The Murders of Freedom Summer

While on my latest road trip I battled the rain and a somewhat curious guy dressed in camouflage gear to visit the locations related to the murders of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman.  Yeah, the guy kept passing by me in a truck giving the the stink eye.  Probably thought I was trespassing but I wasn't.  At least I didn't see the sign.

There was one location that I could not go to which was the site where they found the bodies.  That is on private land and I was warned not to even attempt going there.

The Road to Civil Rights

16th Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama

Over the last two weeks I journeyed out to visit my dad in Arkansas.  People always look at me strangely when I tell them that I usually drive up rather than fly.  The simple reason is that it gives me the opportunity to visit historic sites and also the odd places that make up our national landscape.

Over the last two weeks I decided to focus on issues related to the Civil Rights Movement.  I guess it only makes sense, since I would be traveling through the heart of Dixie.  On this trip I spent a day in Birmingham studying the sad events that took place there, visited the former home of Medgar Evers, payed tribute to Emmett Till and conducted my own investigation into the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner.

I found visiting these sites to be very emotional because in terms of history the events are so close to us.  In many of my travels I am visiting sites where the history happened so long ago that the personal connection is just not there.  There was something about visiting the civil rights locales that had a feeling of newness to it, almost like the residual energy was still present.

One question that often entered my thoughts is just how much the places had actually changed.  How has society progressed or not progressed in the last 50 years?  Although I had been to the site where Emmett Till had "flirted" with a white woman, I was drawn back there because I had heard Mississippi had put up new memorial markers paying tribute to the young boy.  A portion of the highway is now even named after him.  Progress? Yes, but then I was disheartened to learn about vandalism of the signs.  One of them was spray painted with KKK while another marker showing the spot where Emmett's mangled body was discovered, apparently was pulled out of the ground and supposedly dumped in the Tallahatchee River.

While touring the sites I did come to the conclusion that we have come very far as a nation concerning civil rights, but there is still much that does need to be done.  We might not have the KKK as a solid entity anymore, but there still are prejudices that are still harbored within some.  I'm sure there always will be.

More to come....

Blown Away by Plimoth Plantation

One of the most rewarding experiences I have as a teacher is taking students to historic sites and using the locations as my classroom.  In fact, it is the whole reason that One if By Land Adventures even exists.  I have always felt the classroom walls to be confining, but by having the kids walk in the footsteps of those that came before, short of building a time machine, I think it makes it come alive much more.

For the past several years, it has been a privilege to take my students to Boston to discover the roots of the American Revolution.  Along the way, we also hunt down witches in Salem and venture out to Plymouth to hang with the pilgrims at Plimoth Plantation.


Each trip brings its own unique experiences and this year was definitely one that I will not soon forget.  First off, we saw snow!  To many of you reading this that may not seem all that mid blowing, but to a bunch of Florida kids it was like an alien environment.  For many, it was the first time they had ever seen snow and they delighted in running around in it and trying to make their very first snow balls, which of course they ended up throwing at me.

Despite the snow, I think the thing that the kids will remember the most is the experience we had at Plimoth Plantation.  Being from Florida, we had lived through a number of hurricanes, but the noreaster that blew through on Plimoth day was truly memorable.  Winds were lashing us at about 60 miles per hour and ponchos were literally being shredded left and right.  We were all running around trying to find the pilgrims who had taken cover in the homes.  I have to give the kids alot of credit though, even though it was probably the worst weather we had ever experienced on a Boston trip, they hung in there and tried to learn as much as possible.  One kid biffed in the mud and a group of kindly pilgrim ladies sat him down by the hearth and let him dry off while telling him and the others stories about their lives at Plimoth.  I will never forget the site of the kid as steam was rising up all around him.  Luckily we were able to change our clothes before the flight home.

It is my hope and dream that One if by Land Adventures will allow me to broadcast live field trips like this to classrooms across the United States.  For many, actually going to the sites might not be a possibility, but it is my intention with One if by Land to bring the field trip to them.  Am seeking support and like minded people to get the adventure off the ground!  Please contact me to join up!

Lincoln Lives!

Well, I finally came full circle and finally got to see Lincoln.  I have been anticipating the film for the last few years even when it was in the development stages and Liam Neeson was attached to pot ray Lincoln.  A couple of years ago I visited the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois and just missed Daniel Day Lewis researching.  Apparently he was walking out the door as I was walking in.  I have always had a knack for somewhat bad timing.

