<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" > <channel> <title>Polly Tayloe – THROUGH THE EYES OF JEFFERSON</title> <atom:link href="https://eyesofjefferson.com/tag/polly-tayloe/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com</link> <description>Presidential site adventures as told by a bobble head</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 Oct 2024 21:06:26 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1</generator> <site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">167670250</site> <item> <title>139: YOU SAY TYLER; I SAY TAYLOE</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/139-you-say-tyler-i-say-tayloe/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/139-you-say-tyler-i-say-tayloe/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 13 Jun 2021 16:41:45 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Anne Tayloe Neuman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Burnt House Field Cemetery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Francis Lightfoot Lee]]></category> <category><![CDATA[George Pickett grave]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gwynne Tayloe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hollywood Cemetery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[J.E.B. Stuart grave]]></category> <category><![CDATA[James Monroe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jefferson Davis]]></category> <category><![CDATA[John Tyler]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mt. Airy Plantation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Old Exchange Hotel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Polly Tayloe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rebecca Tayloe Lee]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Richard Henry Lee]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Robert Williams Daniel grave]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sherwood Forest Plantation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=8483</guid> <description><![CDATA[My photographer’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Tuesday May 18, 2021 and I was anxious to hit the road for two reasons: First, I knew I was headed for a tour of John Tyler’s ‘Sherwood Forest’; and this time the…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">My photographer’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Tuesday May 18, 2021 and I was anxious to hit the road for two reasons: First, I knew I was headed for a tour of John Tyler’s ‘Sherwood Forest’; and this time the three of us were going inside. And the second reason was Tom and Bob were scheduled to be reunited with Colonel John Tayloe’s home Mt. Airy, as well as a couple of the Tayloe descendants, in the late afternoon. Once my companions had the Rogue re-packed, I was placed on the backseat and we headed for downtown Richmond, Virginia.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The first historic site on our agenda, which was the place where President John Tyler had died, was located roughly three blocks east of the Virginia State Capitol building. Once parked, I was stunned after Tom walked to the location and carefully pulled me out of the camera case – the site I saw in front of me was a four-story parking structure. One silly thought immediately popped into my resin-filled mind – did someone run-over the President while parking their carriage? It turned out that the parking facility had been built in the footprint of the Old Exchange Hotel, which had been demolished around the turn of the twentieth century.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When John Tyler dropped out of the 1844 Presidential election in favor of James K. Polk, he retired to his plantation near Charles City, Virginia that he renamed ‘Sherwood Forest’. Tyler remained retired until the outbreak of the Civil War, after which he was elected to the Provisional Confederate Congress where he served about six months. In November 1861, John Tyler was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives that was scheduled to meet for the first time the following February. But Tyler’s health, which never seemed to be great throughout his life, took a turn for the worst on January 12, 1862 while he and his wife resided at the Exchange Hotel in Richmond. Six days later, just after midnight on January 18th, John Tyler died at the age of 71 from a stroke in his hotel suite. Tyler was the only U.S. President to die outside of the United States as Richmond, in 1862, was the Capital of the Confederate States of America.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00030-2.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8490" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00030-2.jpg?w=4320&ssl=1 4320w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00030-2.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00030-2.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00030-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00030-2.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00030-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00030-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing near Franklin Street in Richmond, Virginia in front of the site where the Exchange Hotel stood from 1841 to 1901. It was near here where an overhead bridge connected the Exchange Hotel with the Ballard House. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="664" height="465" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/OLD-EXCHANGE-HOTEL-2.jpg?resize=664%2C465&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8491" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/OLD-EXCHANGE-HOTEL-2.jpg?w=664&ssl=1 664w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/OLD-EXCHANGE-HOTEL-2.jpg?resize=300%2C210&ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 664px) 100vw, 664px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This illustration shows the view looking south along 14th Street in Richmond, Virginia. The Exchange Hotel is shown to the right with its bridge that connected to the Ballard House.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="1067" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00032-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1067&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8492" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00032-2.jpg?w=3240&ssl=1 3240w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00032-2.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00032-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00032-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00032-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">While standing alongside the site where the Exchange Hotel once stood, I thought about John Tyler’s final days in his room before dying on January 18, 1862. The Civil War raged in the South and the country’s future was uncertain; Tyler never lived to see the outcome.