Tuesday, June 14

Fredericksburg

At times I thought this day would never get here (usually when I was climbing 70 steps to someone’s top floor), and yet today we go home! It has definitely been an exciting trip full of sweat, loads of laughter, a few tears, many aching muscles, lots of fun, interesting sights, and an occasional bit of road trip aggravation (especially on the way to the airport!). 

Dr. Greer being our guide.  Unlike other guides, we do not seem to intimidate him!

We started the morning off headed to the Battle of Fredericksburg, where our own Dr. Greer became our guide to get us started. The Battle of Fredericksburg was one of four battles fought within a 17 mile radius. 

Fredericksburg Museum

It was a “resounding Confederate victory that left the fields around Fredericksburg blanketed with Union dead and wounded”. Led by Robert E. Lee, the Confederates held off Ambrose Burnside’s Union troops. The fighting took place in an area occupied by farmers, tradesmen, merchants, and families. These battles destroyed the land, homes, and countryside.  The Battle of Fredericksburg fueled the debate of war and the “wisdom of emancipation”. 

Sunken Road and bullet riddled interior wall

 Manassas

Manassas Battlefield

Our next stop was Manassas, also known as Bull Run. Northerners named battles after creeks and rivers, and Southerners named them after towns. Of all the battlefields we have been to, this one seems to have some of the most unusual of happenings.  There were two significant battles at Manassas that shaped much of the war, but there were two happenings that make this battlefield most interesting (at least to me)!

• After 10 hours of battle, both sides realized this was not going to be neither an easy fight nor a short war.  Interestingly as the Union troops led by Gen. Irvin McDowell passed through Washington, the citizens and congressmen with wine and picnic baskets followed them to the battlefield to watch, as if this was going to be a social entertainment for their pleasure. Then at the end of the battle when the same soldiers were trying to retreat they were slowed down due to the jammed roadway of the picnic groups heading back to Washington. 

http://poemsfromthebattlefield.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/535/

•  As help arrived to backup Col. Nathan Evans’ small group of men, a troop led by Bernard Bee was among them. You may have never heard of this gentleman, but he made a statement that changed the name and face of someone. He said, “There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians”.  Do you have to guess what was so famous in what he said? That was how “Stonewall” Jackson got his nickname!

Monday, June 13, part C ( for coolest place yet!!)

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Okay, go dig a nickle out of your purse or pocket. Have it in hand? Flip it to the backside and look at the picture on it. If your eyesight is good, you can even read the word under the picture. Yes, that says Monticello! It can also be seen on the back of a two-dollar bill, unfortunately I did not have one of those handy.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello is on the back of the nickle.

Has to be one of my favorite places we visited! Thomas Jefferson's story was everywhere we went. He was a very dedicated man to his country, family, and followed his dreams and heart's desires! He was definitely a man who shaped the future of our country, a man with ideas, and some might say a man born before his time.

• Father of the Declaration of Independence
• Serves in Virginia House of Delegates
• Governor of Virginia
• Elected to Congress
• Minister to France
• Secretary of State
• Vice President
• President

He is  for several notable achievements as President, including:

• The Louisiana Purchase
• The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Monticello was like a work of art for Jefferson. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the house. The house was originally began construction in 1769. After going to France, he returned and tore down part of the house and redid it, wanting to incorporate some new architectural design he saw while there. Of all the houses we saw, this one had the neatest features.

• Upon walking up the front steps, one can see a clock over the door. This is a two faced clock, the outside only showed the hour hand, only the inside face had a minute hand on it also. The clock was tied to a gong that would sound each hour, loud enough to be heard in the fields.  The clock was run by a system of cords, pulleys, and weights (cannonballs). The weights were also set to keep track of the day of the week. Watch this short video to see the clock and cannonball calendar. Jefferson devised a fold up type ladder to reach the clock once a week it had to be wound with a key. 

• Under the house was a walk way that led to the wine cellar, beer cellar, kitchen, and privy. There is also a dumbwaiter built into the sides of the mantle of the dining room fireplace to bring wine up from the cellar. Jefferson wanted a way to get to these places without having to brave bad weather. From the tunnel there is a set of stairs that come up in the middle to about the dining room. In the dining area, there is a rotating door with shelves on one side. That way the food could be brought up, placed there, and then a house maid could serve it.

Photo from http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/revolving-serving-door

•  On top of the house was the Dome room (70 some odd steps up and back!). It was a uniquely shaped room with great windows. I think the most unique part of the room were the doors that you would assume opened to a balcony of some kind but really only opened to a storage space. The floor was painted green to "bring in some outside".

Dome Room

•  The grounds around Monticello were just as spectacular as the inside of the house. 

