Up Ferguson Way

A fictional work by Pulitzer-prize winner Louis Bromfield, 'Up Ferguson Way' would epitomize all that was Louis Bromfield. First appearing as a chapter in Pleasant Valley, 'Up Ferguson Way' was set at the high meadowed prairie at Malabar Farm that bore its name. William Ferguson was one of the earliest settlers to the valley. He had crossed the Alleghenies and struck a partnership with the native Delaware tribes in the area. Later the log cabin in which he resided in during these fur trading expeditions would become his permanent home.

The log cabin was later abandoned for a more modern structure. The steps of this home are still evident within the wood line and just off the old wagon wheel grooved road. It was upon this meadow where Bromfield escaped the pressures of life. He thought it felt as though he entered another world when he rose to the high land. He thought it held a certain mystical power and many today believe it does. It is rumored that a series of lay lines cross the beautiful valley wall. It is also true that an American Chestnut, one of the few still in Richland County, grows near Ferguson Meadow.

And so this mystical place with all the qualities for a Pulitzer-prize winning author to romanticize about became the setting for this interesting chapter in Pleasant Valley. Yet another twist evolves around the mysterious character named Zenobia, topping off yet another master piece by Louis Bromfield.

Phoebe Wise, an eccentric hermit from Mansfield Ohio, was later revealed to be the inspiration behind Zenobia. Phoebe was in fact a Bromfield relative who the young man remembered while growing up in the bustling city of Mansfield. She left such an impact on young Louis that her life would become intertwined in his fictional works.