This Place Matters Top Three Winners
With 26.3% of the vote, the winner of the 2009 Places That Matter Photo Contest is:
Humble Oil Building in San Antonio, Texas
This is what Audrey Johnson had to say about her submission:
"Why do places matter? They matter because they are a part of our universal story, one of the ties that bind our history, culture and values together. They reflect where we have been and where we are going. I chose the Humble Oil Gas Station because I believe it represents this idea. In a state of disrepair, it appears old and neglected. Yet it has a rich history and if you really stop to look at it at the colorful mosaic tiles and all the little elements that make it distinct it is beautiful. It tells a story that is both unique to San Antonio and at the same time applicable to cities all over the world struggling with preservation. As my caption states, what matters may not be beautiful (at least not in its current condition). We should remember that there are places that need to be preserved and protected because they embody our culture - both past and present - and below their exterior state of disrepair lies value, and beauty, and a story worth telling."
Because she gathered the largest number of votes, Audrey won a Panasonic Lumix ZS3 digital camera with a Sandisk Extreme III 8GB SD memory card, donated by our generous sponsor: Fireman's Fund Insurance. The Humble Oil building will also have its picture featured in the January/February issue of Preservation magazine -- so stay tuned!
The second place photo, with 12.8% of the total vote, is:
The Plum Island Boathouse in Door County, Wisconsin
This is what Tim Sweet had to say about his submission:
"The Plum Island Boathouse is located in the Death’s Door Passage off the northern tip of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula between the waters of Lake Michigan and Green Bay. The Coast Guard built the structure in 1939 to house their rescue vessels. Immediately adjacent to boathouse is an 1895 Duluth-Style U.S. Life-Saving Station. A 10-minute hike across the island leads to a set of 1896 range lights and a lighthouse keepers’ dwelling. Maritime history abounds on this 300-acre island. Now part of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands are working cooperatively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support the goals of preservation, restoration, maintenance and contemporary use of the lighthouses,and other historic resources on Plum and Pilot Islands and to conserve and protect wildlife resources, while providing public access to the islands’ history and opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation.
The people in the photo include several Girl Scouts, Fish and Wildlife Service personnel, and a volunteer from the Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands.
The Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands received a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation last year to fund a the creation of a Building Stabilization Plan. The first phase of the plan was completed when a new roof was put on the nearby Pilot Island Lighthouse. The next phase of the plan is to paint the boathouse which is expected to happen next spring."
Coming in third place, with 11.5% of the total vote, is:
The Hugh Smalling Grave and Riverside Cemetery in Macon, Georgia
This is what Suzanne Doonan had to say about her submission:
"Hugh Smalling, the youngest of nine children, joined the Navy in 1938. Hugh’s sister, Rebecca, who is 92 years old and lives near Atlanta, has carefully preserved the photographs and letters that her brother sent home from his travels. On September 9, 1943, Hugh’s ship was sunk by German fire off the coast of Italy. Rebecca’s grandson, Keith Phillips, wrote us, “My great uncle probably died quickly in the fires that broke out when the bombs fell, but the final story I have for you is most compelling. As far as I know, it’s never been shared outside the family. It concerns not only Hugh but his brother, Charles, who was also a veteran of World War II, but as a soldier, not a seaman. On the evening of September 9, 1943, Charles woke up in his tent in the German countryside, screaming “Swim, Hugh, swim-for God’s sake, swim”. Charles had had a nightmare in which he saw the bomb go down the ship’s smokestack. He saw the ship split in half and water pour in on his brother, Hugh. It was not until weeks had passed that Charles learned that his brother had indeed been lost that day. Since then my grandmother remains convinced that psychic ability is real.” We at Historic Riverside Cemetery Conservancy remain convinced that Hugh Smalling’s monument bears witness not only to the story of an idealistic young man and the family who nurtured him, but also it encapsulates the history of the hometown that his contractor father helped to build, and of the nation that fought a war to end the tyranny of the Third Reich. The epitaph on Hugh’s monument bear witness to his family’s love and grief. The anchor and chain symbolize not only Hugh’s military service but also eternal life, heroism, and faithfulness. We have over 17,000 stories in our cemetery This place matters!"
Each of these two runners-up will receive a Panasonic Lumix ZS1 digital camera with a Sandisk Extreme III 8GB SD memory card, also donated by Fireman's Fund Insurance. They will also be mentioned in the January/February issue of Preservation magazine, along with the Humble Oil Building.
Congratulations to all our finalists and thank you for your participation in this contest!
