One more picture/ then Trinity Heights, Sioux City, IA

At entrance to Pamplin Military Museum

Monday, June 24 the sun actually came out!   After completing some housekeeping chores  we went to Trinity Heights and enjoyed 16 acres of gardens, shrines, and water features which surround a 33 foot statue of Jesus, a 30 foot statue of Mary and the life-sized woodcarving of The Last Supper.

The Last Supper was carved by a man from LeMars, IA who worked full time at the post office and carved nights and weekends.   It took him 7 years to complete the carving.   It's one of only 4 life-size carvings of the Last Supper.   

The site also has a Divine Mercy Chapel with a first class relic of St. Faustina and across the parking lot a very nice Catholic Book Store.    Definitely worth stopping to see!

Pictures - Pamplin Military Soldier Museum/Tredegar Iron Works

Civil War Earthworks

Tredegar Iron Works

Pamplin Civil War Enactors

Reconstructed Earthworks - Pamplin

Tredegar Museum Entrance

Tudor Hall Mansion - Pamplin

Hinton Railroad Museum Pictures

Hand carved RR workers

Place setting of Chessie china

Museum chaos

Close up of hand carvings

At Hinton Railroad Museum

Sioux City, Iowa

Arrived here Friday afternoon after a five hour drive from Amana.   We have been here before and had concentrated on seeing all things Lewis and Clark.   This time we are looking for other things to  see.   

Our only stop on Saturday was a trip to the Sioux City Railroad Museum.   It's a 30-acre museum site which reminded us of the Spenser Shops in NC.  It was built in 1917 and was once a large industrial complex that serviced and repaired locomotives and railcars for 65 years.   Many buildings (repair shop, round house, sand house) are open for touring.   We were met and given a ride on the rails to the first building, the sand house which shows a movie about the area.   In it's busiest time the shop repaired 30 locomotives a day and employed 500 people working 3 shifts.  The volunteers working on various projects within the area were friendly and willing to talk about the history of the area and the projects they were working on. 

Sunday we visited the Sgt. Floyd River Museum and Welcome Center and enjoyed the exhibits on Missouri River history.  It serves as a historical museum and a Visitor's Center and are housed aboard the dry-docked motor vessel, the M.V. Sergeant Floyd.  After lunch we visited the Sioux City Public Museum.  The museum has large, colorful exhibits, interactive displays and several informative films.
We spent 3 hours there happily learning about industries, farming, disasters, and history of the area.

Yorktown VIsitor's Center/Battlefield Pictures-1

Moore House 

Jack @ Visitor's Center

Visitor's Center Plaque

Brucemore, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

We have been camped in Amana, Iowa for the past four days, and besides enjoying their bakery and the Renneburg Restaurant we also shopped until we dropped!   Yesterday we had to go into Cedar Rapids to the Chevrolet dealer to have an engine light checked.  On our way back to Amana, we decided to stop at Brucemore as we had been driving past the sign for several years, but could not stop with the trailer along.

Brucemore was build in 1886 by Caroline Sinclair, widow of pioneering industrialist T. W. Sinclair.  She built the house to raise her six children.   In 1906 she traded homes with George Bruce Douglas of the Quaker Oats and Douglas & Company fortunes.   Douglas expanded the property to 33 acres, added gardens and other features and rename the country estate "Brucemore."  The home has 21 rooms open for tour at a modest cost of $9.00 per person.  

The eldest Douglas daughter, Margaret, inherited Brucemore in 1937 with her husband, Howard Hall.  They added a Tahitian Room in the basement and kept an array of pets, including a lion, on the estate. 

In 1981 Margaret left the family estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to benefit the community.  

Tomorrow we leave for Sioux City, IA and more tours!

Pictures - Yorktown, VA

Early farmstead

Model Revolutionary camp

Model of Revolutionary camp - 2

Handsome Jack at Museum

American Revolution Museum - Yorktown

Knox County Historical Museum

We almost missed this jewel!   It was only a few miles from our campground and we stopped over to see it.   The museum was built in 2009, and includes an original buggy used by Lincoln n the original prototype of the Illinois State flag.   It contains over 2000 artifacts, including Native American, uniforms, guns, and other military items.  Local history items includes information about churches, School is and businesses no longer in existence.   The manager was very knowledgeable and took us across the street to the old courthouse where Stephen Douglas was a judge.   The courtroom is in the process of being renovated so we were unable to see anything in that area.   We did see the history of the old St. Mary’s School, a finishing school for young ladies.   Back to the museum to see the scale models of ships that a gentleman donated to the museum.   He did a fantastic job!

