A Full-time Life

ASHLAWN-HIGHLANDS

A road-trip reminiscence for Mellow Yellow Monday.   We visited so many interesting places while we were in Virginia that we ran out of time to post them all while we were traveling.

 

 

 This somewhat unpretentious-looking house is Ashlawn-Highlands, the home of James Monroe, our fifth President.  It was even less grand when James and Elizabeth Monroe lived in it, because their home consisted of only the white part.  The yellow part is an addition by a subsequent owner.  Our tour guide said that because the addition is a good example of Victorian architecture it is being kept intact, but the color is kept separate to distinguish between the original home and the addition.  Some collectible items owned by Monroe are displayed in the addition (Presidential china, jewelry, portraits).  The Monroes were the first presidential family to have presidential china commissioned.  He had earlier served as Ambassador to France and also displayed are pieces of Frendh royal china and clothing and jewelry that the couple brought back.

Monroe, was the last Founding Father of the United States to serve as President and the last one of the "Virginia Dynasty."  This home is near Jefferson's Monticello and in fact Monroe purchased the land in 1793 because of his great friendship with Jefferson, who lent the Monroes gardeners and cuttings from his own gardens.  

The original home has only one bedroom.  The tour guide said that guests would have to stay overnight because of the distance and travel time involved in those days.  An extra bed or cots or even blankets on the floor would be put in the same bedroom with their hosts.  The bedroom was really not that large, but apparently this was an accepted practice.  Their first guests were James and Dolley Madison. 

This house was originally a home for the foreman or overseer of the Monroe farm. 

When the Monroes returned after his two terms as President, they hosted a lot more company, so it was remodeled into guest quarters (easy to imagine why.)

There were other similar buildings that were slave houses, but then they were homes for two families.  These were for the house slaves and there were other smaller quarters elsewhere on the 500+ acre for the  people who worked on the farm. 

The tour guide told us that Monroe taught his slaves to read (which was illegal) and reminded us that he supported the idea of sending emancipated slaves out of the country.  When the country of Liberia was established for this purpose, it's capital was named for him.   As at several of our other stops on this roadtrip, it would be have been easier not to think about this sad part of our country's history, but it is part of it that we all need to remember.  

Ash Lawn is owned by the College of William and Mary, Monroe's alma mater.  After many years under private ownership, it was bequeathed to the college in 1974 "for the education of the general public."

The College has refurbished it based on inventory lists found in their historical research.  They are still in the process of using archeology and research to find and reconstruct outbuildings. 

 

BACKROADS

            

"I can't say as I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days." 

Daniel Boone, Wilderness Scout.

 

 

 

 

We laughed when we saw that quote from Daniel Boone in the Visitor Center at Natural Tunnel State Park in Virginia, because we had gotten pretty darn bewildered on our way to that park.  

The fun of getting lost is actually one of the joys of traveling in the little RoadTrek.  With the Freightliner pulling the fifth-wheeler, it really wasn't an option.  You don't want to have to turn that around in a driveway, so you plan very carefully!  But  turning around is not a  problem with the RoadTrek, so we can take more chances and we stay off of the freeways as much as possible. 

 

It was very easy to get bewildered by Virginia's backroads.  Bill said they must have laid them out over old goat trails -- and they're not very well signed.  

One day we drove into Kentucky by accident!  (I know, we need a GPS, but that would take all the fun out of it.) 

 (Charlottesville from a fruit orchard that we decided on the spur of the moment to drive up to.)

 

We really did see a lot of beautiful country in Virginia.  Whether by accident or on purpose.  This lovely view is in Shenandoah National Park.    

 

 

 

THIS POST IS LINKED TO THAT'S MY WORLD.  THANKS TO THE TEAM FOR HOSTING THIS MEME.  CLICK ON THE LINKS!!

COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG

(Flash back to Virginia, a little earlier this month.)   This post is linked to MOSAIC MONDAY.  Click on the blue to see more mosaic collections.

 

 Colonial Williamsburg is said to be the world's largest living history museum.  This year is its 75th Anniversary of interpreting history.   Here's the official site.

 

Some of the homes in Colonial Williamsburg are private homes, some are open for tours, and some are businesses.

 
We started our day by touring the Governor's Palace. 

 

The best part of the tour was the basement kitchen:

 
That guy actually cooks this food, using colonial recipes.  Nobody eats it though, which is a shame.

 

Our last stop was a tour of the Virginia Capitol Building.  Williamsburg was the Capital of Virginia from 1699 until the Revolutionary War began, when it moved to Richmond.

 

 

MONTPELIER

 

 We visited Montpelier, the lifelong home of James Madison.  He is known as Father of the Constitution, architect of the Bill of Rights, and of course was our Fourth President.  
 
 

That arch window is in his library at the top of the stairs.  it was in that room that he began his work researching and drafting the Constitution.  Here's the view he had from the window  with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.