Flower garden

Vegetable garden

Thomas Jefferson, died on July 4,  1826, exactly 50 years to the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed. He is buried at Monticello and the small cemetery is still used today by his descendants.

Monday, June 13 part B (for bridge!)

Such exciting places we have been visiting and more to come! Someone told me before we left that I would love and hate it at the same time - love the sights we visit, hate we can't stay longer at most places. I agree, however, if it wasn't such a race, we would not get to see so much either. So, my tennis shoes have gotten a real work out, as  have my legs from climbing about ....oh maybe .... 3,000 stairs! They are everywhere and not just a few at a time but 67, 75, 52 at a time. Yes, I count them but what makes it worse is when they tell you, "only 75 steps to the top!".  So my muscles appreciate the bus ride between stops.

Our trip has been relatively smooth so far, but every good thing must come to an end it appears! As we were traveling along, I was actually trying to download pictures to the laptop so I could blog when I had an opportunity. I happen to suddenly hear it get quiet on the bus and glanced out the window, as I did I noticed out the window an Asian lady (and this now comes to me in slow motion!) as she slowly opens her mouth in what I thought was awe, but turned out to be in shock, as her hand came up ever so slowly to cover her mouth as if she was thinking "OH NO!".  On the corner was an eatery of some kind with outside tables, and of course with the weather being so beautiful there were lots of people sitting at outside tables. I tell you this because as soon as I notice the lady, I also see people grabbing cameras, phones, and video cams and aiming them in our direction! I turned to my seat mate, Donna, and said, "What is going on?" She points up and I see this:

Underside of bridge the bus hits in Charlottesville, VA

Yes, that is the underside of a bridge and it is close, very close to the top of the bus! As we are all holding our breath, we suddenly hear, "SCCRRRREEEEEEEECH!".  I still can't help but chuckle each time I recall this happening, because the looks on people's faces was priceless!! Of course, my seat mate immediately states, "What if we are stuck?" That brought a whole new look of concern and saucer eyes to everyone's face in hearing distance!  Lucky for us there was a police officer, or two, or better yet, three sitting at the light across from us. They stopped traffic and directed as we successfully backed out from under the 10 ft. clearance bridge in our bus that requires an 11 ft. 6 in. clearance! Oh, yes, that is correct . . . we missed the clearance by 18 inches. However, the clearance on the side of the bridge we entered was tall enough for us, unfortunately I don't think the driver realized that as the road began to make an incline it took away the extra clearance needed. At this point people are still videoing, and some clapping (most likely for the officers!) as we finally clear all metal of the bridge!  The police officers were very nice and gave us a personal escort to the University of Virginia, blocking traffic for us to get through as we went (we felt so important at this point). Unfortunately, they weren't with us on the way back . . . you will have to read about that at the end of this post!

Police escort! at least it was to the University and not the Police Station!

We have now 'safely' arrived at the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson.  "The college would be a physical expression of his core ideals" according to the pamphlet of The Academical Village.  Jefferson not only oversaw the planning, the building, and ideals the university would stand for, but he also wrote the curriculum, hired the staff, devised the standards for admission and rules for student behavior, and also wrote statements of purpose that have endured to this day.

Photo compliments of Yolanda Mahon

The university's library would be the at the head of the Academical Village, as an anchor. The library's rotunda was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, only half the size. He called this circular building, "a temple of knowledge".

Inside of Rotunda; photo compliments of Yolanda Mahon

 

 

 

The rotunda was head of a grass covered lawn that was flanked by ten pavilions, five on each side. The actual pavilions were built with living quarters on the second floor and classrooms on the first. The professor lived above his classroom, and students lived in small rooms on the sides of the pavilions. Colonnades, or covered walkways joined the pavilions and living quarters. Jefferson called these walkways a means of "dry communication".

One very unique piece of information that I must share is a Code of Honor that still exists on campus today. Students "make a commitment not to lie, cheat, or steal within Charlottesville, Albemarle County, or where they represent themselves as University students in order to gain the trust of others."  Anyone reported as not upholding this Code of Honor is reported, and the offense is presented to the Honor Committee. All of this is student led, they serve as advisors, offer counsel, investigate, assist and support students through the process.  The jury panel is made up entirely of students. Students applying that are not willing to abide by this honor system are discouraged from applying!

Back to the bus! While we were touring, some assessment was done to the actual damage of the bus. Thanks to Mr. Cavazos and his camera on a tripod stand they could get some video of it! It was mainly one of the air conditioners on top that was damaged. Thank goodness it did not seem to have an effect on the air conditioner blowing inside the bus.

