Gadsby's Tavern

Friday, July 14th Dan and I took a break from the regular day routines to be tourists in Alexandria, Va.

Here is one of the spots we stopped by to see.

It's a self guided tour and being a very hot day we went up the stairs to the third floor dormer level - top floor on the left side below - to start our tour.

There are two bedchambers there which were let to guests.

The bed above would have slept three people the signage said.

The second chamber had three beds.

The wooden device on this bed was to tighten the cords so the bed ticking wouldn't sag.

To the question "Which cost more: a meal or bed?"

This bed had no frame.

Down on the second level was the Assembly Room.

Here are the stairs down from the bedchambers above.

 The tavern had a ballroom - here filled with an art exhibit.

Notice where the musicians sit, above the ballroom floor.

Here's a portrait of John Gadsby who propelled the tavern to fame.

On the first floor was this private eating room and

the public one. The tavern is still a restaurant but we didn't venture to that side.

We did pause to play three games with this board.  Dan one best 2 out of 3.

The Gadsby Tavern at 134 North Royal Street is owned and operated by the City of Alexandria.

Joining Through My Lens and Tuesday Treasures

Carlyle House

Friday, July 14th Dan and I took a break from the regular day routines to be tourists in Alexandria, Va.

Here is one of the spots we stopped by to see.

Carlyle House Historic Park at 121 North Fairfax Street.

The museum here is owned by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority

John Carlyle, a second son, made his living as a merchant.  He came to the colonies and did very well, marrying Sarah Fairfax who came from a very wealthy family.  The house was completed in 1753 on the banks of the Potomac River.  Now its several blocks from the river's edge.

The main bedroom is on the first floor. No flash photography was allowed so I apologize for some of the dark pictures.

The dining room of the house which hosted British General Edward Braddock in 1755 as he prepared for early campaigns in the French and Indian War.

The small parlor had this spinet, a plucked instrument predecessor to the piano.

In the mid 1800s in the front yard of the Carlyle House a hotel was built which then served as a hospital in the Civil War. 

Two of the upstairs bedrooms were set up as though they were in that Civil War time period.

Another bedroom showed the restoration work.

The upstairs hall featured re-creations of Sarah Fairfax's wedding dress (left) and how it was modified by her daughter for a ball (right).  Carlyle descendants had in their possession a sleeve cut from the silk wedding gown so the fabric could be copied.

A view of the garden which would have bordered the Potomac but many years ago the water there was backfilled with soil taken from the bluffs to level the city out.  

Fredericksburg - A Town Between Two Capitals

The two capitals being Washington, DC - the U.S. capital and Richmond, VA - the Confederate capital.

Over 18 months, the Union Army had four battles in and around Fredericksburg.  The area became known in history as the most contested ground in America, and the bloodiest landscape on the continent. (Source: NPS Brochure)

Joining Through My Lens

We stopped in the Visitor Center for the Fredericksburg Battleground on a Sunday afternoon, just in time to view the film and then join the walking tour of the Sunken Road.  The Park Service official was outstanding in his knowledge of the battle.  I am sorry I didn't get his name.

 It was good to walk where men opposed each other and see what they would see.  These walks are only offered on weekends because of budget cuts, I do believe.

Our walk started in front of the map so we could get a lay of the land and the positions of the Union and Confederate troops.

The sunken road was a major roadway between towns.  Confederates had the advantage of being on this side of the wall with a hillside to their backs where their artillery could shell the Union troops coming up from lower ground where the town was on the Rappahannock River.

Confederates had sharpshooters in this house but it was on the other side of the wall.

When the Park Service restored it they found bullet holes in the inside walls.  We could see them when we peered in the windows.

Below is the original wall left intact.

This mansion on the hill on the Confederate side is now the residence of the President of Mary Washington University.

We walked to the top of the hill where the artillery would have been pounding the Union troops contributing to their loss of this battle.

The Union graveyard is there now.

Its sobering to consider how many died in these battles.  At the Chancellorsville Visitor Center that we stopped in on Monday, there was a floor to ceiling wall of all the names of those who had died there at that battle, thousands of them.  It brought tears to my eyes.