A Soldier's Lighthouse Christmas

Cape Bonavista Lighthouse, Newfoundland. Photo by Annlynn Ward.

Christmas 1943 (a true story)

Private William Duval shivered as he rubbed his hands together over the small stove heater in his barracks. Man, this place was cold! Despite sharing a room with 19 other guys, the room never warmed up.
Some of the guys didn’t mind the cold so much. But back home in Louisiana, it just didn’t get as cold as here in Newfoundland. Why couldn’t he have been sent somewhere warm?

But then again, that’s where a lot of the fighting was – in the Pacific islands. Guess he should be thankful he wasn’t sent there. Who would’ve thought he’d end up in Canada, on a US base built to protect the northern coastline from German invasion?

He glanced at the pinup calendar hanging over his bed, his heart squeezing at the sight of his girlfriend’s picture thumbtacked over the movie star’s photo. Christmas was just weeks away, and what he wouldn’t give to spend it with Angela back home. Home where it was warm, where family and friends gathered together for food and fun. He could just see them all going around singing Christmas carols to their neighbors. If only the war would end before Christmas. Chances were slim with all the heavy fighting going on, but a guy could hope, couldn’t he?

His buddy Pete came in, slamming the door against a blast of frosty air. “Billy! We’ve been invited to the lighthouse for Christmas. Wanna go?”
“The lighthouse? What would we do at a lighthouse?”
“I hear the family there is swell – and real big too! Seems folks all around here go to the lighthouse for Christmas. Sounds good to me!”
“Well, it’s gotta beat staying in this barn. Sure, I’ll go.”

When Christmas day arrived, Billy and a bunch of other soldiers climbed into an Army Truck. After plowing through the deep snow, they reached the end of Cape Bonavista where the white lighthouse with vertical red stripes gleamed in the sunlight. Billy stepped inside the house and an array of tantalizing aromas drew him toward a table laden with food. Trays of Christmas cookies lay beside towering cakes and golden-crusted pies. At the other end of the table, platters of sliced meats and bowls of steaming vegetables invited.

A teenage girl ran up and introduced herself as one of Lightkeeper Hubert Abbott’s eleven children. Soon Billy’s stomach was full of Christmas dinner. Afterwards, he joined in the singing as everyone gathered around the family parlor while a man played Christmas carols on an accordion.  After singing, the folks played a variety of games, just like they did back home. As daylight began to dwindle over the Atlantic Ocean, Billy said his goodbyes to the hosts.

“Thank you, Mr. Abbott, Mrs. Abbott. You really made me feel like family today.”
“We’re glad you came, Billy. We’re all part of God’s family, and what better time for a family to be together than Christmas?”
Billy didn’t get to go home for the holidays, but thanks to the Abbotts, he didn’t spend the holiday alone.

The holidays can be a lonely time for people separated from their families. Many find the holidays especially difficult because their loved ones are no longer alive to share them.  God wants us to reach out to others, not just at Christmas, but all year long. Perhaps this Christmas season you can invite someone into your home, or find others who are alone and create a family environment together.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in," Matthew 25:35

I pray you all had a blessed Christmas. 

This is my last post for the Heroes, Heroines and History blog, as I've taken on more responsibilities and need to let go of others. I will miss you all, but hope to stay in touch by reading this blog along with you. As a parting Christmas gift, I'm offering a drawing for a copy of my book, The Christmas Gazebo. To enter, please leave a comment with your email address so I can reach you if you win. 

The Christmas Gazebo

by Marilyn Turk and Lenora Worth

Two Christmas Romances of past and present 

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Gazebo-Romances-past-present/dp/1947523724/

 A “literary archaeologist,” Marilyn Turk writes historical fiction flavored with suspense and romance for Barbour Books, Winged Publications and Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. One of her World War II novels, The Gilded Curse, won a Silver Scroll award. She has also written a series of novels set in 1800 Florida whose settings are lighthouses. In addition, Marilyn’s novellas have been published in the Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides collection and Crinoline Cowboys. Marilyn also writes for Guideposts magazine and Daily Guideposts Devotions.  She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association and Word Weavers International.