Anyway, did I like the film?  Absolutely!  Steven Spielberg and the crew managed to pull off quite a feat in having history come alive without resorting to crazy embellishments.  History was allowed to speak for itself.  Was it all totally accurate?  Of course not, but the minor inaccuracies do not do much to warrant the film trash.

What we have is a Lincoln that is accessible to us all.  We have Lincoln as a leader, a husband, and a father.  What we see is a vulnerable Lincoln wrapped in a blanket, deep in thought, not the Disneyesque version with the booming baritone voice.  We are able to see Lincoln as an actual human being and not as some "historical figure" devoid of flaws and human emotion.

I think film can be a powerful medium to help in teaching history.  Let's be honest, for the average American, film is the most accessible medium.  I have sometimes been criticized for using movies in my teaching, but I think even bad or inaccurate films can lead to healthy discussion and debate about the importance of the real story.   The Patriot is a perfect example of this.  Yes, it is a very entertaining movie, but can one get beyond the dramatic imagery and special effects to get to the real heart of the actual event?  It is something that I have long shared with my own students.  GO BEYOND and discover the real story rather than what Hollywood dramatizes.  What I have always tried to get across to students is the importance of critically analyzing what they are watching.

I also believe that the true power of films like Lincoln and others is the fact that it might provoke people to actually learn more about the subject.  How great is it that "Team of Rivals" upon which Lincoln is based is currently enjoying renewed popularity?  Perhaps it will also encourage people to visit Springfield as well.

All in all, I believe Lincoln was well worth the wait and will only get better with a repeated viewing.  A second go round will most likely make me appreciate it even more.  Get your tickets!

Etched in History

One of the things that I love about visiting historic sites are the personal things that are sometimes left behind.  While visiting the Old Manse in Concord, Mass. I was drawn to a window while on the tour.  It was an etching by Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife done while they were renting the property.  I reads;

Man's accidents are God's purposes. Sophia A. Hawthorne 1843

Nath Hawthorne This is his study

The smallest twig leans clear against the sky

Composed by my wife and written with her diamond

Inscribed by my husband at sunset, April 3 1843. In the Gold light.

SAH

The Old Manse is an extraordinary place to visit because of the amazing history it has witnessed and the people that have walked its halls.  The home is where Ralph Waldo Emerson penned Nature which helped give birth to the Transcendentalist movement, and it is also with just yards of the iconic Old North Bridge where some of the opening shots of the American Revolution occurred.  Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott were also frequent guests to the home and often engaged in very deep conversations about the nature and purpose of life.

Honestly, the old phrase 'if these walls could talk' never seemed more appropriate.

Gotta be better than that vampire flick

I am a a tad bit embarrassed to admit that I was really excited to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter last summer.  I had enjoyed the book so I was expecting the movie to be pretty darn entertaining.  I found the movie to be simply just ok.  It was well made and had good production values but they left out too much to make it truly enjoyable.  What was up with changing the ending?

Anyway, I have much higher expectations of Steven Spielberg's new movie about Abraham Lincoln, titled simply "Lincoln".  It is based upon "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin and chronicles the last 4 months of Lincoln's life. 

Check out the theatrical preview below!

A little AWWWWWW at Shiloh

Today while visiting Shiloh Battlefield I was really excited to see their new film in the visitors center that replaced the depressingly outdated one that they had been showing since the 1950's.  I'm sure that there were quite a few purists that were upset that the old film was scrapped but honestly it was pretty laughable even though I'm certain it was a labor of love for those who made it.

Anyway, as I was sitting there waiting for the film to begin a little kid that was at most 5 or 6 ran in with his grandparents.  To be perfectly honest I was secretly praying the kid would not sit anywhere close by because I have had many a movies be spoiled by crying or talking kids.

They sat down right behind me and I was easily charmed by the little guy's sheer enthusiasm.  He had the map out and was excitedly pointing to all the places they would go to on the battlefield.  In his ultra thick southern accent he kept asking "Paw can we go here?".  His grandfather just smiled and nodded each time, obviously enjoying the boys happiness.  When the film began he got so excited that he practically bounced out of his chair.

After the movie I saw all of them again in the museum exhibit area.  As if the kid's energy was not already infectious enough, the little guy was wearing a smaller matching version of his grandfather's boots and clomping around in them looking at all the guns and other artifacts.

I never saw them again on the actual battlefield but I can pretty much guarantee that he wore his grandparents out.  I am also sure that when the grandfather goes to bed tonight, he will do so with a big smile on his face knowing that he shared a memory that the little boy will resonate with him the rest of his life.

