We met her exactly one year ago. Riding on the rail trail out of North Bend State Park campground, we popped out of the forest briefly to pass through the hamlet of Cairo, when I saw a lovely woman standing in an open meadow area. The meadow was overgrown, much debris lay all around — glass, cinder blocks, tree limbs, hundreds of glass bottles — but it was the glass gazebo that caught my eye. I called out to her, we stopped to chat, and thus began my curiosity for the place.
When we rode the same trail the other day, one year later, to our delight there she stood on the property, this time with her partner. Another interesting conversation ensued, leading to the idea of my writing this blog post, for which they gave their permission.
The Cairo Novelty Company made a lot of marbles in the late 1940s! At one time, they were one of the largest marble making companies in the United States. Marble making was a version of early recycling, as existing glass was melted, then shaped into spheres. The history of this particular marble factory is a bit murky with some discrepant information offered online. I did luck out to meet the Cairo “historian” who was born, raised, and still living in this tiny community; he was able to provide some clarification. Although the history of the marble factory is quite interesting, it is the couple who own the land now–and their intention to turn it into a retreat space–that I find compelling.
E and G are a bohemian couple with immense artistic talent and an eclectic vision for this land. [They also own properties “in town”; literally, Cairo is two intersecting streets with a few homes, a couple of quiet shops, one diner, and an old post office with functioning mail delivery as well as an adjacent thrift shop. There are many additional homes tucked into the river canyon.]
E and G once had an art gallery in Brooklyn, they have lived in Italy for an extended time, and there was a passing reference to having owned a yoga studio at some point. He is a trained electrical engineer, which has apparently come in handy as they build out the property, adding a flowing water feature, planting an extensive ornamental garden, and installing decorative lighting to illuminate their beautiful creations. She is a ceramic artist, and although she has a kiln in their hardware store-turned workshop-turned living space-turned gallery, she no longer sells her marvelous work. In her past, E made weavings, wood workings, and free form ceramic art. Now, she creates art for the pure joy of it, and to display as functional art as they develop the property.
I do hope to be in touch with E and G in the future. Not only are we returning to North Bend State Park later this summer for more riding and camping, but I am hoping that they will appreciate Evansville grown and prepared fig jam in exchange for the few gifted marbles I found in Cairo, West Virginia.
