This old midwest water tower and a historic gazebo are two things that are nearly as old as our town.
This water tower can be seen along Highway 24 long before you enter St. Mary’s.
When we used to come to town to visit our grandparents as little children 25 years ago, the sight of this water tower would initiate the singing of “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go.” And we’d keep the song going till we entered the town, and about two minutes after that we’d be pulling up at our grandparent’s house.
Five years later we moved to this town. So now, this water tower is a daily part of our lives.
But not for long.
The campus has plans to use the land under it for other school buildings. This will require the dismantling of the tower.
So for now, the water tower is a sight that will not be taken for granted.
The other building on campus is a gazebo.
It is actually known simply as “The Gazebo.”
This gazebo marks the spot where, legend has it, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a little Indian boy (some say girl, and some say both a boy and a girl). The Heavenly Lady promised them that no violent storm would ever harm St. Marys.
Many have taken this to mean physical storms. Indeed tornados have been know to split in half and go around the town. Other times they have jumped across the town. To this date, no tornado, very common in this area, has ever harmed the town.
But others have interpreted it as meaning no spiritual storm would ever harm St. Marys. Since the town was founded in 1851, the Catholic Faith has always been strong in this town.
Some believers have also said that not only does the gazebo mark the spot where Our Lady appeared to the children, it’s also where they are buried.
While documentation supplying concrete evidence has yet to be discovered, this legend has been passed down through the years by the natives of the town. The testimonies of those who have seen tornadoes avoid the town and the peace and serenity one experiences at the Gazebo lend strength to the truth of the legend.
These paintings were done en Plein Air. The water tower was done on an art outing with a good art friend and her husband. She packed a wonderful picnic, and the three of us explored some of the sights of the town and then settled in one spot to eat and do some painting. This was the fruit of the excursion.
The gazebo was a spur of the moment decision. I had recently moved off campus, but was back on to pick up some things. I hadn’t done my daily painting yet, so I decided to take advantage of a few quiet moments while still on the grounds.
And that’s it for now!
Thanks so much for taking a look at this week’s post! I hope that you are having a great July!
And before you leave, I’d love it if you would check out the notebooks in which I did all these paintings. That’d be grand, because when you click the link below, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
This compact traveling water cup has been my new favorite art tool! I prefer to keep all my supplies very minimalistic so that there is little difference for me between studio and adventure/ en Plein Air painting. Not only is it foldable, but you can rest your paintbrushes on the top -and they don’t slide anywhere! So wonderful! Give it a check!
Bridget Bryan 