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Ash Lawn-Highland, home of our 5th president, James Monroe, lies just 2.5 miles south of Monticello. Talk about opposite end of the spectrum! Where Monticello is everything you would expect in a president's home, Highland is not. It is a very humble dwelling. The property was purchased in 1793 because of Monroe's close friendship with Jefferson. Actually, knowing what Monroe was looking for, Jefferson chose the property and used his gardeners to start its orchards.
The property was called "Highland" by President Monroe because he also owned a home in Fredericksburg which he called his lowland home. Its name was changed by a later owner because of the ash trees that line the driveway. Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth, moved to Highland in 1799 and their first, formally invited, guests were James & Dolley Madison. Thomas Jefferson was a frequent guest and needed no invitation.
The home as it stands now is not the original structure of Monroe's era. The yellow, two-story portion to the left of the dwelling was added after a fire in 1840 destroyed that end of the home. However, the white one level portion of the home is the original building in which Monroe lived. All of the other buildings on the property are also original structures.
The most fascinating part of the property, to me, is the approximately 400 year old White Oak tree standing in front of the house. It is a gorgeous tree and, most likely, the only one that was there at the time Monroe lived at Highland.
Although Monroe had wanted to retire to Highland, poor health and finances forced them to sell the home. Again, it is because of the subsequent owners that we have the property to tour. The last owner was Jay Winston Johns who bequeathed the property, now known as Ash Lawn-Highland, to Monroe's alma mater, the College of William & Mary. Mr. Johns wanted the public to share in the history of the property.
President Monroe held more titles/offices than any other president, but his favorite (the one that he preferred to addressed by) was Colonel. Other than President of the United States, Monroe was also a U.S. senator, ambassador, four-time Virginia governor, and Secretary of State and War at the same time. He was also the one who negotiated the Louisiana Purchase - without the express permission of Jefferson. He was only to purchase some of the land - not enough to double the size of the United States at that time!!
Some other Monroe trivia is that was elected to his second term of President without opposition. He would have been elected unanimously, but there was a token vote against him so that George Washington could remain the only President elected unanimously. And Monroe also died on July 4th, as did Jefferson and John Quincy Adams - three of the our first five presidents!
We had a great day touring properties that were home to such dynamic men. It was a privilege. We need to be grateful to those who had the foresight to salvage these homes and the history that goes along with them.
Randy & I are resting this weekend! Just enjoying the campground and some down time. We will head further south on Monday, stopping in Natural Bridge, VA for a week. Looking forward to exploring that area.
Take care of each other. We'll be posting again soon. Until the next time . . .
We spent Friday touring Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland. Very different homes, but both worth the visit.
Monticello, which is Italian meaning "little mountain," is appropriately named as it does sit on top of a mountain just outside of Charlottesville, VA. There is a gorgeous view from the front of the property. The house itself is not the impressive when you first drive up to the front of it, but as you walk the grounds and come around to the back of the house, it is breathtaking to take in the beautiful gardens and full layout of the house that is unseen from the front.
All of us know Jefferson's accomplishments; writer of the Declaration of Independence, congressman, vice-president; and 3rd president of the United States and much more. But he felt that one of his biggest contributions to this country was the founding of the University of Virginia. He was also an avid reader, scientist, farmer, and architect.
Monticello was Jefferson's passion for over 50 years. He designed and oversaw all aspects of its construction. The gardens were used for exploring many of his agricultural theories. Unfortunately, many of his ideas were unprofitable and he died in debt which forced his family to sell everything to pay off those debts.
Fortunately, for us, the Levy family who bought Monticello in 1834 from the family who bought it from Jefferson's family, greatly admired President Jefferson and maintained the home in much the same condition as it was during Jefferson's residence. It was from the Levy family that the Jefferson Foundation purchased Monticello and allowed it to be opened to the public.
Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He is buried in the Monticello cemetery as is his wife, Martha. This cemetery is owned by an association of Jefferson's descendants and is still in use today. It's interesting to note that of all of the accomplishments that could have been used as his epitaph, Jefferson himself stated that only the three that he felt were the most important be written on his tombstone: "Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia." Wonder what we would have chosen, if we were Jefferson?
With another beautiful day on tap, we took the opportunity to drive along the next 35 miles of Skyline Drive that runs parallel to the area where we are camping. More gorgeous views and some interesting history was just waiting for us to find it.
