Antietam Battlefield

I met with some friends to go to Antietam Battlefield on Sunday for their special anniversary event. I've been wanting to visit here for a while, this place where 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln's issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
It was a perfect day to be outdoors, warm and breezy with no humidity. We watched soldiers firing cannons and displaying firing formations, these guys were so realistic and skilled, yet it horrified me to see how slow they were loading those old guns, and helped to put it into perspective how terrifying fighting in that war must have been.

Got the flame coming from the cannon!

And again!

We then took part in a tour and the history of the Dunker Church, details here.

The ranger was so animated with his story that we were all hanging onto every word and scurried after him as he walked toward the building. Inside he finished the tale and told us of how the church bible had been stolen by a soldier as a souvenir, then finally returned by his family when he died. You could have dropped a feather throughout his narrative, he kept us all fascinated, and at the end received a rapturous applause. There's a link on the bible story here.
We then got in a few vehicles and drove down the park to meet a couple of rangers who were taking us on a 3 hour hike, called The Final Attack.

We followed the men as they walked through the last leg of the battle, pointing out where the soldiers had fought and how the lines of attack and defense had moved across the fields. At each stopping point, after explaining the positions and details of the fighting men, they would read out quotations from some of the soldiers themselves. It was a very humbling and moving hike, and we were all trying to imagine how it must have been trudging miles and miles through these fields carrying heavy equipment or maybe not enough to defend themselves, tired and hungry, probably ill, and far too young and experienced to even be in this situation. The rangers made each of us understand the magnitude of this battle by reading us these words, many of which came from this link.

This was an amazing day learning about this horrendous battle, with all of us comprehending far more than by walking around a museum or strolling through fields with a handbook. We were all touched by the rangers' dedication and respect for these fallen men. One of them read a quotation at the end which made a profound impact on me. I asked for the man's name and it took a while to find it on the internet but I wasn't giving up, and eventually found an old Washington Post report with the quotation within:
More than 12 hours after it started, the fighting finally ceased, in a stalemate.
“As the sun sank to rest . . . the last sounds of battle along Antietam Creek died away,” Francis W. Palfrey, a historian and a wounded veteran of the battle, wrote in 1889.
“The corn and trees, so fresh and green in the morning, were reddened with blood,” he wrote. “The blessed night came, and brought with it sleep and forgetfulness . . . but the murmur of the night wind . . . was mingled with the groans of the countless sufferers of both armies.
“Who can tell?” he wondered. “Who can imagine, the horrors of such a night, while the unconscious stars shone above, and the unconscious river went rippling by?”

Touring Local Events

I could barely believe it when I managed to jump out of bed early on Saturday morning and find myself at Front Royal's airport by 6:45am. Why is it we struggle to get up for work yet can bounce out from the sheets when there's something fun to do?  There was an airshow scheduled along with some hot air balloons which I really wanted to see. Expecting a drift of a dozen or so balloons and a beautiful morning mist I was a little disappointed to find only three balloons preparing to take off and zero mist. But I did spend a lot of the time I was there chatting to a couple of friendly guys who both really knew their airplane stuff.

 There were a couple of vintage cars near the hangars and a beautiful old plane catching the first rays of the sun, waiting for owners to start their engines while we waited patiently fot the balloons and basket to be unpacked from their trucks. And finally the fans were switched on, gently blowing up the vast silk globes.

And in the space of about 15 minutes they were gone. I felt a little deflated so wandered about making sure I hadn't missed any cool vehicles before I left. I wasn't going to stand around for over 3 hours for the planes to start performing.

Someone camped overnight. I wanted to know the benefit of camping in a hard truck bed as apposed to softer grass but couldn't see the owner to inquire.

A glider glinting in the morning sun.

This cool truck caught my eye so I went over to stick my head inside and ask some questions.The sheriff informed me it had been bought on a Federal grant, costing over $300K. It's a Ford 550 Triton gas engine underneath with a heat and bullet resistant body. He chose a gas engine for stealth mode and it's used a lot for warrant arrests. Each tire costs over $5K and it only does about 5MPG, the same as an 18 wheeler. He wouldn't let me drive it.

I said a farewell to my new guy buddies and decided to move out. I wanted to explore a plantation house nearby that for today was giving free tours.

