This recently-scanned portrait comes from a glass plate negative labeled, "The Reverend Mr. Lockwood." Consulting city directories from the early 1900s, it seems likely that the gentleman in question is Reverend William W. Lockwood, who at that time was the pastor of Zion Episcopal Church in Hudson Falls. The portrait and city directories do not indicate, however, that the good Reverend was blessed with quite the green thumb. Thankfully, the June 24, 1913 edition of The Post-Star has us covered on that front.
The portrait and article make for a delightful juxtaposition. Reverend Lockwood might initially seem like a serious and perhaps slightly intimidating fellow, but he is immediately humanized when we envision him strolling through his garden, proudly toting around copious quantities of peas. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in this instance, a picture and short newspaper clipping combine to be worth infinitely more.
In 2021, there's something incredibly refreshing—almost poetic—about the whole scenario; not only is there a friendly pea-picking rivalry developing between Reverend Lockwood and A.R. Sherman, but it is playing out in the pages of a newspaper! Such quaint, lighthearted stories have been in short supply in our own papers this past year. With the coming of spring, though, the tide seems to be turning in our fight against COVID-19, and I’m sure we‘re all hoping to see many more of them in the near future. If there are any gardeners reading this, be sure to let us know if you end up giving Reverend Lockwood a run for his money. Something tells me he’d be glad to hear it.