Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509150004
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELLEN DAVIES SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Relying strictly on his own memory, Williamson has spent the last few years constructing miniature reproductions of area landmarks.
"I wanted the people today to see what we had back then compared to what they have today," says Williamson.
Williamson, who retired from New River Electric in 1984, has made models of six buildings, including the house he grew up in, the house in which his wife was reared, Blue Ridge Elementary School, Jeter's Chapel Church and the original and present Glade Creek Church.
All, he said, because, "I didn't have anything else to do."
While the endeavor might have started out as a hobby, Williamson admits that his work as it stands today is a little piece of history come alive.
"It is really amazing to look at, even if I did built it."
One of his most prized models is the Blue Ridge School, a four-room schoolhouse that was built in 1920 and torn down in 1946. He attended the school.
The 32-by-32-inch model was constructed out of hundreds of 1-inch-by-1/2-inch ceramic bricks that Williamson made by hand.
"The rooms are just as close as I could get it to what it was when I was going to school."
Included in the scale model are the school's 24 windows, five doors, students' and teachers' desks, blackboards and reproductions of the pot-bellied stoves that heated the school.
While dollhouse miniatures were used for the desks, chairs and stove, Williamson said he tried to reconstruct the school exactly as he envisioned it.
"I just remembered going to it and looking at it."
The model has received many compliments from those who remember the original building, Williamson says.
"We had a school reunion two or three years ago and had 126 [former students show up]," Williamson says. "They thought [the model] was exactly like the school. They had pictures of it there."
Spectators can look through the windows and doors of the models, which are enhanced by electric lights to make the structures easier to see, Williamson says.
Another project Williamson undertook was the Jeter's Chapel. His model stands 51 by 31 inches and closely resembles the original, according to the artist.
"I made it from redwood ... painted white," Williamson says, adding he also used such original-building touches as having the wood planks overlap each other. He also added specific details, such as the pulpit, pews and wood-burning stoves.
Williamson says for him the building represents the history of his family as well as the region.
"This chapel was built in 1895. What they did to get the money to build it is, they just passed the hat around and people donated," says Williamson. "My granddaddy gave five dollars, which back then was a lot of money."
Today, Williamson says he sees his work in a similar light to his own forefathers' donation to the area.
"It means a whole lot to me. What I got in mind is this is to let the young people coming on to see from where they have come from," Williamson says.
Williamson also has constructed two reproductions of the Glade Spring Church - the original built in 1825 and its replacement, which stands today. "I didn't use no blueprint, no nothing ... it's from memory."
Each of these projects took Williamson about six months to create. He says as of now he hasn't started another model, but he might consider the possibility in the future.
The importance of his work, according to Williamson, lies not only in the creative aspect but also in its educational focus.
"One thing that we know is where we have come from. We don't know where we are going," he says, adding he hopes his models will help people look back on what once was here.
Memo: NOTE: Also ran in September 21, 1995 Current.