Over the River: Memories of Thanksgiving Past

My Grandfather on my Dad’s side of the family was a Methodist minister. It seems to be the custom of Methodist ministers; he was transferred from church to church over many years in the ministry, usually moving to a larger church with a larger congregation. However, as he approached retirement age, he received a call from the Bishop offering him a chance to spend a few years in a picturesque southern Indiana town where the Methodist Church was The Big Church in a Small Town. After serving churches in primarily urban areas in and around Indianapolis for many years, he decided that this would be a good final move, and, thus, off to Rockport, Indiana, he went!

As a child, I usually spent Thanksgiving with my Church family’s grandparents, and we usually joined them in a parsonage provided by the church Grandpa was then serving. Those Thanksgiving dinners were memorable for a variety of reasons…Grandma’s potato rolls come to mind…but the venue was nothing special. That is until Rockport became the destination.

Rockport is located on the Ohio River upstream from Evansville, and it is the county seat of Spencer County, the childhood home of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s mother is buried in Spencer County, and there is a significant state memorial at her gravesite. A quaint village dedicated to the memory of Lincoln is also located in the County, but its main “claim to fame” is Santa Claus Land.  What started as a small village with a real U.S. Post Office turned into one of the country’s primary theme parks, Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari. As a child visiting Rockport, the theme park didn’t exist, but a trip to Santa Claus Land was always on the schedule so that we could mail our Christmas cards with the “Santa Claus” postage mark.

Getting to Rockport from our home in central Indiana was usually a five-hour drive, and that was always a fun trip with Mom, Dad, and my three sisters. We would load up the family car with snacks and games, and the trip to and from Rockport was always a great family time. We would normally make a stop in Bloomington on the way since it was near the halfway point and because we enjoyed a quick tour of the campus of Indiana University. My parents were both excellent singers, and they would lead the singing in the car, usually Christmas carols in preparation for the upcoming Christmas season, as well as lots of popular songs of the time. In my mind’s eye, I can visualize those trips with great fondness. Singing, eating, and playing games made the drive go by quickly.

My grandmother went out for Thanksgiving meals, and the table was usually overloaded with turkey and all the imaginable side dishes and desserts. In addition to our family, my Dad had a sister and three brothers, and it was not unusual for the siblings and the “cousins by the dozen” to show up as well. Rockport proved to be the perfect venue for our holiday family gatherings. Downtown Rockport, as it was, had a covered sidewalk, which somehow made us think of Western scenes. The large church was centrally located, and hikes in and around town, as well as a walk to the Ohio River overlook, were part of the fun. Because Rockport is and was a small town, everyone we met knew my Grandfather, and the greetings were always friendly: “Well, hello, Reverend Church! Is this your family?” Then, there are introductions all around with embellishments from Grandpa. We were “the smartest” grandchildren,” the most handsome and beautiful, and because we were from “out of town,” we were a bit of a novelty. Fun memories. 

On one memorable occasion, we were all seated around the dining room table, and after prodigious amounts of food had been consumed, it was time for the desserts. I wanted pumpkin pie, and in spite of her usual “all homemade” approach to her menu, Grandma had gotten some canned whipping cream. When it got to me, my Uncle Jim, seated next to me, told me that he would put some on my pie for me, and I protested!! I wanted to do it myself! We each tugged at the can of whipping cream, and somehow, in the process, I got my finger on the button and launched a stream of whipped cream onto Uncle Jim!! It is a family legend to this day.

As noted earlier, potato rolls are a personal favorite. You can find the recipe here, along with other fun recipes from fellow SLD members.