Thursday, February 10, 2011
SANTE FE'S INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART MUSEUM
MY HUSBAND, SON, AND I TRAVELED HERE WHEN WE MADE A SUMMER TRIP TO FIVE NATIONAL NATIONAL PARKS IT IS TO LOCATE , THEY HAVE SOME GUEST LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS SUCH AS SPINNING WOOL, MUSIC DEMONSTRATIONS AND FOLK ART OF PERU. WE REMEMBER THE MUSEUM HAVING SOME VERY UNIQUE EXHIBITS OF FOLK ART OF MEXICO - SOME REPLICAS OF DIFFERENT MEXICAN MARKLETS, AND SOME TOWN SQUARES, DOLLS FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES. WALL TEXTILES HAND LOOMED AND SOME QUILTED FROM ALL DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. WE SAW REPLICAS OF MEXICAN CHURCHES AS THEY WERE CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS. THEY WERE ALL DRESSED UP AND THE PEOPLE HAD HAND WOVEN BELTS. THEY HAD VARIOUS MELONS, CORNS, AND TORTILLAS FOR SALE OUTSIDE. THEY HAVE EXHIBITS OF TOYS, BEADWORK, AND EMBROIDERED CLOTHING AND TRADITTIONAL BASKETS FROM NEPAL, BOLIVIA. PERU, SWAZILAND, INDIA, KENYA, SOUTH AFRICA, KENYA, AND NEPAL. THEY HAVE A WINTER CELEBRATION OF COLLECTIONS WITH AN INTERACTIVE DISPLAY FOR CHILDREN.
CAHOKIA MOUNDS
MY PARENTS AND I VISITED THIS SITE WHEN I WAS A YOUNG GIRL. CAHOKIA WAS A PREHISTORIC INDIGENOUS SITE LOCATED NEAR COLLINGSWORTH, ILLINOIS. IT WAS OCCUPIED ABOUT 600 - 1400 AD. IT IS A 2200 ACRE SITE WITH 120 EARTHWORK MOUNDS. IT IS THE LARGEST SITE LOCATED TO THE MISSISSIPIAN CULTURE IT HAS AN ADVANCED CULTURE MORE THAN THE 500 YEARS BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED HERE. IT IS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE. MOUND BUILDING STARTED ABOUT 900 A.D. THEY HAD NO OTHER WRITTEN RECORDS, BUT THEIR SOCIETY WAS VERY COMPLEX AND SOPHISTICATED. THE ORIGINAL SITE HAD 120 EARTH MOUNDS THAT REQUIRED 1000'S OF WORKERS DURING DECADES TO VIEW SOIL WITH WOVEN BASKETS. ONE SPECIAL MOUND WAS TOPPED BY 5000 SQUARE FOOT MONKS HOUSE. SCHOLARS KNOW THAT THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE LEFT AND ANOTHER GROUP OCCUPIED IT. HOWEVER, THEY DO NOT KNOW WHICH GROUPS ARE THE LIVING DESCENDANTS OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDERS.
THE SPECIAL MOUND HOUSE WAS USED AS A RESIDENCE BY EUROPEANS AND PROBABLY WAS THE HOUSE OF THE CHIEF ORIGINALLY. THERE IS A CIRCLE OF POSTS THAT THEY CALL WOODHENGE. THEY USED TO MAKE ASTRONOMICAL SIGHTINGS. ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED THAT ASTRONOMICAL SIGHTINGS INCLUDING THE MARKING OF SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES. THEY WERE PLACED THERE PURPOSELY! THE STRUCTURES WERE REBUILT DURING THE CITY'S 300 YEAR HISTORY. A BEAKER WAS FOUND BY THE POST'S PIT AND IT HAD A CIRCLE AND A CROSS THAT FOR MANY NATIVE AMERICANS SYMBOLIZED THE EARTH'S FOUR DIRECTIONS. THEY HAVE SOPHISTICATED ENGINEERING THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
A WOODEN STOCKADE WAS BUILT WITH DEFENSIVE WATCHTOWERS AND IT FORMED A TWO MILE ENCLOSURE AROUND MONKS MOUND. IT WAS BUILT DEFENSE. CAHOKIA WAS BUILT AS AN IMPORTANT CITY FOR THE PEOPLE KNOWN TODAY AS MISSISSIPIANS. THEIR SETTLEMENTS WERE IN THE MIDWEST, SOUTHEAST, AND EASTERN U.S. IT WAS STRATEGICALLY LOCATED BY THE MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, AND ILLINOIS RIVERS. THEY HAD TRADE ALLIANCES WITH PEOPLE TO THE GREAT LAKES AND THE GULF COAST. CHERT, WHELKS, SHELLS, AND POTTERY AND STONE TOOLS WERE FOUND NEAR MINNESOTA. AND GOODS FROM THE GULF COAST, PENNSYLVANIA, AND LAKE SUPERIOR HAVE BEEN EXCAVATED AT CAHOKIA. AT THE PEAK OF CAHOKIA THE POPULATION MAY HAVE BEEN 40,000. THERE WERE MORE FARMERS THAN LEADERS IN THE MAIN CENTER. IN 1250 AD THE POPULATION WAS GREATER THAN LONDON.