Spooked at the Myrtles Plantation

I have always had an interest in staying at unique and bizarre places on my road trips.  I have long wanted to stay at the Myrtles Plantation just outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana since it is notorious for being one of the most haunted places in America.

Built around 1796, the Myrtles has had its share of tragedy, hence the hauntings.  The most famous story involves a house slave named Chloe who would constantly eavesdrop on conversations.  Some say she was very paranoid about being put into the fields and was  listening in to see if her master was planning on doing so.  At one point she was caught listening in on a top secret meeting and the master of the house not only sent her into the fields, he also sliced off her left ear as punishment.

To try to win back the favor of her master and also be put back into the house she concocted a scheme to make the family sick and then nurse them back to health.  Basically she would make herself indispensable.  One afternoon she baked a cake but added in some boiled down white oleander leaves to poison them just enough to cause them all to puke up their guts.  Well sadly for Chloe and especially the family, she added too much of the lethal concoction and she ended up killing the two small girls and the wife of the master.

After messing up royally she took off but the other slaves at the Myrtles caught her and turned her in.  the slaves thought that if she escaped then they would be held responsible for the crime.  The master of the plantation ordered that she be hung from one of the trees on the property.

It is widely reported that Chloe and the little girls haunt the grounds.  Chloe is often seen walking outside the porch area and the little girls are notorious for "playing" with the guests by bouncing on the ends of beds or pulling covers off people as they sleep.

I arrived at the Myrtles Plantation mid afternoon and was a little scared to learn that there was only one other couple staying there that evening.  I figured there would be lots of guests just hanging out.  There is always strength in numbers with these kinds of things.  What made it worse was the other couple took off and did not return till almost 10:30 so I was basically alone walking around and jumping at every single freaking sound.  When the other couple finally got back we stayed up chatting for a while until finally retiring at 1:00.

Strangely enough I fell asleep fairly fast due to being so tired.  Luckily I am also virtually blind without my glasses on so any shadows or figures in my room honestly did not have much of an audience.  After conking out for a couple of hours I was awoken by the sound of a door opening and footsteps in the hallway.  At that point I almost lost it including making a big old puddle of pee in my bed.  I waited and waited for about 15 minutes before I got up to investigate.  I opened the door and peeked out into the hall and saw no one there.  Feeling pretty confident, I slipped on my shoes and walked outside to look around the grounds a bit and it turned out that the noises I had heard were the other couple taking off in the middle of the night.  Something must have freaked them out because their car was gone.

These stupid things didn't help much

By this time it was close to 5 in the morning and there was no way I could get back to sleep being totally alone in the house.  I took out my phone and turned on every single light I could find.  I checked Facebook and of course Fruit Ninja since nothing calms an angry ghost like slicing and dicing.  Close to 5:45 I looked up toward the bathroom and saw a small dark blob that looked like the shape of a small child.  All of a sudden it darted across the floor and disappeared at the bedroom door.  Now I am sure that there are quite a few skeptics out there, but there is ZERO chance of me imagining this.  It wasn't like I saw it out of my peripheral vision or anything like that.  I stared dead on at the thing and then it darted right beside me and out the door.

Anyway, at that point I decided it was time for me to leave too.  I quickly packed up and took off into the rising sun.  I like to say that I did survive the entire night since I left right at sun up.  According to the owners quite a few people do not make it through the night.  Oprah apparently left very early one night after having an experience and just a week or so before I got there a woman fled out into the courtyard screaming because she rolled over on her bed and saw the two little girls at the side of the bed.  The night guy had to go in and pack up all her things for her.


Regardless of what time I left, I am sure that the owners got a nice chuckle since no one showed up for breakfast.  Myrtles Plantation strikes again.

I caught this very creepy pic.  Check out what looks like a figure of a woman.  Her head is very distinctive.  Chloe?

Beyond the moon

Today we lost Neil Armstrong who was a true pioneer and hero of American history.  Although he was labeled that in life, he always remained humble about walking on the moon.  I remember learning about the Apollo program in grade school and was so inspired that I saved up several weeks of allowances in order to get my first model rocket building kit.  I spent hours building and painting those rockets and then finally launching them.  With each launch I felt somehow connected to those astronauts that I so admired.  Rest in peace Mr. Armstrong and thank you for the inspiration.

The Crossroads of Revolution

One of my favorite places has always been Concord, Massachusetts.  Naturally, as a lover of history I would be drawn there for its rich history regarding its role in the outbreak of the American Revolution, but I am also fascinated with its literary history as well.

