Greenwood, TN

Monday 6/8/09 Greenwood, TN. Arrived around 4:30 PM. We spent Monday getting set up and settled in then relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday 6/9/09 – We drove down the Blue Ridge Parkway from Rock Fish Gap to VA Hwy 130 near Lynchburg, VA. The views were spectacular. Some of the overlooks were grown up with trees and shrubs to the point that we could not see the view into the Shanendoah Valley or back to the East toward Richmond.

The picture to the left is of Rockfish Gap Overlook – North Entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We drove through Lynchburg to U.S. Hwy 29 and headed North back to Greenwood, VA. We drove through many small towns just to see the area, and the old homes. We took some of the smaller VA secondary roads just to get a better look at the area. I highly recommend that in your travels that you get off the interstates when you can and see the real countryside.

Wednesday 6/10/09 we returned to Lynchburg to tour the town and areas associated with the Civil War. Our first stop was the Visitors center to gather brochures and plan our day.

We visited the following sites:
Sandusky – A home which served as the headquarters for Union General David Hunter during the battle of Lynchburg June 17-18 1864.

Point of Honor Museum – The home was built by Dr. George Cabell, Sr. in 1815, and now serves as a museum to show how homes looked in Lynchburg in the early 1800’s.

Fort Early – One of a series of earthen forts built by General Early’s troops during 1863 and used in the successful defense of Lynchburg in June of 1864.

Major General Jubal Early’s monument at Spring Hill Cemetary Lynchburg, VA. General Early was the commander of the Confederate Army defending Lynchburg in 1864. He was sent by General Robert E. Lee to stop the Union advance by General David Hunter. General Early defeated General Hunter who then retreated into West Virginia.

Monument Terrace – The 139 steps are used to honor the citizens of Lynchburg who fought in the Civil War, Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam,

Courthouse Museum – Sits at the top of Monument Terrace, and covers the history of Lynchburg and its citizens from the areas beginning all the way to 2007. We found this museum to be very interesting.

Liberty University – Built by Rev Jerry Fallwell who was the pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, and co-founder of the Moral Majority. Dr. Fallwell is buried on the university grounds in front of the reception center.

On our return to Misty Mountain Resort in Greenwood, VA we tried to travel a different route each time to get a better view of the surrounding area.

Thursday 6/11/09 – When we left our campground we decided to travel the backroads to our next place to visit. The scenery along the way was great. We even saw a deer crossing the road. It looked like it didn’t quite clear the guardrail, but it continued on so I guess it as ok. Our first stop was at the Walton Mountain Museum in Schuyler, VA. Schuyler is the hometown of the man who wrote the book “Spencer’s Mountain” that the Walton’s Mountain TV show from the 70’s was based on. His name is Sam Hammner. He graduated in 1940 from the High School that is pictured here. It was later changed to an Elementary School as you can see by the name. It was turned into a Museum when the school closed in the 1990’s. If you were a Walton’s Mountain fan this is a must see museum. We enjoyed it very much.

Our next stop was in Appomattox, VA where we ate lunch at the Huddle House. Then we drove out to Appomattox Courthouse National Park where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General U. S. Grant on April 9, 1865 in the house of Wilmer McClain. On April 12, 1865 the last of the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered their arms to end the American Civil War. There by ending four years of bloody conflict that started with the firing on Ft. Sumter in Charleston, SC on April 12 1861. The park service has tried to restore Appomattox Courthouse and the associated buildings to what they looked like in 1865. The museum housed in the Courthouse is very interesting, and the layout in the McLain house is just as it was for the surrender.

As a footnote to history the firing on Ft. Sumter in Charleston, SC on 12 April 1865 was not the first shots fired in the American Civil War. This actually occurred on January 8th 1861 at Ft. Barrancas in Pensacola, FL when the Union troops under the command of Major John H. Winder fired warning shots to repel the Florida State troops under the command of Colonel William Henry Chase who demanded the surrender of Ft. Barrancas. As Winder the commanding officer was not present Lt. Adam J. Slemmer was in charge. He refused to surrender Ft. Barrancas and knowing that Ft. Pickens on Santa Rosa Island was easier to defend he spiked the guns of Ft. Barrancas and retreated to Ft. Pickens in a flatboat. He held Ft. Pickens for the Union throughout the War. Major Winder later served in the Confederate Army and attained the rank of Brigadier General.

During our visit to the park we also visited the site of Grant’s Headquarters, General Lee’s Headquarters, and the monument to the North Carolina soldiers who were the last to fire at Appomattox.

We really enjoyed this trip through history, then returned to our RV in Misty Mountain Resort at Greenwood, VA.

On Friday 6/12/09 we drove north on the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. The views were splendid and the weather cooperated and did not rain until after we finished our drive. The highlight of the day was this picture Dianne captured of a doe and her fawn.
We returned to our campsite down US Hwy 340 to get a view of the Shenandoah Valley from close up. It is truly magnificent.

Saturday 6/13/09 - We rested around the RV Park, and met Galon, Maggie, & Susannah in Richmond, VA for supper at the Cheescake Factory in Short Pump Mall. As you can see from the picture Grandma is enjoying her time with Susannah.

Sunday 6/14/09 - We attended Westwood Baptist Church in Waynesbora, VA. It was a nice small church wih about 100 in attendance.

Monday 6/15/09 – Move to Coles Point, VA.