Just before Thanksgiving break and again
during the first week of December, I was
privileged to do readings of Mystery at the
Loyd Homeplace with all fifth graders at my
dear old school -- Sandhills Farm Life.
What an enthusiastic and sharp bunch of
scholars this is! Every one of them qualifies
to be a Junior Historian, as my brother Buddy
and I are referred to in the book.
The students listened with rapt attention as
many revelations unfolded over the two-day
reading. Such findings as:
- The Mystery House is still standing after more than 150 years.
- There's an old marble that was trapped in Mama Loyd's porch floor.
- An old skeleton key gave entry to the old house, the focus of the mystery.
- Ken's Great-grandma Loyd was a "Civil War baby," born in 1863.
- Five children, ages 2 to 11, lived in the house when the Civil War broke out in 1861.
- There were important reasons why General Sherman felt he must burn Atlanta.
- An old pocket knife given to Buddy by Papa Loyd became a valuable tool.
- It wasn't cows that lived in the old barn. It was . . . well, I can't give away all the secrets!
Students continually impressed me with
their understanding of the history, interaction
of characters, subtle details, and hidden humor.
They helped me in a vigorous rendition of the
song "The Circuit-Riding Preacher," then gave
themselves well-earned applause.
I had students ask me all kinds of questions
about my childhood adventures. As I joined
them for lunch each day I was peppered with
perceptive questions and comments, which I
gladly answered. One student told me he wanted
to buy one book for himself and another for his
cousin, who homeschools. And the next day, he
did just that! Students can still order the latest
edition of the book for $10.00, and several said
they hope to. At this writing, 32 out of about 100
fifth graders have already purchased a copy. That
percentage really astounded me!
This years' readers learned that there was
truly a second Loyd mystery-- but they are
the first ones to hear the solution. I will soon
be writing a detailed blog post about this for
anyone who is interested, but in short:
I finally have proof that James Loyd, a pioneer
citizen of Atlanta, was actually my great-great-
great-grandfather. I had the joy of revealing
that to my 98 year-old father just days before
he would pass away.
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| Thanks to a brief passage in the Franklin Garrett's book Atlanta and Environs, I have located James Loyd's grave site in the Loyd - Collins cemetery overlooking the Chattahoochee River on Atlanta's northwest side. |
I was most pleased that students showed
a healthy respect for and understanding of
the importance of history, including their
own family history. And I was pleased that
students haven't changed so much as some
people believe. They are still seeking fun in
learning, adventure, and new experiences.
They seemed to believe me when I said that
the treasure of what Buddy and I learned from
Mama Loyd was just as valuable, or more,
than the actual treasure we sought.
And I certainly meant it!
After packing up all my displays, I was
delighted to join a large number of students
for their first game ever of a very old game:
ROCK SCHOOL!
 |
| These are the steps where Buddy, Ken, and Caryn played Rock School more than half a century ago at Mama and Papa Loyd's house. |
Thank you to the fifth grade teachers for
allowing me to share with your students.
Thank you students for your attention,
encouragement, and enthusiasm.
More will continually be added to this
website, so I invite you to visit from time
to time. Anyone interested in purchasing
a book (current price: $10.00) may simply
ask your teacher to e-mail me and I will
deliver an autographed copy inscribed to
you-- a Junior Historian!
