Gregg saw his brother a few weeks ago and they had a great time. They met up in Smithfield, a town we have always driven by on our way to see family, but never stopped at. Now it is on our bucket list. We live north a few hours, his brother lives south and also a few hours. A good place to have lunch and a catch up. Gregg took a few photos and these are all his.
He was drawn to the Union Jack, a British restaurant. They already had lunch but it will be a great place to go for us when the time is right.
He knows I enjoy statues so took one of Benjamin Franklin.
The life-sized sculpture was created by Colorado based artist George Lundeen. The crows were on the other end of the bench. There is room for visitors to sit and have photos taken. The document represents the Declaration of Independence or a copy of his newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette. The statue is located at 224-228 Main Street in downtown Smithfield, directly outside the former offices of The Smithfield Times. Franklin was one of America’s most famous early printers, and the statue’s placement in front of the local newspaper building was an intentional tribute to journalism. The birds perched on the back of the bench are bronze pigeons. The sculptor intended on including them was to give the piece a natural, everyday park-bench atmosphere.
This bronze sculpture was done by the same artist and called The Valentine. There are identical ones at First Murphy Park in Carmel-by-the-Sea in California, Peoria in Arizona and Decatur in Georgia. This one is located in Smithfield at 206-208 Main Street, outside the downtown public restrooms and garden courtyard area. Smithfield boasts the largest collection of George and Mark Lundeen bronze sculptures in the United States, donated by former Smithfield Foods CEO Joseph W. Luger III. You can pick up a free bronze sculpture walking tour brochure at the Smithfield & Isle of Wight Visitor Center located 319 Main Street in Smithfield (Virginia). Other bronze statues are of George Washington and Robert Frost.
There was a lady working in the garden that Gregg told me was the owner of this shop, Maggie’s Celtic Treasures. They had stopped to look at the couple sculpture and she invited them inside to take a look.
It is located in a historic building known as the Gaming House which dates back to 1776. The building was operating as a counting house and gaming house by 1776. It stood directly next to the 1750 Isle of Wight County Courthouse and across the street from The Smithfield Inn. It was a hub for gambling, which was a major social and economic pastime across all classes. Patrons gathered here for drinks, political debates, games of chance and wagers on everything, from card games and wrestling matches to births and deaths. The following photo is not my own as I found it online.
In 1798 Virginia enacted strict laws against public gambling. These new regulations forced the establishment to shut down its wagering operations. It has had various business enterprises and served as a barber shop, an insurance agency and retail stores selling clothing, rare books and food. It was a museum but closed and moved to a larger space in 1979. Recent ownership was held by Smithfield Foods, which was part of the adjacent Smithfield Inn property. It has also hosted a Christmas Store that upended in 1994 and a Celtic Shop. This handsome fellow was out front.
They are a specialty shop that sells Irish wool sweaters, tweed caps, woven scarves, capes and official Guinness clothing. Also fine jewelry, Celtic rings, necklaces and accessories, Irish soaps, lotions, candles, Inis fragrances and imported Celtic home decor, as well as traditional Irish teas and biscuits.
As for this life size painted pig, he is made of fiberglass and is one of eight known as the Porcine Parade, a public art project that celebrates the town’s deep agricultural roots and heritage as the self-proclaimed “Ham Capitol of the World”.
I am thankful to Gregg who gave me these photos for today’s blog post. I had a fun time finding all these things out, and look forward to when we take a trip down here to look around this picturesque town.
Thanks for looking and I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.
