 The East is full of history, spanning the first American settlements to the Salem witch trials to the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. Having grown up in Massachusetts and majored in history education in college, Bob knows a lot about our country’s beginning. He introduced me to historical sites in his home state during my visits there in the early days of our relationship. I didn’t know a lot about the Civil War, though. I knew it was the bloodiest battle in American history and that it was fought between North and South about states’ rights, especially in regard to slavery, but not much more than that. We decided to explore some of the amazing landmarks that hearken back to Civil War days as we made our way up the East Coast, starting in Charleston, South Carolina. The state of Virginia played a pivotal role in the Civil War. In fact, the majority of battles took place there, at least four times as many as in any other state. The capital city of Richmond served as the capital of the Confederacy, only about 100 miles from Washington, D.C., the capital of the Union. Today, Virginia is known as the place for lovers, according to a popular slogan. Between 1861 and 1865, however, it was a place for combat. Although we didn’t visit any of the state’s battlefields, we did explore Gettysburg when we traveled through Pennsylvania in 2020. Looking Back Instead, we checked out the American Civil War Museum in downtown Richmond with friends Jim and Jenny. It’s an interesting spot shrouded by old brick facades that remained after the burning of the town during the war. The museum sits on the former site of Tredegar Iron Works, the supplier of half of the artillery to the Confederacy during wartime, and is only about 5 miles away from the White House of the Confederacy, which is also open for tours.  At the museum, we worked our way through various displays and interactive exhibits to learn about the area’s war history. The collection included letters from soldiers to home, creations by prisoners of war, information about slaves, the suit Jefferson Davis wore when he was captured by Union forces, and an authentic robe worn by a Ku Klux Klan member — with the face mask cut out of the hood. In addition, the museum featured a musket demonstration. A staff member in period uniform regaled us with stories about artillery and ammunition used during the war. He even loaded and shot a a long-barreled rifle. We jumped at the deafening pop and wrinkled our noses at the smell of smoke, getting a feel for the noise and chaos soldiers experienced standing side by side. Paying Respects After many hours at the museum, hunger pangs motivated us to leave in search of lunch. Jim and Jenny took us to a Mexican joint to fuel our bellies before heading to Hollywood Cemetery. A 90-foot-tall pyramid and numerous gravestones commemorate soldiers who gave their lives during the Civil War. The cemetery is also the permanent resting place of two U.S. presidents (James Monroe and John Tyler) in what’s called Presidents Circle. And it’s the burial site of six Virginia governors, two Supreme Court justices, Confederate General Jeb Stuart, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
The American Civil War Museum and Hollywood Cemetery are only two examples of the many ways to commemorate the Civil War. Plentiful others abound. We continue to brush up on our history as we make our way around this great country. You might also like Getting a Taste of History in Boston.
1 Comment
 We had planned to navigate Gulliver to Charleston, South Carolina, with Tagalong in tow. But when the weather forecast called for rain, we decided to leave Tagalong behind in Virginia and rent a house in Charleston through Vrbo for five nights. We wanted to explore the city before boarding a cruise ship to the Bahamas. Charleston is a historical locale with varied architectural styles, delicious cuisine, and a beautiful waterfront offering plentiful activities. Friends Jim and Jenny climbed into Gulliver with us for a seven-hour ride that included a stop at our first Buc-ees, an overwhelming experience. Upon arrival at our destination, we found five memorable things to do in Charleston. 1. Tour a Military Ship or 2  Aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, a veteran of WWII and Vietnam, is proudly perched on the Cooper River in the heart of the city. Part of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, she’s a beauty to behold. Wanting an up-close view, we paid about $30 each and spent five hours exploring the ins and outs of the ship. Four clearly marked tours allow visitors to guide themselves up and down the many ladders and through the narrow corridors where those who fought for our freedom walked and lived. We saw the engine room, bridge, catapult room, sick bay, brig, captain’s quarters, crew berths, galley, and much more. The ship features a collection of about 20 aircraft that span its flight deck and main deck, including an F-4 Phantom, an F-14 Tomcat, a Corsair, a TBM Avenger, and a B-25. In addition, the ship displays a replica of a space capsule in commemoration of the role it played in retrieving the astronauts and capsule from the Apollo 8 NASA mission. For those who want more to explore, the museum also includes a destroyer ship. USS Laffey is the most decorated WWII ship that still exists, according to the museum. Having visited the USS Alabama battleship in Mobile about a month earlier, we opted not to tour the destroyer. 2. Be Part of a Flag Raising  One of Charleston’s biggest claims to fame is Fort Sumter, where the first shots were fired in the Civil War. Visitors can take a 30-minute ferry ride for $37 per person from Patriots Point or from downtown to investigate what’s left of the fort. If you take the first ferry of the day from Liberty Square in downtown, you can participate in a flag-raising ceremony. We took advantage of that option on Memorial Day, boarded a three-deck boat, and found seats at the back of the top deck. En route with the wind in our faces, national park rangers and volunteers regaled us with historical details about the site.  