Ivanhoe, the fair (a return)

Jubilee Park, Ivanhoe, Virginia, mid-April 2024

Ivanhoe, the Fair
now this is glamping
true Revival, handling
of the Serpentine
embanked
New (Kanawha) river
The diva waters
Still rush past this old railway, blast furnace and mine shaft left to history

A fairground in the off-season, nearly empty Jubilee
A small town that doesn’t need much attention, aware of its remote beauty

“GOD IS GRACIOUS”

In April 2022, my girlfriend and I came here together to camp, and we explored the town with its history as part of the New River Valley, a region of real Appalachia and its mix of early industry, mining and ministry. Primitive and peaceful, we had the riverside almost to ourselves as structures in the park seemed to be taken back by Nature’s growth. Aware of the legend of the town’s curse, there was an added element of mystery – even if the curse was clearly invalid – that led us to talk with locals and find amazing sites like the school ruins. The experience turned out to be uplifting and memorable for both of us.

Now I return two years later to a town park in the quiet season. It’s been updated, with several spaces for campers with electric hookups, two of which are in use. At one of these, a lady (the only other human I encounter here) says she parks her camper here “for the season” and that the other camper belongs to the lady who works for the town, who is currently away.

The horse oval (see top pic) has been restored and there’s a new paved “fitness trail,” while the dirt access road has been barricaded in one spot and the old wooden stands pushed off to the side of the field. Down by the river, the dirt road loops around to a circle just as it did, and here in the grass by the big tree and fire ring I set up my tent, just as we did before. Wildflowers in bloom surround me as I cook dinner on my camp stove; the rocks across the river reflect the sunset, and the moon rises brightly.

A considerable open space, in the midst of this glade, seemed formerly to have been dedicated to the rites of Druidical superstition…
…[some of the stones] had been dislodged from their places, probably by the zeal of some convert to Christianity…”

from page 4 of Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, 1819

In the dark by the riverbank, I lie amid the wild symphony – water, geese, other night birds, frogs, dogs, maybe a coyote, with occasional motors zooming by… once in a while, there is a high moan. It often sounds like footsteps back and forth down at the river. But I think no humans are out there, making any of those sounds.
When I walk through the park, searching for signal, it feels and sounds like a festival without the people, as the calls of the geese echo loudly across the rock faces over the river. The moon appears to sit on top of the light pole in the middle of the grounds, like the Light Head monster character. It’s so bright…this fair is lit.

In the middle of the night, the wind blows down the river, but I don’t get cold in my tent. The geese continue to fly by as the river is along their migratory flight path. Eventually the water calms. In this Fair Lawn at dawn, I wake from a most comfortable sleep, but I must leave before the fishermen come.

Goodbye, wildflowers, old tree and singing river. In nature, this has been a true Revival, the Jubilee again, for me.

LOCATION OF IVANHOE IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

Since there’s also a rural riverside town named Ivanhoe in North Carolina, I’ve been curious about the meaning of the name. Here’s what I found.

ORIGIN 1
-Ivanhoe is associated with the name Ivan, a Slavic variant of John, which ultimately comes from Hebrew “Yohanan” meaning “God is Gracious.” The Biblical figure John the Baptist, preacher and prophet who baptized Jesus by immersion in the Jordan River, is associated with water by many Christians, so this origin could make sense.

“I’m just going over Jordan/
I’m just going over home

–lyrics from the folk song “Wayfaring Stranger”
I played and sang this song while camping at Jubilee park in 2022, while my girlfriend read from the Song of Songs. The spiritual connection between the New and Jordan Rivers was subconscious for both of us, and perhaps also was so for the town’s early (mainly Presbyterian) settlers.

ORIGIN 2
-Ivanhoe is a variant of Ivinghoe, a village and fiefdom in Buckinghamshire, England.
The novel Ivanhoe: A Romance by Sir Walter Scott was first published in 1819, one year before Robert Sheffey was born in Ivanhoe, Virginia (he’s the preacher who placed a curse on his hometown as part of the local legend). It is set in Ivinghoe, England in the Middle Ages, just after the Norman conquest of England over the Saxons, with a Saxon nobleman/knight named Wilfred of Ivanhoe (sometimes referred to as “Ivanhoe”) at the center of the story. This novel was quite popular and influential for its depiction of medieval England and practices of “chivalry,” and it has been adapted into at least two feature films.
Robin of Locksley (Robin Hood) and his merry men appear in the story, as well as other familiar figures from the Robin Hood legend, thereby connecting Ivinghoe/Ivanhoe with Robin Hood.
-in the story, a tournament is held (note the horse show ground) ; Robin Hood is part of the tournament.
-the forested, rural landscape with merry rebels like Robin Hood would be a positive image for the town to associate.

Tring, wing, and Ivanhoe/
For striking of a blow/
Hampden did forego/
And glad he could escape so.”

-an old rhyme, author unknown
Scott took this variation of the fiefdom’s name and used it as the title for his novel.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivinghoe

According to the Wikipedia page for Ivinghoe, England, the village’s name is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and means “Ifa’s hill-spur.” This refers to its location in a valley next to hills, which also fits the geographic area of Ivanhoe, Virginia.

Here is the website for the Manor of Ivinghoe/Ivanhoe, in England. The site is referred to as “home of spiritual chivalry.”
https://www.ivanhoemanor.com/chivalry-and-the-tradition-ivanhoe

https://www.ivanhoemanor.com/chivalry-and-the-tradition-ivanhoe

While both origin stories for Ivanhoe make sense, the “Ivinghoe” origin is a little more likely. Mainly Presbyterian settlers from Scotland or England may have at least been familiar with the place-name. This would apply to the Ivanhoe in NC as well as Virginia. Scott’s Ivanhoe is set in the time of another John – King John. Could those early settlers have read Scott’s novel? Did the towns go by another name before becoming Ivanhoe? There are still unknowns. Now I want to visit again!

About the word Jubilee:
A jubilee is a celebration of the anniversary of a special event.
The word jubilee comes from the Hebrew word yobel, which means “ram’s horn trumpet.”
A ram’s horn is played to mark Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, for example.
Source: vocabulary.com

continuing to explore history, unique places and all of their connections,
Arianna