Booker T. Washington National Monument – Hardy, Virginia

The Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy, Virginia commemorates the birthplace of African American educator, author, orator, and adviser to multiple presidents of the United States between 1890 and 1915. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery on this plantation in 1856 on this site. After emancipation with the end of the Civil War Washington’s mother moved the family to West Virginia where Washington worked in salt furnaces and coal mines in West Virginia for several years to earn money. He made his way east to Hampton Institute, a school established in Virginia to educate freedmen and their descendants, where he also worked to pay for his studies. He later attended Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C. In 1881, the Hampton Institute president Samuel C. Armstrong recommended Washington, then age 25, to become the first leader of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (later Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University), the new normal school (teachers’ college) in Alabama. The new school opened on July 4, 1881. For 30 years Washington led the school in developing and implementing new and innovative curriculums becoming an important leader of the African American community in the process. The national monument provides interpretation of Washington’s life and achievements, as well as interpretation of 1850s slavery and farming through the use of buildings, gardens, crafts and animals.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Monticello – Albemarle County, Virginia

Monticello was the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, in Albemarle County, Virginia, the plantation was originally 5,000 acres (20 km2), with Jefferson using the labor of slaves for cultivation of tobacco and other crops. The plantation is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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A secret room was recently discovered where it was believed Sally Hemmings the slave Jefferson may have fathered six children with gave birth.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Jefferson is buried here and curiosly there is no mention of him being president on the epitaph.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Arlington National Cemetery – Arlington, Virginia

The ground surrounding the home of Robert E. Lee prior to the Civil war was confiscated by the Union and converted into Arlington National Cemetery by the Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs. Meigs considered Lee a traitor to his country and reviled his former compatriot. At first the burials were away from the home but Meigs fought to have burials closer to the house. Eventually burials were taking place in Mrs. Lee’s rose garden including Meigs’ own sun who was killed while on a scouting mission in the Shenandoah Valley late in the war. Meigs was also instrumental in scouring battlefields and collecting unidentified remains forming the basis of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The graves of many notable figures can be seen throughout the cemetery including the grave of John F Kennedy.

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There are a number of graves and memorials throughout the site,

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

but the most poignant site are the rows of graves of the common soldiery of our many wars.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park

Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park is one of the finest examples of a preserved/restored civil war era town. The visitor center is on top of a bluff overlooking the town which sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. You park by the visitor center and after getting some park information hop aboard the free shuttle down to the town.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Once in the town stop at the armorer’s house for a short orientation film and some exhibits. You can also work on your junior ranger activities.

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These few acres of land due to its strategic importance was witness to steady flow of historical events. One of the nation’s first armory was located here and was active from the early 1800s to the start of the civil war.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The railroad came through town in 1836.

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One of the seminal events of the civil war was John Brown’s raid on the armory in 1859. The original site of John Brown’s “Fort” is now under a railroad embankment but the original building is about 150 feet away.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Many other historic buildings are available for exploration.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Hiking opportunities abound in the park whether you want a pleasant stroll along the canal,

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

or if you are a serious hiker there are three major national trails going through Harper’s Ferry; The Appalachian Trail, The Potomac Heritage Trail and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

If you have a junior ranger with you finish your trip with some role playing and a junior ranger badge.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

One of the best historical parks in the NPS system.

Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park

Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park commemorates the battle and surrender of General Robert E Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S Grant. Wilmer McLean had an interesting life intricately associated with the Civil War. After his home was damaged in the first major battle of the war “The Battle of Bull Run” he moved his family to the sleepy village of Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.

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It was in his front parlor that Lee surrendered to Grant foreshadowing the end of the war shortly after.

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The history of the house at Appomattox is as interesting as McLean’s himself. After the signing Union soldiers ransacked the home for souvenirs literally tearing it apart in the process. McLean eventually defaulted on the house and it made its way into the hands of spectaculars. The house was dismantled with the hopes that it would be re-assembled and put on display either in Washington or at the a Worlds Fair exhibition. The house never made it to Washington and it was left disassembled in a pile for the next 50 years. The National Park Service established the Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Monument in 1940 and eventually re-assembled the house and furnished it with period accouterments. You can tour the house today.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The park is nicely placed in an attractive rural area, there is a 4.5 mile “History Trail” that winds through the ravines and dells surrounding the restored houses on site.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The passport to the National Parks cancellation stamp is in the bookstore/shop in the Tavern Kitchen. A beautiful park with a pleasant blend of history and nature.