When not writing, Marilyn and her husband enjoy boating, fishing, playing tennis or visiting lighthouses.

Marilyn is a regular contributor to the Heroes, Heroines and History blog. https://www.hhhistory.com). Connect with her at http://pathwayheart.com, https://twitter.com/MarilynTurk, https://www.facebook.com/MarilynTurkAuthor/, https://www.pinterest.com/bluewaterbayou/, marilynturkwriter@yahoo.com.

The Florida Chautauqua Assembly, Forerunner of Adult Education

Chautauqua's 4000-seat Hall of Brotherhood, on the National Historic Register.

By Marilyn Turk

When friend and fellow writer Lenora Worth and I decided to write a Christmas book together, we took a trip to Defuniak Springs, not far from where we live in the Florida panhandle, planning to use the quaint little town as a model for our setting. We learned that the town was the home of the southern Chautauqua Assembly, so our research led to the origin of the event and why it took place there, far from any large cities.

The first Chautauqua was organized by a Methodist minister and a businessman in 1874 and took place on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in New York during the summer. Its initial goal was to train Sunday school teachers in an outdoor, camp-like format. However, as the gatherings grew in popularity, other notable speakers such as William Jennings Bryan, social and political leaders, as well as performers, were added, expanding the event into an adult education project called the Chautauqua Institution. Due to the popularity of the event, its leaders sought a more southern location where they could host a similar event during the winter months.

Original plans for the Florida Chautauqua

At the same time, Florida was recovering from the Civil War. In 1881, the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad was incorporated. As a survey party set out from Pensacola to survey the route for the railroad, they happened upon an open area with a perfectly round lake. 

The party camped on the shores of the lake and decided the place would be the perfect spot for a town. They named the place Lake DeFuniak after the president of the railroad, Frederick DeFuniak. Later the name was changed to Defuniak Springs, recognizing the source of the lake’s water.

Hotel DeFuniak

Up to 4000 people a day arrived during the Assembly

When the founders of the new town heard that the New York Chautauqua was seeking a southern location, they invited the leaders to locate the winter assembly at Lake Defuniak. The Florida Chautauqua was thus formed and opened in 1885.

Original Assembly building held 2500

The grounds consisted of the passenger train depot which primarily operated as the main entry to the resort, the lavish Chautauqua Hotel, a charming small library, the 2500-seat tabernacle, the Chautauqua Art Department and land plots where wealthy Americans built Victorian cottages to stay during the Winter assemblies. The annual assemblies operated in that location until 1927.

1884 library

Today, the 4000-seat assembly hall that replaced the original tabernacle, the quaint little library and Victorian homes still stand beside the lake, and the old depot is a museum.

What a perfect place for Springlake, the location of The Christmas Gazebo.

The Christmas Gazebo - Two Christmas novellas

The Christmas Gift by Marilyn Turk

In 1910, amateur photographer Lettie Morgan accompanies her aunt to Springlake, Florida for the annual Springlake Assembly. Jonathon Townsend, wealthy heir to the family fortune and first-time chairman of the event, wants the event to run smoothly.
But when the train bringing guests to the Assembly is robbed, Jonathon, who is part-owner of the railroad, must find the robber and appease the attendees. Can the young photographer who’s captured his attention provide clues to the robbery?
As Christmas approaches and the Assembly comes to a close, will Jonathon find a way to entice Lettie to stay?


The Christmas Surprise by Lenora Worth

When Lynsey Milton comes to Springlake, Florida, to revitalize the town’s historic main street, Jon Townsend, the heir apparent, resists helping her. He’d rather return to the quiet life of a country lawyer. Lynsey needs to seal this deal since a promotion is in her future. But Jon wants to stay in his Victorian mansion, keeping his grief to himself. He won’t fall for a woman who’ll soon leave.
When they make a discovery in the gazebo by the lake, Lynsey gets Jon into the Christmas spirit. Can an old gazebo and a beautiful vintage ball gown bring them together?