THEY FOUND A COPPER WORKSHOP IN 2010. IT IS THE ONLY KNOWN COPPER WORKSHOP FOUND TO BE KNOWN IN A MISSISSIPPI CULTURE. THEY PRODUCED RELIGIOUS ITEMS SUCH AS MASKETTS, EARRINGS, , AND RITUAL ITEMS. THE COPPER WAS CONTINUOUSLY HEATED AND COOLED TO PRODUCE THESE ITEMS.AFTER 1300 THE CITY DECLINED. NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHY BUT SOME SUGGEST THE ENVIRONMENT WAS A FACTOR OVER HUNTING AND DEFORESTATION. CLIMATE CHANGE MAY HAVE AFFECTED THEM. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT THEY WERE INVADED BY OTHERS, THE EVIDENCE OF WARFARE IS THE STOCKADE AND WATCHTOWERS OF THE CEREMONIAL PRECINCT. THE STOCKADE APPEARS TO BE MORE FOR RITUAL SEPARATION. DISEASE AMONG THIS DENSE POPULATION MAY HAVE BEEN ANOTHER CAUSE,
WIKIPEDIA.COM
THE SPECIAL MOUND HOUSE WAS USED AS A RESIDENCE BY EUROPEANS AND PROBABLY WAS THE HOUSE OF THE CHIEF ORIGINALLY. THERE IS A CIRCLE OF POSTS THAT THEY CALL WOODHENGE. THEY USED TO MAKE ASTRONOMICAL SIGHTINGS. ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED THAT ASTRONOMICAL SIGHTINGS INCLUDING THE MARKING OF SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES. THEY WERE PLACED THERE PURPOSELY! THE STRUCTURES WERE REBUILT DURING THE CITY'S 300 YEAR HISTORY. A BEAKER WAS FOUND BY THE POST'S PIT AND IT HAD A CIRCLE AND A CROSS THAT FOR MANY NATIVE AMERICANS SYMBOLIZED THE EARTH'S FOUR DIRECTIONS. THEY HAVE SOPHISTICATED ENGINEERING THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
A WOODEN STOCKADE WAS BUILT WITH DEFENSIVE WATCHTOWERS AND IT FORMED A TWO MILE ENCLOSURE AROUND MONKS MOUND. IT WAS BUILT DEFENSE. CAHOKIA WAS BUILT AS AN IMPORTANT CITY FOR THE PEOPLE KNOWN TODAY AS MISSISSIPIANS. THEIR SETTLEMENTS WERE IN THE MIDWEST, SOUTHEAST, AND EASTERN U.S. IT WAS STRATEGICALLY LOCATED BY THE MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, AND ILLINOIS RIVERS. THEY HAD TRADE ALLIANCES WITH PEOPLE TO THE GREAT LAKES AND THE GULF COAST. CHERT, WHELKS, SHELLS, AND POTTERY AND STONE TOOLS WERE FOUND NEAR MINNESOTA. AND GOODS FROM THE GULF COAST, PENNSYLVANIA, AND LAKE SUPERIOR HAVE BEEN EXCAVATED AT CAHOKIA. AT THE PEAK OF CAHOKIA THE POPULATION MAY HAVE BEEN 40,000. THERE WERE MORE FARMERS THAN LEADERS IN THE MAIN CENTER. IN 1250 AD THE POPULATION WAS GREATER THAN LONDON.