After reaching it, we walked through a gated opening in the brick wall around the fort, got up close to cannons and what’s left of the brick walls, and toured a museum there. The best part was watching in amazement as a gigantic flag ascended a pole to fly proudly over the fort, an achievement that took about 30 to 40 volunteers. 3. Go on a Downtown Adventure  To get a closer look at the city’s architecture, you can participate in a self-led scavenger hunt. We purchased the Charleston adventure through Urban Adventure Quest for $49 and were not disappointed. Starting at the Four Corners of Law — a unique intersection that houses four buildings representing federal, state, city, and religious law — the quest led us through the city to various points of interest. We navigated to an 1800s bell tower, a couple of cemeteries, a museum displaying a replica of the H.L. Hunley submarine with a storied past, the waterfront, and Rainbow Row. We enjoyed learning about the history of the area while solving puzzles to find clues to our next destinations, a three-hour ordeal, including a stop for ice cream at Off Track. 4. Visit a Plantation  Charleston is home to more than 300 expansive plantations full of interesting artifacts. Bob, Jim, and Jenny toured the Boone Hall Plantation one morning while I worked. They returned with beautiful photos of foliage and loads of intriguing facts. One of the most interesting facts: For how much of an oak tree you see above ground, there’s an equal amount under the ground. Founded in 1861, this particular plantation provides a live presentation of the Gullah culture, a subgroup of African-Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia. Unlike most plantations, this one is still home to a resident and is a working farm. Guests can take a tractor tour around the 738 acres and go inside the plantation house. 5. Bring Out Your Inner Child  In the middle of a half-mile rotary in North Charleston sits the largest inclusive park in the world. Aptly named Park Circle Playground, it offers activities for all ages and abilities, including those with autism, sight and hearing impairments, and Down syndrome. It’s a safe space surrounded by a short fence, with rubbery ground and overhead shades. We spent probably an hour there trying out the various equipment, seesawing, swinging, “ziplining,” climbing a rock wall, and taking a stab at “American Ninja Warrior”-type training equipment. It’s an amazing place to visit. You might also like 7 Historical Things to Do in Virginia.  Our Jayco Pinnacle fifth wheel was built in 2018. Although online streaming had become popular by then, including a TV antenna on an RV roof was standard practice. We moved into our fifth wheel in April 2020 and never used the TV antenna, relying on streaming channels for our watching pleasure. For us, the antenna proved problematic, creating a contact point toward the front of our rig for low-hanging trees to easily grab and turn it. When that happened, the metal part of the unit faced sideways or forward, making it even easier to catch on leaves and branches. Bob had wanted to remove the RV TV antenna since we became full-time RVers. It led to some major issues, such as pulling our roof membrane out from under the rig’s nose cap — which resulted in roof leak issues later on — and leaning off our roof. Out with the Old After another roof rip while traveling from Mississippi to Georgia, Bob decided the time had come to do away with the antenna once and for all. He consulted YouTube to see what might be involved in the process. We already knew we’d have to remove the self-leveling caulk around the unit on the outside. But we didn’t know what needed to be done on the inside. The TV antenna controller was attached to our bedroom ceiling. When packing the rig for travel, we always checked to ensure the antenna faced the correct way. Bob removed three screws to disassemble the controller. An 8-inch or so PVC pipe dropped out of the ceiling. Climbing onto the roof of our rig, he painstakingly peeled away the caulk around the TV antenna, a blister-creating process. That revealed four screws holding the unit in place. After removing those, the antenna didn’t easily let go. It held securely in position.  Bob broke the seal around the unit and was able to separate it from our roof and disconnect the coaxial cable, exposing about a 3-inch hole that matched the one in the bedroom. With the unit out of place, he carefully removed the rest of the caulk, a necessary step before we could effectively cover the hole.  In with the New We had found some 0.032-inch aluminum at Lowe’s that we thought would work great to repair the new roof opening. Bob spray-painted it to keep it from getting overly hot on bright, sunny days. Then he cut it into two even pieces to ensure coverage of the screw holes left from the antenna. In the process of covering the hole, he managed to rip a new opening in the roof from his shoe rubbing on the membrane. Undeterred, he took off his shoes to avoid introducing additional holes and applied Eternabond tape, a staple on our rig, to hide the hole.  Bob positioned the first piece of aluminum and screwed it into place. Carefully matching up the seam with the other piece, he repeated the process. Then he spread new self-leveling caulk around all edges, making sure to cover the screws and middle seam. We’re relieved to be rid of the antenna from our roof. The topmost items on it now are two air conditioning units, conveniently located away from the roof’s edges.
You might also like Navigating Low-Clearance Bridges in an RV. |
AuthorThis is the travel blog of full-time RVers Bob and Lana Gates and our truck, Gulliver, and fifth wheel, Tagalong. Categories
All
Archives
November 2024
|
RSS Feed