 

Restored rooms in the house include the Dining room, Library and the cellar kitchens.  There are exhibits and galleries showing the life of James and Dolley Madison...lots of personal artifacts.  (Dolley Madison was the only member of the founding families to live long enough to have a photograph taken and  one of her is displayed in the gallery.)

Dolley Madison was the first First Lady to have her own impact on our history.  The Madisons had a very long and close marriage.  She was outgoing and social, qualities that complemented her husband's more quiet intellect and he listened to her advice.  The Madisons were also the first couple to occupy the White House in the Nation''s new Capitol, Washington DC.  

 After James Madison's death, Dolley moved to Washington DC and the property was sold.  The last owners, members of the DuPont family, bequeathed it for educational and historical purposes.  It is now owned and operated by the Montpelier Foundation.

  You can wander around the extensive grounds and a lovely flower garden (created by the Duponts on the site of the original garden).  There are even walking trails through forested land on the property.

 Historical archivists are at work restoring the grounds to what they looked like when the Madisons lived here.  They are happy to answer questions as they work.

It was a good day.  All of the docents and volunteers are passionate about history and so it seems to come alive for the visitor.   it is an enjoyable  way to learn -- or to prod our memories.    

 

 

 

 

JAMESTOWN GREETINGS

 

 THIS POST IS LINKED TO RUBY TUESDAY AND WATERY WEDNESDAY

 

A little late for Labor Day wishes, but this display of the 50 State flags seemed an appropriate picture for a National Holiday nonetheless.  It is at one of the visitor centers at Jamestown VA.

We spent the weekend visiting America's Historic Triangle:  Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. 

 

GARDENS OF MONTICELLO

 

More pictures of our visit to Monticello (click on the link to read our other post).  This post is also linked to SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.  hosted by Tracy at Hey Harriet. 

 

 

 

Thomas Jefferson loved farming and his gardens at Monticello. 

He was as passionate about growing things at Monticello as he was about his house and kept careful records of planting and harvesting.

So today those records have been used to re-create the gardens as nearly as possible. 

The vegetables on the grounds now are grown as part of an heirloom seed bank project

I'm not sure if the flowers on the grounds are grown according to records left by Jefferson or not -- we forgot to ask.  But they are beautiful.

 

 

 

 

MONTICELLO

 

We have been immersed in history for the last week or so.  Here is Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.  This is the front entrance (it's the familiar view that's on the back of our nickel).

We went on a guided tour of the house and one of the grounds, and several self-guided walks.  All of the tours were excellent and great reminders of our history. 

This is the back entrance where our house tour started.  It enters into the large foyer where visitors were received back in the days of Jefferson -- it was the public part of the house. 

Jefferson inherited 3,000 acres of land here.  He had loved the property and the views since he was a child. 

He began to work on the house in 1769 and work would continue on it for 40 years. 

Jefferson, a true renaissance man,  designed every single bit of Monticello himself.  It is an architectural icon and would in itself be an achievement. 

Of course he also achieved a few other things of greater importance to our country  (such as writing the Declaration of Independence).  Jefferson also served as Governor of Virginia, founded the University of Virginia, served in the US Congress and as ambassador to France, and served as Secretary of State and Vice President.  He was elected the third President of the US and during his term of office sent Lewis and Clark to explore the newly purchsed Louisiana Territory.   

  This is the oldest building on the property and it is where Jefferson brought his new bride after their marriage in 1772.    The main house was not yet habitable.  It's a single room, with a kitchen in the basement.   (Later it was used as a study and a place to house his vast collection of law books.) 

Martha Jefferson died in 1782, before Jefferson was elected to Congress and he remained a widower for the rest of his life.  They had two daughters.  Jefferson almost certainly also fathered children by Sally Hemmings, who was a house slave and cared for Jefferson's youngest daughter.  The tour guide did a good job of discussing the life of the enslaved people and the dichotomy of Jefferson's words as opposed to his actions. 

Jefferson had a library of thousands of books.  After the LIbrary of Congress was burned during the War of 1812, he donated nearly all of them in order to restart it.  But he couldn't keep from buying more and he again had thousands when he died in 1826, on July 4, the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  He and members of his family are buried here at his beloved home.

Unfortunately, he died deeply in debt.  Our tour guide said it took three generations of his descendents to pay them off. 

Artifacts at Monticello and the furnishings in the home helped us to understand what life was like there and made me want to do some further reading to brush up even more. 

Monticello is owned and operated by a private non-profit foundation, whose mission is preservation and education. 

RUGGED VIRGINIA

This post is linked to Outdoor Wednesday.  Click the links for more adventures. 

    

Like most natives of the Western half of our country, we're a little snobbish about our mountains!  We learn at a young age that the Rockies are higher, younger, "peakier" than the older worn-down Appalachians. 

