Another road trip with a flair for the historic — and my May 2023 Blog that links the trip and my upcoming book!
I’ve chronicled a few road trips Kate and I have taken to see some great historic (and relaxing!) spots in our great country, and this spring was no different. We covered 12 states, venturing as far south as St. Augustine, Florida, America’s oldest town, founded in 1565.
These photos show — in roughly “historical” chronological order — me at the beautiful St. Augustine Cathedral, and on Aviles Street, the “oldest street in America,” along with the “rough draft” of the Declaration of Independence, located at Jefferson’s Monticello just outside of Charlottesville, VA.
On to the Civil War era! We visited Columbia, S.C., the state capital, which displays all aspects of its Civil War history. The sobering “Ordinance of Secession” passed in December 1860, and a statue of Senator John C. Calhoun are located in the capitol building, and just outside is the very moving monument to the First Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, a tribute to the first former slaves and free blacks who became members of the Union Army after plantation owners fled their homes on the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina. Massachusetts abolitionist Thomas Wentworth Higginson commanded this first “colored regiment” in the Union Army, who fought bravely in Florida in 1863.
We also went to the haunting Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia, which included a moving stop at nearby City Point, Virginia, where General Ulysses S. Grant had his headquarters toward the end of the war as Richmond was about to fall — President Abraham Lincoln visited City Point just days before he was assassinated. There is an important scene in my new book, The Great Abolitionist, that takes place at City Point, because Charles Sumner was part of Lincoln’s entourage there. My latest blog describes how the happenings at City Point in 1865 illustrate the way Sumner and Lincoln learned from each other — I hope you enjoy it.
Last on the history-related pictorial chronology (though it was the first stop on our road trip) was the site of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 that began in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and spread rapidly. It was the nation’s first general strike, and the first time federal troops were used in a labor dispute.
And lest you think our road trip was purely educational, we found plenty of great time to relax. Kate is shown here on beautiful St. Augustine Beach, and at our resort in Charlottesville, VA (where, in addition to visiting Monticello, we also visited the University of Virginia and had lunch with one of Kate’s former students!). Also, check out the gorgeous sunrise on spectacular St. Simons Island, Georgia (one of our favorite spots), and the remarkable Driftwood Beach on nearby Jekyll Island, just a few miles from St. Simons!
I’ve heard from many of you that you enjoy these “historical travel updates,” so I’ll continue to share them with you when appropriate. And as always, I encourage you to visit as many historical spots as you can in an effort to learn as much as possible about our history.