Shenandoah National Park grew out of six Civilian Conservation Corps camps that were in use from 1933 to 1942. This group built many rustic-style facilities throughout the park, some of which are still in use today. At the Byrd Visitors Center, we found a doe feeding along the roadside quite near the center.
President Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou, built a retreat in the park, Rapidan Camp. It's found between mile markers 50 & 55 along Skyline Drive.
Also along this stretch of the drive is the last mountain crossing of Stonewall Jackson in November, 1862 as he moved 25,000 troops from Antietam, MD to Fredericksburg, VA. He crossed over the Blue Ridge Mountains through Fishers Gap just before mile marker 50. A few months later, in the spring of 1863, Jackson was mortally wounded in Fredericksburg.
As we drove along, it was easy to become "used to" the amazing views seen from the road and the various overlooks. Mountains, sky, valleys can begin to look the same if you just glance over them. And I found myself doing just that and that saddened me. I didn't want to become numb to the beauty that was before me, so I made a point of really looking at what God had created. Truly seeing the clouds, the foliage, the blue sky, and the towns below with the people int hem going about their lives. And in the pictures I took, though many of them look the same, they aren't. The cloud formations are different, the tree lines vary and the towns below have different families living different lives in them. And all of this has been given to us by a God who loves us and wants to share His creation with us. No, I don't ever want to "get used to" seeing all of this. I hope you won't either.
Tomorrow we'll be visiting Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe. Really looking forward to learning more about these two presidents.
We spent our day exploring Montpelier, home of James & Dolley Madison. James Madison was the fourth President of the United States and also served as the Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson. He is also known as the "Father of the Constitution" and architect of the Bill of Rights. President Madison was also an avid reader and collector of books. It is said that he asked friends to bring him books from wherever they traveled. And he wanted them in their original languages. It known that he could translate at least Hebrew, Greek and Latin. It could be that he knew other languages, too. It's thought that he may have had over 4000 books in his library. It is in that upstairs library that he drafted our Constitution.
Dolley Madison was the first wife of a president to be called First Lady. She was known to be a fashionable and politically astute hostess, holding parties and dinners.
The land upon which Montpelier rests was purchased by President Madison's grandfather Ambrose in 1723. Ambrose built a small homestead with slave quarters about a third of a mile from where the president's house currently sits. G'father Ambrose named his property, Mount Pleasant. It was James Madison, Sr. who built the mansion known as Montpelier in 1760.
Since Mr. Madison, Sr.'s first building of Montpelier in 1760, the structure has undergone many, many changes. Originally, the house was 6000 square feet, not a small home at all. Once the president married in 1794, he decided the home needed a couple of additions - one on either side of the original building. One addition was for his mother; the other was to accommodate his new wife and her son from a previous marriage. President Madison also added terraces to the roofs of these additions and large porch to the back of the home. Upon the completion of these additions, the house was now double in size - 12,000 square feet.
A couple of interesting trivia points: there is a Cedar of Lebanon just to the side of the mansion. It was given to President Madison by General Lafayette. Also, President Madison had a temple built in 1811 that was for meditation and reflection. He wanted a place of quiet to share with his guests. But, being the practical man he was, there was an icehouse built under the columns so that he could serve his guests chilled refreshments!
After the death of President Madison at Montpelier in 1836, Dolley lived in the home, alone, until 1844 when she sold it. It is said that Dolley was extremely lonely in the house and moved back to Washington, DC where she enjoyed the busy social life she had had in previous years there. However, upon her death, Dolley was buried at Montpelier alongside her beloved James. From the time Dolley sold the house in 1844, until its purchase by the duPont family in 1901, there were 6 owners of the house. Some families lived in it as short a time as a year, others as much as ten years.
William & Annie duPont bought the home in 1901 and it remained in their family until it was transferred to the National Trust in 1984 as bequeathed by Marion duPont Scott. Ms. Scott was the daughter of William & Annie and had grown up in the home. She was given the house upon the death of her parents and her brother was left a home in Delaware near the family business. Ms. Scott was a horsewoman and went on to raise award winning horses, three of which are buried on the property. Two of these horses were sired by Man O'War.
During the duPont years, the house once again underwent construction. The duPonts added a second story to both of the additions President Madison had built as well as built out the back of the home. Once finished, the duPont Montpelier was almost 37,000 square feet! They had also refinished the outside of the home in stucco and completely renovated the inside of the home as well. This picture is the last remaining addition from the duPont years.