When I lived up in Rhode Island about 12 years ago, I made a number of pilgrimages to Walden Pond known most famously as the setting for Henry David Thoreau's observations and musings about life.  I remember reading "Walden" as a high school student and it made a profound impact on me.  It has been one of my greatest joys as a teacher to take my students there for a moment of reflection regarding the teachings of Thoreau.

A moment of reflection at Walden Pond

For the past several years we have connected both the outbreak of the American Revolution and the birth of transcendentalism, a revolution of thought, by going to Concord where both occurred in two very different time periods.  One of my favorite stories to tell is how Louisa May Alcott was appalled that centennial commemorations at Old North Bridge were closed to women unless they were in the company of a man.  She defiantly gathered women in the town square and marched down and forcibly entered the festivities with her followers.  We reenact that by marching to Old North Bridge ourselves rather than taking the bus.

The Old Manse is one of my favorite spots and I have spent a lot of time on the "Thinking Rock" looking out upon Old North Bridge and then contemplating how the transcendentalist movement was basically started started on the same property.   The Old Manse was the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson who drafted "Nature" in the residence.  "Nature" became one foundations of the movement.  It truly is a crossroads of revolution.

Little Paul on the Thinking Rock

Cassadaga

I have lived in Florida for about 12 years now and I am constantly amazed at just how quirky the state is.  Beyond the beaches and Disney are some towns that really should be the basis of a new reality show.

I had always heard of Cassadaga from others and decided this past weekend to finally visit the town myself.  It is more commonly known as the "Psychic Capital of the World" and draws mediums, spiritualists and psychics from around the globe.  

Spiritualist George Colby founded it in 1895 after being led there by one of his spirit guides.  Through the years it has drawn all kinds of people seeking out some clues as to what lay ahead in the future.  Cassadaga is REALLY tiny but they managed to really pack in tons of psychics and mediums who are very willing to sit down with you.......well, as long as the price is right.  Below you will find a very short video of the experience.

Digging up the Lincoln Conspirators

I know that it might be a bit odd but cemeteries have always been fascinating to me.  I think the interest began when my fourth grade class visited the local Confederate cemetery.  Ever since, whenever I visit a cemetery I will wander among the tombstones and read the epitaphs.  They can often tell a remarkable story.

One of my favorite lessons that I have taught involves doing a cemetery investigation in Concord, Mass in which students try to piece together how people wanted to be remembered, or at least how other people wanted to remember them.  Among some of the most robust statements there is one lady whose epitaph simply says "She was very punctual".  Boy, they must have been really reaching for a compliment for that lady!

When I embark on one of my road trips, a visit to a cemetery is sorta a given.  Having spent the summer in and around DC giving tours, I decided to spend some time hunting down the final resting places of some of the Lincoln conspirators.  It turned out to be a much more difficult process than I had imagined.    An insane line of thunderstorms moved through the area that weekend, knocking out power to millions and uprooting thousands of trees.

John Wilkes Booth was the one I really wanted to find and I set out early one morning to find his grave, or at least the Booth family plot at Greenmount Cemetery in Baltimore.  After battling the insane traffic I arrived and was greeted with a "closed" sign.  Throughout the entire cemetery there were many downed trees and they closed it due to safety issues.  Luckily, one of the office workers saw me standing outside the gate and I convinced her to let me in.  Yeah, I pulled the sad teacher card.  No shame though......it DID work.

I was under strict instructions to not go anywhere else in the cemetery which was really hard to abide by since 2 other Lincoln conspirators are also buried there.  Nonetheless, I decided not to disobey them and found the Booth plot.  I found it a bit strange that people have covered some of graves with Lincoln pennies.  Not really sure of the meaning, but I found the same type of remembrance left at the site where Booth was caught and killed.

On the journey, I also found the graves of David Herold, Mary Surratt and Lewis Payne(Powell).  Check out the video to take a look at the hunt.

Gravely Speaking : Anne Royall

Have you ever dealt with a person that was always in everyones business? Someone that was always causing trouble?   Today, we begin a series where we "dig" up the stories on some interesting figures in our history.

Most people today would have no idea who Anne Royall was, but when she was alive she was both revered and despised.  She is most widely known as being America's first professional newswoman and her life was characterized by blowing the door open on government policies and corruption.  I guess she could also be referred to as the nations earliest gossip queen.

Royall was a very small lady with extremely blue and piercing eyes.  People often recalled shielding themselves from her when passing by to escape her soul piercing gave.  In 1829, she was arrested for being a "common scold" meaning that she was deemed a public nuisance.  One practice of the day was referred to as "ducking" in which the deviant was put into a chair like contraption and dunked into a river or pond.  Royall was spared this punishment, most likely because of her advanced age, and was fined 10 bucks.

