Sunday, February 9, 2014

Days 327 & 328 (Thu 6/13/13 & Fri 6/14/13)- Richmond, VA

Starting our day where our nation began we enjoyed a scenic drive through the battle sites in Yorktown. Here Americans secured their victory over the British in the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Our favorite site of the park was the Augustine Moore house where officers met to discuss the terms of surrender for Cornwallis' army.

We attempted to visit historic Jamestown but unfortunately it is a little too historic and consists only of a archaeological site. Making our way along the Colonial Parkway we fell in love with the beautiful scenery.

In Richmond we visited St. John's Episcopal Church where the famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech took place and the decision to revolt against Britain was made. This was followed by a visit to the Holocaust Museum which was powerful but depressing especially with the multiple interactive displays.

At the Maggie L. Walker National Park we received a one-on-one tour through the home of this remarkable woman by a young Park Intern and learned about the interesting life of the first African American woman Bank Manager. Maggie became disabled later on in life and was one of a very few to be able to afford an elevator in her home.


Next we visited Tredgar Iron Works where we waited out monsoon rains with a friendly Park Intern named Steve. In the evening we explored the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts seeing two full floors of artwork including lots of lamps from Tiffany.

Friday we spent at the Historical Society where we found a wealth of information about the most historic state. We also found a collection of pictures taken by presidential photographers. This included a photo of Betty Ford dancing on a table and lots of President Obama in some very intense looking moments.




Maggie L. Walker's wheelchair

Maggie's dining room

Maggie's elevator

At the museum

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