THEY FOUND A COPPER WORKSHOP IN 2010. IT IS THE ONLY KNOWN COPPER WORKSHOP FOUND TO BE KNOWN IN A MISSISSIPPI CULTURE. THEY PRODUCED RELIGIOUS ITEMS SUCH AS MASKETTS, EARRINGS, , AND RITUAL ITEMS. THE COPPER WAS CONTINUOUSLY HEATED AND COOLED TO PRODUCE THESE ITEMS.AFTER 1300 THE CITY DECLINED. NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHY BUT SOME SUGGEST THE ENVIRONMENT WAS A FACTOR OVER HUNTING AND DEFORESTATION. CLIMATE CHANGE MAY HAVE AFFECTED THEM. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT THEY WERE INVADED BY OTHERS, THE EVIDENCE OF WARFARE IS THE STOCKADE AND WATCHTOWERS OF THE CEREMONIAL PRECINCT. THE STOCKADE APPEARS TO BE MORE FOR RITUAL SEPARATION. DISEASE AMONG THIS DENSE POPULATION MAY HAVE BEEN ANOTHER CAUSE,
WIKIPEDIA.COM
BUTTERFLY GARDEN PARK IN WHEATON, MD
WHEN MY SON AND I TRAVELED TO VISIT MY BROTHER BACK EAST WE SPENT SOME TIME VISITING A NEAT BUTTERFLY GARDEN IN WHEATON PARK THAT WAS VERY HUMID. I REMEMBER THEM HAVING NECTAR DISHES FOR MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES TO FEED ON. THEW ENCLOSED MESH TENT CONSERVATORY TOOK US ABOUT 15 MINUTES TO VIEW. BEHIND THE SCENES THEY SHOWED HOW THE BUTTERFLIES HAVE LARVAE AND HOW THEY GROW INTO A COCOON. THEY HAVE A ROSE GARDEN, AN AQUATIC GARDEN, AND A JAPANESE GARDEN. THE BUTTERFLIES INCLUDE ZEBRA MOSAIC, MONARCH, GULF FRITTILLARY. BLUE MORPHO, JULIA LONGWING, MIACHITE BUTTERFLY, PAINTED LADY AND POSTMAN BUTTERFLY.
ABOUDC.COM
ABOUDC.COM
POTOMAC RIVER DUCK TOURS
WHEN MY SON WAS ABOUT 5 YEARS OLD, MY BROTHER AND I TOOK A DUCK TOUR OF THE POTOMAC RIVER THAT WAS JUST OPPOSITE THE CAPITOL BILDING. WE BOARDED THE DUCK AT AT THE TRAIN STATION IN DC. THE DUCKS ARE WORLD WAR II COAST GUARD VEHICHLES THAT TRAVEL ON LAND AND WATER. THEY ARE AN AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE MADE FOR THE MILITARY. THEY WERE BUILT AFTER THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR. THERE WERE 21,000 PURCHASED AT ONE TIME. THE WORK FORCE WAS MAINLY WOMEN WORKING FOR THE WAR EFFORT. THEY CAN FOUND IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
WHILE WE TRAVELED UNDER SOME OF THE OLD BRIDGES WE REALIZED THE EFFORT IT TAKES TO BUILD THESE STRUCTURES. WE TRAVELED TO COLUMBIA ISLAND AND THEN TO GRAVELLY POINT. THEY HAD A NARRATOR WHO SPOKE ABOUT THE SIGHTS ALONG THE SIGHTS ALONG OUR JOURNEY HE SPOKE ABOUT THE MONUMENTS, THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN D.C. BEFORE WE ENTERED THE RIVER. IT WAS VERY FUN AS THE VEHICLE IS VERY TALL MOBILE. ONCE WE WENT INTO THE WATER WE SAW LARGE AIRCRAFT LANDING AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. THE SOUND WAS UNBELIEVABLY LOUD. WE ALSO VIEWED THE MUSEUMS OF THE SMITHSONIAN. WE LEARNED SOME HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT THE CITY AND THE MONUMENT. IT WAS TRULY AN EXCITING TOUR! IT REMINDED ME OF THE DUCKS WE HAD RIDDEN WHEN I WAS SMALL AT WISCONSIN DELLS.
DC ABOUT.COM
WHILE WE TRAVELED UNDER SOME OF THE OLD BRIDGES WE REALIZED THE EFFORT IT TAKES TO BUILD THESE STRUCTURES. WE TRAVELED TO COLUMBIA ISLAND AND THEN TO GRAVELLY POINT. THEY HAD A NARRATOR WHO SPOKE ABOUT THE SIGHTS ALONG THE SIGHTS ALONG OUR JOURNEY HE SPOKE ABOUT THE MONUMENTS, THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN D.C. BEFORE WE ENTERED THE RIVER. IT WAS VERY FUN AS THE VEHICLE IS VERY TALL MOBILE. ONCE WE WENT INTO THE WATER WE SAW LARGE AIRCRAFT LANDING AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. THE SOUND WAS UNBELIEVABLY LOUD. WE ALSO VIEWED THE MUSEUMS OF THE SMITHSONIAN. WE LEARNED SOME HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT THE CITY AND THE MONUMENT. IT WAS TRULY AN EXCITING TOUR! IT REMINDED ME OF THE DUCKS WE HAD RIDDEN WHEN I WAS SMALL AT WISCONSIN DELLS.