One of the most interesting legends about Anne Royall involves her forced interview of John Quincy Adams.  According to the story, Adams was bathing in the Potomac River and Royall sat on his clothes until he answered her questions.

In 1831 she began publishing her own newspaper known as "Paul Pry" in which she handed out blistering attacks on those in authority and anyone else she felt generally annoyed with.  The newspaper continued in various forms until her death in 1854.


Anne Royall is buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington D.C.

Odd how things work out

Cowpens National Monument

I have spent a good deal of the last month on the road gathering information for the website.  Most of my travels were in and around Virginia so naturally there was lots of Civil War history to learn about.  As I was sifting through all my material I became very aware of this.

I don't want the website to be just about the Civil War, although it is of huge fascination to me.  As I was beginning my journey back home via Atlanta I kept scanning the tan signs along the road in hopes of finding a new location to study.  While going through South Carolina I remembered that the Revolutionary War battle of Cowpens was fought there.  Sadly, I remembered this because of the movie The Patriot(the historian in me cringes), but nonetheless it sparked my interest when the movie came out.  For those of you not very aware of Cowpens, it was a battle in which the tide of the the war began to turn in favor of the Americans in South Carolina.

Upon entering South Carolina I stopped at their Welcome Center.  Yeah, I have this weird thing about stopping at the Welcome Center in each state.  Kinda my own little OCD thing.  Anyway, Cowpens had flickered in my mind as I was driving but for some reason I really thought that it was located closer to the coastline which was at least a few hours away from where I was.  It definitely would not have fit into my itinerary since I was supposed to be in Atlanta in just a few hours.

Little Paul with Cornwallis

I guess my intuition kicked in because as I was leaving the Welcome Center it just dawned on me to plug the location of Cowpens into my GPS.  Luckily I did, because as it turns out, the battlefield was only about 15 miles away!  My historical heart leapt for joy because it has always been a place I wanted to visit.  To make matters even better, there were all sorts of special events going on that day because they were having a special fireworks display that evening.  Not only did I get to tour the battlefield, i also got to see a firing demonstration and had the chance to meet a man portraying General Cornwallis.


Pretty amazing how things can turn out huh?  I shot a little mini field trip there that will go up on our website in the near future so be sure to check back.

Crotch Powder and Candles?

I will readily admit that I am a gift shop junkie.  I am very well aware of some historians who cringe at the thought of placing gift shops at historic sites, but in most cases I find their products helpful in teaching history.  Usually they are filled with books, postcards, and reproductions.  Pretty standard stuff really.

Manassas battlefield is another story though.  It was at Manassas that two major Civil War battles were fought, the first being one of the opening engagements of the war.  It is a wonderful and impactful place to visit.  The opening film in the visitor center is top notch and the park rangers are very helpful.  Upon entering the gift shop I spotted the usual wares but then my eyes fell upon something called "crotch powder" which was apparently used to calm the chafing of the fine young soldiers.  For 15 bucks you too can march in comfort!

I can sort of forgive the crotch powder a little bit since it probably does have some historical meaning but I laughed and then grimaced a bit at the next two items I saw on the shopping spree.  I am rarely without chapstick but I never thought I would actually find some on a battlefield.  Yes at Manassas you can support either side of the conflict with their official Civil War lip balm.  You yankee northerners can slather some Billy Yank on your lips or if you are a Confederate you can pucker up for some Johnny Reb mint julep flavored balm.  I guess if you are confused about where they have their allegiance, all you have to do is kiss them to find out.

The other perplexing items were the candles. When I think of the death and carnage that resulted from these two battles, pretty scents do not come to mind, but if you want to bring the experience of battle home with you, there are some choices to be made.  Are you partial to First Manassas?  If so, then you can fill your home with the scent of honeysuckle.  Of course maybe you are more inclined to the even deadlier Second Manassas. In that case you can look forward to your home smelling of cotton blossom.  Either way, war smells delightful!

Now I am sure that these items make the NPS money which I would never criticize.  It just seems a little bizarre to me and frankly I am just a bit bizarre myself which is quite telling.  The question I sometimes ponder is where does it go from here?  I mean can you imagine a place like Aushwitz selling little trinkets?

The Strange World of Coke

On my way back to Tampa some colleagues of mine attended a conference in Atlanta.  I met them at the airport and we decided to spend one day just seeing the sites around Atlanta.  We all figured that World of Coke was something we would all find interesting.

Seriously, what is this?

