COMM 460

The Virginia Frontier

Claude Moore Colonial Farm: This gives you a feel for the farm on the Virginia frontier during the time we are studying. Occasionally they will have special festivals that will give you a feel for public life in the era. One of them is Sunday, September 18. They will have living history and you can help them get ready for winter. Their market fair is October 15 and 16. This will give less a feel of the farm and more a feel for Court Day. There is a small admission charge (less than $10) Take the outer loop of the beltway to the George Washington Memorial Parkway just across the Legion Bridge. Follow the signs from the parkway.
Callands Festival: October 4. Callands store is a store at which Timothy Dalton's children traded in Pittsylvania County VA. The store and the county clerk's office are still standing. They will have a court day festival on October 1. If you are in for a drive in the country, give it a try. The festival has the original buildings open and features arts and crafts from the area. While you are down there, you can take a guided 18th century tour of the area. Take the outer loop of the beltway to I- 66 west. Exit at the Warrenton US-29 (the second or third exit for US-29) exit south. Take US-29 through Charlottesville and Lynchberg to VA-57 at Chatham. Exit west to Callands. Trip is about five hours one way.
Fort Edwards. Open until October 5. Particularly during the French and Indian War, those who lived on the frontier built fortifications to protect themselves from their Indian enemies. Fort Edwards was both the farmstead of Joseph Edwards and the site of a fort in the chain of Forts George Washington ordered constructed during the French and Indian War to protect the settlers. There is a very small museum here that will teach more about the French and Indian war than it will about life on the frontier, but learn as much as you can about both. Take the outer loop to VA-7. Take VA-7 to Winchester. There pick up US 50 west to Capon Bridge West Virginia. Follow the signs to Fort Edwards.
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. Generally no living history, but this is an excellent museum on the early Virginia frontier. There is an admission fee of $6 for the museum alone. Other activites on-site will increase the admission fee. Take the outer loop of the beltway to I-66 west. When I-66 ends at I-81 take I-81 north. Exit at VA-37, the Winchester Bypass. Exit on US-50 east. Follow the signs. Trip is about 2 hours one way.
Museum of American Frontier Culture: This is an interesting museum that shows how the various strains of European immigration influenced the American farm. It is useful to you to see an American farm during this early frontier experience and during the late frontier experience. I was there this summer and the guides did not stress how the farm experience of the old country translated into the character of the American farm experience. But make certain you make that leap. Take I-66 west from the beltway to I-81. Take I-81 south to Staunton. Follow the signs.
Godiah Spray Planation. At Historic St. Mary's. This represents the Maryland frontier experience in 1661. So it is a bit earlier than our study, but very similar. And since it is in Maryland it may have more interest for you. Take the beltway to MD-5. Exit S on MD-5 and take it to Historic St. Mary's.

The Revolution

"Give me liberty or give me death!": St. John's Church on Church Hill in Richmond reenacts Patrick Henry's speech delivered there in 1775. The only reactment this year after labor day is on Sunday afternoon, November 6. Tickets are distributed beginning at 1 PM with the reactment at 2 PM. Take I-95 south to Richmond. Exit West on Broad Street. Make a legal U-turn somewhere, and proceed east on Broad. Watch for the church at the top of Church Hill.
Mount Vernon: Sure, George had something to do with the revolution. No speaker, he, but since it is close it will give you a feel for the life of a Tidewater Plantation owner that was instrumental in the revolution. Take I-95 across the Wilson bridge and take the first Virginia exit. Go south on the George Washington Memorial Parkway to Mount Vernon.
Independence Square: Where the speeches were given, the Declaration signed. Well worth the experience if you have not been there. Take I-95 north to Philadelphia. Follow the signs.
Williamsburg: It is expensive, but it gives you an unforgettable chance to experience Tidewater life at the time of the revolution. Williamsburg was one of three places in America where the revolution was hatched. Take I-95 south to Richmond. Take I-64 east to Williamsburg.
The Declaration of Independence: If you have not seen it, now is the time. They will keep rushing you along, but take a few minutes and read that Preamble. Tell them you are a student and your instructor insists. The Declaration is in the Mall entrance to the National Archives. Take the Metro to Archives-Navy Memorial.
Within these Walls. A fascinating exhibit at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. The exhibit is a house built in the 1600s and the many families that have lived in it. As it takes us through the years, it takes us through this course. It includes families involved in the American revolution and early national history, reformers, and immigrants. A remarkable exhibit. National Museum of American History, Behring Center. On the mall.