DC ABOUT.COM
HARPER FERRY NATIONAL PARK
WHEN HUSBAND AND I FIRST MET WE VISITED SOME SITES BACK EAST. ONE WAS HARPER'S FERRY WHERE THERE ARE MUSEUMS, RESTORED STONE HOUSES, AND INFORMATION REGARDING THIS HISTORIC COMMUNITY. THE INFORMATION REGARDING THIS HISTORIC COMMUNITY. THE HISTORY OF HARPERS FERRY IS MUTLI-LAYERED THAT INFLUENCED THE COURSE OF OUR NATION'S HISTORY. IT WAS HERE WHERE THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN RAILROAD AMERICAN RAILROAD ARRIVED; JOHN BROWN'S ATTACK ON SLAVERY; THE LARGEST SURRENDER OF FEDERAL TROOPS DURING THE WAR; EDUCATION OF FORMER SLAVES IN ONE OF THE EARLIEST INTEGRATED SCHOOLS IN THE U S. THEY HAVE A LIBRARY THAT PERTAINS TO SIX THEMES OF THIS NATIONAL PARK. IT HAS HISTORIC PHOTOS, MAPS, ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORTS, HISTORIC BUILDING REPORTS AND ARMORY RECORDS.
ROBERT HARPER WAS FROM PHILADELPHIA AND IN 1747 HE BECAME A BUILDER OF A CHURCH IN VIRGINIA. AS HE TRAVELED THROUGH MARYLAND HE OBTAINED A PATENT FOR 125 ACRES IN 1771 NEAR SHENANDOAH AS IT HAD AMPLE WATER POWER AND WAS A STRATEGIC PLACE FOR TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL. IN 1763 THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ASSEMBLY ESTABLISHED THE TOWN OF SHENANDOAH FALLS. IN 1775 HARPER BUILT A SECOND HOME IN THE LOWER TOWN. HARPER DIED IN 1782 WHEN THE STRUCTURE WAS COMPLETED. IT IS THE OLDEST HOUSE IN THE LOWER TOWN.
GEORGE WASHINGTON TRAVELED HERE TO COMPLETE RIVER IMPROVEMENTS ON THE POTOMAC RIVER IN 1785. HE TRAVELED BY CANOE WITH 2 OTHERS 3 MILES DOWN THE RIVER. NINE YEARS LATER HE ESTABLISHED A FEDERAL ARMORY AND ARSENAL THERE!
JOHN HALL WAS A RIFLEMAKER WHO CAME TO HARPER'S FERRY FOR TWENTY YEARS IN 18 22. HE PERFECTED THE ART OF MANUFACTURING RIFLES. HE WAS CONTRACTED BY THE SECRETARY OF WAR TO MAKE 1000 RIFLES.. HE LAID A SOLID FOUNDATION OF DEVELOPING A FACTORY SYSTEM AT HARPER'S FERRY.
IN 1859 JOHN BROWN AND HIS U S ARMY TOOK POSSESSION OF THE ARSENAL AND ARMORY. ON OCTOBER IN 1859 A STORMING PARTY OF MARINES BROKE DOWN THE DOOR OF THE ARMORY AND TOOK BROWN AND THE RAIDERS CAPTIVE. HE WAS CHARGED FOR CONSPIRING WITH SLAVES TO COMMIT TREASON AND MURDER. HE WAS TRIED, CONVICTED AND HAND HANGED IN DECEMBER. THIS RAID REMAINS AS PART OF OUR LEGACY OF OUR STRUGGLE WITH SLAVERY.
