Manassas National Battlefield

 We were passing right by the Manassas Battlefield visitor center so we decided to make a quick stop. At this location, on July 21, 1861, the Union Army's march towards the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia was stopped by the Confederate troops. This was the first major battle of the Civil War with inexperienced troops on both sides and ended with a Confederate win and a retreat by the Union troops to Washington for more training. 

The visitor center has a few exhibits with artifacts and an electronic map that shows troop movements. 

 

The visitor center is accessible. The trails are over grassy, rough ground but may be accessible with assistance.

 The parking lot has long bus/RV spaces. Visitor Center   38.81249, -77.52098

 

Camp Ford Historic Park

 Camp Ford was a prisoner of war camp for Union soldiers during the Civil War. At its peak in July 1864, it held over 5,300 prisoners. In the two years the camp was in use over 350 men died of starvation, disease, and exposure.

The camp site is a small park with a kiosk, interpretive signs, and a short trail that was paved at one time. I think the trail makes a loop but a bridge is out and part of the trail is closed. 

The trail is rough because the asphalt has broken up. It's a quick out and back trip. Signs mark where the trail heads down hill and the pavement ends.

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. Park  32.39561, -95.2686

Averasboro Battlefield and Museum

  In March 1865, with the Civil War was nearing it’s end, General Sherman’s troops marched north, damaging the south’s capacity for making war by destroying the railroads, manufacturing and agricultural resources. As the left-wing of the Union troops led by Brigadier General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick moved toward the state capital of Raleigh, North Carolina, they met Confederate troops that were deployed across the Raleigh Road. Fighting over three days resulted in approximately 650 Union and 800 Confederate casualties and the retreat of the Confederate forces towards Smithfield.

  The museum is small with a lot of donated artifacts including many that were found on the battlefield. Photographs are not permitted in the museum. Interpretive signs are located on the grounds.

  The museum is accessible. We did not go to the cemetery or the reconstructed cabin.

  The parking lot is large enough for RVs. Museum  35.26656, -78.67213

 

Fort Negley

   Nashville surrendered to the Union Army on February 25, 1862, less than a year after the beginning of the Civil War, and it remained under Union control until 1867. With good river and rail access Nashville was an important supply depot for the Confederate Army so holding the city was a major goal for the Union Army. A labor force of 2,768 free and run away slaves built Fort Negley as part of the defense around the city which included a 7 mile fortified line and Union gunboats on the Cumberland River.

The fort didn’t see any action and fell into ruin when the war ended and the Federal troops left. A restoration was attempted in the 1930s but it wasn’t until 2004 that the area was opened to the public as an historic site. Stone foundations trace the outline of the fort and boardwalk trails with interpretive signs follow the inside walls. A small visitor center with a few displays and two videos about the fort is located at the base of the hill where the fort is located.

  The visitor center is accessible. A road which is closed to traffic circles the fort. It’s a steep hike along the road to the fort so wheelchair users will need a strong helper. We did not go to the top because even though it looks like a beautiful day in the photo it was actually windy and cold.

  The parking lot is large enough for small RV. Larger RVs can be parked along the roads.  Fort   36.14288, -86.77511

Route 66-Tucumcari

  Tucumcari is the largest city between Amarillo and Albuquerque so it’s always been a popular stop for travelers. Although there are no longer 2000 motel rooms as touted on old billboards there are still plenty of places to stay overnight, either at the newer motels along the interstate or at the classic 1940s motels along Route 66. This is one detour off of the interstate that every traveler should make.

   We stayed at the Cactus RV Park so that we could see the neon signs at night. The RV park is located in the courtyard of the closed Cactus Motor Lodge. The RV park is very well tended and the motel buildings still look fairly sturdy even though they’re not in use. The park is an overnight stop for most people and doesn’t have many amenities but each site does have full hookups. We had very fast WiFi at our site.

   Most of the motel signs have not been restored so we didn’t get  many night pictures.

The Blue Swallow Motel has been in business since 1940.

 Tee Pee Curios, built in 1944, was a gas station, grocery, and souvenir shop. When Route 66 was widened in 1959, the tepee entrance was added and the pumps removed

                    

   The Americana, originally the 1935 Desert Air Motel, has a great neon sign.

        

  The Palomino opened in 1953 and unfortunately the sign isn’t completely light any more.

The Motel Safari was built in 1959

        

The Buckaroo Motel, with another great sign, opened in 1952

  La Cita has been serving travelers Mexican food since 1961.

         

   A lot of cool old stuff is on display at the Tucumcari Trading Post.

  Even the closed business have interesting signs.

     

           

  Most of the gas stations have been restored and some are being used for other businesses.

  The city has three small museums. The historical museum is housed in an old schoolhouse and several other buildings. The museum contains a large variety of artifacts but has very little historic information. After visiting all of the buildings we still knew little about Tucumcari’s history.

  The second floor and basement of the schoolhouse are not accessible. Some of the paths on the grounds are surfaced with rough gravel.

  RVs can be parked on the street.

  Two gorgeous antiques – a 1940’s Wurlitzer jukebox and an Owl slot machine from the early 1900s.

        

   Mesalands Community College's Dinosaur Museum is a nicely done small museum with great fossils and casts of dinosaur bones.

  The museum is accessible.

   Small RVs will fit in the main lot. Larger RVs will fit in the additional lot across street.

                    

The Route 66 Museum was supposed to be opened but it wasn’t. :-(

  The parking lot is large enough for any RV.

         

Map

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Cabildo

  The Cabildo was built in the late 1700s when New Orleans was a Spanish colony. It housed the municipal government and was the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer ceremonies in 1803. The building continued to be used for government offices until 1911 when it became a state museum.  The museum gives a good overview of the history of New Orleans and Louisiana beginning with the Native American tribes living in the area and ending with the Civil War and Reconstruction.

  The museum is accessible.

   Park across the river at Algiers Point and take the ferry to the French Quarter -  Ferry   Museum
  29.95744, -90.06383

Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum

  What’s an Abraham Lincoln Museum doing in Tennessee?! Tennessee was the last state to secede from the US during the Civil War and while most of Tennessee was strongly Confederate, eastern Tennessee stayed pro-Union. Cumberland Gap in east Tennessee was a communication and supply line for the south and changed hands several times during the war. Many east Tennesseans engaged in guerrilla warfare or fought in the Union army. In 1897, long after the war had ended, General Oliver O. Howard, a former Union officer, and Reverend A. A. Myers established Lincoln Memorial University at Harrogate, Tennessee, just south of Cumberland Gap, to honor Lincoln who had often expressed a desire to do something for the people of east Tennessee.

  The university began receiving Lincoln memorabilia and eventually had to build a museum to house all of it. The museum has some personal artifacts such as Lincoln’s cane, a beautifully crafted cupboard built by his father, some very nice dioramas, lots of photographs and historic exhibits. It’s not very big so it doesn’t take a lot of time to see everything.

  The first floor where most of the exhibits are located is accessible. Plans are in place for installing an elevator to access the second floor gallery but for now there are only steps.

  The parking lot is large enough for RVs.  Museum
36.58044, -83.65748