Cemetery Tour & Mount Vernon!

I'll write a quick note about the lovely cemetery tour we were able to take in Frederick, Maryland. It was not done for any spooky or scare factor, but as a sort-of history lesson. It was very fascinating and informative. This was the cemetery, as well, where Francis Scott Key was buried. 

I love the ship on this stone!

Shadows cast by the statues on the Francis Scott Key grave. 

There were some wild stories, and some touching ones from the Civil War, where a row of Confederate Soldiers is buried in the back of the cemetery. 

Our next big day out was Mount Vernon! It was so lovely, I was thrilled that we were going. It is a beautiful house, and the famous green room does not disappoint! The furnishings were very nice in all the rooms. The gardens, however, were even more thrilling, and made me wish that I didn't have whatever is opposite of a green thumb! 

A side-view of the house. 

They wer also doing a bit of archaeology while we were there. It was exciting to see the work they were doing - I really wanted to grab a trowel and jump right in. The soil layers were easily visible, and Sarah and I were speculating what they could mean - as it was a garden area, it could be a number of things! 

See that section and the soil layers? 

A friendly sheep - I think he wanted us to feed him! 

We helped him to some plants he couldn't quite reach.

After years of study & forensics they came up with an idea of how George Washington really looked. This is him as a young man. 

Washington at Valley Forge

Washington at his Inauguration 

Gettysburg!

It was exciting to be able to visit Gettysburg while I was staying with Sarah. A quick favourite story of mine: When I was living in Glasgow, my friend Laura and I went to a lecture on three women who had worked at collecting and distributing Gaelic song. One woman was from America - from Gettysburg, in fact. But the lecturer, being Scottish, pronounced it Gettys-burugh, as they would pronounce Edinburgh. It tickled me pink! So I always think of that now when anyone so much as mentions Gettysburg. 

Our first stop was a fabric store: Needle & Thread. Sarah had assured me that it was an incredible shop, but I was incredulous until I walked inside. Oh. My. Goodness!!! It truly is the most amazing fabric shop you could even hope to imagine. They had row upon row of reproduction cotton prints, as well as homespun, velvet ribbons (just go to your ubiquitous JoAnn's and try to find velvet ribbon!), historical patterns, gorgeous silks & a fine selection of wools as well (which is my new love). It truly is a place where one is spoiled for choice! I did buy some fine cotton to cover a bonnet I'd bought in an antique store (it was almost like silk it was so soft!) and I bought some remnant cotton print for another 1910s blouse. We tore ourselves away with great difficulty to visit a bit of the town as well.

It was *such* a bright day! This was our attempted selfie - trying not to blind ourselves. Sadly I'd forgotten my sunglasses in Utah!

No, I'm not trying to prevent that I can't see. Sun? What sun?

Little Round Top, of Gettysburg Battle fame.

The autumn colours were stunning!

I thought wearing my half-mourning dress was befitting to such a location.

Devil's Den. I know it was a scene of many deaths, but as a natural site it was stunningly beautiful, and I was sad that it had such bloody associations. 

It was fascinating to visit Gettysburg, which is such a large site dedicated to the memory of one battle. In Scotland, one of the controversies of archaeology is what sites should be preserved for posterity, and how much of that site as well. To see such a vast area in Gettysburg enshrined in this way was incredible.

St. John's Site

Our last stop in the St Mary's City was a museum built around an archaeological dig of a 17th century household. Sarah & I were both thrilled by the way the dig and the artefacts were presented. Again, I will be using photos of Sarah's, as my phone was still dead! 

A combination of an exposed excavation, with preserved elements, as well as some rebuilding. I have seen a similar thing in Chester, England, but think this works much better. 

There were lots of information panels, as well as spotlights you could press to highlight a particular area.

Spotlight action.

View of a section.

More spotlight action!

They also had a lot of artefacts on display throughout the building. 

I love domestic objects like these!

Sarah and I really liked this feature in the museum. The front of the cabinet showed the different layers, and the drawers showed what finds were found in each layer. 

They were artistically arranged, which was interesting too!

This was a great last stop in our Historic St Mary's City tour!

Historic St Mary's City: Tobacco Farm

The outdoor rubbish heap. 

It was interesting to me how compelling I found the tobacco farm to be. Especially as everything in St Mary's City is rebuilt - nothing is extant. Perhaps it was because the farm house reminded me of original buildings I grew to know and love in upstate NY. Perhaps they were just able to recapture the spirit of the place they were trying to portray. 

In the workshop. There were two male guides whose English accents weren't the best, but they still did a good job at playing the part. 

Inside the farmhouse. Lovely!

I loved the exposed beams, the iron chandelier & the painted chest. 

They had a very nice garden as well. 

Chickens!

They also had an interesting Spanish breed of pigs - they looked more like wild boars than the domestic pink pigs one thinks of today. 

It was nice that our visit coincided with the pig feeding. There was a tree on the property - a Medlar tree. Apparently you can't eat them straight off the tree, but must pick them and let them ripen after. I was so intrigued by this tree, and its various uses. We picked up a few of the fruits off the ground to give to the pigs. 

All these photos - and the ones in my next post - are courtesy of my friend Sarah (whose excellent blog, History Preserved, can be found in the above link). My phone died, sadly, so I was unable to take any more pictures at this time. 

Maryland Trip: Historic St Mary's City

Our next adventure took us to Historic St Mary's City. It was quite a long distance, but worth the journey. It is a fascinating site of historical and archaeological value, and I was impressed by their approach to visitors and tourists. 

St Mary's City was an 17th century settlement, and there is an interesting mixture of Native American and European structures, as the Europeans lived in Native dwellings at first when settling in this area.  

A diagram of the ship in which the Europeans came. 

I liked the wee ladies in their 17th century garb. 

Domestic finds. I love these!

There had been excavations on the site from 1971, and all the buildings were rebuilt on original foundations. 

Part of a dig covered up for the season!

This area is part of the Chesapeake Bay, and there was a rebuilt 17th century boat here as well. 

I'll be writing another post about this area, but I was impressed with their way of recreating the past. It felt very natural, and not too manufactured. It fit into the past.