Gettysburg

When it comes to Civil War battlefields, Gettysburg is at the top of any ones "must see" list.  I considered doing a day by day explanation of the three day battle but figured that would take too long and I'm already so far behind blogging.  But if you have any questions about the battle I do have the answers!

We began our visit at the new visitor's center where they did an excellent job explaining each day of the battle and how it affected the soldiers, town and nation.

Outside the center we couldn't pass up a photo op with President Lincoln.

One of the highlights inside the center was a huge mural, and audio sound effects, depicting the battle.

The artist even painted Abraham Lincoln into the mural.  Can you pick him out?

 

We spent a long time at the visitor's center but finally got in the car and began our journey through the battle. A good place to start is at the Lutheran Theological Seminary where, on the morning of July 1, General John Buford utilized the cupola of the building as a vantage point for directing his troops.  He realized the importance of holding this area until Union troops could arrive and engaged the Confederate troops for the first day of battle.  And, yes, we climbed up in the cupola too.

Back on the battlefield, we drove past the usual, and unusual, state monuments.

The drive guided us thoroughly through each day of the battle and told us about each officer and the brave soldiers who gave their lives for the North or the South.

Every officer, except one Union officer (a long story), has a monument in his honor.  This one is for General Longstreet, General Lee's second in command.

Some monuments are natural.  This is looking out from Little Round Top toward Devil's Den. The land between The Round Tops and Devil's Den was called Slaughter Pen.  You can imagine why.

Confederate sharpshooters took up positions among these rocks to take aim at Union soldiers on Little Round Top.

The largest of the monuments at Gettysburg is the Pennsylvania Memorial located near the end of the battlefield drive.

On the day we were there, there was a Union encampment with people in costume explaining the different aspects and hardships of the life of a Civil War soldier.

Music played a big part in that life.  Music kept soldiers marching forward, signaled troop movements, and was an all around morale booster.

The 3rd day of battle was the bloodiest yet, culminating with what is known as Pickett's Charge.  The trees on the left of the photo mark the furthest point that the Confederates were able to advance on the Union line.  The charge resulted in the utter destruction of Pickett's brigade and the eventual defeat of the Confederacy.

Following the battle, thousands of soldiers lay dead and dying all over the fields around Gettysburg.  Most of the dead were buried in hastily dug graves.  Others were claimed by family that descended by hundreds into the town to find their loved ones.

It was quickly decided that such a huge battle deserved it's own National Cemetery and the Union dead were re-interred here.  Abraham Lincoln was the keynote speaker delivering his now famous Gettysburg address.  I'm sure we could have spent many more days at Gettysburg but we learned a lot about this pivotal battle.

President Eisenhower's Pennsylvania Home

One of the BIG things on my list of things to do while we're here in Pennsylvania was to visit Gettysburg and learn more about the turning point of the Civil War.  That visit will take more than one post!  Anyway, while we were there we were delighted to discover that President Dwight D. Eisenhower's home was located here too.  You can only visit it by purchasing tickets at the battlefield's visitor center and then boarding a bus that takes you to, and from, the home. 

Then General Eisenhower, and wife Mamie, purchased the only home they every owned, and 189 acres, in 1950.  However, he had to finish being the Supreme Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Europe and then the 34th President of the United States before they could move in.

He finally retired on January 20, 1961 and moved into their home located adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield.  Eisenhower was a Civil War buff and enjoyed taking visitors for tours of the battlefield.

They brought many treasures with them from the White House, including the low coffee table which was a gift from the South Korean president.

Like most people, the living room was reserved for important visitors (and they had some VERY important visitors).  The Eisenhowers spent most of their time on this sun porch.

Naturally, quite a few of those very important visitors ate in this dining room too.

And all the food for family and visitors was prepared in this kitchen - a real look into the past!

If they required something late at night they just called on the live-in housekeeper or butler.

Soon, we headed upstairs for a self-guided tour.

For whatever reason, the President and First Lady had separate bedrooms.  The brochure said it was so they wouldn't disturb each other.  This smaller bedroom belonged to him.......

.....and the nearby, larger, pink bedroom belonged to Mamie.

She really liked pink.

In addition to a guest cottage there were two guest bedrooms inside the house.

This is the one I'd like to stay in.

In 1967, the Eisenhowers gifted the property to the Federal government to become the Eisenhower National Historic Site - part of the U.S. National Park system.  And, unfortunately, the President didn't have long to enjoy his home because he passed away March 28, 1969.  After Mamie's death, the home and all it's belongings were opened to the public in 1980.

We really could have spent more time touring the property - the guest house, offices and barns - but we had a battlefield to get to!

A Pennsylvania Coal Mine

One of the things on my "to do" list, while we are here, was to visit a Pennsylvania coal mine.  When Ceekay was visiting she was game to venture underground to see how her own grandfather had once made a living.

There are several nearby mines that give tours but we chose the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine and Steam Train in nearby Ashland, Pennsylvania.

The Pioneer Coal Mine is a horizontal drift mine and its level tunnel runs 1,800 feet straight into the side of the Mahanoy Mountain.   We boarded an open mine car pulled by a batter-operated mine motor for our trip into the tunnel.

It got dark very quick!  Once inside, we left the car behind as we followed a miner-guide on foot as he explained how the coal was mined.

Inside the mine, the temperature averages 52 degrees so we had donned our jackets.

Our guide pointed out the coal seams and explained how passageways were cut from solid rock to reach the coal.

The miners put in long dangerous days shoveling coal into the ore carts after it was blasted loose.

Men weren't the only ones risking their lives so people could heat their homes.

Back out in the warm sunshine, we boarded the old-time narrow gauge steam locomotive, the Henry Clay.

The train took us around the side of the mountain to show us another kind of mining called strip mining.  This is an area where a thick seam of anthracite, known as the Mammoth Vein, outcrops to the surface of the earth.  There's not much evidence of it today, but once, monstrous steam shovels ripped out millions of tons of coal from this area.  

Our tour guide advised the youngsters in the crowd to seek other lines of employment than mining.  I think I have to agree!

Ellis Island

When Ceekay came to visit, one of her dreams was to see The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Hubby and I were only too happy to help her realize that dream.  We discovered that we could take a boat from Liberty State Park in New Jersey so we all decided to make the trip in one very long day.

We had a long walk to the ferry since the park is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.  I don't think anything gets repaired very quickly in this part of the country.  We didn't have too long to wait to board the ferry though.

The ferries became a lot more crowded later in the day.

Ellis Island was the nation's main point of entry for millions of immigrants from 1892 to 1954.

If you were an immigrant with money you could avoid Ellis Island entirely.  You could be examined in your stateroom on board your ship, then would be allowed to disembark directly into New York City.

If you were poor you had to go through Ellis Island and it's complex of buildings where you would be thoroughly examined by medical and psychiatric doctors before finally being sent on your way.

Sometimes immigrants had to spend weeks, or even months on the island, before they were cleared and processed.  The second floor of this building contained just a few of the many dormitories.

It must have been quite terrifying to arrive here and not even speak English.

A lot of the exhibits were closed because of Hurricane Sandy but the American Family Immigration History Center, a computerized genealogy center, was still open. 

It contains the records of immigrants processed here during the peak years.

We were thrilled to find these records of Hubby's grandparents.

After 1954, Ellis Island fell into disrepair until someone finally realized it's historical significance.

Today Ellis Island stands as a tribute to the millions of immigrants who landed on these shores in search of the American Dream. 

We had one more island to visit so we boarded the ferry for Liberty Island.

The statue was presented to the United States by France and dedicated in 1886 in commemoration of the two countries' alliance during the American Revolution.

What a thrill the immigrants must have felt when they first saw Liberty.  Since Hubby and I had climbed up the inside of the statue some years ago we just admired it from the outside this time.  We were on a tight schedule!

Soon, it was time to board the ferry again for the trip back to our car in New Jersey.  We had a long, but satisfying, day.  I'm so glad I didn't have to go through Ellis Island!  My family was already here!