When Marion duPont Scott bequeathed Montpelier to the National Trust it was with the condition that the home be restored to what it was while James & Dolley Madison lived there. In 2003, that restoration began and is still ongoing today. It is an amazing, tedious, detailed work. It is expected to be completed by March, 2008. That is only the outside and inside structural restoration. Restoring decorations, furniture, paint, wallpaper, etc., will not begin until 2009 as the interior structural work must "cure" before anything can be done to the walls.
Because of the many changes made to the house by the duPont family, it is difficult to know how some of the rooms were originally fashioned. It is through old letters, newspaper clippings and just a few pictures that they are able to do this. One very neat story is that finding a mouse nest helped to know whether some wallpaper shreds were from the Madison home or the It was very interesting to learn how the archaeologists and restoration experts are able to recreate the original home. Because the mouse used a small piece of a letter written by President Madison in making its nest as well as the wallpaper shreds, it was determined that the mouse nest was a Madison mouse nest and not a duPont mouse nest! So, everything found in the house is used in the restoration of this beautiful home.
There is also a formal garden area. The gardens were begun during the Madison era, but were enlarged upon by the duPonts. Also found on the property is the Landmark Forest. It is the largest uncut forest in the eastern United States. Madison wanted to keep some of the land untouched.
This national treasure will continue to change over the next few years as the restoration process continues. I encourage everyone to take time to visit Montpelier. It is fascinating to walk where one of our Founding Fathers lived and died.
Tomorrow we are going to drive along more of Skyline Drive. Looking forward to that. Unfortunately, I am having trouble uploading pictures to our Webshots site. I hope that problem resolves itself soon.
Take care of one another. Please keep in touch. Until the next time . . .
What a beautiful day to travel! We couldn't have ordered a better day. Cool temperature, lots of sunshine, and great traveling companions! :)
We got on the road a few minutes after 9am, which was exactly what we wanted to do. We had said our good-byes to the kids last night, so all we needed to to was hitch up and pull out.
Our plan is to spend the next three weeks along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, stopping for a week at three different campgrounds along the way. We pulled up to the beginning of the parkway in Front Royal, VA around noon. This part of the parkway is called Skyline Drive and it is in the heart of the Shenandoah National Park. And, just as its name implies, you feel as though you are driving along the skyway.
We have driven a few miles along Skyline Drive in the past, but never this far south. We stopped at a few of the overlook pull-offs to take pictures because the views are just breath-taking. It is amazing to look at God's creation. Unfortunately, the pictures don't do the views justice.
We are a little disappointed, though, as the leaves have not begun to change as much as we had thought they would. There was very little color along the 25 mile tract that we drove today. I'm hoping that we will see more the farther we go.
We are excited about all there is to do in this area. We are camped in Madison, VA which is less than 30 miles north of Charlottesville. There are homes of three presidents within a few miles of here: Madison, Monroe & Jefferson. We'll be visiting all of those and share what we find with you.
Tomorrow is an errand day. Yes, even in this laid-back, retired lifestyle, we have to take care of business! So, tomorrow is grocery & banking day. Getting that out of the way early in the week allows us to play the remainder of our time here.
Well, enjoy the few pictures I took. And be prepared for lots of postings over the next few weeks. At least, I hope I'll be posting a lot! This trip promises to be full of things to do and see.
Last week started and ended with a birthday party! In between, I went to New Hampshire and back. Talk about a busy week! Last Monday, Lindsay held a playgroup birthday party for Reagan at Chuck E. Cheese. Randy & I joined them, just for the fun of seeing six 2 year olds running rampant in the restaurant. The fun comes when none of those kids are yours!! As grandparents, we are able to enjoy the chaos without the responsibility. What a blast!!
Actually, the kids were quite good. Most of the games and rides are made for their age group and you don't have to worry about them getting hurt. The staff was great, making it fun for everyone - including the adults! Chuck E. made an appearance, much to the chagrin of the kids. Only one, Austin, ran up to him to give him a hug. The rest of the kids weren't too sure about him.
From the party, I hit the road to my folks' house near Ocean City, MD. My mom and I were leaving on Tuesday morning for our road trip to Winchester, New Hampshire so Mommy could visit with her eldest living sister. They had not seen each other in more than 15 years. I was a little apprehensive about driving all that way because I do so little driving now. But, we were taking my folks' new Honda Odyssey van and it is very nice. I figured I'm a big girl (hey! no smart remarks!) and I could handle it.
So, bright and early, well not really early, about 8am, on Tuesday morning, armed with our Yahoo! Maps directions and Dunkin' Donuts coffee & croissant sandwich, we headed out. Now, our directions said the drive from Mommy's house to the motel would take about 7.5 hours. I figured it would be more like 9 hours with stops for food and potty breaks. And we did pull into the parking lot of the Super 8 Motel at 5pm. Not bad . . . especially when we had torrential rain through the state of Connecticut! We had a great time on the road, though. We laughed and talked and laughed some more. I gotta admit - it's nice to be able to say you enjoy spending time with your mom. Not a lot of daughters can say that, I think.
Wednesday morning was much prettier than Tuesday! We spent the morning with my Aunt Helen. She is 82 years old and is still living on her own. Her daughter, my cousin Wanda, and her husband, Bob, just live 3 miles down the road from Aunt Helen and check in on her daily. Aunt Helen hadn't been well recently and that's what motivated my mom to travel to see her. Mommy and Aunt Helen spent the morning catching up on all the family news as well as reminiscing about the old days. We left after lunch for a bit so that Aunt Helen could rest.
During our afternoon, we drove around the area. Winchester, NH where Aunt Helen lives is just a few miles from the Massachusetts state line. Northfield, MA is the first town you come to when you continue south on Route 10 from Aunt Helen's house. It is a nice little town and its claim to fame is that it is home to the Northfield Mount Hermon School. This school was founded by Dwight L. Moody, a renowned evangelist. Originally, there were two schools, the first one was founded in 1879 and was called Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies. The second school, Mount Hermon School for Boys was founded two years later. Moody wanted to provide a first rate secondary education for young people regardless of their background. Unfortunately, over the years the enrollment didn't support two separate schools, so the two schools were merged into one co-ed school in 1971 and then moved in 2005 to its new location in nearby Gill, Massachusetts. All of the buildings on the Northfield campus are still maintained and are simply beautiful. I took pictures of just two buildings, but they are gorgeous. Moody's childhood home is still standing on the Northfield property. You will recognize some of the alumni: David Hartman, former host of Good Morning America; Natalie Cole, singer & daughter of Nat King Cole; and Bette Davis, noted actress. Some you may not recognize, but will know their work: S. Prestley Blake, cofounder of Friendly Ice Cream; DeWitt Wallace, founder of Reader's Digest; and James McLamore, cofounder of Burger King.
From Northfield, we headed north, back into New Hampshire. In the area where Aunt Helen lives, there are several old covered bridges. Mommy and I didn't have a lot of time, but we wanted to see a couple of them. One sits over the very picturesque Ashuelot River. It was very odd driving through these bridges as they are narrow and you feel like you shouldn't be driving on them.
Back to Aunt Helen's house for dinner. Wanda was gracious enough to make a wonderful dinner for us and she and Bob came over to Aunt Helen's to join us for the evening. Once more we were privy to Mommy and Aunt Helen's reminiscing and yes, loving sisterly disagreements. Guess it doesn't matter how old you get, sisters are sisters! All too soon, it was time for us to go. I know it was hard for Mommy to say good-bye to Aunt Helen, feeling confident it would be the last time they would see each other. It was a little sad to watch, I'll admit. But, I'm sure glad I was able to be part of the visit.
Thursday morning, Mommy and I packed up and, after a good breakfast, headed for home. We did make a side trip to New London, Connecticut to see a couple of Native American-run casinos. Mommy had heard about how beautiful these casinos were and, since we were so close, it was too tempting to pass up. Unfortunately, we didn't hit the big one, so we left them with our money and started the trip home. Much better weather heading south and we pulled into my folks' driveway at 11pm Thursday night. Can we say "quick trip"? We put almost 1,000 miles on that van in just three days. And I did all the driving!! Not bad, not bad at all.
I ended the week, on Saturday, by attending Reagan's 2nd birthday party. What a wonderful way to spend the day. Lindsay outdid herself, as usual, with the party. Reagan had her family and friends in attendance and was the life of the party, of course. It's hard to believe that baby girl is 2 years old already! I can't begin to express the joy she has brought into our lives. Looking around the house at all the people who love her, I was filled with gratitude for the blessings God has continued to grant our family.
Gosh, we have less than two weeks before we leave for our fall trip. This summer has flown by. While I am looking forward to getting back on the road, it has been great being with family these last four months. It's gonna be tough to leave.
On Tuesday & Wednesday of this week, my friend, Cheri, and I ventured into Philadelphia. Cheri's daughter, Courtney, is a student at Philadelphia University, so we invited ourselves to spend the night with her and this allowed us to spend lots of time sightseeing.
