Highland County Historical Society celebrates 50th anniversary, Part XXI
By Pamela Nickell
H.C. Historical Society
In the Children’s Room of the Highland House there very appropriately hangs a large 3’x4’ painting of a mother and child. In fact, we know it is a mother and child because a card on it reads: Rebecca Scott (Mrs. Daniel and daughter).
Daniel Scott was the author of “The Early Settlement of Highland County.”
Former Highland House Director Margaret Van Frank says that when she was redoing the Children’s Room, she was searching for just the right picture for the south wall of the room. It needed to be old, large, historical and pertinent to the theme of the room.
When this portrait was presented to the museum, she recognized it as beautiful and the perfect fit and it remains there today.
I had known nothing else about the picture. However, I was soon to learn. I received a call one day last week from Marvin Hakes who asked me when he could meet me at the Highland House to show me a few items of possible interest. Thirty minutes?
Soon, Director Vicki Knauff and summer intern Elizabeth House – who were already there – and I were excitedly poring over pictures and information, like pieces found for a precious jigsaw puzzle, and listening to Marvin’s story. Marvin was born and raised in a house the Naylors owned on the corner of North West and Somers streets. The Naylors lived next door at 144 Somers and they were lifelong friends.
In fact, Norman was an early employer of Marvin and also aided Marvin and his wife Pat in their early married life.
The first thing that caught my eye was an 8x10 glossy photograph of the painting with the artist standing before it. Marvin has a newspaper article published in 1971 that includes this photo which is again reprinted here.
From this picture, we know that the artist was Norman Naylor, whose ancestry goes back to the settlement of Highland County, and that the name of the little girl in the picture is Elizabeth. And we know that Rebecca Scott was his great-aunt. And, amazingly, the original photograph that served as the model for the painting is in a well-labeled album included in this gift that also includes many other family members and, rather surprisingly, a photo of General William Tecumseh Sherman. Connection? A piece of this puzzle? No fit yet!
Coincidentally, included with the items is a copy of Daniel Scott’s book, published in 1890, which is a collection of articles he wrote for the Hillsboro newspaper between 1854 and 1859.
Treasures, all! I continue to marvel at the good fortune of the HCHS and the unexpected gifts of knowledge.
This moment is history; label everything you have with names and dates.