Battleground National Cemetery

Description

This podcast provides a self-guided tour of Battleground National Cemetery. According to the Battle Creek Park website, ". . . Battleground National Cemetery is one of nine Civil War installations under the stewardship of Rock Creek Park and serves as the final resting place for the majority of Union Civil War soldiers who perished while defending Washington, D.C. during a Confederate attack on July 11th and 12th, 1864."

To listen to this tour, select "podcast" under "Battleground National Cemetery."

Confederate Memorial Park [AL]

Description

Confederate Memorial Park is the site of Alabama's only Old Soldiers Home for Confederate Veterans. In operation from 1902 to 1939, the home cared for elderly veterans, and wives and widows of veterans. The site included 22 buildings consisting of cottages; a hospital; dairy barn; mess hall; an elaborate water and sewage system; and Memorial Hall, an administration building which held offices, a library, and a large auditorium. The home served between 650 and 800 residents. The majority of veterans served in Alabama outfits, but many were from other Confederate states and moved to Alabama after the war. The last veteran died at the home in 1934. The facility closed in 1939 when the five remaining widows were moved to Montgomery for better care.

The site offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Bothe-Napa Valley State Park [CA]

Description

Located in the heart of the Napa Valley wine country, the Park offers camping, picnicking, swimming, and hiking trails that go through stands of coastal redwoods as well as forests of Douglas-fir, tanoak, and madrone. Next to the park's visitor center is the Native American Garden which displays some of the plants important to the first people of this area. Today, many of the same plants are used by the Wappo people. A guide for the garden is available by mail or in the visitor center to broaden one's understanding of the first people. Near the day use/picnic area is the Pioneer Cemetery, resting-place of some of the original settlers of the Napa Valley. The cemetery is currently under restoration to return it to its original, mid-1800s appearance.

The site offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational programs.

Warner Hall Graveyard [VA]

Description

The Graveyard is the site of the tombs of Augustine Warner and members of the Warner and Lewis Families. Among the descendants of Warner are George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Warner Hall Graveyard is located south of Warner Hall Plantation.

The graveyard is open to the public.

Lynnhaven House [VA]

Description

Francis Thelaball II built this house with its massive chimneys in 1725. Typical of early colonial planters' homes, the Lynnhaven House features a hall-parlor plan with molded ceiling joists and a closed string Jacobean-type stair. Furnishings reflect the early 18th century. Costumed docents conduct tours of the House and grounds as guests arrive. On the grounds are gardens and a small Revolutionary War graveyard.

The house offers short films, tours, exhibits, and recreational and educational events.

Locust Grove State Historic Site

Description

"The cemeteries of Louisiana are a significant part of the state's history. They tell the story of those who laid the foundation for Louisiana as it exists today. A visit to Locust Grove State Historic Site provides an illustration of the small family cemeteries which were a part of most plantations. Several generations of family members are buried here. Strolling through the historic graves encourages reflection on the courage, determination and dedication of the early settlers in Louisiana.

The small site at Locust Grove, with only 27 plots, represents an era in Louisiana's romantic history. The cemetery is all that remains of what was once Locust Grove Plantation, owned by the family of Jefferson Davis' sister, Anna E. Davis Smith. In the summer of 1835, the future Confederate president brought Sarah Knox Taylor Davis, his wife of only three months, to the plantation for a visit. Both contracted malaria, and Mrs. Davis, the daughter of General Zachary Taylor, died at the age of 21. Her grave is situated among those of the other Davis family members."

Shasta State Historic Park [CA]

Description

Six miles west of Redding, a row of old, half-ruined, brick buildings remind passing motorists that Shasta City, the lusty "Queen City" of California's northern mining district, once stood on this site. These ruins and some of the nearby roads, cottages, and cemeteries are all silent but eloquent vestiges of the intense activity that was centered here during the California gold rush. Iron shutters still swing on massive, old, iron hinges before the doors and windows of grass-filled, roofless buildings that once were crowded with merchandise, and alive with the human sounds of business, trade, and social endeavor. The County Courthouse is restored to its 1861 appearance, the year when it was converted from commercial uses to become the Shasta County Courthouse. Today the building is filled with historical exhibits, and an unparalleled collection of historic California artwork that make it the central figure of Shasta State Historic Park.

The park offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Casey Farm

Description

This mid-18th-century homestead overlooking Narragansett Bay was the center of a plantation that produced food for local and foreign markets. Located near Newport, Casey Farm had access to material goods imported from England, enabling its early owners to live in a fashionable manner. Today, resident farm managers raise organically grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers for subscribing households in a Community Supported Agriculture program. The guided tour includes the farmyard and cemetery, where six generations of Caseys are buried.

The farm offers tours and educational and recreational programs.

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park [CA]

Description

The Park is the site of a water-powered grist mill that was built in 1846. It was once the center of social activity as Napa Valley settlers gathered to have their corn and wheat ground into meal or flour. The owner of the mill was Dr. Edward Turner Bale. He received the property in a land grant from the Mexican government and lived near the site until his death in 1849. The mill remained in use until the early 1900s. The mill and its 36-foot water wheel are protected as a state historic landmark and have been partially restored. A trail connects the historic park to Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. Additionally, the park includes the site of the first church in the Napa Valley as well as the Pioneer Cemetery.

The park offers exhibits, tours, and demonstrations.