WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA

Back on Memorial Day weekend in 2012 I took a little mini vacation to through Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. A lot of the journey took me along the historic National Road.  One such stop was in the historic river town of Wheeling, West Virginia.  The National Road run right through downtown Wheeling and crosses the Ohio River on a suspension bridge that was built in 1849. With a total length of 1,010-feet is one of the longest and oldest pre-Civil War bridges still in use today. It is still open to vehicle traffic, with a weigh limit of 2-tons or less.  The historic bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Place in 1975.

Just down the street from the suspension bridge is the historic Capitol Music Hall. From 1926 until 1977 the Capitol Music Hall was the setting for "Jamboree USA, a live country music radio show broadcast live over clear channel WWVA - 1170 AM. The Jamboree was the second longest running radio show in the United States; only the Grand Ole Opry has had a longer run.  Some of the greatest stars in country music, including Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb and Bill Monroe have performed on the stage of this historic building.

Here is a short video taken highlighting my visit.

TOMBSTONE TOURIST VISIT MARYLAND

Green Mount Cemetery

When Traveling I like to spend time visiting Old and Historic Cemeteries so I have been labeled the Tombstone Tourist. While on a recent trip to Maryland for the Military Bowl I had the opportunity to visit Baltimore and the Historic Green Mount Cemetery. Driving up from Annapolis my GPS took me through downtown Baltimore.  The area surrounding Green Mount Cemetery is not the best and anyone visiting here should remain aware of their surrounding. As I was getting close to the cemetery the neighborhood got progressively worse and it looked like some of the building had been burned in the riots last year. It seems that the politically correct term for what happened is protests, but anything that does this much damage is a riot.  As I pulled into the cemetery, I stopped at the office. This is a very, very large cemetery and I needed to Pick up a map and also all visitors are required to register with the office before entering.  I signed in and picked up my map that included the locations of more than 70 of the most visited graves.  It was a cold, rainy morning as I drove through the cemetery beginning my search for some of Baltimore's most historic and notable figures.

General Joseph E. Johnston

One of my target graves was that of General Joseph E. Johnston.  I found it interesting that General Johnson surrendered the last and largest number of the Confederate Forces during the Civil War. On April 26, 1865, some two weeks after General Lee Surrendered at Appomattox, General Johnston surrendered more than 89,000 Confederate Troops to General William T. Sherman at Bennett's Place near Durham, North Carolina.  One thing that I found Interesting was that following the war General Sherman and General Johnston became close friend. The two was so close that when General Sherman died in February 1891, General Johnston served as a pallbearer at his funeral.  It was a cold rainy day but out of respect for for his friend General Johnston refused to wear a hat and as a result caught pneumonia and died a few weeks later.

Samuel Arnold

 Also buried here is Johns Hopkins, the founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University.  His grave is located near the Chapel, and the grave of Maryland's Longest serving Governor, Albert Richie.  Governor Richie served for over 15-years as Maryland's 49th Governor.   On top of the hill near the large mausoleum I found the grave of Samuel Arnold, who was involved in the original plan to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln. Although he withdrew from the plot prior to Lincoln being assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, Arnold and Dr. Samuel Mudd were both found guilty of conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison at Fort Jefferson off of the Coast of Florida. In 1869, President Andrew Johnson pardoned both Arnold and Mudd.  Both men returned to Maryland and lived out the rest of their lives.  After being released from prison, Arnold lived quietly for more than 30-year. Samuel Arnold died on September 21, 1906. Only a simple white stone with the name Arnold, marks his grave.

Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte

When walking through cemeteries, I often find something unexpected and interesting.  This was the case when I stumbled on the grave of Elizabeth Patterson who was the wife of Jerome Bonaparte. Jerome was the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte who strongly disapproved of the marriage. When Jerome and Elizabeth tried to return to France, Napoleon refused to allow Elizabeth to enter the country.  She was exiled to England and Napoleon had the marriage annulled. Elizabeth Bonaparte returned to being Elizabeth Patterson and returned to America where she lived out the rest of her life.

John Wilkes Booth

My final stop in Green Mount Cemetery was at probably the most visited grave in the cemetery; the grave of John Wilkes Booth. A couple of weeks after shooting President Lincoln at Fords theater, Booth was located by U. S. Soldiers in a barn on the farm of Richard Garrett, near Port Royal, Virginia. Refusing to give up a soldier named Boston Corbett shot Booth in the barn, and he died a few hours later. President Lincoln's Assassin is officially buried in an "unmarked" grave in the booth family plot.  The only mention of John Wilkes Booth is on the family grave monument which lists the name of Julius Booth's children. While the cemetery maintains that his grave is unmarked, many people think that a small white stone at the corner of the family plot actually marks his grave.

