Historic Storer College

I recently attended a seminar, sponsored by the Jefferson County Historical Association in Harpers Ferry. This is Storer College, one of the first higher educational institutions, created by the Freedman's Bureau in 1867. Most of the first students had been enslaved and were now newly emancipated. Storer closed its doors in 1955, one year after the Supreme Court made its landmark ruling, outlawing segregation.

George Washington's Mount Vernon

George and Martha had a lovely home on the Potomac!

Even TJ likes Harpers Ferry!

Back in the day... Thomas Jefferson visited Harpers Ferry and was highly complimentary of the beautiful views. These shots are of "The Point", the convergence of three states (Virginia, West Va, and Maryland) and two rivers (Potomac, Shenandoah)

Some scenes from beautiful Harpers Ferry, WV

We are fortunate enough to live near this beautiful battleground park. These pictures were taken in the fall in the Bolivar Heights section, where we saw the cannons and St. Peter's Cemetery.

Where will it end??? (And other fascinating memories...)

I had planned to finish this tour in 2012... but now (in the beginning of 2014) we have yet to reach Charlottesville. I guess I'll just have to keep on touring. Culpeper is 70 miles south of my home in Charles Town. Charlottesville is 46 miles past there, about another hour. We are now on the third leg of the trip, nearing the end of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. There is still so much to see along the way! We have done some backtracking recently. Here are some highpoints:

The Bull Run Festival of Lights (Centreville VA, 2013). Tour of the Utz Potato Chip Factory (Hanover PA, near Gettysburg, Nov 2013) Tour of Old Town Harpers Ferry (WV, Oct 2013). Close to home and always interesting, even during a government shutdown.

8th Trip, continued: Culpeper VA

Same day, Friday December 26, 2013: Farther down Route 15 we arrived in Culpeper. I have passed this town many times over the bypasses but had never stopped to visit. On South Main Street, we took the tour of the Museum of Culpeper History. This quaint town was prized by both sides during the Civil War, and it's easy to see why. Culpeper stands midway between Washington DC and Richmond, VA. It was a well-established town in the 1860s and continues to this day. The museum had displays from very early (eg. prehistoric) days, through colonial times and the Civil War and continuing to today. We were pleasantly surprised to see old Main Street with its quaint variety of interesting shops featuring fine Virginia products. Virginia wine abounds in Culpeper. We shopped in The Culpeper Cheese Company (E. Davis Street) . Eddie and Alison enjoyed a glass of good Virginia beer there. We also strolled through antique shops on the same street. There are several blocks of good local shopping. The Trip Advisor app is really helpful finding food and attractions in unfamiliar towns. After this pleasant afernoon, we returned home on VA 522 rather than 15. As always, I marvel over the excellent roadway system in Virginia. These scenic historic roads are still in excellent repair and will take us anywhere efficiently.

8th stop: A Winter's Afternoon in Warrenton VA

Friday, December 26, 2013. Anxious to continue our tour, we took the day after Christmas to travel further into Virginia. The destinations are farther from home now, so it requires more planning to take a "journey day". Today's trip took us to Fauquier and Culpeper Counties. We had visited lovely Warrenton in the summer, but had not visited any historical spots. We took the opportunity to visit the Old Jail (or "Old Gaol") Museum. It's hard to believe that prisoners wouldn't go crazy being in such a place. The rooms were damp and tiny. Some rooms had no heat. All prisoners were imprisoned together, regardless of the crime. The gallows was located in the recreation yard between the two buildings. This is also the home of a Fauquier County museum. Very interesting displays of the county in its early days and Civil War days. It was a short visit, affording us time to continue the tour further south on Route 15 into Culpeper.

This is not a real prisoner, but shows the conditions of the jail in the 1800s. Below, The Fauquier County Courthouse on Main Street.

As always, check out my links for current information on these historic sites.

A Whirlwind Adventure: 4th of July in Washington DC!

Thursday, July 4-Friday July 5. Although not exactly on the Hallowed Ground Journey, this was the trip of a lifetime! It was an amazing day and a half in our nation's capital (incidentally, the city of my birth).    [Click links for more information about the places we saw.]

Alison, excited to begin the trip

First stop: Lunch in Fairfax with my brother Larry. Every year, Larry shows his American pride by displaying Uncle Sammy on patriotic holidays.  After a short visit, he drove us to the Vienna/Fairfax Metro, freeing me to move around the city, unencumbered by my car.  This was no day to hunt for parking spaces!

Second stop:  Trip to DC on Metro.  Orange line to Metro Center, then Red line to Union Station. We did some amazing shopping in Union Station.       

In the Smithsonian store, Eddie practiced for his future occupation.

We have a fondness for Union Station, as did my mother.  Ever since she arrived in DC in 1951, Mom was greatly inspired by the majesty and vitality of this train station.  She even memorized some inscriptions from the exterior walls and quoted them when she addressed the graduating nurses at the University of Vermont (1986). [Read e-book of inscriptions.]

