Vicksburg - ME

 
We had the opportunity to travel from Natchez to Vicksburg via the Natchez Trace Parkway.  The  Trace stretches from the Mississippi River through Alabama and across Tennessee Valley to Nashville. It was first used by American Indians. In the early 1800's it was the main return route for Ohio valley traders who, rather than fight the Mississippi downstream currents, sold their flatboats for the value of their timber in Natchez and walked home through Choctaw and Chickasaw territory via the Old Trace.
By mid-century, steamboats made the trek unnecessary, and the Old Trace disappeared into the trees.  Today, the 444 mile national Scenic Byway is a great example of the nation's natural and cultural heritage.  It is a beautiful drive with magnificent trees. 

 
Vicksburg has a very rich and complex history.  From the occupation of the area by the Natchez Native Americans to the first Europeans, the French colonists.  The impact of the Choctaw Nation to the American Civil War.  Fast forward to today and its an interesting city to visit which provides the opportunity for the traveler to immerse themselves in its rich history.

The city is situated on the banks of the Mississippi River. 

The River front is most interesting from the location of paddle steamer, the American.

 
 To the flood wall on Levee Street, where you can see the flood levels of the Mississippi .

On the reverse side of the flood wall are the Vicksburg Riverfront Murals.  There are 32 life-like pictorial murals which depict periods of history in Vicksburg.

  There are many interesting places to see such as this Railway Station.

 There are several museums to visit and we chose to spend sometime in the Vicksburg Courthouse which has an amazing collection of all things regarding the Civil War.

 This plaque is located in the grounds of the Courthouse and states a realism for military persons.

This is the chair that General Grant used when he resided in Vicksburg.

While is a bit worse for wear it certainly looked like it was a comfortable sit.

This is how the ladies dressed during this period of time.  The bag hanging on the left side of the model was placed under their skirts and used to smuggle items.

It was an interesting read regarding Confederated Medicine.

 The Blue - Gray sisters were possible typical of their day.

 The furniture was very elegant.

 The Courtroom has many stories to tell.

This is a Battle Flag of the Civil War.
 

There many historic homes to see such as Martha Vick House (circa 1830) which was built for the unmarried daughter of Vicksburg's founder, Newit Vick.

For our Australian friends please note the Kangaroo is know everywhere, even in MS.  They even use our national colors, green and gold.

So many more places to see.

Best wishes,

Beverley and Ross

Natchez - MS

Natchez, MS is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and is a blend of African, British, French, Native American and Spanish influences.  The Natchez Indians called Natchez area home for centuries.  French explorers where the first to arrive, establishing Fort Rosalie in 1716 on the Natchez Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River which was occupied by the Natchez.  The tribe held much contention with the French, ultimately leading to the tribe's dissolution.
The French settlement saw the arrival of he first enslaved Africans into this area.  Soon after saw the British, Scottish, and Spanish settlers.
We stayed at the River View RV Park which is located on the banks of the Mississippi River where each day can be seen the largest barges we have even seen.

 Looking to the left from our RV is one of the many large bridges connecting MS to LA.

From the front window of our RV we were entertained by very nimble creatures, such as this black squirrel.

And across the river this home situated on the LA side is most grand and has a great view of the river.

Natchez is truly an antebellum city with so many grand homes.  To see this city we took a fantastic historic tour with a born and bread native of Natchez and her tour took us past the home she grew up in.  It is on the market for $750K.  It has a rich history but there are so many homes for sale in the city, the main reason being the expense for the upkeep on these properties.

Around every corner there are several styles of homes.

There are several ways to sight see.  These folks were enjoying the horse and carriage. 

The city has many historic homes

One example is Longwood which was designed by Samuel Sloan for Haller and Julia Nutt.  Haller was a well to do cotton plantation planter and owner.   He and Julia had 11 children, 3 of who did not survive infancy.  Haller passed away and Julia was left to fend for her 8 remaining children .   The house was constructed as an octagonal home and construction commenced in 1860 but was halted in 1861 by rising tensions over the Civil War.  The home's interior was left unfinished except for the lowest level.  It was to be five levels but to this day has never been completed.  The Nutt family lived in the finally finished ground floor until the 20th century.

Another interesting home is the Rosalie Mansion which was built between 1820 - 1823 for Peter and Eliza Little and is considered to be and outstanding example of antebellum architecture.  In 1857 it was purchased by Andrew and Eliza Wilson.   Neither the Littles or Wilsons ever had children, however, the Wilson's adopted a 6 year old girl called Fanny.  When Fanny was a young woman she was sent off to an expensive woman's finishing school.  She was very talented and was fluent in a number of languages and was a very good painter.  Before she returned home her father asked her to purchase some Belter furniture for the double parlors.  In 1863 Rosalie became headquarters for the Union Army under General Walter Gresham who protected  the house and its contents including furniture, toys, books, scrapbooks and clothing. 
After the Federal occupancy, Rosalie was returned intact to the Wilson family where it remained until 1938 when it was purchased by the Mississipi State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  To see the interior furnishings please google Rosalie Mansion MS.

Throughout our stay we never tied of seeing the great Mississippi.

Tomorrow we start our trip along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Best wishes,  Beverley and Ross

Baton Rouge - Louisiana

Baton Rouge is French for Red Stick for those of us who are not French speakers.  It is situated on the Mississippi River and is the State capital of Louisiana.  It is the home of LSU and Southern University. It is a busy river and the USS Kidd now calls this river home.

