93: THE “TRIP OF DREAMS” BEGAN IN STAUNTON

It had been 27 days since the Secret Service kept me from meeting Bill and Hillary Clinton. Although I was still peeved over that ordeal, that feeling quickly went away when I was packed away into the camera case for what was being billed by my photographer as the “Presidential Trip of Dreams”. Tom and his travelling companion Bob Moldenhauer had agreed to join forces for a ten-day Presidential trip through the state of Virginia and Washington, D.C. where they would do their best to hit every site associated with the current and former Chief Executives. Since four out of the first five Presidents were from Virginia, including my namesake, it shouldn’t be hard to fill each day to the brim with sites. In my own mind, I had wondered if they would be able to fit everything in to only ten days; I think Tom and Bob wondered that as well. Not wanting to waste time travelling during the daylight hours of the trip’s first day, my companions decided to leave home at 11:45pm on Thursday May 9, 2019 and drive non-stop through the entire night. Their goal was to reach Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace in Staunton, Virginia and get on the first tour of the day at 10:00am. My photographer had also arranged to meet with the Wilson site curator Andrew Phillips during their visit. Phillips had assured Tom that he could photograph me inside the birthplace home; which was cool because photography was normally prohibited inside The Manse.

With my photographer behind the wheel of their rented GMC Acadia and Mongo manning the navigation duties, we drove through the night and completed the 625-mile drive without incident. Even though it rained fairly hard at times near Columbus, Ohio, the inclement weather didn’t delay our trip. From my position in the camera case on the folded down back seat of the SUV, it seemed as though the ten-hour drive went quickly; although I wasn’t quite sure what kept Tom awake as he didn’t get much sleep before we left home. The insomnia was likely due to the endless stories that Bob and Tom had reminisced about – legendary tales of previous historic trips they’ve done together; or maybe it was the pure adrenaline that both had flowing through their veins. Either way, we pulled into the parking lot behind the Wilson Presidential museum at 9:45am. We had made it – we were at the Staunton First Presbyterian Church Manse where Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1856; and we were 15 minutes early!

The three of us walked into the Woodrow Wilson Museum where we purchased our tour tickets for the Manse and asked to meet Andrew Phillips; we told the young man selling tickets that Andrew was expecting us. Little did my photographer know that we would not only meet the curator, Phillips also wanted to be our personal tour guide inside the historic birthplace. Once the ticket taker had introduced us to Andrew Phillips, the four of us walked to the backside of the Manse where we entered at the kitchen. Inside the house, the curator kept true to his word: Tom could capture images of me as I posed in the different rooms. It surprised me, and I know it shocked my photographer, when Phillips allowed me to stand on different pieces of the Wilson family furniture for the photos. The piece-de-resistance, however, was when we finally arrived in the birth room. Not only did I stand on the bed, which was an identical replica to the birth bed, but Andrew insisted that I be placed into the small crib in the next room. That historic relic was the actual wooden crib used by “Tommy” Wilson shortly after his birth. What an incredible feeling I had as I stood there and looked out between the wooden bars of the small crib; and at the same time, I could see the large smile on the curator’s face as he watched me. It was easy to tell that Andrew Phillips appreciates people who treasure Presidential history and he wanted to do what he could to help us bring that history to life with our stories and photos.

When we wrapped up our time in the birth room, Andrew led us out of the house and back down the sidewalk to the museum; which was located only two doors down from the historic Wilson Manse. As soon as the three of us thought that the curator was finished with us, we were wrong – Andrew had one last surprise up his sleeve. After he led us down a small hallway, we stood face-to-face with an incredible automobile that was situated in one section of the museum. But that wasn’t just any vintage car; it was President Wilson’s personal 1919 Pierce-Arrow limousine that he used while in office. It turned out that when Wilson returned from France after negotiating the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, that brand new Pierce-Arrow limousine awaited him at the New York City dock to transport the President back to Washington. The handsome car had just been added to the White House fleet and from July 1919 until the inauguration of Harding in 1921, Wilson rode frequently in the car on official business. When he left office, his friends purchased the car for him to use. Wilson’s Pierce-Arrow was distinguished by two special emblems – the Presidential Seal was on each of the two arched rear doors; and the AAA symbol was on the front radiator panel. It turned out that in 1917, Wilson was the first President of the United States to join the association.