IN 1783 THOMAS JEFFERSON VISITED HARPERS FERRY VIEWING THE PASSAGE OF POTOMAC THROUGH THE BLUE RIDGE FROM A ROCK THAT IS NAMED FOR HIM. IN 1803 MERRIWEATHER LEWIS TRAVELED TO HARPER'S FERRY TO PROCURE WEAPONS FOR TRANSCONTINENTAL EXPEDITION. HE PROCURED A COLLAPSIBLE IRON BOAT FRAME WITH HIS WEAPONS. HE SPENT A MONTH HERE WAITING FOR HIS LIST OF SUPPLIES TO BE MADE BY THE ARMORY. THE UNUSUAL BOAT WAS WATER PROOF AS IT WAS COVERED BY HIDES AND COULD HOLD OVER 8000 POUNDS! APPARENTLY THE BOAT NEVER REALLY WORKED ON HIS EXPEDITION AND HE TRIED TO REPAIR IT BUT IT DID NOT FLOAT IN THE WATER.!
JAMES BURTON WAS A VIRGINIAN BORN IN 1823 WHO WORKED AS A MACHINIST AT HARPERS FERRY AND DESIGNED A BULLET THAT THE U S ARMORY ADOPTED. HE WAS A LIEUTENANT TO THE CONFEDERATE STATES IN 1861. IN 1865 HE WAS TAKEN PRISONER ALONG WITH THE CONFEDERATE GARRISON. HE SIGNED AN OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE US AND WAS GRANTED A PRESIDENTIAL PARDON BY ANDREW JACKSON. AFTER THE CIVIL WAR BURTON RETURNED TO ENGLAND TO SUPERINTEND A NEW ARMORY BUT RETURNED TO THE US IN 1868. IN 1873 HE RETURNED TO VIRGINIA. BECAUSE OF ILL HEALTH HE TOOK UP FARMING. BURTON DIED IN 1894.
WHEN THOMAS JACKSON BECAME ONE OF THE CONFEDERACY'S MOST FAMOUS SOLDIERS IN 1861 AFTER VIRGINIA SUCCEEDED FROM THE UNION IN COLONEL THOMAS JACKSON SPENT THE NEXT SIX WEEKS DRILLING 1000'S OF VIRGINIA VOLUNTEERS BEFORE MOVING SOUTH TO SHENANDOAH VALLEY. IN THE FALL OF 1862 HERE RETURNED TO THE TOWN. HE CAME ONE OF GENERAL LEE'S TRUSTED GENERALS HE TRAPPED THE UNION GARRISON INSIDE HARPERS FERRY. THIS SECURED THE SURRENDER OF 12,000 UNION TROOPS - THE LARGEST IN THE CIVIL WAR.
WILLIAM DU BOIS BROKE NEW GROUND ON MANY FRONTIERS IN HIS CONTROVERSIAL LIFE. HE EARNED HIS PHD IN SOCIOLOGY FROM HARVARD AND WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO DO SO. HE BECAME THE FIRST THE PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. HE BECAME CONNECTED TO HARPER'S FERRY IN 1905 WHEN HE WAS A LEADER OF AN ELITE GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN 1905 CALLED THE NIAGARA MOVEMENT. THIS MARKED HIS ASSAULT RACIAL DISCRIMINATION. THERE WAS A COLLEGE ON HARPERS FERRY AND THE NIAGARA MOVEMENT MET THERE IN 1906 HE RETURNED THERE 44 YEARS LATTER AS THE COMMON SPEAKER FOR THE 1950'S GRADUATING CLASS OF STORER COLLEGE.
IN 1905 HE DRAFTED A CALL TO A FEW SELECT PEOPLE. THE CALL ORGANIZED AGGRESSIVE ACTION ON PART OF THE MEN WHO BELIEVED IN NEGRO FREEDOM, AND OPPOSITION TO THE METHODS STRANGLING HONEST CRITICISM. HE GATHERED A GROUP OF MEN FROM EVERY REGION IN THE COUNTRY AND THEY MET IN CANADA, THEY WROTE THE DECLARATION OF PRINCIPAL'S OUTLINING THE FUTURE OF BLACK PEOPLE. THIRTEEN MONTHS LATTER THEY HELD THEIR FIRST PUBLIC MEETING IN THE U S AT THE COLLEGE IN HARPER'S FERRY. JOHN BROWNS FORT HAD BECOME A SHRINE FOR FREEDOM TO THE BLACKS. BAPTISTS HAD OPENED STORER COLLEGE AS A MISSION SCHOOL TO EDUCATION TO EDUCATE BLACK SLAVES.
BY 1906 WOMEN HAD JOINED THE MOVEMENT. THERE WERE INFORMATION SPEECHES, MEETINGS, AND SPECIAL ADDRESSES. MANY BLACKS FELT IT WAS A VERY SUITABLE PLACE FOR THEIR MEETINGS. A HIGHLY WAS A DAY OF HONORING JOHN BROWN AS THEY HELD A SILENT PILGRIMAGE TO HIS FORT. THEY REMOVED THEIR SHOES WHERE THIS FORT STOOD AND MARCHED AROUND IT SINGING THE 'BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC".
