Wow! That Oughta Be In a Museum!

A Sacred Place

Like her mother Charlesetta, Angela Bates Tompkins collects Nicodemus history. Angela, however, collects stories.

Although she grew up in California, Angela always considered Nicodemus her home. Every summer her family returned for the annual Emancipation Celebration, where Angela heard stories about her hometown's history.

Angela began recording her experiences at the Celebration as a teenager. In 1989 she moved back to Nicodemus.

Today she collects almost anything dealing with the town, but her focus is the stories she records for future generations.

For many people collecting brings an element of sacredness or magic to their lives. Angela feels this strongly.

"When I hear those stories I want to keep them. They are a part of Nicodemus and I want to keep them as a part of me. . . . I think Nicodemus is a sacred place. . . . I feel blessed that I am a part of Nicodemus."

Pictured above, Angela Bates Tompkins in Nicodemus, where she helped found the Nicodemus Historical Society.

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