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When we were finished at the Exchange Hotel site, the three of us traveled about ten blocks east where Tom parked the Rogue outside of the wall that protected historic St. John’s Church. That church was special in the eyes of my friends and I for its role in American independence and my photographer wanted me to pose for a few images in and around St. John’s. Not only was the rectory in the church the site where Patrick Henry declared “Give me Liberty or give me death” on March 23, 1775; the churchyard was also where Declaration of Independence signatory George Wythe was laid to rest after his death in 1806. But that goal wouldn’t be realized on that day. Due to COVID restrictions, every gate to the historic churchyard was locked tight. Mongo, with his pure strength and agility, was able to scale the gate and visit the grave of Wythe; while my photographer and I stayed in the SUV and waited his return.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Although I was cheated out of an opportunity to stand on the grave of George Wythe thanks to the pandemic, our next stop would prove to be redemption that was second-to-none. Once my photographer navigated our vehicle through downtown Richmond, we wound up at Hollywood Cemetery that was located in the Oregon Hill section of the Capital City. When I visited that huge burial ground in 2019, I posed for pictures at the graves of three Presidents – James Monroe, John Tyler, and Jefferson Davis. But on this trip, Tom added several other gravesites to the places we would stop at, including two Confederate generals, a survivor of the Titanic disaster, and a three-year old toddler who died of scarlet fever. We had no time to waste because we had an 11am tour scheduled at Sherwood Forest, which was 38 miles from Hollywood Cemetery. When we arrived at the entrance to the cemetery, which was given its name because of the numerous holly trees that dotted its hillsides, I heard Tom say to his friend: “We need to be on the road to Sherwood Forest no later than 10:15. That gives us 90 minutes to find all seven gravesites. That should be a piece of cake.” </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Even with a map in hand that Mongo had purchased at the cemetery office, I began to laugh to myself when my photographer began to choke on his boastful piece of cake. Hollywood Cemetery consisted of 130 acres and there were over 60,000 graves located on its hallowed grounds. Although we needed to find only seven of the graves, of which three were ones we had visited before, that task proved to be a huge challenge – it took far longer than my friends had anticipated. Sit back, relax, and take a look at the gravesites we visited in historic Hollywood Cemetery.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="605" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5032-2.jpg?resize=800%2C605&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8494" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5032-2.jpg?w=4808&ssl=1 4808w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5032-2.jpg?resize=300%2C227&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5032-2.jpg?resize=768%2C581&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5032-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C775&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5032-2.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5032-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5032-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Our first stop, which took a huge effort to locate, was the grave of three-year old Bernadine Rees who died in 1862 from scarlet fever. Her father, Charles, owned a photography gallery in Richmond and moved the black ‘Iron Dog’ from his store front to his daughter’s grave to keep it from being melted down for bullets. Today, the ‘Iron Dog’ watches over the toddler’s final resting place.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1004" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00034-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1004&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8495" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00034-2.jpg?w=3220&ssl=1 3220w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00034-2.jpg?resize=239%2C300&ssl=1 239w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00034-2.jpg?resize=768%2C964&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00034-2.jpg?resize=816%2C1024&ssl=1 816w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00034-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00034-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Constructed in 1869, this 90-foot tall granite pyramid was built as a memorial to the more than 18,000 Confederate soldiers who were buried in the cemetery.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1024" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00038-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1024&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8496" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00038-2.jpg?w=3239&ssl=1 3239w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00038-2.jpg?resize=234%2C300&ssl=1 234w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00038-2.jpg?resize=768%2C983&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00038-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1024&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00038-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00038-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When my photographer placed me between two of the granite blocks, I hoped that I wouldn’t fall through the opening and into the pyramid where I’d be lost forever.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1188" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5049-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1188&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8498" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5049-2.jpg?w=3776&ssl=1 3776w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5049-2.jpg?resize=202%2C300&ssl=1 202w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5049-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1140&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5049-2.jpg?resize=690%2C1024&ssl=1 690w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5049-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5049-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing on the grave of Major General George Pickett of the Confederate States Army. Although Pickett led “Pickett’s Charge” in Gettysburg where over 6,000 Confederate soldiers were killed, he survived that bloodbath. George Pickett died on July 30, 1875 at the age of 50.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5050-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8499" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5050-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5050-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5050-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5050-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5050-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5050-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">While I’ve never condoned the actions of the Confederacy, it’s still part of American history – albeit not a proud part. When I stood on the memorial to Pickett, I thought about his service to the United States during the Mexican-American War.