As I was held near the car for my first photograph alongside the Pierce-Arrow, Andrew Phillips smiled at my camera guy and said: “Would Jefferson like to stand where President Wilson always sat in the car?” I knew that Tom couldn’t believe what he had just heard, and I think Bob was shocked as well. But the next thing I knew, Andrew placed me in the back seat on the passenger side and told the three of us that’s where Woodrow Wilson always sat when he rode in the car. There I was, standing in President Wilson’s seat in his favorite car; I was so stunned that all I could do was wiggle my head. As Tom snapped a handful of photos of me inside the car, we found out that Wilson’s Pierce-Arrow was the oldest still-running limousine ever used by a President; and I was ridin’ high in the President’s seat. And the best part of all – I didn’t have to sneak my way into the car; all thanks to Andrew Phillips.

It was easy to tell that Andrew was proud to show-off Wilson’s car.  And rightfully so.  That pristine Pierce-Arrow was undoubtedly the crown jewel of the museum and it was the finest Presidential limousine I have ever been in.  But the more I thought about it, that was the only Presidential car I’ve ever been in.

With his own work to do, Phillips headed to his office while the three of us went into the museum to discover more Wilson artifacts on display. While there were a lot of cool showcases inside the museum, there were a few artifacts that I wanted to pose near – including furniture from Woodrow Wilson’s Princeton study. I also had the chance to stand on Wilson’s desk that he used while he was Governor; and although my photographer snuck me onto the desk without permission, Tom believed in his heart that Andrew would’ve approved. The last display that we saw was not associated with President Wilson, but instead focused on Staunton’s homegrown band ‘The Statler Brothers’. We saw a small handful of stage costumes, as well as a couple of guitars. While I wasn’t overly interested in seeing artifacts once used by that band, I knew that my photographer was drawn back to his childhood when he saw the displays. In 1968, Tom’s parents took him to his first concert that featured headliner Johnny Cash; as well as The Man in Black’s backing group The Statler Brothers. Once we finished our tour of the Wilson museum, we reunited with Andrew Phillips a final time as we wanted to thank our host for his hospitality during our visit. Even though Woodrow Wilson only lived in Staunton for a little over one year before his family moved to Georgia, Andrew brought the future President to life in a way that no one else could’ve done. As I was carried out of the door and to the Acadia, I had hoped that I had made an impression on the curator as well.

We began our journey south at around 12:15pm – a trip that would take us to the first of four Virginia and D.C. homes that Thomas Jefferson had lived in. But 47 miles into the drive, my photographer and Mongo decided to pay a visit to the Natural Bridge – a 215-foot natural limestone arch that featured a 90-foot wide span over Cedar Creek. Although the rock formation was a spectacular site to see and photograph, that wasn’t the reason for our stop. It turned out that the Natural Bridge had Presidential connections. In 1750, an 18-year old surveyor named George Washington arrived and surveyed the landscape. Legend has it that the future President carved his initials “G.W.” on the limestone wall about 23 feet above the creek. In 1774, two years before he penned the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson purchased 157 acres of land, including the Natural Bridge, from King George III of England. Jefferson also built a two-room cabin on the site to use as a retreat – two of his many guests were James Monroe and Martin Van Buren. In 1802, while in office as President of the United States, Jefferson returned to Natural Bridge to personally survey the area. At one point, Tom placed me onto a rock that was embedded into the arch’s wall. As I stood there, gazing up at the mammoth formation, all I could think about was the fact that Jefferson himself once owned the rock that I stood on. And maybe, just maybe, George Washington threw a rock just like it over the gigantic span. The peacefulness of Natural Bridge and its surroundings was truly awe-inspiring; but the three of us knew that our solitude would come to an end in less than a week.

