Docent Marcia Stone leads tours of the Patsy Cline house as homage to a friend in Mansfield, Ohio who is a lifelong fan of the world-famous singer from Winchester.

Scholarly research, ‘Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon,’ and house become elements of heritage tourism

 

By Albert C. Jones
America, The Diversity Place

WINCHESTER, Virginia — Docents in this historic house are inspired by and trained with a generous amount of biographical facts from “Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon.”

In fact, Douglas Gomery’s closely researched and heavily documented biography of Patsy Cline, who through the passing of time has evolved into a world-famous singer — some would say super star — is required reading for docents. Thumbnails are gleaned from the biography and scripted into talking points for the docents who lead tours of the house that Patsy Cline lived in with her maternal family.

“Cline,” Gomery says, “is more famous today than when she died in 1963.”

“Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon” is recommended reading for all those who have more than a passing interest in the life and times of a singer who died too young and whose musical abilities span country, whatever pop is at the time, blues and blue grass, folk and jazz. Her arrangements drift among guitars, bass, drums, piano and the dreamy strings of a big band.

As you read, you discover the thoughtfulness that spurred gravitating through various rivers of musical influences. “Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon” makes plain the flow and listening easily verifies this is the confidence she and those around her had in her voice. This assessment is not to be taken lightly in a career that ostensibly pegs a genre as country western.

Talking points from the script turn docents into role players. Twenty people, most responding to a notice in the local newspaper seeking volunteers, were trained as the first team of docents.

This is the first day tours are given to the public in the house that Virginia Patterson Hensley, known to the world as Patsy Cline, lived in as a teen and young woman in pursuit of a music career. Cline lived in this house from 1948 to 1953. Volunteers are active in the nonprofit Celebrating Patsy Cline Inc., which plans activities, including the annual block party that pays homage to the singer and assists with fund-raising.

Virginia Patterson Hensley was born September, 8, 1932, so her birthday party is held the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. On the first visit here, nearly a year come full circle, JudySue Huyett-Kempf showed the house and talked about plans for the house and plans to build a museum dedicated to Patsy Cline.

JudySue is president of Celebrating Patsy Cline. Nearly one year later, the house has been refurbished with some household belonging of Cline and her mother, Hilda Hensley. The house opened for tours on August 2, 2011, nearly one month before the annual block party.

JudySue says, “My word, it’s better than all expectations. It exceeds all expectations. It turned out wonderful.”

Shelda Longerbeau is just coming out of the house this afternoon with John, her husband. Mrs. Longerbeau chaired the six-member committee that raised the $100,000 it took to remodel the house and purchase period furnishings.

“I heard a lot about Patsy Cline over the year” she says. “The house was here and it needed to be renovated. My husband was in the military and everywhere we went there was always something being said about Patsy Cline. Her music was in the all the places that we ever lived.

“When they decided to do something about the house, I got on the fund-raising committee,” Mrs. Longerbeau says. “I knew some of the people on the board of Celebrating Patsy Cline.”

Contributors to the restoration include the Wilkins family, State Sen. Jill Holtzman, who represents District 27, and J. J. Smith and family, says Mr. Longerbeau.

“Everybody counts,” Mrs. Longerbeau says.

“There were a number of people who stepped up,” Mr. Longerbeau says.

“I love Patsy Cline’s music,” Mrs. Longerbeau says. “She can sing so many songs that are different and great. I think it is great for her to be recognized.”

Celebrating Patsy Cline, as an addition to restoring the house, would like to build an 800-square-foot pavilion in the back of the house with restrooms and a waiting area for visitors.

Inside, docent Marcia Stone is leading Darlene Gwyn and Barbara Vitol on a tour, beginning in the living room. Gwyn is from nearby Lansdowne and Leesburg areas. Vitol, a transplant from Texas, lives in the Ashburn, Virginia area.

Stone, who is serving as a docent in honor of a friend back home who adored Patsy Cline and loves country music, moved to Winchester in March 2011 from Mansfield, Ohio. She explains how Joe Stafford gave Cline her first break singing live on a weekly show here in the studio of WNIC radio.

Several years ago, docents will tell you, after wall covering was removed, it was discovered that the house is actually a log cabin.

“1898 is the earliest record we have for this house,” Judy Sue said during the first visit. “We think it may have been built in the middle 1700s.”

Inside the house, there is a place in the kitchen for Gomery, the author, to sign copies of “Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon.” He is sitting at a table with two small red chairs.

Without revealing too much from “Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon,” Gomery asserts that the singer was under the influence of big band singers long before she lived in Nashville and her songs started to appear on the country chart.

Officially, Gomery is historian for Celebrating Patsy Cline. “Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon,” 408 pages, is a release of Bloomington, Indiana-based Trafford Publishing. Gomery formerly taught Mass Media History at several universities, including the University of Maryland, from which he retired in 2005.

“This is the first thoroughly researched book on Patsy Cline,” JudySue says in a blurb that promotes the book. “It is true to Patsy and her legacy.”

Why write a book about Patsy Cline, which geminated as an idea from 1992, with research starting in 2000? That means “Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon” took more than 11 years from idea to published book.

“I started out with two objectives,” Gomery says. “First, I authenticate the sources I use. There is a source for every place I got information. There is no hearsay in the book. It’s not a book of public relations. I mean, it’s not designed to be a mass-market seller.

“Secondly,” Gomery says, “this organization has a lot of photographs that no one else in the world has and it has been very professional working with Celebrating Patsy Cline.”

Signed copies of “Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon” are available here at the house and online at various Web sites.

What are you proud of as a biographer?

“Most people assumed that she was a country singer,” Cline’s biographer says. “That was her least desire as a singer. Originally, she was influenced by the big band music she hears at Washington and Lee College in Lexington, Virginia. Her father operated the boiler system there and they lived in a house provided by the college that was close to the gymnasium where the big bands often played.

“She would sit in her bedroom and listen to the big bands, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw,” he says. “She wanted to pursue that style of music after listening for two years. That is not a classic introduction to music for a country singer. She really wanted to be a big band singer. In Winchester, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity. She had to sing country to make music.”

Cline often entered amateur singing contests at the theater downtown, Gomery says. “She always lost to 9-year-old Benny Brown.”

Brown grew up and became a deputy county manager of Guilford County, North Carolina. He has since retired.

Researcher Douglas Gomery avoided hearsay in favor of meticulous scholarly research in documenting life and career in “Patsy Cline: The Making of An Icon.”