After finishing my visit to Green Mount Cemetery, I made my way back through Baltimore and headed north toward the Dulaney Valley Cemetery in Cockeysville, Maryland. The Dulaney Valley Cemetery is a modern cemetery with flat ground markers which makes his difficult if not impossible to locate specific graves.  While Find-A-Grave is very helpful the GPS coordinated posed for individual graves are often incorrect.

Spiro T. Agnew

I stopped by the office and while they don't offer a map of famous graves the staff did provide me with the locate of Spiro T. Agnew grave.  Agnew was Vice President of the United States under Richard Nixon.  During his term in office he was investigated for corruption and became only the second vice president to resign the office. John C. Calhoun was the first.  Even with the map I was having great difficulty locating his grave.  A very helpful cemetery worker came to my rescue and not only took me right to his grave but gave me direction to a couple of other famous people who are resting here.

Johnny Unitas

With the help of the cemetery worker I was able to visit the final resting place of NFL Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas and Art Donovan.  Both are resting in a very peaceful location on the banks of a small lake near the cemetery entrance. Both played most of their careers with the Baltimore Colts and were two of the teams most beloved figures.

Francis Scott Key

After visiting Dulaney Valley it was time to head west and toward home.  I made my way out Interstate 70 and it was very late in the afternoon when I pulled into the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland. I had been here several years ago and wanted to once again visit the grave of Francis Scott Key, who composed the words to the Star Spangled Banner which became out National Anthem. Key is buried below the impressive monument at the cemetery entrance.

It was very cold and windy in Frederick and after visiting the Key grave I made a quick stop at grave of Civil War Folk Figure Brabars Fritchie and Maryland's first Governor Thomas Johnson.  Both graves are located very close to each other and allowed for a very quick stop. Here is a short video of my visit to these cemeteries.

Mount Olivet was the final stop on my visit to the historic cemeteries of Maryland and I headed home the cold wind and rain turned into blowing snow as I made my way down Interstate 81.

A VISIT TO THE NEWSEUM

A few weeks ago I spend some time in Washington D.C. and was able to visit the Newseum. The Newseum has exhibits and artifact from some of history's most famous events, including the Time Square Bombers car, the rifle used by the D. C. Sniper, a piece of the Berlin Wall, and John Dillnger's Hat and Gun.

The museum also features a number of interactive exhibit allowing visitors to see what it is like to be both field and studio reporters. One of the most popular interactive exhibits allows visitors to sit in a realistic News studio and read news from a teleprompter dealing with some of history's most famous events.

The Time Square Bombers SUV

On May 1, 2010 Fasial Shahzad parked this Nissan Pathfinder in the heart of Time Square. The vehicle was packed with explosives set to be detonated by a couple of travel alarm clocks. The explosives failed to detonate and police were alerted to smoke coming from the vehicle. They traced the vehicle to Fasial Shahzad who was captured two days later. The vehicle is the actual one used by Shazad.

John Dillinger's Hat

John Dillinger was one of the most notorious gangsters of the 20th Century. On July 22, 1934 Dillinger exited the Biograph Theater in Chicago with Ana Cumpanas, (the famous lady in red), As Dillinger reached the sidewalk in front of the theater F. B. I. Agents led by Melvin Purvis opened fire, killing the famous gangster. Dillinger was wearing this straw hat at the time of his death

Whitey Bolger's Hat

Whitey Bolger was one of the most powerful organized crime figures in the Boston area. He was said to be responsible for more than 20-murders over the years escaped capture for over 20-years, spending 12-years on the F.B.I.'s 10-Most Wanted List.  On July 22, 2011, Bolger was captured outside of his apartment in Santa Monica, California.  At the time of his capture he was wearing this simple white bucket hat that is on display in the Newseum.

D. C. Sniper's Rifle

For over three weeks in October 2002 John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo terrorized the Washington, D. C. area by randomly shooting citizens as they went about their daily business. Over the period of 23-days, the two killed 7-people and wounded 7 others. In the early morning hours of October 24, 2002 Muhammad and Malvo were found sleeping in their car at a rest area on Interstate 70, northwest of Washington, D. C.  Recovered at the time of their arrest was this rifle which was used in all of the attacks.

Don Bolles Car

Don Bolles was an investigative reporter for the Arizona Republic Newspaper. Bolles was investigating the connection between the Mafia and local and state politicians when on June 2, 1976, he was to meet an informant at a local hotel. Bolles left the hotel and returned to his vehicle. When he started the vehicle a bomb consisting of several sticks of dynamite exploded, critically injuring the reporter.  Ten days later he would die in a local hospital.  The car showing the bomb damage is on display at the Newseum

The Newseum is spread over 6-floor and I ended up spending about 4-hours taking in all of the exhibits. I could have spent longer it I did the interactive exhibits, but they were very popular and crowded. I stayed outside of the D. C. Area and used the Washington Metro as my principle means of transportation. It's about a 30-minute Metro ride from Franconia-Springfield to the Archives Station.  A short 5-minute walk from the Archives Station and your are at the Newseums front door.

