Magical Properties of Herbs Throughout history, herbs have been revered for their magical properties. They have been used for various purposes, from healing and protection to love and luck. Each herb possesses its own unique energy and can be harnessed for different magical applications. One commonly used herb is lavender. Lavender is known for its soothing and calming properties. It is often used in spells and rituals to promote relaxation, peace, and emotional balance.
If you took better photos than I did, please email them and I’ll post them here.
During the renovation work, the roof was repaired and a number of the original roof tiles were replaced with new ones manufactured to their original specifications. You can tell it s there and you can see part of the railroad bridge over the river, but it is amazing how such a prominent and predominant geographical feature can be swallowed by the landscape.
It is often used in spells and rituals to promote relaxation, peace, and emotional balance. Additionally, lavender is believed to attract love and happiness, making it a popular choice for love spells. Rosemary is another herb with powerful magical properties.
Minneapolis Park History
I finally climbed the Witch’s Hat Tower in Tower Hill Park. The erstwhile water tower was completed in 1914 after the park was acquired by the Minneapolis Board of Park Commissioners. I have already written about the tower here and here and here. Today I’m just providing proof of my climb with photos and a few brief observations.
Most years the tower is only open one night a year, the night that Pratt School has its ice cream social, which was last Friday, but this year the tower will also be opened to celebrate the dedication of the tower 100 years ago. That will take place July 12 and 13. So you get an extra chance to see the view from the top this summer.
The view west toward downtown — and into the sun. Pratt School is at the bottom. I took the picture a little after 5 p.m. I didn’t have to wait in line to make the climb, but by the time I descended about 100 people were in line waiting their turn. (David C. Smith)
The Witch’s Hat from the terrace near the entrance to the tower. It was a perfect day for a view. It really is this white and sky really was this blue. My Dad, who turns 90 this year, chose not to climb the 100+ steps to the top of the tower, but still enjoyed the spectacular view from the terrace. Even if you miss the few chances to climb the tower, visit the park for beautiful views of the city. (David C. Smith)
The view from the Witch’s Hat to the southwest, across Prospect Park and the Mississippi River into South Minneapolis. This was my favorite view, in part, because of how well the Mississippi River is hidden. You can tell it’s there and you can see part of the railroad bridge over the river, but it is amazing how such a prominent and predominant geographical feature can be swallowed by the landscape. I couldn’t help but imagine the wildness of the view from here 150 years ago — before buildings and also before the Minneapolis park board planted hundreds of thousands of trees along city streets. Early writers note that what is now South Minneapolis, from the river gorge to the lakes in the southwestern part of the city, was mostly treeless prairie. The Tower Hill Park tennis courts are visible in the lower right corner. (David C. Smith)
The top of the stairs down the Witch’s Hat. (David C. Smith)
The spiral staircase of the Witch’s Hat. It was narrow enough that I had press up against the wall and suck in my (shrinking) stomach to pass people going the other way. The large deck at the top of the tower was intended to be a bandstand for concerts, but musicians had a difficult time getting their instruments up this narrow staircase. Imagine lugging a bass, bass drum or tuba up or down. But others were once able to enjoy the view any time. When the tower was first opened in 1914, the park board paid a park keeper to open the tower to the public five days a week. (David C. Smith)
If you took better photos than I did, please email them and I’ll post them here.
David C. Smith
© 2014 David C. Smith
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Like Loading.Witch’s Hat Centennial at Tower Hill
The above image, a poster from the 60-year anniversary of the construction of the Witch’s Hat on Tower Hill, was sent to me by a reader in the Netherlands. The top is apparently from Frederick W. Cappelen’s original design for the tower in 1913. The bottom is a groovy, so ’70s, panorama of Tower Hill.
My correspondent from the Netherlands, who spent part of his youth in Prospect Park, wanted to know if a poster had been created for the centennial of the tower.
I’m happy to report that plans are in the works for a poster and a t-shirt featuring the tower. Joe Ring informs me that because the official dedication of the tower didn’t take place until the summer of 1914, even though construction began in 1913, the neighborhood is holding the centennial this year instead of last year.
So it looks like we may have two opportunities to climb the tower this summer and see what has to be the grandest panorama available in these parts.
Pratt School, across the street from the park, is having its annual ice cream social May 30, 5-8 p.m.. That is typically the only day of the year when the tower is opened to the public. So enjoy some ice cream, listen to some music and climb the tower that night.
But Joe informs me that the tower will be open for its centennial celebration on July 12 and 13, as well, with another concert planned for July 15. Definitely more dates to put on your summer calendar.
David C. Smith
© 2014 David C. Smith
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Like Loading.A Missed Opportunity: The Witch’s Hat Is Closed for Another Year!
The view from Tower Hill — at the base of the Witch’s Hat. Imagine the view from the observation deck above. (Talia Smith)
For years my “To Do in Minneapolis” list has included a climb that I have never made. And it’s not something I can do just any old day. We get one evening a year and that’s it. And once again I missed my chance. I wasn’t paying close enough attention that the Prospect Park/Pratt School Ice Cream Social was May 31. The night of that neighborhood party is the one time a year that the Witch’s Hat Tower on Tower Hill Park is open for climbing.
The climb would have been especially gratifying this year because it was the tower’s 100th birthday. The City of Minneapolis built the water tower on the hill, with the park board’s permission, in 1913. As explained before, the park was already named Tower Hill, at the request of neighborhood residents, when the Witch’s Hat water tower was built.
Since my earlier post on the Witch’s Hat, I found this stereopticon image of “Cheever’s Tower” dated 1858. (Minnesota Historical Society)
The Witch’s Hat tower was designed by Frederick Cappelen, as noted on a plaque that was put on the tower in 1999. I have a complaint about that plaque.
