All posts by paula

63-Williamsburg, VA

Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestowne – colonial days in America

We spent a few days in Williamsburg, VA so we could visit Colonial Williamsburg and also Jamestowne.

Colonial Williamsburg is very interesting.  Until about the 1920s it was a continuously occupied neighborhood, with many of the original buildings destroyed either by fire or by owners wishing to rebuild.  In the 1920-1930s a foundation to recreate Colonial Williamsburg was started, and they had archaeologists and architects and craftsmen determine where the original buildings were, dig down to the foundations, review original plats and plans and drawings and recreate the original buildings on the original sites.  These buildings include the Capital building, a courthouse, the Governors Palace, churches, shops and private residences.

These buildings are open to the public and are staffed by people who dress in period costumes and explain and show how life was back in the 1750s through the revolutionary war.  The shops include a coffeehouse from that time period where strong coffee, tea and hot chocolate (very different from what we call hot chocolate today) are served and there is a lively discussion about the current state (in the 1760s) of affairs.  Also there is a blacksmith where they make nails and other metal implements such as hoes and rakes, a kitchen where they bake bread and make rabbit stew, a cabinetmaker where furniture is being made, etc.  All these shops include tradesmen who know how to make these things just as they did back in the 1750-1770s.

During the afternoon they had “Revolution in the Streets” where there were scenes acted out in the streets that showed how the people thought, discussed, argued etc. over the possibility of declaring independence from England.  The afternoon finished up with the Fife and Drum Corp  marching down the main street (click here for a video) from the Capital to the courthouse and finishing with a review of the troops and gun and cannon demonstration.

We bought 3-day passes as it’s really too much to see in one day without becoming totally exhausted, and the shops are closed one or two days a week on various days.  Three days gave us a chance to see all the shops we wanted to see, take tours of the major buildings, see the “Revolutions in the Streets” acts and cannon/gun demonstrations at a more leisurely pace.

The colonial town is about 1 mile long and 1/2 mile wide and covers several blocks.  There’s a shuttle service constantly running around the perimeter so it was easy to get to the part of town we wanted to see, walk around a bit, then shuttle either back to the parking lot or to another part of town.

We also visited historic Jamestowne one day where we walked around the grounds.  They have done a lot of excavating in the historic town and had built partial walls to show where many of the original buildings were located.  There’s also a ‘recreated town’ a little ways away but we didn’t visit that.  It’s similar to Williamsburg with tradespeople in costume etc.  We did visit the glassblowers house which was very interesting.  Two glassblowers were working there and in just a few minutes they could make delicate pitchers and other glassware.

Here are pictures we took at both Williamsburg and Jamestowne:

61-Marietta GA

Cyclorama and the other steam engine involved in “The Great Train Chase”

While staying here near Atlanta we went into the city and visited the ‘Cyclorama’, which is a great local attraction.  It consists of the steam engine named “The Texas” which chased the train called “The General” during the Civil War “Great Train Chase”, and the Cyclorama, which is the largest oil painting in the world and is the scene of the Battle of Atlanta fought in July of 1864.

The painting, if laid out on the ground, would cover a football field!!  It’s mounted on the wall in a circular building made specially to hold this painting.  There is a small theater in the center of the building and the theater rotates to give a 360-degree view of the painting.  There is a diarama in front of the painting to give a 3-dimensional effect to the entire visual picture.  Special lighting and a narration during the approx. 30 minute rotation tells the story of the battle.

Two very interesting facts – the oil painting was done in 1867-1868!  Just a couple of years after the battle itself.  It’s been very carefully preserved all these years and is regularly cleaned.  The whole building is designed to help preserve it.  The second interesting fact is that the human figures in the diarama appear to be life-size but they’re just 12-42 inches high!  It’s impossible to tell – we could have sworn they were life-size!

We couldn’t take photos of the painting, but I took a couple from their website (http://atlantacyclorama.org/index.php) to include here.

Restaurant Reviews

A Cajun restaurant in Marietta!

When we got together with Jeff’s friend from college we went to a cajun restuarant, Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen.  It’s a real nice restaurant and Jeff felt the Shrimp Creole was doing really well.  Lynne and I both had the “skinny salmon” (no sauce) – YUMMY!

Here’s my review of the restaurant on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/review_share/gAze3qbX9r7Hjc1ciO44xw/review/Q7ZJ9HQLTqrL9Yb4wKA3rw?fsid=GRARY6ri7DAw4oT1m4xXdg

Dog Park Reviews

Dog park in Marietta GA

The RV park where we’re staying in Marietta doesn’t have an off-leash area or even a field nearby where Laddy can run around, so finding a dog park is important.  We found two within a few miles, one with bark/mulch (yuck!) and one with grass.  Here’s my review of the grassy dog park on BringFido.com: http://www.bringfido.com/attraction/2855/#reviews.

61-Marietta GA

While in the Atlanta area we got to visit with another college friend of Jeff’s

While Jeff was attending Tulane, he dated a girl for a couple of years who was attending Newcombe.  Lynne was from Atlanta and still lives here, so while we’re here we met Lynne for dinner.  It was nice for Jeff to reconnect with a college friend; they talked about other friends that one or the other of them has stayed in touch with and they shared memories of their time in college.  I like Lynne!

61-Marietta GA

The Civil War and Railroad Museum in Marietta GA

While staying in Marietta, we visited the Civil War and Railroad Museum.  It contained a lot of artifacts and information about the Civil War and how it impacted the local area, with an emphasis on “The Great Railroad Chase”.  I’d never heard of it, although Jeff had, and it was the subject of a few movies over the years.  Early in the Civil War, Yankee generals wanted to cut the supply lines to Atlanta hoping to cripple the South and shorten the war.  Twenty-two volunteers infiltrated the south disguised as civilians in groups of two and three.  They met up at a train station outside of Marietta and boarded.  When the train stopped at the next stop all the passengers and most of the crew deboarded as it was the breakfast stop.  When that happened, the 22 Yankees detached the passenger cars and took off with just the engine, “The General”, and the fuel cars.  The General was a steam locomotive, so it needed wood to fuel the steam engine.

The plan was a good one – the tracks were blocked with the passenger cars that were detached, and the train would head north, stopping periodically for the 22 men to pull up rails and damage the tracks.

But, the conductor of the train that they hijacked ran after them.  Yes, he RAN after them, chasing them on foot for over two miles until he found a train on a siding.  There was only one track, so other trains would pull out onto sidings to let a train past, then they would get back on the track and continue their journey.   The train was headed in the other direction, so the train chased the General backwards!

With a train chasing them, the 22 men couldn’t stop to damage the tracks.  They did set fire to the last car (a wooden boxcar) and left it on the tracks to slow down the chasing train.

The General eventually ran out of fuel and stopped.  Most of the 22 men who ran off into the woods were captured, and several were hung.  Eight escaped and were never heard of again.

How would a successful mission like this have changed the war?  Who knows!

61-Marietta GA

A beautiful cardinal outside our window in cold Marietta GA

We’re staying at an RV park in Marietta GA, a suburb of Atlanta.  It’s still pretty cold here (for this part of the country), getting up to the 50s during the day and the mid-30s at night.  But, one afternoon we saw a beautiful red cardinal perched in a tree right outside our window.  Here are a couple of pictures: