We stayed in Williamsburg VA last week where we visited Jamestown, the first permanent settlement that sort of started this whole USA thing.
While this church at Jamestown is the 3rd building built on the original foundation, it was here that the laws that would later form our Constitution were created:
It was a rough life for those that chose to be part of this colony. Most died; there are people buried everywhere here. (Fascinating side note: Jamestown was a private commericial endeavor…our country was a risky start-up!)
Amy and the girls visited Colonial Williamsburg later in the week. It is a well-preserved community, boasting 88 original homes and buildings, and costumed historians just waiting to tell you their stories:
This is inside an old apothecary. Those are original 17th century bottles on the shelves, and that lady is explaining ye ol’ tooth extractor:
Toward the end of the week, we visited Yorktown, the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. There was a park ranger telling very interesting stories, but it was way too cold to sit and listen — we ended up heading back into the visitor’s center.
That is George Washington’s tent that he slept in during the Revolutionary War. How cool is that?? We still have these treasures thanks to a Civil War-era slave named Selina Gray (more on her in a moment).
Earthworks created by the British to help fend off George Washington’s approaching army:
While traveling to DC this past weekend, we made a stop at George Washington’s birth place:
It’s not a hugely popular destination. We got to watch the bad movie all by ourselves:
Though the house is long gone, this is the parameter — and room — where ol’ George was born. Like Jamestown and Yorktown, there’s not much aesthetically to take in, but the historical significance of what happened here is staggering.
We are camped at a little regional park just outside of DC for the week. It’s lovely here; nice and quiet, even if it is a little creepy (we are the only ones in the entire park):
On Sunday, we ventured out to do a whirlwind tour of DC. Here we are at the Metro station, trying to figure out how to buy a ticket. (As a user interface designer, I found the ticket-buying process offensively confusing.)
Amy figured it out, and we were on our way:
My photos of the Washington monument won’t be making any coffee table books; it was covered in scaffolding and undergoing repairs from an earthquake a couple years ago:
Our visit, for better or for worse, coincides with the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. The good news is that the beautiful cherry tree blossoms come out:
…the bad news is that tons of people do too:
But we made the best of it, fought the crowds and started hitting some of the major landmarks of DC. We saw Jefferson’s memorial:
Had a nice picnic lunch:
Saw FDR’s memorial:
MLK’s memorial:
The Korean War memorial:
Lincoln’s memorial:
My girls standing at the spot where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech:
A park volunteer gave us a very interesting (and very moving) explanation of the design and symbolism of the Vietnam War memorial:
The Vietnam War is old enough to have historical context, but not old enough to be from “another era.” It’s a common practice for people to find the names of loved ones who died in that war. Where we stood, an older gentleman walked up, found a name and walk away teary-eyed. It was a heavy place.
After a lllllong walk over a bridge that crossed the Potomac, we reached Arlington:
We weren’t done yet, but the day’s walking was taking its toll:
Just a few of the headstones of Arlington National Cemetery:
JFK’s eternal flame:
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier:
The Pentagon, off in the distance:
At the top of the hill in Arlington is Arlington House, aka the former house of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate General. His wife Mary was the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington and step-great-granddaughter of George Washington himself. Hence, the Lee’s possessed many Washington heirlooms, like the tents we saw at Yorktown. When the Civil War broke out, the Lee’s left this mansion in the hands of Mary’s personal slave, Selina Gray, who is credited with protecting the Washington historical treasures from the looting Union Army. It’s a tangled web of victorian drama, but a fascinating one that ties Revolutionary War heros with Civil War adversaries.
The view from Lee’s house:
After Arlington, we had just enough energy to hop the Metro and walk a few more blocks to the White House. On the way, we saw the Capitol building from afar:
Refueling:
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue:
We covered a lot of ground yesterday (all of us have sore feet) but it was great to see so many cool things in one day. There is a lot yet to see, however; it’s going to be a bit of a challenge juggling work and site-seeing this week.
In the past week, we’ve been to sites representing the complete arc of American history: Colonial America, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the grandeur of our nation’s capitol. It’s hard not to feel a bit inspired by it all. Our county is awesome. USA!