The Galipeau's Adventures: May 2017

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Day 7 Harpers Ferry, WV

Although this was a travel onto our next destination we decided to make a detour to harpers Ferry, WV. Glad we did, knowing that John Brown’s raid and the many battles of the civil war took place what here in this little area is amazing but now understanding all the things it had definitely explains it.

On October 25, 1783, Thomas Jefferson visited Harpers Ferry. He viewed "the passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge" from a rock that is now named for him. George Washington in 1794, Washington's familiarity with the area led him to propose the site for a new United States armory and arsenal. Together they produced most of the small arms for the U.S. Army. The town was transformed into an industrial center; between 1801 and 1861, when it was destroyed to prevent capture during the Civil War

On the night of October 16, 1859, Brown and his band overran the federal arsenal. Some of his men rounded up a handful of hostages, including a few slaves. Word of the raid spread and by the following day Brown and his men were surrounded. On October 18, a company of U.S. Marines, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart , overran Brown and his followers. Brown was wounded and captured but played one of the most important role in the American Civil War. This poor town during the civil war was captured and recaptured between the north and south 8 times. Amazing and there is still building left. Wow

Jefferson Rock

St Johns Episcopal church

Street of Harpers Ferry, VA

St Pete's Catholic Church

street of harpers Ferry

Fire House where John Brown Riad

View from Hill near Train Station

St Pete's church

Signs inside the restaurant we ate Potomac Grille, being from NH Dixville Notch is in NH signs from different places but this one met something to us bait of home.

This one was just cute

Day 6 Frontier Days

Another Cold and partial rainy day I'm seeing a pattern here. ... Decide to head to Frontier Culture Museum even throughout it is outside we were hopeing that the weather would improve some. Frontier Culture in a museum that tells the story of early immigrants and their American descendants, the Museum has moved the the original country or reproduced examples of traditional rural buildings from England, Germany, Ireland, West Africa, and America. Their thought is recreating the places that the immigrants left. Then they did exhibits of how they lived here in America and how they settled. This is an actually working exhibit they try to recreate the flax cotton, vegetables, blacksmithing, etc.
I got the admit the most interesting one was the African village. The home setup was most unique. They had a building for each room. So their house looked like a village in itself. The living or family area, kitchen, bedroom, storage all separate building with a fence or half wall around kit must like a fort.
At the end of the day heading home had to stop into what was called the largest antique factory mall in america. Yes is was. Tons of antiques everywhere we walk through for 1 1/2 just a get an idea of how big it was. WOW.
Ending the day with a nice bottle of wine purchased from the winery visit. Life is good.

African home all one home

Outside of the African home

Inside the kitchen of African home

Craft room

English home

Inside English 1700's home she is working on clueing the wool

Still part of the English home

Watering Jug

English home farm fence

Irish Blacksmith making some nails for the town

Irish Home 1700-1800's century

German Barn

Average 1800 farm house is America

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Day 5 Staunton and ?Shakespeare??

Day 5

Yet but another rainy and cold day. We started the day originally with going to do Shenandoah National Park driving the Skyline drive, with that said and being raining we opted to go to the nearest visitor’s center and find something to fill the morning then try the skyline in the afternoon. What a great find we found a neat town called “Staunton, VA” Tons of historical buildings and homes. We found that it was settled in 1732. Woodrow Wilson was born here and lived here. It was a big supply depot for the Confederates during the civil war. Also interesting that so many Institutes are here mainly female schools too. Virginia Institute for the Deaf and Blind, Augusta Female Seminary (now Mary Baldwin College), Virginia Female Institute (Stuart Hall School), Staunton Military Academy quite a bit for one town.

While in the town and walking around in the rain but really enjoying the many historical buildings we came upon Blackfriars Playhouse, AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER it is a 300-seat Playhouse is the world’s only re-creation of the original Shakespeare’s indoor theatre called Blackfriars in London that was demolished in 1655. Interesting fact that we learned during this tour was that most of all the threatres in London was demolished or burned during that time period. This recreation took years of research, this unique, historically accurate has hand-made wrought iron chandeliers and wall scones. Hand-made taperestries from china costly over a million dollars (by donation). The tour guide was amazing and so enlightening with her knowledge of the re-creation and threatre itself and how the Shakespeare plays were performed. Check out the pictures below. Amazing enough she was so good both Steve and I thought about going to a play there. Try not to bore you with details but how you can sit on the stage and be part of the performance. How the lights are always on so the audience is part of the play and not separated. Just really neat. After a quick lunch at Cranberries and off the the skyline. Note I think about 80 percent of the time the skyline is in the fog so of course it was foggy and cold but made an attempt anyways and took the afternoon drive. The views were good but a clear day or during fallage would have been better.

