The writing on the walls thread reminds me of a local National Register 
listed plantation house which has writing on every room in the house--over 
10,000 words.  The house has been in the same family since it was built in 
1854 and the family and their guests have apparently written on the 
plastered walls from the beginning.  A few years ago, one of the docents 
(now Docent Coordinator) recorded every word and entered it into a database 
which is searchable for those interested in looking for specific names or 
subjects.

Lucy Wayne
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron May" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2005 4:11 AM
Subject: Re: Writing on Walls and pull tabs


> The grafitti thread reminded me that during my tour with the Navy at the 
> Fort
> Rosecrans Historic District, San Diego, Calfiornia, I recorded a number of
> chalk graffitti on the walls of a 1915 12-inch mortar artillery battery. 
> They
> were names and cartoons left behind by soldiers from 1942, when the U.S. 
> Army
> rushed troops to forts all over America in a desperate attempt to defend
> America's borders. In truth, those mortars would have been totally exposed 
> to
> Japanese aircraft and were completely drawn and mapped by spies in the 
> 1930s
> (according to a Japanese tourist who wrote of his artwork in a CAMP 
> journal about 20
> years ago). We funded interpretive signs to be installed near the grafitti 
> to
> stop furture Navy folks from damaging them. Once the U.S. Army built new
> long-range batteries in 1943, the soldiers vacated the 12-inch Battery 
> White. I also
> had money to restore one of the searchlights and put signs outside many of
> the buildings.
>
> Ron May
> Legacy 106, Inc.
>