Living History with Naomi Chastain

I know a lot of people from all walks of life,” says Naomi Chastain, the head housekeeper at The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts for the past 40 years. “Most everybody in town knows me, and if I don’t know you, I’ll probably find a way to meet you.”

Naomi, also the head usher at United Methodist Church, has been a resident of the Highlands area since her birth in 1940. An anchor of the community, Naomi is loquacious but humble, a storyteller but also a listener. She has seen much and overcome much, all the while maintaining an ebullient outlook on life. Most people in their mid-80s slow down, but Naomi has no intention of stepping on the brakes.

“We can’t stand still,” she says. “We either move forward, or we are backing up.”

When talking to Naomi about the history of Highlands and other topics, it’s hard to believe that in her youth, she was painfully shy. In fact, when she transferred to Highlands School in the eighth grade, she was all but catatonic and wanted to drop out. Her teacher, John Gordon, however, had faith in her abilities, and with his coaxing, she gradually came out of her shell.

“I ended up in the front row of the class, and one day even recited the Preamble to the Constitution,” she recalls. While acknowledging her debt to Mr. Gordon, the talkative Naomi also notes that today some of her friends jokingly ask, “Why did he unloose your tongue?”

Naomi’s greatest challenge came in 2007 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that metastasized into her spine. The prognosis was bleak, and she was informed by a doctor that even if she survived, a spinal operation was all but certain to keep her from walking again.

Naomi had another idea. She would face the challenge with the most powerful tool that she knew of — prayer, from herself and those close to her, including members of her church.

“Prayer is the thing, but not the only thing,” she says. “You have to have faith that when you pray, your prayer will be answered, and I’m the living proof that it will be.”

Born a Talley, Naomi married E.J. Chastain, a tradesman who helped build the Cold Springs development off Shortoff Road, in 1957. He passed away in 2000 after 43 years of marriage. They had their first of two children, a daughter, just as Naomi was turning 18. Today, their progeny include two children, four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. “At Thanksgiving, there were 36 people in my house,” she says. “What else is more valuable to us than our families?”

People like Naomi give Highlands its institutional and historic memory. She recalls when authorities turned the only traffic light in town, on Main Street, to flashing yellow after Labor Day. “Houses weren’t winterized back then, so most people left, and there wasn’t enough traffic to keep it on.”

One of her favorite pastimes growing up was square dancing at Helen’s Barn, not far from town. “There was a lot of moonshine going around outside, and sometimes the boys would fight, but they always kept us safe inside.”

“At Bill’s Soda Shop on Main Street, ice cream cones cost 8 cents,” she recalls, and the pharmacist, operating out of what is now Mirror Lakes Antiques by the Old Edwards Inn, served as the town’s de facto doctor.

Two eccentric gentlemen often seen about town were known for their ability to predict the weather, including how many days it would snow in the winter. Though they were reluctant to share their knowledge, Naomi convinced them to teach her the technique. This entailed a complicated formula for monitoring the fog on August mornings.

“I’ve been right in my forecast about snow for all but two times in the last 15 years,” she says, “but I won’t try to predict for this year. It was foggy for too many days for me to make an accurate prediction.”

Naomi looks back nostalgically at life in Highlands, but she’s not one to pine for the old days.“Progress had to come to Highlands and thank God it did,” she says. “More houses brought more work. So many trades went into the building, and then there’s the upkeep. It’s a cycle that brought prosperity.”

That prosperity allowed for the flourishing of The Bascom, in which Naomi takes personal pride. “No one keeps the place clean like me,” she says. Naomi has high praise for the benefactors, in part because of the scholarships and other assistance the organization provides through its outreach programs to young people who want to expand their understanding of arts and crafts.

She acknowledges there are some downsides to all the growth, including the difficulty of finding a parking space on Main Street. Gated communities also present some drawbacks. “I miss not being able to show the children in my family some of the places I enjoyed when I was their age.”

Highlands, however, has managed to maintain a friendly, small-town ambience, due in no small measure to people like Naomi. She serves as a link to the past, but also, perhaps, an oracle of the future as more people realize that social media posts are poor substitutes for actual human contact and face-to-face conversations.

“Of all people, I am most richly blessed,” she says, adding as this conversation comes to an end: “Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, and nudge me when I’ve said enough.”