Beverly street Staunton, VA

The other direction of Beverly street in Staunton, Va

Masonic Temple

1865 National Bank

The Clock Tower original YMCA building

1893 Queen Anne Style

Woodrow Wilson birthplace

1895 St Francis

1895 The Maquis building office of the original architect TJ Collins who created most of the buildings here.

Entering the town of Staunton, VA

The Blackfriars (shakespeare's ) theatre recreation THE STAGE

Tour guide explaining how audience can sit right on the stage see stools on the side

Of course the trap door

The tapestries

the seating and balcony 300 seats

Skyline Drive

Day 4 Helen, GA to Shenandoah Valley, VA

Travel day to Shenandoah Valley and Shenandoah National Park. Started off as a really rainy day but turned into a 78 degree day and not too much rain. Landing in a campground called “Shenandoah Valley Campground” really nice old fashion campground with friendly staff and the campers are too. Met some really nice Virginia people, of course we would Virginia is for LOVERS.

The campground had Karaoke night OMG so guess where we went and of course the comments came when Steve did sing “Tennessee Whiskey” Thanks Rich and the progressive party for that song pick. Good evening and Steve was a hit.

Our first try with selfie stick

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Day 3 Gold time

Day 3 Rainy day in Gold country Real gold that is Auraria and Dahlonega.

Started the day traveling to find a ghost town called Auraria. Reading some history on it sound pretty interesting even if we wouldn’t find much we were going to head in that direction anyways. Here’s some history.

In 1828, a hunter by the name of Benjamin Parks was hunting the territory west of the Chattahoochee River when he tripped over a rock only to discover that it was full of gold. At the time, the area was part of the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Benjamin Parks told a few people about the gold and in 10 months there were over 1,000 miners living illegally on Cherokee Land. The miners called themselves the 29's after the year 1829. The first two towns they built were Auraria and Dahlonega. The year 1849 marked the end of Georgia’s first and most major gold rush when word of gold being discovered in California, reached Dahlonega and Auraria. The Miners Picked up their belongings and headed west. (To come back later just a poor as they left)

Today Dahlonega is a tourist town where you can pan for gold or take tours of an old gold mine circa 1906. Not much is left of Auraria, it was the first town born in a gold rush and the first to die. It should be noted however that the suburb of Denver, Colo. called Auraria was named after Auraria, Ga. In 1858 the "Russell Boy's," went west and established another Auraria near the mouth of Cherry Creek that later became Denver, Colorado. Green Russell uncovered a fabulous lobe called Russell Gulch near which the Central City of Colorado was built "richest square mile on earth." (Maybe we will check that out when we are in Colo.)

So hope I didn’t bore you with this history but it does play the part in most of what we did today.

Tracked down the ghost town, (got some pictures little left) then headed to the town of Dahlonega. Here we walked through a true small town usa, talking with some people they told us of all the history and how they a trying to preserve the small town. All shops and restaurants cannot be a chain of any kind. They have pride in their history. Their first courthouse now a museum and their brick actually has gold flakes in them. Yes now that class. We also found a diving bell, now most of you that knows us know that that would spark our interest having own a dive company and made our living that way. Had to check it out. Without diving into too much history (pun intended) it was a 1875 Chestatee River Diving Bell, this sat was on a boat and was let down on to the bottom of the river bed to let the miners shoal on the bottom of the river. Some research was done and they think that it is the only remain dive bell is existence from a patented design of 1858 by Benjamin Maillefert of the New York Submarine Engineering Co. Wow cool find for us.

Then on to the gold mine tour and gold panning. The tour takes you underground 250 feet and it had 4 ½ miles of tunnels. Our tour guide Adam took us through as we began our decent down OMG more stairs we were still in pain from the day before. Ouch, Ouch as we descended down (damn that hindsight thing again). Oh well, the tour was great and the mine had been in existence for a 100 years. Did some gold panning yeap have some gold flakes to prove it. A whole 5 flakes total between us. I’m thinking that’s not enough to pay for our cross-country trip…..

Had a great lunch is town at a place called The Smith Tavern. Everything homemade. Chili, tator tots, and veggie quesadilla. Now with a full belly and a raining day let hit the wineries. First stop was interesting but not good wine but a beautiful place it was a community that had these beautiful large Tuscan homes and all around was the vineyards. The winery sat in the middle of it. Our last stop for the day was the Habersham Winery their claim to fame is they are the largest and oldest in Georgia. Now get this being the oldest is 1983. OK then. After all that excitement we called it a day.

Oh my almost forgot, laying in bed, (I know you are thinking TMI) but we are listening to the radio and then beep beep beep tornado warning take cover in …..countries waiting what, what county are we i,n where do we go……phones didn’t go off so maybe we are ok. Let’s waiting a bit, ok I think we are not in the area. Whew. Now let call it a day.