Julia Arena

  When starting my walk, I left the sorority house and headed towards Cadaver Bridge. By the time I reached the bridge, I found about 10 different plaques. I could not believe that in all the times I have made this walk, I have never realized how many plaques of commemoration are located on the Washington and Lee campus. After passing about 2 or 3 more plaques, I reached President Ruscio’s home. Previously belonging to Robert E. Lee, the President’s home acts as a sort of memorial to the former general and head of school. Along the wall of the garage that faces the street, there is a plaque honoring Traveller. Upon leaving campus and entering town, I passed several other plaques and buildings that memorialized either different events or figures. 

            Because I was able to take my time and make the effort to notice small details I had not seen before, I picked out several other acts of commemoration. For instance, I had heard of the Alexander-Withrow house before but had never come across it. In fact, I felt slightly embarrassed when I realized that I had never once noticed the Veteran’s Memorial on Main Street. Instead of continuing down Main, I made my way past the Veteran’s Memorial where the buildings recede. Inside the courtyard-like area, sit several other plaques and benches showing gratitude or remembrance. Back on East Washington, I headed to the Hampton Inn and picked up a small brochure on the historic portion of the hotel. My most significant findings on the journey home were located in the Hopkins Green. The small park or green contains about six benches in honor or people or groups of people and a memorial.

              Reflecting upon my journey as a whole, there is one plaque that I cannot get out of my mind. It is a plaque I passed on East Washington commemorating “absolutely nothing”. I found it to be both amusing and unique that someone would make the effort to commemorate something so insignificant. All afternoon I kept wondering what the intentions of the plaque and the person who had it made were, and if there was maybe a background story.