping out his anger”. Esther says that he has forgotten all the things they
used to value. As the family watch on, Zeb angrily responds that he wonders why
she and the other ladies didn’t save the house earlier when it could have been
saved. The children say they hate the old Whitley house.
John-Boy comes down to find his editorial in
the newspaper. He reads,
“It is amazing how quickly a town can grow
right under the feet of its residents. The symbols of the past are swept away
by a sometimes reckless and irresponsible future. But we must be ever mindful
that what is important to our lives is never swept away uncritically in the
name of progress. Our roots, for good or ill, are firmly planted in the past.
Without them, like a poplar tree torn up by a winter storm we would fall and
lay without proper orientation to the Sun we will molder and decay.”
“A controversy that has split the town in two
must soon be resolved as we decide the fate of the old Whitley house on the
corner of Jefferson and Elm. After a thorough investigation of the facts in
hand there is not enough money in the community at this time to restore the
building and in its present condition it presents a hazard to our children.
Given this situation, there seems no alternative to the removal of the old
home. However, those who have awakened us by protesting long and hard over the
destruction of this historic old house should take nurture in the fact that the
wood that has graced its rooms for so long might someday be a mantle in their
own home, or perhaps in the house down the street, or it may become part of a
kneeling rail in the Episcopal Church, or the tables of the library. In that
way the Whitley house could always continue as a part of us in a way that the
shabby old building on Jefferson and Elm never could.”
Grandpa gets up grumbling that he has work to
do. Grandma also gets up and goes to her room. John-Boy doesn’t think it was a
“big hit”. Olivia likes it. At the county supervisor’s office the Baldwin
sisters say that their petition with twenty-one names should be enough to save
the house. As vice-president of the Historical society (Miss Mamie) and
president (Miss Emily), they say that they will vote him out of office if he
won’t save the building. The man’s secretary comes out to say he can’t help,
that the demolition has already begun. They are crestfallen, not knowing how
they will tell Esther. Olivia wants Grandma to go with them to Jason’s recital.
She decides to go, although not really in the mood to go out. At the concert,
Jason and Hollis find out the neither of them brought the music. Hollis thinks Felicia took the music. Hollis must have music in
order to play. Jason decides that he’ll play his guitar and Hollis his violin
with the music that Jason brought. Jason announces to the audience that they
will be performing some classical music from the hills of Virginia. They play
“Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” and “Get Along Home Cindy”.
John-Boy wonders what Grandpa is doing inside
his bedroom. Zeb wants John-Boy to tell Grandma when she gets home to “pop”
into the bedroom. The concertgoers come home. Grandma wants Jason to play the
songs to them. Grandma goes into the bedroom. With Jason playing Grandma’s
favorite song, Grandpa shows her the Whitley house window that Grandpa
installed in their room. Zeb says she always said she wanted to see Walton’s
Mountain through the Whitley house. Zeb remembers the time that they first
kissed. They laugh, and dance to Jason’s music with the window and the Mountain
in the background.
"The window was just the beginning. My father
and grandfather parceled out the doors and mantels and paneling of the old
Whitby house to our friends and neighbors. Somehow that bit of history in each
of their homes brought us all a little closer together".
Jim
Bob: Grandpa? Is the lightning rod working?
Grandpa: You go to sleep Jim Bob. I'll wake you up the first sign that
the lightning rod is doing it's duty.
Jim Bob: Goodnight Grandpa.
Grandpa: Esther? Don't I rate a goodnight kiss? Oom, well!
Grandma: What;s wrong?
Grandpa: You kissed me, I'd a sworn the lightning rod run a bull-smack
down here in the room with us.
Grandma: Oh you big talker!
Grandpa chuckles: Goodnight everybody!
Notes:
Miss Mamie’s full name is Mamie Eudora Winfield Baldwin.
Joe Wheeler is county supervisor (Jefferson County).
The lyrics to “Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” are located at: http://users.erols.com/va-udc/lyrics.html.
The lyrics to “Get Along Home Cindy” are located at: http://tinchicken.com/songs/country/getalonghomecindy.htm.
Also appearing:
Miss Emily & Miss Mamie Baldwin (Mary Jackson & Helen Kleeb); Hollis (Rusty Keller); Felicia (Sherry Hursey); Mr. Johnson (Walter Brooke); Professor Thaxton (Jay Robinson); Mr. Joe Wheeler (Bill Sorrells); The Secretary (Jane Lambert).