THE NEXT MORNING THERE WERE MORE INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES. ONE BLACK SCHOLAR CALLED IT THE MOST STIRRING SPEECH IN THE LIFE OF THE BLACK MOVEMENT. THE NEXT MORNING WILLIAN DU BOIS READ HIS ADDRESS TO THE MEETING THAT THE BLACKS CLAIM FREEDOM , POLITICAL, FREEDOM, CIVIL AND SOCIAL RIGHTS, AND UNTIL THEY GET THEM THEY WILL NEVER CEASE TO PROTEST. THERE BATTLE IS NOT FOR THEMSELVES BUT FOR ALL TRUE AMERICANS. THIS ORGANIZATION CONTINUED FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE.
HARPERS FERRY NATIONAL PARK
ROBERT HARPER WAS FROM PHILADELPHIA AND IN 1747 HE BECAME A BUILDER OF A CHURCH IN VIRGINIA. AS HE TRAVELED THROUGH MARYLAND HE OBTAINED A PATENT FOR 125 ACRES IN 1771 NEAR SHENANDOAH AS IT HAD AMPLE WATER POWER AND WAS A STRATEGIC PLACE FOR TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL. IN 1763 THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ASSEMBLY ESTABLISHED THE TOWN OF SHENANDOAH FALLS. IN 1775 HARPER BUILT A SECOND HOME IN THE LOWER TOWN. HARPER DIED IN 1782 WHEN THE STRUCTURE WAS COMPLETED. IT IS THE OLDEST HOUSE IN THE LOWER TOWN.
GEORGE WASHINGTON TRAVELED HERE TO COMPLETE RIVER IMPROVEMENTS ON THE POTOMAC RIVER IN 1785. HE TRAVELED BY CANOE WITH 2 OTHERS 3 MILES DOWN THE RIVER. NINE YEARS LATER HE ESTABLISHED A FEDERAL ARMORY AND ARSENAL THERE!
JOHN HALL WAS A RIFLEMAKER WHO CAME TO HARPER'S FERRY FOR TWENTY YEARS IN 18 22. HE PERFECTED THE ART OF MANUFACTURING RIFLES. HE WAS CONTRACTED BY THE SECRETARY OF WAR TO MAKE 1000 RIFLES.. HE LAID A SOLID FOUNDATION OF DEVELOPING A FACTORY SYSTEM AT HARPER'S FERRY.
IN 1859 JOHN BROWN AND HIS U S ARMY TOOK POSSESSION OF THE ARSENAL AND ARMORY. ON OCTOBER IN 1859 A STORMING PARTY OF MARINES BROKE DOWN THE DOOR OF THE ARMORY AND TOOK BROWN AND THE RAIDERS CAPTIVE. HE WAS CHARGED FOR CONSPIRING WITH SLAVES TO COMMIT TREASON AND MURDER. HE WAS TRIED, CONVICTED AND HAND HANGED IN DECEMBER. THIS RAID REMAINS AS PART OF OUR LEGACY OF OUR STRUGGLE WITH SLAVERY.
IN 1783 THOMAS JEFFERSON VISITED HARPERS FERRY VIEWING THE PASSAGE OF POTOMAC THROUGH THE BLUE RIDGE FROM A ROCK THAT IS NAMED FOR HIM. IN 1803 MERRIWEATHER LEWIS TRAVELED TO HARPER'S FERRY TO PROCURE WEAPONS FOR TRANSCONTINENTAL EXPEDITION. HE PROCURED A COLLAPSIBLE IRON BOAT FRAME WITH HIS WEAPONS. HE SPENT A MONTH HERE WAITING FOR HIS LIST OF SUPPLIES TO BE MADE BY THE ARMORY. THE UNUSUAL BOAT WAS WATER PROOF AS IT WAS COVERED BY HIDES AND COULD HOLD OVER 8000 POUNDS! APPARENTLY THE BOAT NEVER REALLY WORKED ON HIS EXPEDITION AND HE TRIED TO REPAIR IT BUT IT DID NOT FLOAT IN THE WATER.!