To make things even funnier, as we leave the campus and round a corner what do you think we see? Yes, that is right! The same bridge again only from the other side! Of course, I wish I had a video on at that moment, because the audible gasp that came from everyone when they realized what lay ahead was extremely humorous!! I will hand it to Roscoe, with some help from some of the "men" on the bus stopping traffic, he was was able to turn that bus around in the street!!

View of bridge from other side! Yes, we meet again - only not physically this time!

Monday, June 13

Woke up to cooler temperatures today. Today's high is supposed to be 82 degrees! Today has been a much anticipated day. We are visiting James Madison's Montpelier and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

Montpelier

Montpelier, home of James Madison, father of the Constitution, author of the Bill of Rights, and 4th President of the United States! The property sits along the Blue Ridge Mountains with a spectacular view!

The house has only recently been restored and opened to the public in 2008. The house has been through many structural changes:

• 1763-1765  Original structure of 4 rooms built - in photo below you can see the markings of what use to be the pediment (I believe that is what it is called) over what used to be the main entrance.

• 1797-1800 Madison added on to house to make room for his growing family
• 1809-1812  Madison adds wings and a colonnade
• 1901 House is purchased by DuPont family and they enlarge the structure to 55 rooms
• 2003 Restoration begins - this includes removing the additions made by the DuPont family, quite a task
• 2008 Restoration complete and a celebration was held on Constitution Day!! How appropriate!

Photo from http://blog.preservationnation.org/2008/09/18/james-madisons-montpelier-restoration-celebration/

Some points of interest within the house (unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside):

• Wall paper design in formal living area was based on a sample of wall paper found in a rat's nest. It was the only evidence of what there possibly was. 
• The home had two kitchen's, one for Dolly and one for Madison's mother-in-law who lived with them

• The upstairs room over the main entrance was where Madison drafted the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Has a spectacular view of the mountains in the distance and the front lawn of the house.
• Most of the flooring is original. There is a stain on the floor in Madison's room he studied in, and from testing, it is believed to be a stain from the ink used to write the Constitution! The guide likes to have students step on it so they can say they stepped on the ink that wrote the Constitution, well he did not have to tell the teachers twice, many immediately went by there to do the same. 
• Dolly Madison is known as defining the role of the First Lady, especially in clothing. She was known as a "flamboyantly fashionable trendsetter".  They were preparing for a new exhibit called "Dolly Madison: America's First Lady".  A display of her life through fashion.

• The roofs of the wings served as observation type decks - beautiful views!!

• Absolutely beautiful back yard, porch, and gardens. 

 Archeological Dig - The Presidential Detective Story


Yes, there is a dig taking place as we tour Montpelier! How very interesting to see what they have discovered and to imagine what lies ahead for them to find. What is even more amazing is that you can volunteer and be a part of this discovery. For more information follow this link: Excavation Vacation.  The current excavation taking place is in an area they have discovered from information on an old insurance map.

Sunday, June 12

Woohoo!! Today I was handed a camera by our leader as I got off the bus! I was happy as a I snapped away! 

Most of our tour has been concentrated on the Civil War, but today we will step further back in time by visiting Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg!


Yorktown Battlefield

As we entered Yorktown, we saw beautiful paths along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay with white sand that looked so inviting! Of course it was only there for us to photograph, not walk on, as our time did not allow for such frivolous fun!

Our tour guide today was Ranger Ted - a man of character! I think we made him nervous - as most tour guides were when surrounded by 43 history teachers. However, our group was a fantastic group, always listening and being attentive!

The Battle of Yorktown was a decisive battle for the Revolutionary War. It was here that General Cornwallis surrendered and the last major land battle of the war occurred. Ranger Ted walked us through how the battle came about, strategies, and painted a picture of what was going on by quoting (yes, impressively he had memorized most of the material) from letters and other forms of correspondence that had taken place during this time period.

Colonial Williamsburg

From 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the "political, cultural, and educational center of what was then the largest, most populous, and most influential of the American colonies. It was here that the fundamental concepts of our republic — responsible leadership, a sense of public service, self-government, and individual liberty — were nurtured under the leadership of patriots such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and Peyton Randolph".  Near the end of the Revolutionary War the government was moved to Richmond, and left Williamsburg as a quiet, peaceful town that ended up being home of the College of William and Mary. In 1926, J.D. Rockefeller was approached about helping preserve the area and he funded the project. Approximately 80 of the structures are original structures. We found it interesting that people actually live in some of the structures. They are mostly people who work there and they pay a modest rent and have lots of stipulations as to what they can do (and you thought your HOA was strict - can you imagine?).  There is one dwelling that has actually been owned and passed down through the family for hundreds of years.