 We also saw a Yell Team practicing their calls and moves in preparation for the upcoming school football season.

 We visited the Old State Capital which during the Civil War was guttered by fire.

 It is a magnificent building.

 
As you can see.  It has a very elegant staircase.

Spectacular ceilings.
 \

 Elegant windows.

 There is lots of history within these walls such as this original Confederate flag which was flying over the Capital when it was taken over by Union troops.  The Captain who lead the capture of the Capitol sent this flag back to his family.  Sadly the officer never saw his home again as he was KIA.

We then visited the Old Governor's Mansion.  Another magnificent building.

 In the dining room of the house is a French wall paper that covers all four walls and this a part of that showing a depiction of people watching West Point Cadets drilling on the square.

 

Ross, who has a passion for walking sticks took a snap of this one which was owned by Governor Huey Long. It was one of many interesting international gifts presented to the Governor of the day.

 
We were even invited to park our Jeep out front of the Mansion.

There are many places to visit in Baton Rouge and many reminders of past events where people were mistreated and prosecuted.  The Repentance Water memorial which remembers the many prisoners who traveled this route on their way to the Commandant's building for sentencing.

  There are many different places to visit and enjoy.

There are many magnolias in bloom at the moment so for our Texan friends here is one for you.

Next stop is Natchez, Mississippi.

Best wishes,
Beverley and Ross

Beaumont - Texas

Beaumont, Texas is about a 4 1/2 hrs RV drive from San Antonio.   It is a very pretty city and very green as a result of recent and continuing rain.  On January 10, 1901, a 100 - foot geyser know as Lucas Gusher launched the Texas oil industry. To know how this event transformed this city there are several museums which provide this history.  There are several homes of some of the pioneers and prominent residents all of whom helped shape Beaumont.
One such elegant home is the Mc Fadddin - Ward House.  This 12, 8000 sq ft home was built between 1905/06 in the Beaux -Arts Colonial Revival Style. 

 

The furnishings reflect the lifestyle of the prominent family who lived in this house for 75 years.

 On the other hand here is the home of John Jay French who was a successful tanner and trader and demonstrates the  life of a prosperous Texan pioneer family from 1845 - 1865.   This is the oldest house in Beaumont that has been restored to its original state.  It is one of the first 2 story homes, and the first made with milled lumber.  It was one of the first homes to be painted in the area.

Such a contrast in furniture between the two homes.  

So much to see and do.  Next blog will be Baton Rouge.



Beverley and Ross

Our JEEP

One Jeep’s Journey's

Over the years Bev and I have owned many vehicles including a Hillman Minx (my very first vehicle in 1967), Austin Healy Sprite, EH Holden, MGB, HQ Monaro, Nissan NX, Volvo Coupe, Mercedes C250 (all in Australia), Mercedes CLK 350, Mini Cooper S (in North America), plus a number of assorted very forgettable vehicles.

When we arrived in Fredericton NB in the middle of Canadian winter ’08 we needed to purchased a 4X vehicle to fit the environment.

We were shown and test drove a number of vehicles but there comes a time in your life when you know what you want and what you feel comfortable with in a vehicle and against the wishes of the sales person we chose a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee that had around 60,000 km on the clock.

This great vehicle we still have today (June 2016) with 219886 km on it, having traded it in once only to go back 2 days later and buy it back.

I had never owned a JEEP before but if this is the standard I am a total supporter.

Over the years this machine has taken us to many wonderful places in North America and I have listed some of those below based on where we were living at the time. These places are roughly listed in order of the road trips we took and are only the places we stayed more than 2 days and does not include all the places we passed through.

When we lived in:

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada (Dec 2008 – Nov 2011)

• Quebec and old Quebec City. 

• Nova Scotia including Halifax, Prince Edward Island x 3. 

• Toronto, Ottawa.  

• New Foundland (including Port Aux Basques, Corner Brook, St Anthony’s and the historic             Viking Village at L’ Anse Aux Meadows).  

• Trenton PA, Gettysburg PA, Harrisburg PA, Myrtle Beach SC, Savannah GA. 

• Louisville KY, Memphis TN, Nashville TN, Little Rock AK, San Antonio TX, Austin TX, Dallas TX, Kanas City KS, Madison WI, Green Bay WI, Sault Ste Marie (Ontario).

• Bangor ME, Portland ME, Manchester NH, Woodstock VT, Boston MA.

• Albany NY, Scranton PA, Akron OH, Dayton OH, Indianapolis IN, Louisville KY, Joplin MO, Kansas City KS.

• Hartford CT.

San Antonio, Texas, USA (Nov 2011 – current)

• Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston TX.

• Dallas TX, Oklahoma City, Wichita KS, Kanas City, Lincoln NE, Rapid City SD, Sturgis WY, Deadwood WY, Yellowstone National Park, Billings MT, Fort Collins CO, Cheyenne WY, Denver CO, Amarillo TX, Lubbock TX, Abeline TX, Austin TX.

• Baton Rouge LA, Biloxi MS, Mobile AL, Montgomery AL, Athens GA. 

• Austin TX, Midland TX, Albuquerque NM, Santa Fe NM.

• Fort Clake Springs, Brackettville TX, Del Rio TX, Eagle Pass TX, Laredo TX.

This vehicle we now pull behind our 38’ motorhome and are sure it will show us many more new places. We will continue to maintain it and when we are done will donate it to the Wounded Warriors Charity.

Cheers Ross and Bev