Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

We visited the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Kentucky, a small park with the country’s first monument to Lincoln, enclosing the Symbolic Cabin, a reconstruction of the tiny cabin where Lincoln was born. The memorial was built between 1909 and 1911.

Entrance sign

56 steps up to the memorial, one for each year of Lincoln’s life:

Memorial

Info

The symbolic cabin inside the memorial:

The symbolic cabin inside the memorial

Peeking inside:

Peeking inside

Model of the cabin:

Model of the cabin

Info outside:

Info

Boardwalk to the visitor center:

Boardwalk to visitor center

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Parents and kids:

Parents and kids

Visitor center

Passport stamp:

Passport stamp

Gift shop:

Gift shop

Family Bible:

Family Bible

More exhibits:

Exhibits

Table made by Lincoln’s father:

Table made by Lincoln's father

Boundary oak tree:

Boundary oak tree

Exhibits

Model of the memorial:

Model of the memorial

Antietam National Battlefield

We visited Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, where “23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862”.

Sign

Visitor Center:

Visitor Center

Map

Visitor Center

Sign

Monuments

Old church:

Old church

Cannons:

Cannons

House

Stone bridge:

Stone bridge

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

We visited Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia.

Sign

Relief map:

Relief map

Bus from the visitor center to the town:

Bus from the visitor center to the town

Exploring the old town of Harpers Ferry:

Harpers Ferry

DC monuments by night tour

We did an evening guided tour of Washington DC from the Cherry Hill Park campground.

Selfie in the bus:

Selfie in bus

US Capitol:

US Capitol

Washington Monument:

Washington Monument

Back to our bus; there were lots of food trucks like this lining the roads in DC:

Bus and food truck

Treasury building:

Treasury building

The White House:

The White House

Guide talking about the White House:

Guide talking about the White House

Washington Monument:

Thomas Jefferson Memorial:

Thomas Jefferson Monument

Sunset:

Sunset

Lots of tour buses:

Lots of tour buses

Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial:

Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial

Korean War Veterans Memorial:

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Washington Monument and the Capitol beyond the reflecting pond:

Washington Monument:

Lincoln Memorial:

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Memorial:

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

World War II Memorial:

World War II Memorial

World War II Memorial:

World War II Memorial

Gettysburg National Military Park: memorials and cemetery

The second post about Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, including the battlefield memorials and Gettysburg National Cemetery.

The interactive map again:

The battlefield has a bunch of roads, dotted with monuments from the various states and military divisions that participated in the battle:

Battlefield monument

GIF:

Battlefield monument

Building

Battlefield monument

Gettysburg National Cemetery:

Gettysburg National Cemetery

Lincoln address memorial, where he gave his famous speech:

Lincoln address memorial

Gettysburg National Cemetery

Gettysburg National Military Park: museum and visitor center

We visited Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, including a third-party museum and visitor center.

An interactive map:

Gettysburg National Military Park

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Gift store:

Visitor center

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war”:

Exhibits

Exhibits:

Exhibits

Theater:

Theater

The Gettysburg Cyclorama, a 360° painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting Pickett’s Charge, the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. It was painted in 1883, and measures 42 feet by 377 feet. The viewing of it started with a dramatization of the battle with light effects:

Cyclorama

After the light show, it was shown without light effects. The foreground in front of the painting is a natural-looking landscape, blending into the painting:

Cyclorama

An easter egg: a wounded President Lincoln is in this part, representing a wounded nation:

Cyclorama

Impressive stuff.

Cyclorama

Exhibits

The Gettysburg address:

Exhibits

Tomorrow, the battlefield and cemetery.

Manassas National Battlefield Park

We visited Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas, Virginia, where the first major battle of the American Civil War took place on July 21, 1861 (plus a second battle later).

The NPS map; click or tap to interact:

An interactive map:

Manassas National Battlefield Park

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Henry Hill Loop Trail:

Henry Hill Loop Trail

Stonewall Jackson:

Henry Hill Loop Trail

Colonial National Historical Park: Jamestown

We visited a couple of areas of the Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia, including Yorktown and Jamestown Island. This post is about Jamestown.

Jamestown is in multiple parts; a touristy Jamestown Settlement, that we didn’t visit (this time), and Jamestown Island, which is partly NPS, and partly a Preservation Virginia area.

The NPS map; click or tap to interact:

An interactive map of the Jamestown Island area:

Historic Jamestowne:

Historic Jamestowne

Glasshouse ruins:

Historic Jamestowne

Glasshouse

A replica Glasshouse, that does glassblowing demonstrations:

Replica Glasshouse

Jamestowne visitor center:

Visitor center

Auditorium:

Visitor center

Exhibits:

Visitor center

Monument:

Monument

Pocahontas:

Pocahontas

Relief map:

Relief map

Captain John Smith:

Captain John Smith

Cannon:

Cannon

The Barracks:

The Barracks

Indian tools; this guy showed and handed around various tool components, and told of their manufacture:

Indian tools

Church:

Church

Cellar kitchen:

Cellar kitchen

Blacksmith workshop:

Smith

This recreator talked Jenn’s ear off with old-timey tales:

Smith

Shrine

The Statehouse:

The Statehouse

Museum:

Museum

Ancient foundations under the floor:

Museum

Gift store:

Gift store

Fascinating stuff.

Colonial National Historical Park: Yorktown

We visited a couple of areas of the Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia, including Yorktown and Jamestown Island. This post is about Yorktown.

The NPS map; click or tap to interact:

An interactive map of the Yorktown area:

Historic Yorktown:

Historic Yorktown

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Yorktown:

Yorktown

Wright Brothers National Memorial

We visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first successful powered airplane flights.

Here’s the NPS map; click or tap to interact: