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| the only president the Confederacy ever had, Jefefrson Davis, at the Davis Circle in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia |
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| the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond, Virginia |
The capital of Virginia is Richmond, an hour away from our
campground, Thousand Trail’s Chesapeake Bay. So on Maundy Thursday, we went to the
Sacred Heart Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond. It was
begun in 1903, completed in 1905, and consecrated in 1906. It is now on the
National Register of Historic Places. What a beautiful place of worship and
rest at the center of this metropolis of 1.2M!
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| Church of St. Therese, Gloucester, Va |
On Good Friday we visited the Church of St. Therese in
Gloucester about twenty minutes from the Chesapeake Bay resort: population, 35,000.
What a very charming place for parishioners to gather for bingo, a dance, a
dinner fund-raiser, etc! Though very charming, the chapel was quite small so we
decided to celebrate Easter Mass in Williamsburg, 45 minutes away, at the chapel
of the College of William and Mary, the second oldest educational institution
of higher education (1693) in the US (Harvard is the oldest, 1636). The
University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines was founded in 1611!
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| inside St. Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg, Va |
The Chapel, constructed for the college community in 1932,
is now called the St. Bede Catholic Church.
In early Georgian in design, the chapel’s brick was handmade from local
clay according to 18th century methods. The
memorial pathway, to the left of the main entrance, is lined with marker stones
from different states and foreign countries. The mass was celebrated at the
Parish Center (too many parishioners attended) but the chapel is extra
beautiful with its spring flowers blooming!
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| The White House of the Confederacy |
The Seat of Confederate Governance and Education
But, as usual, we hustled around to see some historic sights
after visiting each church. Richmond, after all was the seat of the
Confederacy. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to find the White House of
the Confederacy, the main building in the Museum of the Confederacy. It was a
house loaned to President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis for four years,
1861 to 1865 when the Civil War was raging, so he could govern the confederacy
better. What an educational discovery…how truly deep the division of America
was during the Civil War.
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| Presidnt James Monroe's tomb at the Presidents' Circle Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va |
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| Memorial to the Confederacy, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond Va |
Nearby is Hollywood Cemetery, named after the holly bushes
that dotted the property. Overlooking the James River, it is the resting place
of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as the
only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis. It is also the resting
place of 25 Confederate generals and 18,000 soldiers, more than any other
cemetery in the country. So, 20 years after it opened, a
90-foot granite pyramid was built as the Confederates’ memorial in 1869. What an
intriguing discovery…the pride of the confederacy even if it lost!
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| President John Tyler's tomb at the Presidents'A Circle Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va |
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| The College of Willliam and Mary, founded 1693 |
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| Wren Buiilding, College of William and Mary Williamsburg, Va |
Beautiful postcard-like photos, Carol. You and Bill are certainly having the time of your life....excellent documentation, too. Now, I don't have to personally visit these places :)
ReplyDeleteThank you s much again, Dan, for this generous comment. Hope you and your wife can also travel to visit these places!
Deletethat period of American history is really amazing. Lincoln was the man we needed then. His vision and strength of will were what was required at that critical time. BTW, the opening picture is really nice.
ReplyDeleteI guess that's why Lincoln has consistently been rated the best president the US ever had! Thanks for your compliment, too!
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