The stone observatory on the Bloody lane is now finished and ready for visitors. The view from this point alone is worth a visit to the famous Bloody lane as you can take in the entire right to the left nearly four miles. There will be, when all planted, nearly four hundred markers, giving one a good idea of the entire battle field with the advantage of the good roads. Every body ought to visit it and make a study of this great battle.
Relic forensics
Every year I give a tour to a bunch of nice folks that come out on the day that the illumination candles come out. They are big relic guys and it is always fun to compare notes on our latest finds. One guy recently acquired what was represented as a shingle from the Dunkard Church. When he was first researching the piece he found an old post of mine in which I quoted O.T. Reilly from an old 1892 newspaper item:
The old roof of the Dunkard church has been replaced with a new one. O.T. Reilly bought two spring-wagon loads of the wood and will sell some of it as relics of that historic church.
During our tour he mentioned the shingle and I, forgetting about the earlier post, chimed in about the article I had that dates when O.T. probably got the shingle he owned. The problem was that I got the year wrong. He corrected me, but I did not mind because, I jested, I was being corrected by such an "authoritative source"...myself!
Anyway, he asked if he could send me a photo of the tag to see if I thought it was O.T.'s writing on his artifact. I pieced together his image with some samples from Reilly's own hand and I have attached the result. I have my opinion, but you can decide for yourself.