Lee Chapel

 

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Over thirty years ago my family took a camping trip wit my parents to Washington, D.C. and Virginia.  Among the places we visited was Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.  While there we saw the Lee Chapel on campus.  The chapel was designed by Robert E. Lee when he was the president of Washington College after the Civil War,  His university  office is in the basement of the chapel, as are the tombs of General Lee and his family.

This image was originally a slide which I later digitized.

 

 

 

 

Sullivans Island, South Carolina

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Betsy and I visited Fort Moultrie in Charleston, South Carolina, on a cold and windy December morning last year.  While touring the fort, I got this picture looking over part of the fort and the town, Sullivans Island, outside the fort walls.  I really like the way the sky looks in this photo.

McLeod Plantation, Charleston, SC

Betsy and I visited the McLeod Plantation on James Island, Charleston, South Carolina, over Thanksgiving weekend.  The house and grounds were fascinating, and we enjoyed the beauty and history of the place.

The Governor's Palace

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There are some advantages to visiting Colonial Williamsburg in September.  The crowds are definitely thinner, and that beautiful blue sky above the Governor's Palace is a definite bonus.

A Historic Railroad Tunnel

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This photo was taken near the entrance of the Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel in Tunnel Hill, Georgia.  Construction began on the tunnel in 1848, and the first train passed through it on May 9, 1850.  The tunnel, 1,477 feet long, was dug by hand.  It was fascinating to see the old bricks and stones lining the tunnel, as well as the soot from the old locomotives on the ceiling of the tunnel.

Brush Mountain Sky

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The first time Betsy and I visited Cumberland Gap National Park, we took the tour up to the Hensley Settlement on Brush Mountain.  It was a beautiful September day, and the scene on the mountain was glorious.  It reminded us of all the reason we like living in Tennessee.

Rakes Mill Dam

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Betsy and I found this dam at the site of Rakes Mill while driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. The miller, Jarman Rakes, allowed customers, and only customers, fish for brook trout in the mill pond while their grain was being ground.

Petroglyphs

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These are some of the petroglyphs we saw at Puerco Pueblo in the Petrified Forest National Park. The pueblo was built around 1250 and may have been home to 1000 people. There are several locations along the trail through the pueblo from which petroglyphs can be seen.

San Felipe de Neri Rectory Garden

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When we were in Albuquerque in June, we went to see the church of San Felipe de Neri, which was constructed in 1793. We got there too late in the day to see the interior of the church, but we were able to enjoy the rectory garden.

If you would like to see what the garden looks like as a drawing, click HERE.

Fort Smith Musket Fire

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When we visited Fort Smith National Historic Site, we saw rejectors dressed as 1830s-era soldiers firing muskets. Looking at what happened when the second soldier pulled the trigger, those muskets must have been as dangerous for the person firing as they were for the person on the other end.

Alex Cole Cabin

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The Alex Cole Cabin is located in the Jim Bales Place along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail behind Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The cabin was moved to this location after the park service gained control of the land in the 1930s. It is more representative of the pioneer days of Appalachia than the frame home of the Bales family, which was torn down.

Drum Tower Ceiling

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A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of the drum in the Drum Tower of Xian. One of the interesting things about the Drum Tower is that it was constructed without the use of nails. Another thing is that the interior is richly and intricately decorated. This is the ceiling over the drum in the tower.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

Sound the Drum

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One of the attractions of Xian, the ancient capital of China, is the Drum Tower. The Drum Tower, built in 1384, housed a large drum which was sounded at sunset to signal the end of the day. A similar tower on the opposite side of the city square contained a bell which was struck at dawn to signal the start of the day.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

John Oliver Cabin

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John Oliver and his wife, Lurany, were the first settlers in what is now Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They purchased their land in 1826, and later built this cabin. The John Oliver Cabin is a popular stop on the Cades Cove Loop.

A Meeting in Appomattox

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American history teaches that General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Lt. General U. S. Grant in the parlor of the McLean House in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865. The two met briefly again the next day at this site along the lane between the two armies.

Battery 5

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The mound near the trees in this photo is Battery 5, part of the Confederate lines at the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864 - 65. It's hard to imagine that a scene where so many men were maimed and died could be so peaceful and serene today.

A Country House

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Biltmore House was the country home built by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895 near Asheville, North Carolina. I left Betsy near the fountain on the Esplanade to go to a higher vantage point to get this picture of the house and the mountains under a blue sky with clouds moving in. (That's Betsy taking pictures near the driveway on the left.)

Jackson's Headquarters

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This house in Winchester, Virginia, was the headquarters of General Thomas J. ("Stonewall") Jackson, CSA, during the winter of 1861 - 62. At the time Jackson was in command of the Valley District of Virginia.

The Recumbent Lee

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Last month I showed a picture of the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University, which was designed and built by Robert E. Lee while he was the college president.

The front of the chapel contains the memorial pictured above. It is a statue of a recumbent Lee at sleep on a battlefield. The memorial is directly above the crypt containing the remains of Lee and his family.

Virginia's Natural Bridge

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Virginia's Natural Bridge is about 20 stories high and is quite a sight to see. It is also associated with two of our Founding Fathers. Legend says that George Washington surveyed the Natural Bridge in 1750 and Thomas Jefferson purchased 157 acres of land including the Natural Bridge from King George III of England in 1774.