WARNING: This is a long posting 'cause there was SO much to see. So, grab a cup of coffee, an alcoholic beverage, or some water and kick back and enjoy.
Philadelphia is a city of "firsts." So many of our country's historical firsts are found here:
first planned city first public library first volunteer fire department first hospital first university first mint first municipal water system first art museum first zoo first Thanksgiving Day parade
Cheri and I both enjoy walking tours and there was one called "The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia" and it promised to be a good, long walk so it was decided to leave that for Wednesday when we would have more time. We got started later in the morning on Tuesday and after checking out the Visitors' Center, we decided to start with Independence Hall.
Independence Hall was built in 1732 and originally known as the Pennsylvania State House. But, as our guide suggested, folks coming from all over the country, and out of it, too, don't want to see a "state house" so it was appropriately renamed, since this is where our independence was written. It was here that the Second Continental Congress met in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. This building is also where the Constitutional Convention met to draft and sign our United States Constitution in 1787.
Have you ever seen the movie, "1776"? If you have, you will recognize the room in Independence Hall in which the Declaration of Independence was signed. The movie did a great job of recreating the room. As soon as I walked into it, I knew what it was. And who says we can't learn anything from the movies???
The only original piece of furniture in the building is the chair in which George Washington sat to preside over the Congress meetings. A rising sun is etched into the top of the chair and it is said that Benjamin Franklin is the one that decided it was a rising sun and not a setting one - because they were witnesses to the rising of a new nation.
The buildings on either side of Independence Hall hold historical significance as well. Congress Hall was built between 1787 & 1789 as as the Philadelphia County Court House, but served as the US Capitol, the meeting place of the US Congress from 1790 to 1800, when Philadelphia was the capital of the United States. The inaugurations of George Washington (his second) and John Adams occurred in this building. Old City Hall held the Supreme Court from 1791 until 1800 when the capital moved to Washington, DC.
These historical buildings are located in Independence Square. Standing watch over the square is a monument to Commodore John Barry, known as the Father of the United States Navy.
Once we had toured Independence Hall, it was lunchtime and we were encouraged to go to Jim's Steakhouse located a few blocks south of Independence Hall. We were promised we'd get the best cheesesteaks in town - and that was by a National Park Ranger - so we figured we had better go. Well, I don't know if they were the best ones in town, but they were pretty darn good, and huge!! I knew we needed to do some walking to settle that sandwich down.
On our walk to and from lunch, we passed so many beautiful historic homes and buildings. It is amazing how well maintained so many of them are. It's also sad to see the ones that are no longer loved and taken care of. One of the buildings was the Philadelphia Contributorship. It is the oldest fire insurance company in America. It was founded in 1752 by, who else? Benjamin Franklin and friends.
One of the homes we saw was once owned by Dr. Philip Syng Physick, known as the Father of American Surgery, because of the techniques and instruments he introduced to the medical world. This house was built in 1786 and is one of just a few homes built during that time still standing. A couple of Dr. Physick's more famous patients were Dolley Madison and Andrew Jackson.
President James Madison's home is located on a very "normal" residential street. It is a townhouse and was built in 1796. The funniest thing was that it is currently for sale. I just found that amusing for some reason.
Another first in Philadelphia was the first commodities exchange, housed in the Philadelphia Bourse Building. This building was completed in 1895 and was one of the first steel-framed buildings constructed. It is now home to businesses, retail stores, and a food court.
Our next to last stop for the day was Christ Church Burial Ground, best known as the burial place of Benjamin Franklin. It has been in continuous use since 1719 and is "home" to four other signers of the Declaration of Independence. There is a list of Benjamin Franklin's accomplishments etched in the brick wall that surrounds the cemetery. Goodness, it was about as tall as me!! It is amazing to read all the Mr. Franklin contributed to our country.
One other person, not so well known, who is buried at Christ Church Burial Ground is David Salisbury Franks. Major Franks was the aide-de-camp to Benedict Arnold during the Revolutionary War. It was at first thought that Major Franks was involved in Arnold's treason, but he was ultimately exonerated. The reason it is interesting that Major Franks is buried at Christ Church is that he was Jewish. Major Franks was a victim of a yellow fever outbreak and was buried at the church by a Christian neighbor.
Across the street from Christ Church Burial Ground is the United States Mint. It was closed by the time we got there, but we found that we couldn't go in anyway. No cameras, phones, etc., are allowed in the Mint. So, I just got a picture of it. And then it was time to head for Courtney's apartment.
