Reflections on A Place called Merry Mount

mrymntcpw
Jul 25, 2021
2 min read

7/25/21

Today we celebrate the eighth year anniversary of our move to Merry Mount 7/25/13. The property located outside of Mount Sterling, Ohio in Madison County, is approximately three acres and contains a farmhouse, a barn, and a garden shed. Surrounded by “big sky” and a thousand acres of corn and soybeans, the location provides spectacular views. Thrilled by our new home, we sought an appropriate name and therefore consulted our close friend and neighbor Victoria “Vivi” Elwood (see myfriendboughtafarm.blogspot.com). She suggested that since we were close to the small town of Mount Sterling, we should consider a name related to “sterling”. After some consideration, instead of “sterling,” “mount” came to mind- Merry Mount.

A place called Merry Mount. Why a place name? To some, it may seem pretentious, but in our enthusiasm, we reveled in our excitement over “living a dream”.

Most often, a place name designates a location, but sometimes the people that occupy the place and the events that occur there give added significance to the name. Consider Mount Vernon, Benbulbin, Bredon, Capricorn, Nohant or Howard's End. Each place has either historical significance or has inspired artistic expression or both.

I googled Merrymount and was led to The Maypole of Merrymount, a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Early in the story, the following passage appears:

“May, or her mirthful spirit, dwelt all the year round at Merry Mount, sporting with the Summer months, and revelling with Autumn, and basking in the glow of Winter's fireside. Through a world of toil and care she flitted with a dreamlike smile, and came hither to find a home among the lightsome hearts of Merry Mount.”

Today, eight years later, we can reflect on numerous times of joyous merriment. We all live through a perpetual motion picture, but certain moments frozen in photos provide snapshots of the now that become the past. While there are many wonderful snapshots from the past eight years from which to choose, what follow are a selected few.