The next day we headed for Amana Iowa and the Amana Colonies, a National Historic site.  More information on Amana may be seen and read in earlier trips through this wonderful treasure.   There are pictures at 10/2017 Octoberfest if the reader is interested in learning more about the area.   This visit is 4 days, and our main purpose is to relax and enjoy the fabulous food and treasures offered in Amana and the surrounding area.

Galesburg, IL - part 2

We stopped at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, built in 1885 to see St. Crescent’s body.   Only 10 churches in the USA have a saint’s body.   St. Crescent was a child of about nine who was beheaded during the persecution of Christians toward the end of the 3rd. Century in the reign of Diocletian.  We       Learned that the statue contained bones and teeth of St. Crescent.

For Jack, Galesburg Railroad Museum was the highpoint of our trip to Galesburg.   Galesburg is a railroad town with 100 freight trains and Amtrak going through daily.   The museum was very well done, and housed a complete station agents area, central control console, Pullman china, etc.  They also gave tours of a 1930 Baldwin Hudson 3006 locomotive, fully restored Railway Post Office and Pullman parlor car and a complete 1930 caboose.  Our guide was a retired switchman who entertained with the history of the railroad yard in Galesburg.  On Sunday we went to an overlook and watched trains in the yard moving cars from one track to another.   

Knox College Old Main and Alumni Hall - The historic debate site at Old Main features a newly renovated interior which holds the Wilson Gallery and next door in Alumni Hall the Whitcomb Heritage Center.   These exhibits tell the story of the debate and the turbulent political atmosphere and moral dilemmas faced by Lincoln as the 16th President.

Knox County Courthouse lawn contains the Mother Bickerdyke Memorial.  The sculpture is dedicated to a Galesburg woman who served the wounded Union soldiers during the Civil War.   

Galesburg, OH

We camped in the country outside Knoxville, IL which is about 7 miles east of Galesburg.   It was a really neat stop, with many interesting things to explore.   Our first visit was to the Visitor’s Center to get information on the various points of interest and their hours of operation.  The places we were going to visit:

Carl Sandburg birthplace and burial location

Corpus Christi Catholic Church 

Knox County Historical Museum in Knoxville, IL

Galesburg Railroad Museum

Knox College Old Main - site of the 5th Lincoln/Douglas debates in 1858

Alumni Hall

Grounds of Knox County Courthouse

Our first stop was the Carl Sandburg birthplace and burial location.  It’s a state historical site and in it’s better days it had a visitor’s center and a house tour.   Unfortunately due to lack of funding and volunteer docents, the visitor’s center and house are closed.   We were able to walk through the site, and stopped at Remembrance Rock where both Carl and his wife’s ashes are interred.  There is also a Quotation Walk which leads through the garden with famous quotes from Sandburg’s writings engraved in the stepping stones.  

Next stop: Alton, OH

We left Princeton, WVA about 1:30 Saturday afternoon and camped in the Cracker Barrel parking lot in Charleston, WVA Saturday night.   Arrived in Alton, OH Sunday afternoon about 2 p.m.   AH! Civilization!!! Within a mile or two we found a Kroger grocery store, a Wishy Washy laundromat, and every fast food restaurant known to man!    Unfortunately the museum we drove all that way to see was closed until the day we left!   We caught up on laundry, did some shopping and found a Catholic museum called Jubilee in Columbus, so drove into Columbus to see it.   A priest had taken over an empty Catholic Elementary school, and all types of Catholic memorabilia could be found - altars, organs, art work, vestments, etc. were there, and if a mission church needed any of the things that were there, they would be shipped to the church that needed them.   It was really a walk back in time!  

Left Alton, OH on Wednesday and camped overnight in Champaign, IL at a small campground outside of Champaign.   We had camped there on several trips across the USA, so it was a nice midpoint stopping place.