The National Community

Independence Square: Where the convention debated the Constitution in strict secrecy, signed the document, and sent it on its way to the states. Well worth the experience if you have not been there. Take I-95 north to Philadelphia. Follow the signs.
Mount Washington Tavern: One of the results of the increased commercial and manufacturing was increased travel, which led to dramatic improvements in the transportation system. Included in this was the construction of the National Road in the 1820s. This tavern will give you a flavor of the life of the traveler in the 1820s. Take I- 270 to I-70 and on to I-68. Exit to US-40 at Keyser's Ridge MD. The tavern is on US-40 at Farmington PA, just beyond the Fort Necessity Battlefield National Monument.
State House, Annapolis: Maryland had a special role in the history of the Constitution. It was here that the Annapolis Convention met in 1786 which called for the Convention to "revise the Articles of Confederation." When the convention met in Philadelphia in 1787, the through out the articles and wrote the constitution. Take US-50 east to Annapolis. Take the Rowe Blvd exit to State Square and the Maryland State House.
Within these Walls. A fascinating exhibit at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. The exhibit is a house built in the 1600s and the many families that have lived in it. As it takes us through the years, it takes us through this course. It includes families involved in the American revolution and early national history, reformers, and immigrants. A remarkable exhibit. National Museum of American History, Behring Center. On the mall.
Montpelier. The home of James Madison. The house in which Madison lived during his lifetime (all of it) is being restored to this time period. The primary thing you will learn, however, is about Madison. Take I-66 west from the beltway to the US-29 Gainesville exit. Take US-29 south to Madison, VA. Take VA-231 south to Montpelier.

The Silver Orators

The Senate of the United States: It's still there. Go when the flag is flying on the Senate side. Sit in the balcony and imagine great oratory. Unfortunately, you have to use more imagination than normal because under current policy the Chamber where the great debates occurred is not included in capitol tours. Students in the last few years have had a more difficult time with this option for the assignment. In truth, the best activity in the Capitol these days is the museum located in the back of Emancipation Hall. As preparation for your visit can take the Virtual Tour of the Capital Building. (The virtual tour by itself does not qualify for this assignment.) Take the Metro to Union Station and walk south or Capitol South and walk north.
Washington Monument, Maryland: The site of one of those glorious civic celebrations in 1837. This was the first monument to George Washington and was built by the citizens of Washington County MD. Climb to the top and look out on the multitudes. Imagine the gala and the patriotic speeches that were there at its dedication. Take I-270 north beyond Frederick. Exit at US-40 ALT west. Go through Middletown to the crest of South Mountain. Turn right to Washington Monument State Park.
Monticello: This is a strange inclusion at this point in the course. Jefferson has always been lurking around the edges of the course. Jefferson did not, however, particularly like to speak and he was not a forceful speaker. Nevertheless, he is an excellent example of the ideal of the "orator" at the time. The tour of Monticello concentrates on Jefferson the farmer, but between the lines and by touring the museum at the bottom of the hill, you will get the sense for the educated moral leader. Take I-66 west from the beltway to the US-29 Gainesville exit. Take US-29 south to Charlottesville. Follow the signs.

Rhetoric of the American Frontier

Museum of American Frontier Culture: This is an interesting museum that shows how the various strains of European immigration influenced the American farm. It is useful to you to see an American farm during the late frontier experience. I was there this summer and the guides did not stress how the farm experience of the old country translated into the character of the American farm experience. But make certain you make that leap. Take I-66 west from the beltway to I-81. Take I-81 south to Staunton. Follow the signs.
Washington Grove, MD. This one is a stretch. Washington Grove is a camp meeting ground. Site of camp meetings in the late 19th century. Today you can walk the streets and use your imagination to a day when the "camp" was full of tents and people there for a Methodist revival. You can see the location of the central stage. Once 30,000 gathered here for sermons and sings from the stage. Read the history and then walk the ground imagining the camp meeting in progress. Take US 1 to Beltway. Take beltway west to I-270. Take I-270 north to Shady Grove Rd. Go right on Shady Grove to Mid-County Highway. Take left on Mid-County highway and drive to Washington Grove Lane. Left on Washington Grove Lane. Look for Washington Grove on your left. When you reach the intersection of E. Diamond Ave and Railroad Ave you have just passed it.

The Reform Community, 1830-60

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: This is a wonderful time of the year to go to Harper's Ferry. It is one of the earth's most beautiful spots. But your interest is in John Brown's raid on the Harpers Ferry armory in 1859. Be sure and visit the John Brown Museum along Shennandoah Street. And pay attention to the story of slavery and of abolition in addition to the story of the Brown raid. Also visit the Black Voices Museum a little ways up the town street. Take I-270 north from the Beltway to Frederick MD. Take US-340 west from Frederick to Harper's Ferry. After crossing the Potomac and Shenandoah River bridges, go to the top of the hill and you will see the signs to the National Park parking lot.
Frederick Douglass Museum and Hall of Fame for Caring Americans: Not to be confused with its more famous cousin listed below, this townhouse on Capital Hill was Frederick Douglass' first house upon arriving in Washington. He lived here during the Civil War. It now houses a Douglass Museum. Owned by the Caring Americans Foundation, it also includes a Hall of Fame for that organization. Take metro to Union Station. East on Massachusetts Avenue to 3rd St. NE. South on 3rd St. to A St. NE. West on A to house on right.
The Frederick Douglass National Historical Site: Douglass spent the last days of his life in Washington DC. This site is his last home and tells the story of Douglass from slave on Maryland's Eastern Shore to his life of leadership in the Abolitionist movement. The site is located at 1411 W St. SE in Anacostia.
Within these Walls. A fascinating exhibit at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. The exhibit is a house built in the 1600s and the many families that have lived in it. As it takes us through the years, it takes us through this course. It includes families involved in the American revolution and early national history, reformers, and immigrants. A remarkable exhibit. National Museum of American History, Behring Center. On the mall.

Telling the Story of the Slave Quarters

Monticello: One of the outstanding features of Monticello is an excellent tour of the slave row at Monticello. This is a row of craftsmen owned by Jefferson, and there is no help with the field hands. You will see a community more integrated into Monticello than those we talked about, but you have some view of their life. Take I-66 west from the beltway to the US-29 Gainesville exit. Take US-29 south to Charlottesville. Follow the signs.
Booker T. Washington National Monument: The only site in the National Park Service devoted to slavery. The site itself isn't much, but the exhibits are nice. I would visit only if you are in the area. Take I-66 west from the beltway to US-29 south to Warrenton (make sure you take the Warrenton exit, it is the third time you can exit on US-29). Take US-29 south through Charlottesville and Lynchberg to VA State highway 40 at Gretna. Take VA-40 west to VA-122 near Rocky Mount. At VA-122 north to the site.

The Cavalier South

Your flavor of the Cavalier South will come from a visit to a Southern Plantation house of the 1850s and 1860s. There are lots of them. Most charge you some admission (somewhere between $3 and $10 per head). For the money you get a sense for the elegant life of the plantation household. You will see the gentility. Look for the evidence of the Cavalier characteristics -- the drawing room elegantly appointed where the affairs of the day would be debated and the Yankees excoriated, the sense of inherited wealth, the sense of duty, honor, country. If you select your own example for a tour, pay some attention to the time period. Some houses of the area are too early -- Mount Vernon, for example -- and others were redone for a later period and so lost their Cavalier characteristics -- Montpelier VA, for example. The following will serve:

Arlington House: Robert E. Lee's mansion at Arlington National Cemetery. Remember that Lee's parlor looked toward the Washington monument, but it was a Cavalier parlor nonetheless. The mansion is restored and comes complete with Cavalier docents. While you are there, visit the grave of William Jennings Bryan. Take Metro to the Arlington stop on the Blue Line. Enter through the Cemetery Visitors Center.
Belle Grove Plantation: A plantation house in the Shennandoah Valley. Proves not all Cavalier society was on the tidewater. Home restored to antebellum splendor by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Take I-66 west from the beltway to its intersection with I-81. Go north to VA-627 exit and west to US-11. Go south on US-11 to Belle Grove.
White House of the Confederacy: Why not go to the very heart of it. Where Jefferson Davis lived. The Museum of the Confederacy is right next door. Take I-95 south to Richmond. Exit at Broad St. Westbound. Take the third right and right again on Clay Street. This deadends into the Medical College of Virginia Parking Garage. The Museum is on your right. 1201 E. Clay St.
The James River Plantations: Along the James River between Richmond and Williamsburg are a whole series of plantation houses that are open to the public: Berkeley, Brandon, North Bend, Tuckahoe, and Shirley. Their dates range from the 17th century through the 1930s. So, if you want an experience of historical breadth this may be the place to go. Check the website for dates of each. Take I-95 south to Richmond. Take I-264 east from just north of Richmond. Exit on VA-5. Follow the signs.