JAMES BURTON WAS A VIRGINIAN BORN IN 1823 WHO WORKED AS A MACHINIST AT HARPERS FERRY AND DESIGNED A BULLET THAT THE U S ARMORY ADOPTED. HE WAS A LIEUTENANT TO THE CONFEDERATE STATES IN 1861. IN 1865 HE WAS TAKEN PRISONER ALONG WITH THE CONFEDERATE GARRISON. HE SIGNED AN OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE US AND WAS GRANTED A PRESIDENTIAL PARDON BY ANDREW JACKSON. AFTER THE CIVIL WAR BURTON RETURNED TO ENGLAND TO SUPERINTEND A NEW ARMORY BUT RETURNED TO THE US IN 1868. IN 1873 HE RETURNED TO VIRGINIA. BECAUSE OF ILL HEALTH HE TOOK UP FARMING. BURTON DIED IN 1894.
WHEN THOMAS JACKSON BECAME ONE OF THE CONFEDERACY'S MOST FAMOUS SOLDIERS IN 1861 AFTER VIRGINIA SUCCEEDED FROM THE UNION IN COLONEL THOMAS JACKSON SPENT THE NEXT SIX WEEKS DRILLING 1000'S OF VIRGINIA VOLUNTEERS BEFORE MOVING SOUTH TO SHENANDOAH VALLEY. IN THE FALL OF 1862 HERE RETURNED TO THE TOWN. HE CAME ONE OF GENERAL LEE'S TRUSTED GENERALS HE TRAPPED THE UNION GARRISON INSIDE HARPERS FERRY. THIS SECURED THE SURRENDER OF 12,000 UNION TROOPS - THE LARGEST IN THE CIVIL WAR.
WILLIAM DU BOIS BROKE NEW GROUND ON MANY FRONTIERS IN HIS CONTROVERSIAL LIFE. HE EARNED HIS PHD IN SOCIOLOGY FROM HARVARD AND WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO DO SO. HE BECAME THE FIRST THE PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. HE BECAME CONNECTED TO HARPER'S FERRY IN 1905 WHEN HE WAS A LEADER OF AN ELITE GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN 1905 CALLED THE NIAGARA MOVEMENT. THIS MARKED HIS ASSAULT RACIAL DISCRIMINATION. THERE WAS A COLLEGE ON HARPERS FERRY AND THE NIAGARA MOVEMENT MET THERE IN 1906 HE RETURNED THERE 44 YEARS LATTER AS THE COMMON SPEAKER FOR THE 1950'S GRADUATING CLASS OF STORER COLLEGE.
IN 1905 HE DRAFTED A CALL TO A FEW SELECT PEOPLE. THE CALL ORGANIZED AGGRESSIVE ACTION ON PART OF THE MEN WHO BELIEVED IN NEGRO FREEDOM, AND OPPOSITION TO THE METHODS STRANGLING HONEST CRITICISM. HE GATHERED A GROUP OF MEN FROM EVERY REGION IN THE COUNTRY AND THEY MET IN CANADA, THEY WROTE THE DECLARATION OF PRINCIPAL'S OUTLINING THE FUTURE OF BLACK PEOPLE. THIRTEEN MONTHS LATTER THEY HELD THEIR FIRST PUBLIC MEETING IN THE U S AT THE COLLEGE IN HARPER'S FERRY. JOHN BROWNS FORT HAD BECOME A SHRINE FOR FREEDOM TO THE BLACKS. BAPTISTS HAD OPENED STORER COLLEGE AS A MISSION SCHOOL TO EDUCATION TO EDUCATE BLACK SLAVES.
BY 1906 WOMEN HAD JOINED THE MOVEMENT. THERE WERE INFORMATION SPEECHES, MEETINGS, AND SPECIAL ADDRESSES. MANY BLACKS FELT IT WAS A VERY SUITABLE PLACE FOR THEIR MEETINGS. A HIGHLY WAS A DAY OF HONORING JOHN BROWN AS THEY HELD A SILENT PILGRIMAGE TO HIS FORT. THEY REMOVED THEIR SHOES WHERE THIS FORT STOOD AND MARCHED AROUND IT SINGING THE 'BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC".
THE NEXT MORNING THERE WERE MORE INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES. ONE BLACK SCHOLAR CALLED IT THE MOST STIRRING SPEECH IN THE LIFE OF THE BLACK MOVEMENT. THE NEXT MORNING WILLIAN DU BOIS READ HIS ADDRESS TO THE MEETING THAT THE BLACKS CLAIM FREEDOM , POLITICAL, FREEDOM, CIVIL AND SOCIAL RIGHTS, AND UNTIL THEY GET THEM THEY WILL NEVER CEASE TO PROTEST. THERE BATTLE IS NOT FOR THEMSELVES BUT FOR ALL TRUE AMERICANS. THIS ORGANIZATION CONTINUED FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE.