Well, I sorta figured that we would learn a whole lot about the origin of Coke and about John Pemberton.  Nothing could have prepared us for the sheer weirdness of the place.  The opening film was about some strange universe where a giant lipped creature fell in love with a dandelion and they spent the whole fifteen minutes of the movie singing about it.  I truly felt like we were in some sort of twisted Willy Wonka nightmare.

After we partially recovered from the oddness of the opening film we decided to see the infamous Coke vault where the secret formula is kept under heavy security.  It starts out with everyone entering "the vault" and they do all these odd scans of your body and once they clear you to enter you are inundated with all kinds of flashing screens attempting to tell how Coke came about.  Being a person with some major attention issues, I felt like my head was going to explode.

At the end we were all shut up in some circular theatre and told to all gather in the middle.  Another bizarre film played for a couple of  minutes where images of Coke flashed all around us.  It all felt very subliminal and then all of a sudden the screen dropped and smoke filled the room.  Taking up the whole wall was the actual vault.  They encouraged pictures but if you got too close, alarms started going off and a booming voice warned you to get away.

Honestly, it was an interesting experience and I truly enjoyed getting to taste the Cokes from around the world, but I do not think it is one of those places I will be dying to visit again.  By the way, if you go be sure to try the Italian Coke known as Beverly and send me your thoughts.

I'm gonna find you Mrs. Surratt!

After my visit to Congressional Cemetery, I still wanted to track down one of the most controversial and debated of the conspirators.  Mary Surratt was convicted of taking part in the plot to assassinate President Lincoln and others.  She became the first woman to ever be executed by the federal government.

A lot of mystery has swirled around her guilt or innocence for the last 143 years.  Some feel she was simply caught up in the hysteria and vengeance around wanting to make someone pay for the crime, while others believe that she played a vital role in the plot and deserved what she got.

The 2.5 mile hike in the blazing heat was brutal!  No Metro stops close by and no cab was willing to pick up a stinking sweaty tourist.  Anyway, after getting to Mt. Olivet Cemetery, I asked the staff for assistance in finding her gravesite.   I was then informed that due to a request by the descendants of Mary Surratt, the staff was no longer allowed to tell anyone where the gravesite was.  I seriously thought they were playing with me, but apparently the family was not happy with all the attention surrounding The Conspirator film.

Despite the run around from the cemetery staff, I checked out Find a Grave and was excited to see that they had the location listed.  Despite the directions it still took me forever to find the grave.  It turns out that I have a horrible sense of direction.  The grave itself is very simple and only says "Mrs. Surratt".

I found you!  You can't run and you certainly can't hide

After relishing in finally tracking her down, the realization of hiking back over 2 and a half miles to the Metro sunk in.  To those people who had to sit next to me on the way home, I am so sorry.  I truly smelt of death and sweat.

The (almost) Curse of Booth

Today I decided to get up early and try to hunt down where John Wilkes Booth is buried.  After battling the traffic and a very testy Garmin, I finally arrived in Baltimore at Greemount Cemetery and was greeted with a sign that said they were closed due to damage from the storm last Friday. 

Destruction!

My heart sank but luckily a nice lady came out to the gate after apparently sensing my dismay from the office window.  With just a little bit of begging, she went back in to see if she could get permission to let me in.  I'm really glad that I did not have to resort to crying.  Trust me, I probably would have after dealing with I-95 traffic around DC!  The sweet lady(sorry, I never got her name.  Really bad about that) came back out and said they would let me in as long as I only went to the Booth grave.

As I trudged through the cemetery I was shocked to see just how much damage the storm had caused.  Limbs(not the human kind) were all over the place and some trees were virtually split in half from the force of the wind and most likely some lightning. 

The Booth family plot is pretty small and contains the remains of various members of the Booth family, including John Wilkes, his father, mother and some siblings.  John Wilkes Booth is in an unmarked section of the plot due to family request.  Although the exact location remains unknown, I did find it interesting that some people placed Lincoln pennies on one marker in the corner of the plot.  I'm not exactly sure what it means though.  My best guess is that it could be a protest to Booth, but then again it could be a symbol to praise Booth for what he did.  Strangely enough there are still some people out there that think Booth is a hero for assassinating President Lincoln.  When I visited the site where Booth was killed I found that people also left pennies there.  Hmmmmm.....

Since I am on a Lincoln assassination kick, I might try and go find the graves of other conspirators tomorrow that are buried around DC.  Thank you very much to the kind and courteous staff at Greenmount Cemetery for allowing me in today.  They taught me a very valuable lesson to call ahead before making hitting the road. 


