Moving and Sightseeing

Monday, July 13, 2015

Move Across the State

Today we left Waynesboro for Williamsburg.  It was an easy trip as it was only 150 miles all on the freeway. Son Bill had suggested we take the I-295 bypass around Richmond instead of going through the city.  Boy, was that a great idea as we just breezed along.

Our campsite is at a Christian Retreat Center about 12 miles from Williamsburg and we sit among the trees.  It is so dense that we see little sun though it does peak through the trees.  The Center is lovely and very quiet as there are few RV's though they do have a group of students here for a camp; however, they are across the grounds from us staying in cabins.  The Center offers a variety of activities including a nice outdoor pool.

Once we are settled in, we take a drive to get our bearings.  That turned out to be a bit frustrating especially since it was near commuter time and all the roads were very busy.  We will wait until tomorrow to do any sightseeing.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Charles City County, VA

Our intent today is to visit Jamestown but the attraction map and Kathy's direction get us on the wrong road and we end  up on a lovely scenic drive toward Charles City County along the James River where there are numerous old (dating back to the 1700's) plantation homes and property which are open to the public either to view the home and gardens or just the gardens.

There is no city in Charles City County and the heart of the community is its early 18th century courthouse, a link between the past and the present.  Despite being close to historic Williamsburg and Richmond, the capital, the area is very rural  with extensive timberlands, tidal waters and thousands of acres of cultivated farmland.  The area has been home to Native Americans, early settlers, planters, slaves and free blacks, presidents and signers of the Declaration of Independence.  Many of these individual's descendants still live in the area.

All along the roadway are signs telling of historic places, people and events.  Our first stop is at Sherwood Forest the plantation home of John Tyler (10th President) for whom the highway we are on was named.  Each of the homes requires a fee to see either the grounds and/or home so we aree selective about which ones we want to see.  However, we are able here to take a couple of pictures of the outer grounds, graveyard and an interesting tree in the parking lot.  The buildings at this location date back to from 1680 to 1850.  Amazing that they are still around.  John Tyler lived here in 1845 when he left the White House.

Did you recognize the guy in the picture?

After reviewing  the tour information,  we decide to tour Berkeley Plantation as it is listed as the most historic and a number of significant events happened here.  The 1726 Georgian  mansion was the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and his grandson, William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States.  Also William Henry Harrison's son, Benjamin Harrison, was our 23rd President.  Of significance also is that the song "Taps" was composed here while General George McClellan used the home as headquarters during the Civil War.  George Washington and the nine Presidents succeeding him all enjoyed hospitality in the dining room here.  The roadway into the Plantation is dirt and is the original gateway to the estate that was taken by carriages.

The house sits on a beautifully landscaped hilltop above the James River and is said to be the oldest 3 story brick house in Virginia being built of brick fired on the plantation.

There are five terraced boxwood gardens leading to the River.

After watching a 20 minute video regarding the Harrison family, events here and the house, our docent takes us through the lower floor of the house as the upper story is still being used by the present owners whose earlier family was responsible for bringing the house back into repair and open for public view.

Two interesting things about the house are the cannon ball lodged in the wall of what was once the kitchen and laundry room (and possibly slave quarters) and the underground tunnel from that house into the main home.  The tunnel has not been opened but explored only by a man on a harness with a video camera.  Interesting.

Since it is late in the day when we finish here, we are only able to drive by several other Plantations taking pictures where we can  since most gates are closed for the day.  We stop at Westover House (named for Henry West, fourth Lord of Delaware and son of Thomas West, Governor of Virginia) taking pictures of the James River and one of the gateways into the property.

Further along Route 5 is the Shirley Plantation founded in 1613.  It is the home still of the Hill Carter family who live and work there today.  It is said to be the most intact 18th century estate in America.  We only get a very distant glance at part of the buildings and wish we had been here earlier to see the entire estate and home.

An interesting day despite taking the wrong road.  Everywhere we went today we saw the largest and most gorgeous crape myrtles in full bloom.  Most were the beautiful fushia (not spelled correctly) shade but some were a pale pink.  I had never seen such large ones before.  Glad we were here to see these in bloom.