I intended to put up more drawings this week. Instead, I messed around with painting both in traditional media and Photoshop. So, here’s Daniel on the job after…well, living with a ghost who wants to kill him.
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My mother’s birthday is five days after mine. As such, we usually end up celebrating and exchanging gifts as a family visit out at her place. She likes to get creative with her gifts (in the past I’ve received a framed Sideshow Bob done in marker and a crocheted runner with my name in it), so along with a sorely-needed clock radio, she gave me these:
She whipped up some homebrewed “Ecto Cooler” (like in this strip), a smoking pot of ectoplasmic goo. Not only did she give me a framed photo of it surrounded by tiny panels from this strip, but she also printed it out and ironed it onto a towel.
When I think of how some artists’ parents are disinterested, dismissive, or downright hostile concerning their child’s craft, I’m grateful my mom cares enough about my comic to basically make me fanart. I love you, Mom.
Welcome back to the weekly feature here at Wighthouse called The Ropes, as in “know ‘em”! As I do research for the comic, I sometimes come across interesting bits of trivia that I’d like to share with my readers. For example, did you know…
…a ghostly funeral procession haunts a former French outpost on the Mississippi?
Photo by lharkness, via Flickr
In 1718, Illinois existed as a territory under French rule. The French wanted a military stronghold in the vicinity from which to rule, so they decided to build a fort near the Mississippi River at Prairie du Rocher. Preceded by two wooden forts of dubious construction, the stone Fort de Chartres was built in the 1750s, with several buildings inside a great outer wall. France lost the Seven Years’ War in 1763, ceding much of its land to the British, who took over Fort de Chartres in 1765. They abandoned it in 1771 due to lack of interest and still further deterioration.
Fort de Chartres languished in ruin for over a century. Once the south wall collapsed into the Mississippi in 1772, nearby homeowners stole building materials from the inner buildings, as well as the wall itself. By 1900, only the powder magazine was left. In 1913, however, the site was snapped up by the state, and reconstruction began. Today you can visit Fort de Chartres in all its eighteenth century glory; the grounds house a museum, the original powder magazine, a chapel, guards’ quarters, and more. Several family-friendly events take place throughout the year.
One event that might not be so family-friendly – or friendly to anyone living, for that matter – is purported to take place on the 4th of July, as long as it falls on a Friday. (Go figure.) Rumor has it that a prominent local businessman, or possibly a British officer, was murdered by a French soldier. Secrecy demanded that the deceased be buried at midnight in a cemetery outside of town. Supposedly, if you’re in the area on Friday, July 4 between eleven o’clock and midnight, you’ll see the 40-wagon procession wind down the same road it took so many years ago. The last chance for that happenstance was in 2008, but sadly I was not there. Did you see anything untoward come toward you that night?
Sources:
Fort de Chartres State Historic Site
Fort de Chartres – Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Prairie Ghosts: The Phantom Funeral of Fort de Chartres
Trying Android’s WordPress plugin. Third time’s the charm…
Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Wighthouse called The Ropes, as in “know ‘em”! As I do research for the comic, I sometimes come across interesting bits of trivia that I’d like to share with my readers. For example, did you know…
…a scrapyard on Chicago’s southeast side houses a permanent resident?
Flickr photo by Zol87
A lot of things get thrown out in junkyards, sometimes, even a human being. Andreas von Zirngibl, which should easily be the best name you’ve heard today, was born in 1797 in Bavaria. He fought against Napoleon in Waterloo, although not without losing an arm. In 1854, von Zirngibl took his family across the sea and rested on the shores of the Calumet River.
When von Zirngibl died in 1855 from a fever, he asked that he be buried on his land. Easy enough request, considering it was a sparsely-populated swamp. As it does, though, time swept along this landscape, bringing with it the Industrial Revolution. Eventually the Calumet and Chicago Canal & Dock Co. encroached on von Zirngibl’s gravesite, prompting his descendants to sue. Despite suspect claims to the land itself, the judge allowed the burial place to remain, with access granted to relatives for upkeep. The ruling applied to any future company on the site.
That’s why SIMS Metal Management still has, among crushed cars and mounds of tires, a pristine slab with von Zirngibl’s headstone on it, surrounded by four huge concrete blocks. It’s not the original headstone; a wayward crane smashed one of its incarnations in 1999. The veteran’s grave is certainly one for any curious Chicagoan’s bucket list, but check with the company before you waltz in: they should let you in, if you have the appropriate safety precautions. As the saying goes, always wear your helmet.
Sources: Eternal Rust, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 1999
Photos of von Zirngibl’s gravesite (and surroundings) at Graveryards.com
Bonus goodie: everything’s on Yelp these days.
Join us next week when go down the Mississipp’ to a haunted French fortress!