This was on the side of the road.

Belle Plantation is in Middletown, once owned by Jost Hite, and whose wife, Nelly Madison, was James Madison's sister. He was also very good friends with Thomas Jefferson and upon hearing this on the house tour, my ears pricked up, being a huge fan of this clever and inventive man. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the house but there's a few on the website, here.
Jefferson is assumed to have played a large part in the refurbishments of the house. The house on the outside is very symmetrical, one of his trademarks, and there are a few of his style windows. The ceilings are very high, 13'9", a sign of wealth, also indicated with the amount of closets in the rooms and doors painted in a wood grain. Hite had 12 surviving children and a notable feature in the house is that all the doors had special hinges made that ensured they closed after being opened, another probable Jefferson invention. With only wood fires to keep the rooms warm and so many people in the house, the heat would stay in the rooms and not escape to chilly hallways. Pine was used inside the house so all the woodwork was painted and the floors carpeted as pine wood was considered cheap and therefore had to be hidden. In the Dining Room a docket was found during renovation that revealed the old carpet had been brought over from England. The company still exists and a similar style was ordered and shipped over to once again cover the Dining Room floor.
I noticed that the sandstone hearth in the fireplace was hollowed out and I made a point of standing there and leaning on the mantlepiece above, assuming the position that I'm sure Jefferson must have once used while puffing on his cigar and drinking his after dinner brandy.
After the tour I went outside to join others where we listened to the Battle of Cedar Creek, which had been fought here.    It was freezing outside but we all stood determined to hear the whole saga. It was crazy to think that the temperature was nearly 30° colder than the day before.

I walked around the grounds, checking out the slave cemetery, the apple orchard, the out buildings and beehives and then had to return to the car and warm up. I decided to drive to another place I've been wanting to visit for a long time, Strasburg Museum.

I was amazed to find the place empty of visitors. It's not huge but there's a lot crammed in here, and I was to discover that today would be my day of seeing odd things...

I was cheered to see the old Union Jack flying in such prominence! There were so many nooks and crannies with display cabinets everywhere and the walls completely covered I had to be methodical as I worked my way round trying to see everything.

I loved this old poster, wish they sold copies...
I came across a door leading outside and found an old caboose on the tracks. Going inside it was completely open for visitors and I could even climb up to the high seats looking out over the roof to the carriage behind. I then walked into a vintage baggage car and found a model railway was set up, themed from 1939. This has been donated to the museum by John Schreiner, and he also spends a couple of days there each week interacting with the public and maintaining it. Since there was nobody else around I had a demonstration from him all by myself, seeing the trains run and with the lights off, all the buildings lit up with tiny lights. The trains puffed smoke and he even showed me a little house that caught fire with the residents rushing out.

He's put in an incredible amount of work here and is still adding bits and pieces to it. The museum should really mention his name on their website since this is such a generous donation. There's more photos here.

Loved this award.

An unfinished portrait of Washington. I couldn't see any information on it. Strange, why unfinished?...

and even stranger, an old perm machine. It really resembles a torture device and not something women would voluntarily stick their heads under.

And this was something I'd never seen before, a display of various kinds of barbed wire. And the panel was about 6ft tall!

A bag of Cavalier flour. I immediately spotted the font on the word CAVALIER recognizing it as the same font style sometimes used by UVA on their VIRGINIA shirts.
There were displays of period rooms, a still collection, a native american display, and a pottery display as this building used to be a pottery. I didn't like the pottery though, hence no photos.

Another couple of oddities spotted on the way home. I love rustic America!

A Magical Morning at the Hillwood Estate, DC

On Saturday I went with a group to Hillwood Estate, a property in DC which I'd never heard of before. It was owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post (Postum Cerael Company) and this lady had built up a magnificent collect of French and Russian art pieces, displaying them in this mansion which she had purchased specifically to turn into a museum, inviting friends and colleagues to visit and view her treasures, and then donating the estate to the public after death so everyone could experience the wonder of these fabulous and often priceless artifacts.