Reached our destination!  A short walk down Massachusetts Avenue and we arrived and checked into to the lovely and gracious Phoenix Park Hotel.  It is a luxurious hotel, only a block from the US Capitol, often frequented by senators and other important types.  We were impressed, but didn't hang around the room very long.  It was a short walk down the street to the Visitors Center of the US Capitol.  My niece, Ara Joleen Carbonneau gave us an excellent tour through the Capitol, then showed us to prime seating to view the concert.  Here are some of the pictures:

The US Capitol building

Here we are!

     With our amazing tour guide!

 Some of the many statues we saw:

            

 And the concert!! A Capitol Fourth!  We sat on balcony, overlooking the West Lawn.  We were in direct view of the concert stage-- indeed, in direct view of the entire National Mall all the way down to the Washington Monument.  An estimated 30,00 people were in attendance with us.  Headliners were Tom Bergeron, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow and the National Symphony Orchestra.  I wish I could have taken a better picture of the fireworks-- you just had to have been there!

 

Fireworks right over the stage!

After the show, we stayed in the lovely Phoenix Park overnight.  We spent Friday at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, then back to Fairfax on Metro.  Perfect weather on both days and I'm sure we will always remember!

7th stop: 15 south through Aldie and Warrenton VA

Tuesday, July 17 2012.  It was a very hot day (a hundred degrees!) so Eddie and I went out for another ride along 15 South.  This trip took us through southern Loudoun and Facquier Counties.  The extreme heat dissuaded us from venturing out of the air-conditioned car, but we enjoyed the scenic ride.  Route 15 has been widened in places, giving a more cosmopolitan look to small communities such as Haymarket.  A double rotary has been added, so now Gilbert's Corner has ceased to be a corner, but is now a loop-de-loop kind of thing!  In most places,  Route 15 is a busy, heavily traveled road, so we couldn't sightsee as well as we could in other sections of the route.

Tuesday was not the best day to try finding antique stores.  The antique stores in Aldie were not open. Aldie was rather a mess, due to some major construction in town.  The shops and the Aldie Mill are worth touring. Antique shops in Buckland also appeared closed. [Read the article about how the tiny town on Buckland is fighting extinction.]   However, the Fox Den Antique store in Warrenton (Rte 29 @ Waterloo Station) was open and we spent some time there.  Eddie bought more record albums.  At Waterloo Station, we also visited BJ's Books, a favorite haunt of Eddie's dad. Then we enjoyed soft-serve cones at the Carousel stand.  Doesn't my boy look good with an ice cream in each hand??

Heading into Old Town Warrenton, We discovered the Red Truck Bakery on Rt 211, where we got the cutest frosted sugar cookies, decorated as (guess what) RED TRUCKS!

On a cooler day we plan to visit the museums and attractions in historic Old Town Warrenton.  There is a lot of Civil War history to explore.  John Marshall, the famous chief justice of Supreme Court, lived and worked in Warrenton.

Several good important roads meet in Warrenton: US-17, US-29, US-15 and US-211.  Virginia is to be commended for its fine well-maintained roadways, many of which date to colonial times and have historic or cultural significance.

We passed by Oak Hill, summer home of President James Monroe, located below Oatlands.  He designed it, consulting with James Hoban, the famous designer and architect of the White House.  Oak Hill is not open to the public.

(President James Monroe, 1758-1831)

On the way back we detoured onto Rte 50W, going through Middleburg and Upperville, where the elegant people and their fancy horses hang out!

Click this link to view the video clip of The Civil War at Mt. Zion Church & Aldie Mill"  
 http://youtu.be/GzEV6E9e6lc

6th stop: Oatlands Plantation

 Friday, June 15.  Went with Eddie and Dad and Alison to see this lovely old home and the gardens, just outside Leesburg VA. Oatlands is located right on US-15.  What a great place!  I'm ready to move in!  The home dates to 1803 and it has been lovingly maintained and added on to by three [wealthy] families.  The last family (Eustis} used it as their summer home!  These are some of Eddie's pictures.  Unfortunately, they would not allow photography of the interior.  This is the trail leading to the mansion.

The Oatlands mansion.  Built in 1803 by a guy so wealthy he was known as "King" Carter.  Upon his death, it was inherited by his son, the 12th or 13th of his fifteen children.  The style is influenced by Greek architecture, and also by such neighbors as presidents Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and James Monroe.  Before the Civil War, 500 slaves worked on the plantation.  They were emancipated before the War began.

The view looking out from the front of the house.  That is Bull Run Mountain far in the distance..



Check out the website for a more complete view.

Exploring the Countryside: Antietam Battleground

Some friends came to visit from Vermont.  We spent the afternoon in the Antietam Battleground, near Sharpsburg MD.  [September 17, 1862 was the single bloodiest day in American history.]  Before leaving town, we hit Nutters Ice Cream on Potomac Street.  Here I am with my handsome boy up in the observation tower.

   These are Eddie's pictures.