Lincoln

The Lincoln Memorial: This is a monument to Lincoln the speaker. Take your time, read the speeches on the walls. While you are here, look out on the reflecting pool. Imagine you are Martin Luther King and 300,000 people are before you as you deliver the "I Have a Dream" Speech. But don't let your focus wander too much from Lincoln and the power of those words that wind up on the walls of the temple to his memory. Because this is a site dedicated to a speaker rather than the place where speaking occurred in our time period, students have had trouble making this work for the assignment. I considered deleting it, but decided to just warn you to attend to those words on the wall and listen to those around you talk about their meaning. On the mall. You can't miss it.
Gettysburg: The Visitors Center has a museum that can soak up your day. Don't let it. Leave the center and walk on the battlefield. Particularly, be sure you spend time in the cemetery because you will find little on the address in the museum. When you visit the cemetery, listen to those who stand reading the speech. Learn what it has come to mean today. A particularly excellent time to do this visit is Saturday, November 19 at 10:15 AM when there is a special program celebrating the address. Take I-270 north from the Beltway. At Frederick stay on the route which becomes US-15. Take US-15 north to Gettysburg. Follow the signs to the battlefield.
Ford's Theatre: If you haven't been to the theatre this is the time. You want to visit the Lincoln Museum there. Either go during the daytime, or early enough before a performance that you have the chance to see the museum. Take the Red Line to Metro Center. Take the 11th Street exit. Go one block east on F to 10th. Turn right to the Theatre
Mr. Lincoln's Washington: This is an exhibit of photographs from Washington during the Civil War. National Portrait Gallery, 2nd floor S. Take the Red Line to Gallery Place. At 7th and G St NW.
Lincoln Cottage: During the summers of the Civil War, Lincoln escaped the White House to the cooler Soldier's Home, located on a hill northeast of downtown Washington. The cottage Lincoln stayed in as been restored. Here is where he wrote the emancipation proclamation. From campus go west on University Ave. Turn left at New Hampshire. Then turn left on North Capital in Washington. Watch for signs to the Cottage. As North Capital bends left, you will go straight onto Rock Creek Church Road. Go left at Upton Street into the Old Soldier's Home campus.

Rhetoric of Labor Reform

Ellis Island. If your ancestors lived the life of European immigrants in the period of labor reform, you will enjoy a trip to Ellis Island. If you do not know if your ancestors passed through Ellis Island, search the immigrant Website. in New York Harbor. Begin your visit at Castle Clinton in Battery Park at the bottom of Manhattan.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum. A wonderful museum that lets you walk in a tenement and learn about the lives of people who lived there. in New York. Go to Orchard and Delancy streets. Museum is at 108 Orchard St.
Within these Walls. A fascinating exhibit at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. The exhibit is a house built in the 1600s and the many families that have lived in it. As it takes us through the years, it takes us through this course. It includes families involved in the American revolution and early national history, reformers, and immigrants. A remarkable exhibit. National Museum of American History, Behring Center. On the mall.
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. This mining town has been restored as a West Virginia State Park. You can even rent a miner's company house (alas, rennovated and modernized). You can also take a mining train up the mountain. Take the Beltway outer loop to I-66. Go west to its terminus and then south on I-81 toward Roanoke. Exit at VA-55/US-48 west into West Virginia. Remain on WV-55 through Moorefield where it is joined by WV-28. Take WV-28 until you see the signs for Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. Trip is about 4 1/2 hours.

Women's Search for a Place in Public Life

Sewall-Belmont House and Museum. Washington headquarters for Alice Paul. Although Paul's National Women's Party dates from the early 20th century, the museum tells the story of women's efforts toward suffrage. Currently closed but promises to reopen sometime in the fall. Watch the website. Red Line to Union Station. From the main entrance, turn LEFT and walk past the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judicial Building to the intersection of 2nd Street, NE and Massachusetts Avenue. Turn RIGHT onto Second Street. Travel for three blocks, passing the Senate parking lot and Hart Senate Office Building on the right. The Sewall-Belmont House and Museum is located just beyond the entrance to the Hart building.

The Farmer's Revolt

Sandy Spring Museum. This small little museum has created excellent displays on life in a agricultural community from 1730, but most elaborately at the turn of the 20th century. Take note of the Grainger material and the other aspects of public life. Take a short drive to the nearby Quaker Meeting House. Someone at the museum will give you directions. From campus take Adelphi Road to New Hampshire Avenue. Turn right. Continue on MD 650 (New Hampshire Ave) until it intersects MD 108 in Ashton. Turn left onto MD 108. You will see the Sandy Spring Museum on the right.

Living History in our Area