She had been the only child of Charles William Post and he had kept a tight rein on her throughout his life so that when he died she felt like a released bird and at the age of 27 was one of the wealthiest women in America. While taking an active interest in the company, she also traveled across Europe throughout her 3 marriages and built her collection which would become known as one of the finest in the world.
It felt like a privilege to be able to walk so freely throughout the mansion and gardens, and get so close to the exhibits. Upon entry we all just stood, not knowing where to look first or what room to head towards. Visitors can roam wherever they please, I only noticed a couple of doors marked 'private'

 This is part of a painting from Russia called A Boyer Wedding Feast painted in 1883 by Konstantin Makovskii, acquired in the 1960's just before Marjorie opened her house as a museum. The rich colors and detail are incredible.

 Every piece of the house was furnished luxuriously, there was detail on the walls, the floors and the ceilings, yet it didn't seen overdone because of Marjorie's exquisite taste and planning. Every room was inviting, and rather than feeling how ostentatious it all was, I just gasped and marveled at the wonder of it all.

Every doorway and every light switch was decorated.

The jewels on a Faberge egg; there were some beautiful pieces here.

Photography was allowed everywhere as long as flash wasn't used. There were some serious photographers there but it was nice to see they didn't block any of the rooms with tripods. Everyone was walking through the house along their own route, and as we came across each other we smiled, exchanging praises at how amazing this house and contents were.

There were quite a few portraits of Marjorie around, mostly of her on her own. And I also spotted a few of Winston Churchill...

The Dining Room made my jaw drop. I was in awe of the place settings, those gold plates and beautiful teal stemmed glasses.

All over were collections of china in vibrant colors, cleverly displayed in darker corners or against neutral walls, catching our eyes with strong splashes of color. I loved this small vase noting the incredible detail in the painting.

I've never seen one of these before, in fact there were many things here that I'd never seen before.

The Library with another fabulous portrait surrounded by intricate detailing in the wall and fireplace.

A bedroom. Exquisite. With many Wedgewood ceramics.

One end of the upstairs floor was Marjorie's bedroom suite.

This hallway led to 2 dressing rooms and closets. The wallpaper was silver with decorations. As I walked through I could smell perfume and wondered if it was actually coming from the walls and carpet, embedded from so many sprays from long ago, or a cleverly hidden air freshener.

This beautiful French screen had a mirror set in the middle and a clock with cherubs. Would look wonderful next to my bed...

The French Drawing Room.

More beautiful artifacts from the Icon Romm which housed a lot of her smaller items including her Faberge eggs.

I had to go back to the Dining Room again before I went outside to the gardens.

The garden was very serene despite being able to hear traffic in the background from the city. There are many established trees and the whole area is broken up into 'rooms' creating little quiet arbors on the grounds.

Some of the gardens are formal with benches and sculptures and there are also quiet shady walkways under huge trees with rampant dark green undergrowth.

The Japanese Garden is spectacular with many Japanese elements, some of which you don't notice at first. There were stepping stones and a little bridge crossing the pool with many sculptures.

A huge greenhouse is home to many orchids. Outside is the cutting area where fresh flowers are used to decorate the house, the cafe and where also fresh produce is grown to be used at the cafe.

I adored this English hare.

I wasn't sure about these sphynxes but there were definitely intriguing.

The French Garden which is overlooked by Marjorie's bedroom.

There's a Dacha and an Adirondack style house in the gardens used for exhibitions. I noticed all the buildings had these cool eagle snow guards on their roofs.

This is easily the most sumptuous and the most enjoyable mansion I've ever been in. Marjorie knew exactly what she was doing with her home and collections, every intricate detail was meticulously planned to give an ultimate experience for the visitor. I felt like a kid in a toy store. I came the closest to experiencing what it must be like to open a treasure chest, discovering jewels beyond my wildest imagination. Marjorie knew that most people would not be able to experience the really luxurious in life, and so had created a world where we could, for a few hours imagine what it must have been like. She has given to the public some of the most beautiful treasures in the world, displaying them in surroundings where they can be fully appreciated, rather than in a private display or stuffy museum. It felt wonderful to have such freedom in this house, to really enjoy it. You're even allowed to bring your own food in or purchase food at the cafe and eat it anywhere you choose in the gardens where there are many small seating areas scattered around.
Here is the website where places I haven't even mentioned are shown and more detail given. I will definitely be coming here again, this really is where fabulous lives.