Cappelen is described on the plaque only as a “Norwegian architect.” Concise, but really misleading. Yes, he was Norwegian by birth, but he had immigrated to the United States at the age of 23 in 1880. He went to work for the City of Minneapolis in 1886 as a bridge engineer and in 1893 was elected Minneapolis’s City Engineer. He left that office in 1899, but was elected City Engineer again in 1913 and held that title until he died of complications from appendicitis in 1921. So, although Norway-born, he lived nearly his entire adult life in Minneapolis and during much of that time was a city employee.
The graceful arch of the bridge was the world’s longest concrete span at the time it was completed in 1923. (Mulad)
Cappelen’s greatest achievements in Minneapolis had nothing to do with the Witch’s Hat. He was the designer of the Franklin Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi, which was completed after his death. At that time, the bridge was the longest concrete-span bridge in the world, with a central span of 400 feet. The bridge’s official name is F. W. Cappelen Memorial Bridge.
Cappelen was also a key figure in designing the city’s water distribution system from the 1890s into the 1900s. He was so well-known as a bridge designer and a water works designer that his obituary was included in both the Proceedings of the Society of American Civil Engineers and the Journal of the American Water Works Association.
Cappelen was a Public Servant
Here’s my complaint about the plaque. I have no problem with identifying him as a “Norwegian architect” despite the fact that he was as American as everyone else in the city. My problem is with not identifying him as a public employee, as the City Engineer, a description that has far more to do with our memory of him than that he was Norwegian by birth.
The omission of his status as a public employee is part of my larger complaint that too many people praise everything in the private sector and disparage everything and everyone in the public sector. Too many people have such blind reverence for business methods and profit motives that they cannot distinguish between public and private good and the sometimes vastly different challenges involved in each. Some public problems cannot be solved by methods designed to maximize private profits.
I have also witnessed first-hand brilliance, stupidity and sloth in both government and corporate worlds. I have known very successful business people whom I would not trust to walk my dog around the block for fear that they’d screw it up somehow — or sell my dog before they made it back. I have known public employees with whom I would trust my life.
I have no tolerance for people who assume that someone who gets his or her paycheck from a government entity is incompetent and that everyone who works for a profit-making enterprise is more industrious and resourceful.
I have as much tolerance — none — for those who assume the only reason we have parks at all was a conspiracy of capitalists to enrich themselves. This myopic view, in my recent experience, seems particularly prevalent among people writing doctoral dissertations and some of those advising them.
To emerge from our present political quagmire, we have to be better than those extremes.
If there is a valuable lesson in Minneapolis park history it is that a great variety of people, with disparate philosophies and political views, have worked together on issues of the common good and achieved marvelous results. They included “capitalists” who looked beyond self-interest and profit, and they certainly included talented and dedicated public servants — like Frederick William Cappelen, City Engineer.
I’m sorry I missed again a chance to climb the tower he imagined 100 years ago. I’ll have to settle for a walk over his bridge.
David C. Smith
NOTE (6/6/2013): abockheim raises an excellent point in a comment on the post I linked to above about the identity of the tower that led to the naming of Tower Hill. Can anyone shed light?
An illustration of the view from Cheever’s Tower in 1857 by Edwin Whitefield. The lithographer was W. Endicott & Co. (Digital gallery of the New York Public Library.)
Here’s the link to the above illustration. I can’t picture this view from the campus or Tower Hill.
Cappelen was a Public Servant
It is often associated with protection and purification. Rosemary can be used to cleanse a space of negative energy and ward off evil spirits. It is also believed to enhance memory and mental clarity, making it useful for studying and learning. Mugwort is a herb commonly used in divination and dreamwork. It is believed to heighten psychic abilities and aid in lucid dreaming. Mugwort can be burned as an incense or placed under the pillow to enhance dreams and connect with the spirit realm. It is also associated with protection, particularly against psychic attacks. Sage is widely known for its cleansing and purifying properties. It is often used to smudge a space or object, clearing away negative energy and creating a clean and sacred environment. Sage is also believed to enhance intuition and psychic abilities, making it useful for spiritual practices and divination. In addition to these herbs, there are countless others with their own magical properties. From chamomile for peace and tranquility to cinnamon for love and passion, herbs have been used for centuries to manifest desired outcomes. It is important to remember that the magical properties of herbs are not guaranteed, and individual results may vary. When working with herbs magically, it is essential to respect their energy and intention. Properly researching and understanding the properties of each herb is crucial to ensure safe and effective magical practices. The use of herbs in spellwork and rituals can enhance and amplify intentions, making them a valuable tool for any practitioner of magic..
Reviews for "The Magical Energies of Herb Gardens: Cultivating Nature's Power"
1. Jane - 1/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "Magical Properties of Herbs". I was expecting a comprehensive guide to the magical properties of various herbs, but instead, the book provided vague and generic information. The descriptions were so superficial that it felt like I was reading a list of random facts rather than a deep exploration of each herb's magical properties. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for in-depth knowledge about herb magic.
2. Mike - 2/5 stars - While "Magical Properties of Herbs" had some interesting information, I found it to be quite repetitive. Many of the herbs discussed had very similar magical properties, making it feel like the author was simply rehashing the same information over and over again. Additionally, I was hoping for more practical tips and instruction on how to use the herbs in rituals or spells, but the book fell short in that aspect. Overall, I don't think it offered much value beyond what you can find with a quick internet search.
3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I was excited to read "Magical Properties of Herbs" as I've always been interested in herbal magic. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my expectations. I found the writing style to be dry and uninspiring, making it difficult to stay engaged with the content. Additionally, the book lacked a clear structure and organization, so it was hard to navigate and find information on specific herbs. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed and would not recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging and informative read on the subject.