There were lots of interesting shops along the way, but one of the most fascinating was the silversmith shop. From a bar of silver to a finished product, the picture below shows the progression.

 Of course there were some interactive areas within Williamsburg as well!

After school detention for you!!

There is a project going on to rebuild the Anderson's Blacksmith & Public Armoury. You can watch the progress by webcam by visiting this site: Armoury Reconstruction. The site refreshes every 5 seconds!

Saturday, June 11 continued

After the Tredegar Ironworks tour, our guide took us to the museum to look around. While we were viewing the museum our guide got in period costume and then had muzzle shot demonstration for those who wished to brave the heat to see it!

Photo compliments of Keith Brown

Museum of the Confederacy

After lunch we headed to the Museum and the White House of the Confederacy. We toured the house in two separate groups, so one group to the house and one to the museum! The actual Curator of the Museum and House did our tours. The museum had some very interesting items:

The museum has over 500 displays of Confederate flags - national, state, presentation, company, and regimental flags; some made of cotton, wool, and silk; and battlefield flags that show the devastation of war.


 So now you know where some of these states got their nicknames!! Some are quite fitting and still being used by sports teams or schools.


 The hat to the left was made from corn-husks. As a child, I used to take gum wrappers and fold, join, and create with them in a zig zag fashion. This is created in a similar way.

"On going round in the battlefield with a candle searching for my friends I could hear on all sides the dreadful groans of the wounded and their heart piercing cries for water and assistance . . . Oh the awful scene . . . May I never see anymore such in life . . . I assure you I am heartily sick of soldiering" - A. N. Erskine, 4th Texas Infantry

 Items in this picture are original items belonging to Robert E. Lee. This represents his sleeping quarters when in camp. Notice his boots are taller than his bed!

One of the most unique displays was a Currier & Ives Three-Way Slat Portrait:

                      

Left to Right: Stonewall Jackson, Confederate President Jefferson Davis; Robert E. Lee

The tour of the White House of the Confederacy was interesting, and the Curator thought we (teachers) might be interested in knowing that Jefferson Davis' children "were infamous for having unbridled spirits and unbroken wills"!

We were not allowed to take photos inside, only on the outside. The interior was interesting in that it had a lots of European influenced design. The entry all below has floor cloth painted to resemble ceramic tiles and a faux bronze statue.

Photo from Museum of Confederacy website

Hebrew Cemetery

Our next stop takes us to a Hebrew Cemetery. This was the first Hebrew Cemetery established in Virginia. Within its gates lies a section known as Soldier's Section dedicated specifically to 30 Jewish Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. Traveling with our group is Dr. Arnold Krammer, Professor of  History at A&M. He was our own tour guide and great source of information here!

Saturday, June 11

Today turned out to be one of my favorite days - again! Weather still hot, but had a smile when I looked on the itinerary and saw "museum" and "house" several times, because that meant shade and sometimes air conditioning! With tennis shoes on and water bottle in hand, I was prepared for today!! We were heading to Richmond, VA.

 Tredegar

Tredegar Ironworks supplied the Confederate army with cannons and ammunition during the Civil War. A fascinating story really. Joseph Anderson hired over 750 slaves and had skilled workers train them for the jobs. It took about 2 months to make a cannon, and they worked around the clock to produce cannon's for the Confederacy. The building in the picture actually caught on fire at one time and the top stories burned. They were able to build the top story back and that is why the bricks are different colors.

American Civil War Center

This was one of the most fascinating museums I have been in. My only regret was that we did not have more time to look through it! I could have spent a lot more time here. They had a few videos to watch that were well done and informative, and lots of interactive type items at various stations. The most awe-inspiring and fascinating items were Lincoln's life masks in bronze on display. Apparently death masks used to be quite common, at one time sculpted, but about the middle ages they changed to molds made from the actual person's face using plaster or wax. There are many famous masks including Napoleon Bonaparte, Peter the Great, Alexander I and II, and many others. These masks were made as a way to honor and remember the deceased. Eventually they began making masks of the individual while still living. The masks of Lincoln were done by two different artists. The first done in 1860, prior to the war was done by Leonard Volk who asked Lincoln to sit for a bust and to save time he began with the life mask. The second one done in 1865, just two months prior to Lincoln's death by sculptor Clark Mills. Upon seeing the bronze models displayed in the American Civil War Center one realizes how hard the Civil War was on Lincoln. It is noted in the linked site below: "One friend who saw him a few weeks after the mask was made noted that he "looked badly and felt badly." To another friend Lincoln confided, "I am very unwell."

Life masks of Abraham Lincoln - from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery on Lincoln

1860 Lincoln life mask - sculpted by Leonard Volk

1865 Lincoln life mask - sculpted by Clark Mills