At about 2:00pm, we were aboard the Acadia for the 36-mile leg of our journey to the final stop of the day – Jefferson’s Poplar Forest that was located near Lynchburg, Virginia. As we drove down the narrow two-track driveway towards the historic home, a flood of memories came back to Tom and Bob. They talked about when they had first been to Poplar Forest in 1991, which was on the first full day of their Declaration of Independence Tour. However, Jefferson’s home was in the process of renovations then and was completely gutted down to the brick walls and empty fireplaces. Even though the house still wasn’t finished, most of the flooring was in place; the walls were covered with plaster and wooden trim; and some period furniture had been placed in each room. While none of the furnishings were original to the home, I knew the brick walls and fireplaces were there when Jefferson lived in the home and that’s all I needed. Once our tour of the interior was finished, the three of us strolled around the grounds and saw Poplar Forest from a variety of angles. At one point, my photographer set me onto the ground alongside an ancient tree that was near the front entrance of the historic dwelling. As I stood there, I envisioned President Jefferson as he rode in his carriage onto the circular drive and past that very tree. At roughly 70 miles from Monticello, it took Jefferson three days to make the trek to his retreat home. Although Thomas Jefferson and his wife Martha had inherited 4,819 acres of property at Poplar Forest, he didn’t design and build the house until 1806 when he was President and it took ten years before it was finished. Jefferson’s beloved wife had died in 1782 and she never saw the house, but on occasions the President brought his granddaughters Ellen and Cornelia Jefferson Randolph to the house. In 1812, Jefferson once said of Poplar Forest: “When finished, it will be the best dwelling house in the state, except that of Monticello.” Over the years, Jefferson’s visits ranged from a few days to weeklong stays; but his last visit to his retreat was in 1823 – just three years before his death.

My photographer and Mongo took their time at Poplar Forest; and that was expected as it was our last scheduled stop of the day. It was nearly 5:00pm and I could tell that my two companions were physically running out of gas; no surprise there as we’ve been “on the go” for the past 17 hours. After Bob had programmed the driving directions into his phone for the Timberlake Motel, we discovered that it was located just over five miles south of Jefferson’s home. But once we arrived ten minutes later, that’s when my travel mates got the bad news from the manager at the Timberlake: “We have one room with a single bed left and the price is $180.00”. Stunned, my photographer replied: “What do you mean $180.00 – are you kidding me right now? Two weeks ago, I saw your rooms were only $80 per night. We aren’t paying that much – this isn’t the Ritz Carlton! Plus, that room only has one bed. Bob and I like each other, but not enough to sleep with each other in the same bed! By the way, did I mention that our wives are at home?” Tejas Patel, the motel’s manager, countered with: “I wish you luck finding another place. It’s graduation weekend at Liberty University and every hotel around here is booked solid. You will have to drive a hundred miles away to find a place for the night. I can provide a pull-out bed for the room at no additional cost if you like.” Tom and Bob, who are both thrifty when it comes to spending a lot of money on motels when they travel together, were flabbergasted. But when they searched the internet for another motel with a vacancy, it turned out that Tejas was right. There was nothing available for about one hundred miles in any direction. My friends were stuck; and they were exhausted. When Tom and Bob returned to the check-in desk after their internet search, I heard my photographer begin to negotiate. “We aren’t here for the graduation. We’re from Michigan and we are on a Presidential trip through the entire state of Virginia. Jefferson’s Poplar Forest brought us to the area, and we’ve been on the road since midnight – can you cut us a break on the price? We can do it for $150.00 with the extra bed – but we would like to see the room first before we pay.” The manager thought for a moment and agreed on the price. Once my companions had examined the room and didn’t see any cockroaches, we had our home for the night; albeit their wallets were lighter than they had expected.

I was placed alongside the television set in the room while Tom and Bob ate takeout from a nearby fast food place. Even though it was still daylight outside, I watched as my companions fell fast asleep before 8:00pm. Both guys are in their early 60s and they can’t go nonstop like they did in 1991. Well, Mongo has better stamina than my fat photographer; but on that evening, both guys were extremely exhausted. As I stood at my post and kept an eye out for cockroaches, I thought about our time with Andrew Phillips at the Wilson birthplace earlier that morning. Not only was Andrew a history preservationist, he also appreciated our quest to bring Presidential history to life with our stories. Perhaps the next time I visit Staunton, maybe Andrew will take me for a ride in Woodrow’s Pierce-Arrow limousine. In my mind’s eye, I saw Andrew Phillips as he looked at me and said: “Yeah, and maybe not!”