Wednesday found us heading back downtown quite a bit earlier and we were excited to start our walking tour. You could have a guide or do it yourself - we chose to do it ourselves, so we could linger where we wanted and skip those sites we were not so interested in.
Our first stop on the tour was The Constitution Center. Well, since the Constitution is not housed there and they wanted $12 bucks for us to look at exhibits I couldn't take pictures of, we chose not to tour this facility. Call me cheap, but there it is.
We moved onto The Liberty Bell Center. The Liberty Bell was originally called the Pennsylvania State Bell as it was the official bell of the Pennsylvania State House. The name "Liberty Bell" was first coined by a group trying to outlaw slavery. The abolitionists remembered the inscription on the bell (Leviticus 25:10) and adopted the bell as a symbol of their cause. The bell was cast in London in 1751 but cracked soon after its arrival in Philadelphia. Local craftsmen, Pass & Stow, cast a new bell in 1753 using the metal from the original bell. That's why their names are on the bell. By 1846 a thin crack affected the sound of the bell. It was repaired that same year and was rung for George Washington's birthday, but it cracked again. It has been silent ever since. And no one knows why it ever cracked.
Washington Square is one of five public parks designed by William Penn. It is home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that was erected in 1954 honoring George Washington and an unknown soldier from the Revolutionary War.
Library Hall, as it stands now, is a 1950s reproduction of the original building and it stands on the original site. The Hall was home to the Library Company of Philadelphia that was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731. The Library Company served as the Library of Congress from 1774 to 1800. The current building houses some of the American Philosophical Society's collections and still functions as a prominent research facility.
The Merchants' Exchange, ca 1831, is the oldest stock exchange building in the United States. It is a gorgeous building.
The First Bank of the United States was chartered by Congress and President Washington in 1791 and the building was completed in 1797.
Carpenters' Hall was built in 1770; the First Continental Congress met here in 1774 to draw up the Declaration of Rights and Grievances and an appeal to King George III in response to the colonies' anger over the punishment Massachusetts received for the Boston Tea Party. And it was during the First Continental Congress here at Carpenters' Hall that Patrick Henry stated that distinctions between the states was to be no more. He said, "I am not a Virginian, but an American."
The B. Free Franklin Post Office & Museum is the only Colonial-theme post office run by the USPS. It does not fly the American flag because there was no flag in 1775 when Mr. Franklin was appointed Postmaster General. The postmark "B. Free Franklin" is still used to cancel stamps.
One of the very coolest things on this tour was Elfreth's Alley. It consists of 33 townhouses and is the oldest continuous residential street in the United States. One of the houses had a historical marker of 1703,but the history says that it has been lived in since 1713. There are several posters citing the more recent history of this wonderful street - late 1800s and early 1900s.
The Betsy Ross house was built in 1740 and has been restored to circa 1777, this being the year in which Betsy was commissioned by George Washington to create the first American flag. Betsy Ross had a rather tragic life. She was disowned by the Quakers; survived the death of three husbands and two infant daughters. But she persevered and maintained a business during this time. A side note - her pew at Christ Church was next to George Washington's.
Our last stop of the day was Declaration House - a reconstruction of the site where Thomas Jefferson lived while he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
I know this was a LOT to read, but I hope you enjoyed it and maybe even found something out about our country that you didn't know before. In any event, I truly enjoyed my walk around Philadelphia. I certainly learned many, many things I had not known prior to my visit. As always, there are more pictures to be found at our Webshots site: http://community.webshots.com/user/guiler85/0 .
The next few weeks are going to be crazy busy. We will celebrate Lindsay's birthday, Reagan's birthday, and Lindsay & Jason's 6th wedding anniversary. I am going to New Hampshire with my mom next week for five days so she and her sister, Helen, can see each other for the first time in a great many years. Then, Randy & I are trying to get together with friends before we hit the road on October 1.
So, keep in touch. We love hearing from you. Take care of each other. Until the next time . . .
friendship with Jefferson. Actually, knowing what Monroe was looking for, Jefferson chose the property and used his gardeners to start its orchards.
invitation.
buildings on the property are also original structures.
them to sell the home. Again, it is because of the subsequent owners that we have the property to tour. The last owner was Jay Winston Johns who bequeathed the property, now known as Ash Lawn-Highland, to Monroe's alma mater, the College of William & Mary. Mr. Johns wanted the public to share in the history of the property.