It's true, the Appalachians aren't as high and craggy as these mountains in Colorado or this Cascade Peak in Oregon. 

But as we drive along Virginia's backroads, we've seen some pretty rugged country.  Those frontiersmen pushing through these mountains to explore the wilds of Kentucky and beyond didn't exactly have a walk in the park!  There's some serious country out here.

Here's a mountaineer's cabin originally built in 1784.  (It was donated to the State park, disassembled, numbered, and  moved to this location.) 

 

NATURAL TUNNEL STATE PARK

 

THIS POST IS LINKED TO "THAT'S MY WORLD" -- CLICK HERE:  http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/ 

(I am having trouble with Typepad's Link feature -- but the underlined link works.)

 
This is the chair lift  going down to the Natural Tunnel at the Virginia State Park of the same name.  The Park is located near Duffield VA.  The  Campground portion of this Park was beautiful -- the nicest place we've stayed on this road trip. 

Plus you get all this beautiful and rugged scenery down at the bottom! It was a great place to walk around and explore.  I should say that there was a hiking trail for hardier souls.  We were grateful for the lift. 

 

We are currently in Charlottesville (home to Monticello among other historical points).  The Park where we're staying is kind of out in the woods, so we have a slow Internet connection and it's really hard to upload pictures.   We'll have lots to catch up on when we leave here.

 

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY

TO SEE BLOG POSTS BY OTHER PEOPLE HAPPY TO LOOK UP, VISIT SKYWATCH FRIDAY AT http://skyley.blogspot.com/

 

 

We are excited to be able to lift our eyes to something again after so many months in the Low Country.  When we're there, we don't walk around crying because we don't see anything on the horizon -- we enjoy the beaches and swamps and warmth and water. 

But each time we travel away from the flatlands, we are happy when we see that first mountain or hill.  How lucky we are to be able to enjoy both kinds of country. 

 
We had driven the Blue Ridge National Scenic Parkway from the other side of North Carolina (near Asheville) on a previous trip. 

This end (we got on at Roanoke VA and left at Mt. Airy, NC) was not quite as breathtaking as we remembered.  Many of the scenic overlooks were so densely covered with growth that it was impossible to see the valleys below.    

 
 
Kudzu (or maybe it's Virginia Creeper) is eating Virginia.

APPOMATTOX COURTHOUSE

Cllck the links on THAT'S MY WORLD for pictures of what people from all over are seeing and doing this week.   AND ON RUBY TUESDAY for beautiful red colors.

The welcome sign entering Appomattox County Virginia says "Where Our Country Reunited".  It was at the Village of Appomattox Courthouse where the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865,  Below is the room where the surrender papers were signed. 

This was the home of Wilmer McLean, a businessman who lived in the nicest home in Appomattox Courthouse Village.  One of General Grant's aides chose the spot.  Usually you hear that the surrender papers were signed AT the Courthouse, but really it was in this home in the Village which was actually named Appomattox Courthouse.

The Village is a National Historical Park and it looks as it did the day the treaty was signed.  Some of the buidings are original and some have been restored. 

 
  
 This presentor stays in his 1865 character and provides information about the surrender in the voice of an ordinary soldier.  He is on the porch of the Clover Hill Tavern.  After the surrender papers were signed, printing presses were set up in this tavern where 30,000 blank passes (they were called parole papers) were printed.  These were filled out and were what allowed the confederate soldiers to go home. 

We aren't among those people who make it their life mission to visit every Civil War site, but it is interesting to us that on this roadtrip we saw the place where the first shot in the war was fired (Ft. Sumpter, across from Charleston) and here at Appomattox the place where the War ended. 

Ranger presentations and displays reminded us of the horror of the conflict and the heroism of Veterans (on both sides).   

We felt like this site must be the most important Civil War site since it  marks the end of this horrible conflict.

Here are a couple more pictures of the Village -- the outside of the McLean home and a store building.

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And this is Appomatox Courthouse -- where nothing actually happened!  (Now it is the Park Visitor Center)>

 

 

 

  

GREAT DISMAL SWAMP

THIS POST IS LINKED TO SKYWATCH FRIDAY and YARD ART THURSDAY

 

(This sign was "yard art" back in Sea Level NC.)

We did have a few problems with mosquitos while we were in North Carolina, so when we left there Monday we did what any sane and normal travelers would do and headed off to the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia.

 

Which was nowhere near as dismal as it sounds  -- and the only mosquito bites we have after visiting it are the ones left over from North Carolina.

In fact, to us it looked more like the (not-so) Dismal Woods than a Swamp.

 
Wildlife that live in the Swamp include birds, bears and, according to some BIGFOOT!  So perhaps it's not surprising that it is woodsy.  The only creatures we saw were flying ones!  Birds and lots of butterflies -- no mosquitos, no pterodactyls!