Here's a short 7 and a half minute video of my visit to the museum.

MONUMENT AVENUE - RICHMOND, VA.

A few months ago I had some time to kill and was able to visit Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia early on a Sunday Morning. Keep in mind if you visit this area, that Monument Avenue is a residential area and parking is hard to find. If you area able to find on street parking, take advantage of it and enjoy the walk down the tree lined street. The centerpiece of Monument Avenue is of course, The Monuments.

Arthur Ashe

The First Stop on my trip was the Arthur Ashe Monument, which is also the newest monument on the Avenue. Ashe was a native of Richmond and a famous tennis player who won three Grand Slam Events and was the first black player selected to the Davis Cup Team. Ashe died in 1993 and is buried in 1993 and is buried in Richmond's Woodland Cemetery. Following his death there was a push to add a statue of him on Monument Avenue. After much discussion the statue by Paul DiPasquale was dedicated in 1996.

Matthew Fontaine Maury

Just a short walk from the Arthur Ashe Monument is the Matthew Fontaine Maury Maury, who was known as "Pathfinder of the Seas" and "Father of Modern Oceanography. He was born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia on January 14, 1806 and died in Lexington, Virginia on February 1, 1873. He is buried in Richmond's Historic Hollywood Cemetery.

Jefferson Davis

Next up is the Jefferson Davis Monument. Davis was born in Kentucky on June 3, 1808 and served as a United States Senator from Mississippi just prior to the Civil War.  In 1862, Davis became the first and only President of the Confederate States of America. During his term in office he and his family lived here in Richmond, which was the capital of the Confederacy. Following the war, Davis was imprisoned at Fort Monroe. After being in prison for more than 2-years, Davis was released and lived his remaining years in the deep south.  He died on December , 1889 in New Orleans and was originally buried in the Meairie Cemetery where is rested until 1893, when Mrs. Davis decided to have him reinterred in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery. 

Stonewall Jackson

The "Stonewall" Jackson Monument is the next Monument  and is one of three equestrian statues on the Avenue. Thomas J. Jackson was born in Clarksburg, Virginia (Now West Virginia) and prior to the Civil War was a professor at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. During the Civil War he was one of the south most celebrated generals. He was accidentally shot by his own trooper at Chancellorsville in 1863.  His remains was returned to Lexington and he is buried in the Stonewall Jackson Cemetery.

J.E.B. Stuart

James Ewell Brown Stuart, J.E.B. for short, is the next equestrian monument on the avenue.  Jeb Stuart was born at Laurel Hill in Patrick County, Virginia.  He graduated from West Point in 1854 and was present at Harper's Ferry when John Brown was Captured. During the Civil War he was General Robert E. Lee's most accomplished cavalry officers. He was killed on May 12, 1864 at Yellow Tavern near Richmond.  He is buried in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery.

Robert E. Lee

The final monument on the avenue is that of General Robert E. Lee. General Lee was born at Stratford Hall Plantation on January 19,1807.  He attended the Unites State Military Academy at West Point and remains the only cadet to graduate without receiving a single demerit. During the Civil War he served at General of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. After four long years of War, General Lee surrendered his army to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse Virginia. Follow the war General Lee retired to Lexington, Virginia where he became president of Washington College, which is today Washington and Lee University.  General Lee died in Lexington on October 12, 1870 and is entombed in the the family crypt in Lee Chapel on the Campus of Washington and Lee University.

All total it is about a mile and a half from the Arthur Ashe to the Robert E. Lee Monument. So, round trip it is about a 3-mile walk but it all on level ground.  I really enjoyed my stroll down one of Richmond's more historic streets.

In addition to the photos here is a short 8-minute video of my walk down Historic Monument Avenue.

MOUNT VERNON

I spent Veterans Day Afternoon at the home of one of our First Veterans, and our First President, George Washington. Because it was Veterans Day, there were several special guests and activities, including wreath being placed at the Tomb. There was not photography permitted inside the house but I did manage to get a short video of the House, grounds, and at the Tomb. At the end of the Video is Sgt. John Francisco who is a member of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, better known as The Old Guard. Sgt. Francisco is a member of the Old Guards Fife and Drum Corp and spent the afternoon performing at the wreath laying ceremony and visiting with tourist. The video is about 8-minutes long.