The next morning we left Champaign and headed to Galesburg, IL known as a railroad town and the birthplace of Carl Sandburg, poet, author, columnist.

Kairos Wilderness Campground - 2

Pearsonburg is a small town about 25 miles from Princeton, WV.   As we were driving into town we saw a sign for the Andrew Johnson House and stopped to see about tours.   The research house was open, so stopped in and the lady was very gracious and opened the Andrew Johnson House so we could tour it.   The house had been continuously in the family, so a good deal of the furniture was authentic to the house.   It had been lived in continuously for 5 generations, and some modifications and expansions were made over the years.   Also on the site was a small doctor's office used by both Andrew Johnson and his son.   An addition to the site was a small museum for the area, so we also toured that.  Ate lunch at the DQ and then started back to camp. 

As we got onto Shumate Falls Rd we were stopped, as a tree had fallen across the road.   Called camp and they came down with saws to clear it off the road so we could get back to camp.    Shortly after we got to camp we heard that there had been a much larger mudslide on the same spot, and the Army Corp of Engineers were coming with bigger equipment to clear the road.    The camp owner stopped in to say he didn't know if we'd be able to leave Saturday much before mid afternoon, and if it slid again, we may have to stay several more days.   By now there were just two of us on the mountain.

Saturday morning Jack rode down and saw the road condition and came up and said to pack up we were going to try to get out of the area.   There were several men working on the road, and it was a gooey, watery mess.   Jack got us down the mountain and then proceeded to drive slowly but continuously through the gooey messy road and we breathed a sigh of relief when we hit the highway and headed into Princeton for a quick lunch and then started out for Charleston, WV where we stayed for the night in a Cracker Barrel Parking lot.   I got the impression that the camp owner told Jack it was best to go then, as the forecast was for more heavy rain on Sunday and there could likely be an even bigger slide then.

Kairos Wilderness Campground - Glen Lyn VA

We should have guessed when we saw the name of the campground that it would be rustic.....but it was only 20 miles from the Princeton, WV Train Museum and close to the Hinton, WV train museums, so we booked it.     As soon as we turned onto Elgood mountain road, I was beginning to wonder about our choice.   My thoughts became even more concerned when one mile later we turned onto Shumate Falls Road.    There was evidence of previous landslides along that road, we crossed a narrow bridge over a creek, and then headed UP the side of the mountain on a curvy road that at times seemed to go straight up!   It took us 20 minutes to go 3 miles to our campground.   The only buildings were "Ed's Place" an office/snack bar and the restroom building.   There were 5 trailers up there (including ours).   It was definitely quiet, but the campsites were full hookups.   Phone service was one tiny bar, and only one tv station.   No wifi except by using the hotspot on our phone. 

The next morning (Thursday) as we were heading for the exit to go down the mountain, a guy on a dirt bike rode up and said that they were clearing a mudslide - the road should be open in about 20 minutes.   It was.   We drove into Princeton and ate breakfast and then visited the Princeton train museum.   It was very nicely done, and we enjoyed seeing their exhibits.   The docents said that Hinton was only open that day, so we drove over to Hinton to see their museum.   I especially enjoyed that museum because they had an extensive wood carved scene of people working on the railroad and had a good deal of information about Chessie, the railroad cat.   When we got back to town we stopped at Chick-fil-A for our evening meal and stayed and used their free wifi.   Then we headed back to Glen Lyn and our campsite.   During the night it started raining - HARD.   It was still raining, but lightly when we got up on Friday.    Went to Princeton for breakfast and then stopped at the Visitor's Center to see what else there might be to do in the area and heard about Pearsinburg, VA back about 25 miles.   We headed off to see what we could see there.    Stay tuned!

Pamplin HIstoric Park - Part 2

The Military Encampment included costumed interpreters as they talked about daily life in the campground.  We learned about punishments and had a very loud rifle-firing demonstration.  My ears rang for a few minutes!

The Breakthrough Trail is a National Historic Landmark, the April 2, 1865 Breakthrough Battlefield on one of three self-guided loop trails.   The Hart Farm Loop leads to Confederate fortifications and a wartime home.

