Way up on a Washington bluff overlooking the Columbia River, a huge stone castle pokes in and out of view as you zoom along I-82 in Oregon. “What the Sam Hill?” You’ve heard that expression, haven’t you? 

There is no population center for miles and yet here’s this castle, Sam Hill’s mansion. Hill was an “inspired lunatic”  and the son-in-law of railroad baron, James J. Hill. Sam bought 7000 acres of scrubland on a high bluff overlooking the mighty Columbia River in 1907. He intended to erect a glorious home for his wife, Mary. 

“No way!” she must have said when told about her proposed new home. She never left Europe to come see “her” castle home. 

After 20 years, the mansion/castle was till unfinished. Over the years, the place remained unoccupied and unfinished. People wandering through the deserts of Washington and Oregon would look up to see this enormous abandoned building and say “What the Sam Hill?” 

Or so the story is told. 

Today the mansion is part of Maryhill State Park and there is lots to see and do at the park. Do stop on your next trip to Portland. While you’re there, on the Washington side, take a snap of time to visit Stonehenge just three miles east of Maryhill….

Also built by Sam Hill, this replica of England’s famous Stonehenge was begun in 1918 to honor the heroism of Klickitat County’s soldiers in that Great War. Finished in 1929, it’s both a monument to heroic dead but a monument dedicated to peace. 

There is no need to put your genealogy on hold during the summer months! Mixed in with outdoors and family fun, here are some suggestions for summertime genealogy things to do:

• Start writing those stories…. yours or those of your ancestors.
• Zero in on a dead-end line using all the new tips and tricks you’ve learned.
• View How-To videos: Ancestry Academy, YouTube, plus dozens mor.
• Catch up on your genealogy book/magazine reading (take down that stack!)
• Identify the folks in the photos in that old box of musty photos.
• Take a grandchild to a cemetery.
• Take a grandchild to lunch to “celebrate” an ancestor’s birthday.
• Use Google to find places important in your ancestors’ lives: homes, church, work.
• Work a bit harder to understand your DNA matches (there are plenty of helps!).
• Clean up your email back log and email address list. 
• Read a good historical fiction novel or genealogy mystery (like the Deserter’s Tale).
• Take a whole day and spend 30″ studying the advantages to your research of what’s available from the Big Four: FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast.
• Take a second day to explore Fold3 and Cyndi’sList and any other genealogy websites that you’ve been wanting to explore.

Summer sometimes means lazy, slow, down days. Great. When you’ve finished your drink and watched the sun come up, plan a genealogy to-do day!!

Fans of Morton Farrier, the English forensic genealogist created by author Nathan Dylan Goodwin, rejoice! Goodwin’s newest book is here!! This is the tenth in the Morton Farrier genealogical crime mystery series and they just keep getting better and better.  In this book, Morton journeys to Salt Lake City to give presentations at RootsTech and while he’s “in the neighborhood,” does some research in Las Vegas on his wife’s great-grandfather…….. who deserted his English family after WWI and ended up leading quite a colorful life in Las Vegas. And of course, Morton’s RootsTech presentations figure into the plot. 

This is The Perfect summer read; the book is available from Amazon. I do 1000% recommend it to you……….. I could not put it down and read it in two days!!

Now for a truly funny tombstone story:

“While writing the history o his village some years ago, the Vicar of the Parish of Eye in England decided to include thumbnail sketches on the “pillars of society” over the centuries…. parishioners who had been “famous” in either the church or community. 

The Rev. Philip Randall was particularly impressed by a tombstone just inside St. Matthew’s Church which bore the initials, “HWP.” Because of its prominent position, he concluded that this  must be the grave of some extremely important local dignitary. 

He poured over old, dusty parish records for nine long years in the hope of finding a Henry Wimbourne Potter, or a Herbert Wattle Pittstock, or even a Happy Washwater O’Pudding. Almost a decade of research yielded not one prominent person with those initials. He was about ready to give up but had the idea of one last try by placing a final appeal for information in the parish newsletter.

Two days later, a parishioner telephones to say that he remembered the story of how his father had helped to lay the the stone that marked the Hot Water Pipe.”

True story? I have no idea. Provenance? I cannot remember how long ago I came upon this bit nor where I found it. Just read it, enjoy and laugh.