HARPERS FERRY NATIONAL PARK
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
MUSEUM OF MAN IN SAN DIEGO
THIS IS THE ONLY ANTHROPOLOGY MUSEUM IN SAN DIEGO. MY FAMILY HAS VISITED IT AND WE VISITED IT DURING GRADUATE SCHOOL. IT IS LOCATED IN BEAUTIFUL BALBOA PARK. IT HAS FIVE PERMANRENT EXHIBITSIONS, INCLUDING ANCIENT EGYPT, KUMEYAAY NATIONAL CALIFORNIAN'S. THEY ALSO HAVE PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY EXHIBITS. THIS IS A WORLD RENOWNED MUSEUM ANDA MAJOR SOURCE OF INFORMATION. THE EXHIBITS ENTERTAIN, AND INFORM VISITORS AND THEY CAN STUDY ANCIENT HISTORY, LOCAL HISTORY, INDIGENOUS CULTURES AND HEALTH SCIENCES.
THEIR ONE EXHIBITION HOUSES 4 MILLION YEARS OF HUMAN EVOLUTION. IT HAS A HUNDRED TOUCHABLE REPLICAS OF EARLY HUMANS. THEIR EGYPTIAN EXHIBIT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS IN THE U.S. THEY HAVE AN EGYPTIAN SOCIETY THAT CONTRIBUTES. THEY GAVE 400 OBJECTS IN 1920'S FROM ARMARNA WHERE THE PHARAOH LIKERENATEN AND HIS QUEEN NEFERTITI REIGNED AND THE YOUNG KING TUT REIGNED. THE EXHIBIT FEATURES HIEROGLYPHIC STONE CARVINGS, JEWELRY POTTERY AMULETS, AND EVERYDAY OBJECTS.
THEY HAVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND COLLEGE STUDENTS, AS WELL AS SUMMER CAMPS. THEIR MISSION IS TO TEACH PEOPLE, PRESERVE AND INTERPRET AND COMMUNICATE EVIDENCE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. THEY WRITE PUBLICATIONS. WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE AMERICAS AND EGYPT. THEY FOSTER RESEARCH AND INTERPRETATION OF COLLECTIONS BY STAFF; RESEARCH AND INTERPRETATION OF COLLECTIONS BY VISITING SCHOLARS, STUDENTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITIES. THEY PROMOTE COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS. ONE OF THE CURATORS OF ANTHROPOLOGY, KEN HEDGES, WAS INVOLVED IN MY RESEARCH OF A SPECIAL CEREMONIAL SITE I RECORDED NEAR YUMA WHILE WORKING AT THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT IN THE 1980'S.
MUSEUM OF MAN.ORG
THEIR ONE EXHIBITION HOUSES 4 MILLION YEARS OF HUMAN EVOLUTION. IT HAS A HUNDRED TOUCHABLE REPLICAS OF EARLY HUMANS. THEIR EGYPTIAN EXHIBIT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS IN THE U.S. THEY HAVE AN EGYPTIAN SOCIETY THAT CONTRIBUTES. THEY GAVE 400 OBJECTS IN 1920'S FROM ARMARNA WHERE THE PHARAOH LIKERENATEN AND HIS QUEEN NEFERTITI REIGNED AND THE YOUNG KING TUT REIGNED. THE EXHIBIT FEATURES HIEROGLYPHIC STONE CARVINGS, JEWELRY POTTERY AMULETS, AND EVERYDAY OBJECTS.
THEY HAVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND COLLEGE STUDENTS, AS WELL AS SUMMER CAMPS. THEIR MISSION IS TO TEACH PEOPLE, PRESERVE AND INTERPRET AND COMMUNICATE EVIDENCE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. THEY WRITE PUBLICATIONS. WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE AMERICAS AND EGYPT. THEY FOSTER RESEARCH AND INTERPRETATION OF COLLECTIONS BY STAFF; RESEARCH AND INTERPRETATION OF COLLECTIONS BY VISITING SCHOLARS, STUDENTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITIES. THEY PROMOTE COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS. ONE OF THE CURATORS OF ANTHROPOLOGY, KEN HEDGES, WAS INVOLVED IN MY RESEARCH OF A SPECIAL CEREMONIAL SITE I RECORDED NEAR YUMA WHILE WORKING AT THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT IN THE 1980'S.
MUSEUM OF MAN.ORG
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