Fallen Thoughts

:: 9.16.2002 ::

the small picture on the top left of this page was taken one afternoon as I was walking from a friends house in athens, ga. the subject is a large wooden railroad trestle that has been out of service for quite some time. the overall appearance of it - over a centuries worth of wear, the contrasting lines, and the way it emerges from its surroundings - coupled with the lush background just screamed photo op. the picture turned out well, and I thought it a fitting photograph for my personal journal. it depicts one of my favorite haunts, the biggest small town in the world, athens, georgia. the trestle also serves as a symbol for history, travel, and a link between people. perfect for an online journal, right? but little did I know, I was snapping a shot of a very special landmark to quite a few people. after hearing about a newspaper article on the trestle from my good friend Josh, I hopped on the web and was quite surprised at the fame of this dilapidated structure.

apparently, this trestle is the same one which graces the back cover of R.E.M.'s 1983 release, Murmur. in recent years, the fate of the trestle seemed bleak as city officials were faced with deciding what to do with the town's century old trestles. though others were destroyed and cleared away for access to the land they occupied, the murmur trestle was saved when countless fan emails poured into the mayor's inbox pleading for it to be spared.

since then, many fans have began making donations to help preserve the trestle and its legacy as a part of R.E.M.'s, and the town of athens' history. another large contribution was made by Ethan Kaplan of murmurs.com, using his oft-visited fansite to raise a considerable amount of money for the trestle through the sell of t-shirts. obviously, the band was very appreciative of their fan's support on the issue and have continued to return their support for the memorable landmark.

..and knowing is half the battle.

:: posted by Michael at 10:03 AM [+] ::

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