Another tragedy almost struck as I was getting ready to leave the cemetery.  As I was walking to my car I suddenly realized that I had left Paul at the Booth grave.  I ran back and discovered that the poor guy had fallen off and was lying face down on the plot.  I'm so glad I caught my mistake in time because it would have been pretty embarrassing to have to knock on the gate and tell them I left my doll, uh historical action figure.

Sizzle, sizzle

A couple of months back I went through the crazy process of getting certified to give tours in DC.  A friend of mine is out of town for the next week or so and said I could squat in her place while she is gone.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to drum up some business and put a little extra cash in my pocket.

I designed a really interesting tour of all the sites centered around the Lincoln assassination.  Today I trekked into DC hoping to lead a couple of tours, but was greeted with the most oppressive heat I think I have ever experienced.  I handed out some "Paul" postcards advertising the One if by Land site and invited people on a tour.  Most of them looked at me like I was nuts. Then again, I was walking the streets of DC with a Paul Revere doll and geysers of sweat erupting out of me.  I guess I would be hesitant to follow such an individual too.

Although today was a wash out, actually sweat out, it was really nice to see one of my high school classmates on the Metro going into the city.  Like the cliche says, it really is a small world.

Now, on to my ice bath.

The Lost Colony=Lost Cause

The tempest forms

Yesterday while driving I was thinking about where I should head to next.  I had planned on visiting Williamsburg and Jamestown again, but then I thought how cool it would be to visit the outer banks of North Carolina and see the outdoor production of The Lost Colony which is some sort of dramatic retelling of the Roanoke story.  They have been performing this thing every summer for the last 75 years with the exception of during World War II.

Much to my dismay a massive storm decided to roll through which cancelled the performance so here I am now sitting in what looks like the Bates Motel passing my time.  Hey, at least they have working Wi-Fi.

Tomorrow I will get to see Fort Raleigh where the lost settlement was and will even have the chance to head out to Kitty Hawk where the Wright Brothers conducted their first flight in 1903.   In the meantime, at least I can watch this little video of The Lost Colony and at least pretend I saw the real deal.

Oh and by the way...

Little Paul Revere is NOT a doll.  He is a historical action figure.  There is a major difference, not really sure what it is, but there is one.  Yesterday when touring the Hunley, the tour guide told me to be careful not to drop my doll into the water.  Geez!

Raising the Hunley

One of the the first stops on this summers history road trip was a visit to the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley in Charleston, South Carolina.  After being led every way known to man, my sad little Garmin finally found the conservation lab where the Hunley has been since it was raised in 2000.

The Hunley has gone down in history as the first submarine to successfully carry out an attack.  Now we are not talking of the high tech subs of today or anything even resembling what we have today.  The Hunley was basically like being scrunched up into a ball and shoved inside a cigar and being told to go attack something.  After seeing the thing first hand, it almost seems impossible that anyone could have ever fit inside much less a crew of 8.  The Hunley was definitely not for those that have claustrophobia.

On February 17, 1864, the Hunley was patrolling the waters off of Charleston when a Union ship, the Housatonic made the mistake of getting in their way.  The Hunley gained momentum and rammed the side of the ship and implanted their bomb and then pulled away.  The resulting explosion sunk the Housatonic in a matter of just a few minutes.  What happened to the Hunley remains a mystery to this day.  Yes, it sunk as well, but we do not know why.  All that is known is that it never returned home.

What I love about history is not so much about trivial facts and figures, but about the personal stories that can be related.  There had always been a particular legend about Lt. George Dixon.  Dixon had survived the battle of Shiloh and credited a lucky gold coin with saving his life.  The coin had been given to him by Queenie Bennett, woman that he had fallen madly in love with.  During the battle, Dixon was shot close to his hip at a very close range.  The bullet deflected off of the gold coin and prevented him from suffering a mortal injury.  It was said that Dixon never went anywhere without that gold coin from then on. 

We all know that history has its fair amount of legends and cute little stories that we like to tell over and over again, but many time they are very hard to confirm.  The archaeologists had hoped that they would perhaps find the gold coin, but knew that the chances would be very slim.  Shortly after raising the wreck in 2000, they began to excavate the interior and catalog the remains.  Dixon's remains were found and as they were carefully picking away the clothing(it was described like being wet toilet paper) one of the archaeologists touched something circular.  The gold coin was indeed in Dixon's pocket and was in perfect condition.  Not only that, it also had an inscription on it that helped to verify the story.  One the heads side you can clearly see the indention from the bullet and on the tails side it reads:

Shiloh
April 6, 1862
My life Preserver
G. E. D.

