The Terrible Catsafterme

The intense heat began to abate by Friday, August 10, as our trip began to wind down. We had had to face reality the day before and spend two days in Charlottesville rather than the planned single day. As a result, we were forced to eliminate our journey into the northwest area of the state where we might have found a Stonewall Jackson Museum, Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters (egads!), the Museum of the American Presidents, George Washington’s Office Museum, and the grave of Patsy Cline – before heading back into the D.C. area where we had started our adventure. Read the rest of this entry »

The name John Tyler doesn’t typically evoke images of the greatest of our American Presidents, but his Presidency was unique in at least one way: he was the first President ever to assume the title following the death of an incumbant. And from what I’ve learned, it wasn’t a job that was easily ascended to. William Henry Harrison (remember Tippecanoe and Tyler Too – the slogan for the Harrison/Tyler ticket?) died just 31 days into his term, leaving the country without a President for the first time ever. Whig leader Henry Clay hoped to run the government and leave Tyler (who was living in Virginia at the time) as a ‘figurehead’ President only. Tyler would have none of that, and thus established the traditional succession of Presidents when he became our country’s tenth from 1841-1845, serving for nearly an entire term.   Read the rest of this entry »

As Bob and I reviewed our plans for Thursday, August 9, during our trip around the great state of Virginia, we realized that they were a bit aggressive. There was so much to do – and all important things, particularly in the Charlottesville area – that we decided to take nearly two days to complete Thursday’s proposed activities and eliminate most of the items from our Friday list. Besides, we were getting nice and exhausted. Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, August 8, 2007 represented the mid-point of our travels across the great state of Virginia and was the last day during which we stuck to our agressive itinerary. We had stayed at a Super 8 Motel in Appomattox, so our first order of business was to grab our complimentary continental breakfast. From there, as you might guess, we headed to the site of the famous signing of of the confederate surrender by General Robert E. Lee. Apparently this village was actually called Appomattox Court House, while the signing of the surrender itself took place in the house of Wilmer McLean rather than in an actual courthouse. Read the rest of this entry »

Our fifth American President James Monroe served the country from 1817 to 1825. A good friend and student of Thomas Jefferson, Monroe had also served as Secretary of War and Secretary of State during the War of 1812. He is the author of the famous Monroe Doctrine, in which he forbid European powers from interfering with the affairs of the United States. My association with President Monroe was confined to the week I spent touring Virginia with my friend Bob. Here we saw several historical sites from the life of James Monroe. Read the rest of this entry »