Thought there might be some interest in a recent field trip I made to the Florida home of Robert H. Barlow where HPL visited for some months back in the 1930s.

There has been some recent scholarship on the location published as "H. P. Lovecraft in Florida," by Stephen J. Jordan, in Lovecraft Studies 42-43.

Bobby Barlow's father Colonel Everett Darius Barlow received a military homestead for the property near Deland and Mt. Dora, FL and the two story home with handsome cypress log siding was built circa 1933-35.

One neglected detail about the area: Bobby's mother Bernice Leach Barlow, while reportedly having returned to the Leavenworth, KS area after her separation from Col. Barlow ca. 1936, returned to their Florida home, died there in 1962 and is buried in the local Seminole Springs Cemetery, Cassia, FL.

The lake behind the house where Bobby and HPL reportedly spent many afternoons rowing and talking has nearly gone dry.

Here are some images for consideration...

exterior 1:

exterior 2:

cypress siding:

Bernice Leach Barlow gravestone:

Col. Barlow biography:

Barlow homestead satellite image from Google maps:



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 7 Nov 07 | 06:49PM by Vance Pollock.

Fascinating! Thanks for posting these images. It's nice to see that a place that held so many happy memories for Lovecraft is still there.

I notice that young Robert's middle name was garbled in the biography of his dad... :-)

Yrs
Martin

P. S. Unless memory has deserted me completely now, I think that Wayne Barlow also went into the military. IIRC, he passed away in 2000.

I spoke with a lady from Cassia who knew Mrs. Barlow, was friends with some of the Leach family cousins who visited at Dunrovin' and attended her funeral. She said Wayne was the only family member in attendance and to the best of her memory Wayne and his wife then lived somewhere in south Florida, perhaps West Palm.

My research has led to a Social Security death record for Everett Wayne Barlow in Sarasota, FL 1992 (from memory... I can verify with details easily enough if there is interest). Did anyone communicate with Wayne in later years re: his brother, HPL and other acquaintances? I would love to hear of his reminisces. I have also read that he was in the military. I believe his widow still lives in a retirement home in Sarasota and that they had no children. I have not gotten any email response from the management of the home re: her current condition, whether lucid, healthy or otherwise, but perhaps this matter deserves a phone call or two.

Here is Col. Barlow's burial data from the veterans cemetery grave locator service:

BARLOW, EVERETT DARIUS
United States Army
DATE OF BIRTH: 06/28/1881
DATE OF DEATH: 03/31/1952
BURIED AT: SECTION 2 SITE E408
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

The folks I spoke with in Cassia who knew the Barlows were not aware of their divorce. This was probably not a fond topic for public chatter in those days (circa 1936). Also, when Bernice died the property was left to her nephew... this could indicate a family rift in which Wayne took sides with the Colonel... or perhaps he and his wife were well-settled and had no need or desire for the estate.

I would love to see the Barlow family photo album. Has anyone seen or heard of Florida photographs from the Barlow collection other than the often seen image of HPL, Bobby, Bernice and Wayne in front of the house?

Bobby's middle name gets slaughtered quite alot. I've seen it given as Howard, Haywood, Harwood etc. For the record, of course, he was Robert Hayward Barlow.

Is the house open for tours or visitors, or does someone live in the house now?

We lived at Dunrovin at different times as Mrs Barlow was my Aunt and when my Dad was in between jobs and looking for work we lived with her. As I was young at the time I didn't really pay much attention to any kind of history but did know she and her husband were divorced at that time, early 40s.

I never knew Robert but saw Wayne at different times. I didn't know any of Robert's history or his acquaintance with Lovecraft until I read it online. I do remember seeing a lot of his magazines stored in my aunt's closet upstairs. I've always wondered what happened to that treasure trove.

Wayne's son by his first marriage lives in Edmond Ok. He was a year younger than myself and was at Dunrovin Christmas of 1942. I remember my aunt saying that Bob (Robert) had a little cabin the far side of the lake behind her house at one time. I don't know if there was a road that went around and over to it or if he took a boat across the lake. I think by time we were there it had fallen down or was in disrepair.

I've been trying to find out if Wayne's wife is still alive but since I didn't get a Christmas card last year I doubt she is. I will be asking Wayne,(the son) when I send his Christmas card.

I'll have to look and see what pictures I may have. I wasn't aware of who she left her property to. I do know that Wayne and Sara sent me a few souvenirs from Aunt Bernice's house. I always loved that place and when I got married my husband and I went from Ca. to Fl. on our honeymoon and spent a week or so with her. She died the following year. I wish I had asked more about the family history but regretfully didn't do so.

It was the posting of the picture at Find a Grave that got me started trying to find more about family history. Thank you Vance for posting that picture.

Canfid,thank you for sharing your family history with us. I'm a vast collector of Barlow items and have many of his stuff. Tell me, do you know what kind of person Barlow was? Nice? Quiet? Sociable? And do any pictures of him exist? I bet, like movie stars, we fail to recognize that they are regular people like us, huh?

My enjoyment of Lovecraft led me to become a writer and discover my family history as well. I'm related to 2nd president of the USA John Adams.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 13 Dec 10 | 09:11AM by OConnor,CD.

There is at least 1 photo of Barlow that I know of, the one in question being in I Am Providence vol. 2.

Phillip

Blog: The Cruellest Month -- [the-cruellest-month.blogspot.com.au]
Website: [www.phillipaellis.com]

OConnor,CD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Canfid,thank you for sharing your family history
> with us. I'm a vast collector of Barlow items and
> have many of his stuff. Tell me, do you know what
> kind of person Barlow was? Nice? Quiet? Sociable?
> And do any pictures of him exist?

The best collection of pictures of RHB that I've seen was in Kenneth Faig's R. H. Barlow (alas, published in only 200 copiesin 2000).