The Banks House was build in stages between 1750 and 1810 .   Lieutenant General US Grant made his headquarters in this home immediately following the Breakthrough.   A self-guided trail leads to an original slave kitchen behind the main house.  

If you plan to visit this site, I recommend packing a picnic lunch as there is no food available on site. I also recommend a sweater for the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier and good walking shoes for the outdoor sites!   It was an amazing place to visit.    We ran out of time so did not get to see the Banks House so would suggest getting there early!   It’s so close to Raleigh it could be a great short trip!

Pamplin Historical Park

Interestingly, Pamplin is about 128 miles north of Raleigh on highway US 1 North.  It’s official name is Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier.   The park is a private endeavor of Dr. Robert Pamplin Jr.  He is widely recognized as America’s leading historical preservationist.

In 1998 his dream of telling the common soldiers’ experience in the Civil War was realized in the opening of Pamplin Historical Park.  The Park consists of six areas:  The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, Tudor Hall Plantation, The Battlefield Center, The Military Encampment, The Breakthrough Trail and the Banks House.

The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier is an interactive gallery which includes some 700 artifacts and an audio tour with a Civil War soldier.   I picked a 16 year old Wisconsin recruit and followed him throughout the war.

Tudor Hall Plantation includes a furnished plantation home built about 1815  with reconstructed buildings around the “big house” and the Field quarter and highlights the lifestyles of the plantation community.

The Battlefield Center is a museum featuring the exhibit “Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion”, describing the April 2, 1865 battle that occurred just outside its doors.

To be continued.

Richmond and Petersburg area

We left the “Historic Triangle” - fancy name for Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown, VA! Sunday noon and drove back to Petersburg area to our campground in Dinwiddie, VA.   One problem, the owner had no record of our reservation and was full.   Luckily we found another campground 2 miles up the road.   Whew!

Monday we drove into Richmond to the National Park Service Tredegar Iron Works.   We had been to both the Richmond and Petersburg battlefields on previous trips, but had not heard about Tredegar.  Evidently the Works were already well known when the Civil War began in 1861.  In the two decades before the war Tredegar and other smaller iron foundries made Richmond the center of iron manufacture in the southern US.   By 1860 it had about 800 laborers, both while and black, free and enslaved.   Tredegar covered nearly five acres and operated around the clock to meet the demands of the Confederacy for artillery, ammunition and other war-related materials.   The foundries produced almost 1,100 field and siege cannon, and provided the armor plating that protected several Southern warships, including the CSS Virginia.  The iron works played an important role in rebuilding the devastated South after 1865.  

Tredegar contributed to World War I and II before being closed in 1952.

Our plans were to visit the Virginia house and the 1812 John Wickham House during our stay, but the Virginia house is no longer available for tours and we were advised by the Welcome Center that there was no parking near the Wickham house so we regrouped and headed back to Dinwiddie County.

Yorktown, VA

We left Raleigh at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 30, 2019.   Our first campground was in the Williamsburg area for our visits to the American Revolution Museum and the Yorktown battlefield.

YORKTOWN:

Friday we visited the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown, VA.   It’s a beautiful museum and we spent about 5 hours there.   It tells the story of the colonial period to the dawn of the Constitution and beyond.  Comprehensive indoor exhibits and outdoor living history capture the epic scale of the Revolution and its relevance today.   The film Liberty Fever sets the stage for indoor gallery and outdoor experiences.   The indoor gallery features artifacts, immersive environments, interactive exhibits and the film, The Siege of Yorktown, with a 180 degree surround screen and special effects.  

Outdoor exhibits include a re-created Continental Army encampment where costumed historical interpreters explain medical practices and the soldiers demonstrate how to fire a flintlock musket.  We especially enjoyed the Revolution-era farm based on a real-life 18th century family.  

Saturday we went back to Yorktown to the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center which has a 15 minute film about the siege at Yorktown as well as exhibits including portions of the very tents used by General Washington during the siege.  We drove the automobile tour of the battlefield and then took the free Trolley into Historic Yorktown for lunch and a stop at Ben and Jerry’s before catching the Trolley back to the Visitor’s Center to get the car and come back to the campground.

Sunday we backtracked to Petersburg, VA where we camped while visiting Richmond Historic sites.