In talking to one of the tour guides, he said that eventually they will be building a museum once the conservation is over.  Due to the intricate process it will still be a few years before that happens though.  You may still visit the Hunley at its conservation lab in Charleston on the weekends.  Just make sure your GPS is not screwy.  

The RISE of Abe Lincoln

Please let there be a sequel where he pairs up with Buffy

It has been almost 150 years since Abraham Lincoln met his fate at the hand of John Wilkes Booth, but what Booth certainly did not realize is that he might have killed Lincoln physically, but old Abe soon would return in more ways than anyone could ever imagine.

Oh Redbox, you always have to provide the cheap knock-off

Abe has popped up in virtually every way, but none so bizarre as his current incarnation as a vampire hunter.  Most people would assume that as a history teacher, I would be totally against and appalled by the whole concept, but I have to admit that when the book came out a couple of years ago I bought it on the release date.  While I might be a history teacher, I cannot really characterize myself as a stuffy purist who picks apart every single aspect of history.  Yes, truth does matter, but when it comes to watching a historical movie and bashing the costume designs because the buttons are not totally authentic, then I have to kind of snub my nose at those historians.  Sometimes it is possible to be too not picky about things.

The whole idea of Abe being portrayed as a vampire hunter does not really bother me because the whole concept is beyond ridiculous and I think that the public can understand that this is a totally made up movie.  I hardly doubt that a student will approach me in the future and ask if it really was true. 

I will readily admit that some films do bother me a bit.  All my past students will say that I have a particular distaste for the movie Pocahontas.  My Pocahontas rant has become somewhat famous the past several years.  Now, I do not have any sort of vendetta against Disney.  I am an annual pass holder to DisneyWorld and I still get all giddy when I get into the parks.  Yes, I am the adult that is posing with all the characters!  The problem I have always had with Pocahontas is that it made very little attempt to tell the real story.  Instead they chose to portray the mythical side of the story and even threw in that lovey dovey junk between her and John Smith.  My students have always been horrified to discover that at the time of the actual events, Pocahontas was not some buxom, long haired adventuress, but a girl of roughly 12 years of age. 

I guess even the worst movies can have their advantages though.  My hope is that Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will encourage people to actually seek out real information about Abe.  Movies can have a very powerful effect on getting people interested once again in the events of so long ago. 

I know that I will definitely be seeing the movie this weekend and will be swinging my axe right along with Lincoln, that is if the buttery popcorn does not make me lose my grip.

Forgotten History

It is pretty amazing when you are walking past a place for years and never truly know or appreciate the history behind it.  Behind the crumbling and boarded up walls across the United States, there is a secret history.  History is inescapable and our landscape is filled with often forgotten treasures that are literally begging to have their story told or at least remembered.

Tampa has been my home for the last 11 years and I have recently started to really delve into its past.  I had heard for years that there had been civil rights protests in Tampa but had never fully explored the history of it.  Recently, while preparing for a lesson I decided to finally try and track down the history and was surprised that the first sit-in in Tampa was within walking distance of my school.

During a planning period I contacted various people and the Tampa Bay History Center provided some valuable information regarding the sit in that occurred in February of 1960.  It was organized by a young man by Clarence Fort.  He later described in an interview that when they marched into the downtown Woolworth lunch counter, that the managers closed the counters down.  They sat there for a while and Fort and his fellow protesters eventually left.  Shortly after they left, the lunch counter opened again, and Fort's protesters once again took their seats minutes later.

Although the sit-ins in Tampa were not really marked by violence as we sometimes see during the civil rights movement, it was a turning point in desegregating Tampa and showed the power of non-violent resistance.

Woolworth lunchcounter in 1960

I walked down to the former site of the Woolworth building and found it to be in a horrible state of disrepair.  There has been a local fight about how to preserve the history of the building.  Currently, developers want to preserve the facade of the Woolworth building and the adjoining Kress store, but build them up into condo buildings.  Although the lunch counter will never be reopened, the developers do want to hour the sit-in in some way.

and 2012

While taking a class down to the site, we were very fortunate to be able to actually go in the building.  Some workers were taking some stuff out of it and we managed to take a peek inside.  It had probably been years since the general public had ever been in the place, so getting to see it was pretty special.  We were instantly drawn to where the lunch counter used to be.  The lunch counter and seats had long since been removed but the old back splash tiling was still there.

I encourage everyone to try and find out what happened in their hometowns.  Sometimes when we live in a place, we sometimes take for granted the history that happened there.  More often than not simply ignore it.  There are lots of stories out there.  Go and find them!