>
> My enjoyment of Lovecraft led me to become a
> writer and discover my family history as well. I'm
> related to 2nd president of the USA John Adams.

And HPL was related to the two Bushes, George and George W. :)

Yrs
Martin

OConnor,CD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Canfid,thank you for sharing your family history
> with us. I'm a vast collector of Barlow items and
> have many of his stuff. Tell me, do you know what
> kind of person Barlow was? Nice? Quiet? Sociable?
> And do any pictures of him exist? I bet, like
> movie stars, we fail to recognize that they are
> regular people like us, huh?
>
> My enjoyment of Lovecraft led me to become a
> writer and discover my family history as well. I'm
> related to 2nd president of the USA John Adams.

From what I've uncovered, in my researches for an essay I plan to call "L'Affaire Barlow," Bob was definitely an Uebernerd, if not full-blown Aspergers. He lacked social skills and alienated many associates in amateurdom and the Lovecraft Circle because of this. His relentless quest for rare literary artifacts alienated many people. He was apparently quite obviously and stereotypically Gay in his personal mannerisms, although I am relying on letters from Howard Wandrei who may have been somewhat homophobic (Sam Loveman didn't care for him either, although I doubt that it was for the same reason as Loveman was himself Gay). Regardless of all this, I am grateful to him for all he did to preserve HPL and CAS's papers.

Scott

Small side note for all literary friends here - the word "homophobia" is a made-up word whose only function is pejorative, based on the common pejorative use of "homo" - however, it is of Greek prefix and root origin, and, after consulting with several of my brother Philologists and Logophiles, and students of Etymology, I must insist that this term, among the literate, be dropped - it's actual meaning is "fear of boredom" - ie - fear of things being the same all the time - a correct Greek term, if one really needs one, would have to be the awkward "arsenkoitsphobia" - the pathological fear of men emulating coitus - sorry guys - I just get almost as upset by this as the use of "impact" as verb - (shudder)

Small side note for all literary friends here - the word "homophobia" is a made-up word whose only function is pejorative, based on the common pejorative use of "homo" - however, it is of Greek prefix and root origin, and, after consulting with several of my brother Philologists and Logophiles, and students of Etymology, I must insist that this term, among the literate, be dropped - it's actual meaning is "fear of boredom" - ie - fear of things being the same all the time - a correct Greek term, if one really needs one, would have to be the awkward "arsenkoitsphobia" - the pathological fear of men emulating coitus - sorry guys - I just get almost as upset by this as the use of "impact" as verb - (shudder) - as to the behavior itself I am indifferent save in the ordination of practitioners to various positions in the Clergy - (double shudder)

Amen to Calonlan's remarks, above! I would add that I am even more paleo-conservative in my language usage. For instance, I still resent the immeasurable loss of the word "gay", and I refuse to use it with reference to homosexuals.

Anyway, carry on, re. Barlow. He's of no great interest to me, by himself. I'll be interested, however, to read Scott's recounting of the dust-ups in which he was involved. My impression is that Donald Wandrei is the one who poisoned CAS against Barlow.

calonlan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it's actual meaning is "fear of boredom" - ie - fear of things
> being the same all the time - a correct Greek
> term, if one really needs one, would have to be
> the awkward "arsenkoitsphobia"

With a little oral practice, I suppose we could manage to handle it. However, this analysis is only partly valid from a lexicological viewpoint (not that many people even bother to wonder what this branch of linguistics is really about, but well...). It is true that homo in homophobia looks deceitfully like it was merely the greek root meaning “same”. In homophone (“a word having the same sound as another”) homo is indeed what the lexicographers from Oxford call a combining form. But in homophobia there is more about it, if we care to consider how, and when the word was coined (and this is what linguistics is about, after all). In homophobia, homo is actually the result of the process we call back-clipping (or apocope): homo stands for homosexual and is meant to retain its full meaning. Just as mo stands for modulator, in modem. Homophobia is actually an instance of modern compounding, and is not to be confused with neoclassic compounds like homophone, electrocardiography, biozoology, chromolithograph, etc. Another good example of neoclassic compounding including phobia would be arachnophobia, where arachno is indeed but the greek root meaning “spider”, and doesn't stand for anything else. In other words, context (i.e. “when”, “why” and “how”) is of paramount importance when analyzing words. Besides, a life ruled according to strict etymological guidings would be rather embarrassing. Would you eat a salty fruit salad? Well, some people do, yes. No offense meant, but I wouldn't.
I wonder what CAS' position what concerning that matter. I mean, etymology, neologisms, etc.

Philippe

an interesting excursion, however, I maintain my position as do my colleagues - "homo" in this context is in no way connected with the Latin - or should not be -
Side bar - you might enjoy "www.lexfiles.com" - my internet friend John Robertson has written a fun little book about "phobias" and his sight is most enjoyable - on his home page is a link at the bottom called "the basic 14" - I often refer parent to this link, since an industrious child (in the absence of Latin in the public schools) can take a year or two and master the thrust of the meanings of the prefixes and roots of these words and then have the skill to decode over 140,000 English words - over the years this has typically been worth around 300 points on the SAT - good for a shot at a scholarship - (I am the parent of 7 BA's and two MA's thus far - and, to my chagrin, a couple of lawyers who raised their SAT score through my coaching sufficiently to get their degree and then do the grad work for the law degree - "mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa" -

Also, Chipougne, you must forgive us Americans if we are a little zealous, perhaps sometimes misguidedly so, in our defense of proper usage. Unlike the French, we lack the good fortune of having our language guided by the educated and the intelligent. Instead, as with most things, our language development is guided by the mob--with the enthusiastic support, I should add, of descriptive linguists. Talk about le trahison des clercs!