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1080" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00044-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1080&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8500" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00044-2.jpg?w=3137&ssl=1 3137w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00044-2.jpg?resize=222%2C300&ssl=1 222w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00044-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1036&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00044-2.jpg?resize=759%2C1024&ssl=1 759w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00044-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00044-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When I stood next to the grave of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, I wondered what he would’ve said to me due to my Michigan residency. Stuart was killed at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 12, 1864 when private John Huff of the 5th Michigan cavalry shot him.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="806" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?resize=800%2C806&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8501" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?w=3668&ssl=1 3668w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?resize=298%2C300&ssl=1 298w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?resize=768%2C773&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?resize=1017%2C1024&ssl=1 1017w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5062-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I felt the same on Stuart’s tombstone as I did when I stood on Pickett’s grave – I wasn’t there to salute a Confederate general. Instead, I thought about his flawed leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg that may have helped the United States Army defeat the Confederacy there.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="613" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00045-2.jpg?resize=800%2C613&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8502" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00045-2.jpg?w=4210&ssl=1 4210w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00045-2.jpg?resize=300%2C230&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00045-2.jpg?resize=768%2C588&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00045-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C785&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00045-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00045-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">While it took a lot of effort for my chunky photographer to climb the hill to this mausoleum, it was well worth it to me. As a huge fan of Titanic, it was cool to stand near the final resting place of Robert Williams Daniel who died in Richmond at the age of 56 on December 20, 1940.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="543" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5071-2.jpg?resize=800%2C543&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8503" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5071-2.jpg?w=5871&ssl=1 5871w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5071-2.jpg?resize=300%2C204&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5071-2.jpg?resize=768%2C521&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5071-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C695&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5071-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5071-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">You see, Robert Williams Daniel nearly died on April 15, 1912 at the age of 28. But instead, the banker found a way to get inside a lifeboat when the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5082-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8504" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5082-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5082-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5082-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5082-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5082-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5082-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Without a clear walking path, I was impressed that Tom was able to climb this hillside to the mausoleum of Robert Williams Daniel without injury.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1045" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00047-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1045&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8505" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00047-2.jpg?w=3082&ssl=1 3082w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00047-2.jpg?resize=230%2C300&ssl=1 230w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00047-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1003&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00047-2.jpg?resize=784%2C1024&ssl=1 784w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00047-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00047-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I visited the grave of James Monroe on May 12, 2019 and I was back just over two years later. The final resting place of our 5th President hadn’t changed – it still resembled a giant cast iron bird cage.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1057" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00061-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1057&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8506" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00061-2.jpg?w=3240&ssl=1 3240w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00061-2.jpg?resize=227%2C300&ssl=1 227w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00061-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1015&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00061-2.jpg?resize=775%2C1024&ssl=1 775w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00061-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00061-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Like he had done during our first visit to Hollywood Cemetery, Tom found a way for me to stand on Monroe’s sarcophagus; which gave me a unique interior view of the bird cage. I laughed to myself when I thought: “If Donald Trump was here with me, he could Tweet!”</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1249" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5095-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1249&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8507" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5095-2.jpg?w=3843&ssl=1 3843w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5095-2.jpg?resize=192%2C300&ssl=1 192w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5095-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1199&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5095-2.jpg?resize=656%2C1024&ssl=1 656w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5095-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5095-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When James Monroe died on July 4, 1831, it was exactly five years after the demise of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. I found it amazing that of the 39 deceased Presidents, three of the first five in office died on the Fourth of July. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1016" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00055-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1016&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8509" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00055-2.jpg?w=3220&ssl=1 3220w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00055-2.jpg?resize=236%2C300&ssl=1 236w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00055-2.jpg?resize=768%2C976&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00055-2.jpg?resize=806%2C1024&ssl=1 806w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00055-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00055-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When 10th President John Tyler died on January 18, 1862, his casket was draped in a Confederate flag and buried here at Hollywood Cemetery.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="610" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00052-2.jpg?resize=800%2C610&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8508" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00052-2.jpg?w=4233&ssl=1 4233w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00052-2.jpg?resize=300%2C229&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00052-2.jpg?resize=768%2C585&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00052-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C780&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00052-2.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00052-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00052-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">From my position near the grave of John Tyler, it’s easy to see the nearby tomb of James Monroe. When it comes to Presidential gravesites, only John and John Quincy Adams’ are closer to each other.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1067" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00056-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1067&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8510" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00056-2.jpg?w=3240&ssl=1 3240w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00056-2.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00056-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00056-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00056-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I posed below the bust of John Tyler that graced the front of his tombstone, I thought about his Sherwood Forest plantation that I was scheduled to visit about an hour later.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5104-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8513" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5104-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5104-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5104-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5104-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5104-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5104-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I stood on the gravesite of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his wife Varina, I was happy to see the Confederate Battle Flag was no longer flying over the site. The flag pole was void of any flag, as it should’ve been.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1245" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5111-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1245&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8514" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5111-2.jpg?w=3702&ssl=1 3702w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5111-2.jpg?resize=193%2C300&ssl=1 193w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5111-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1195&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5111-2.jpg?resize=658%2C1024&ssl=1 658w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5111-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5111-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The life-sized statue of Jefferson Davis, which stood above the Confederate President’s grave, gazed solemnly towards Richmond – the Capital City that he loved so dearly.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1217" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5110-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1217&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8515" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5110-2.jpg?w=3692&ssl=1 3692w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5110-2.jpg?resize=197%2C300&ssl=1 197w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5110-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1168&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5110-2.jpg?resize=673%2C1024&ssl=1 673w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5110-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5110-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The likeness of Jefferson Davis looked over the James River towards downtown Richmond.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1000" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00067-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1000&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8512" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00067-2.jpg?w=3202&ssl=1 3202w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00067-2.jpg?resize=240%2C300&ssl=1 240w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00067-2.jpg?resize=768%2C960&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00067-2.jpg?resize=820%2C1024&ssl=1 820w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00067-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00067-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jefferson Davis had spent two years in prison and paid his debt to the United States in more ways than one. The former Confederate President died in New Orleans on December 6, 1889 at the age of 81. Davis was originally buried in New Orleans, but was re-interred in Hollywood Cemetery in 1893.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">After capturing his final images of me at the grave of Jefferson Davis, Tom checked the time of day on his cell phone – the digital read-out said 10:12. At that moment, I heard my photographer say to Bob: “Holy smokes, we’ve got to get out of here – if we can find our way out, that is. It’s nearly 40 miles to Sherwood Forest and we can’t be late.” The three of us scurried to the Rogue, while Tom did his best to get us out of the cemetery and on the road to Charles City. But since it seemingly took forever to get to the front gate and out of Hollywood Cemetery, then the unforeseen traffic issues we encountered leaving Richmond, I figured there was a chance we would miss our 11am tour of Sherwood Forest. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Tom’s cell phone rang at roughly 10:40; when Bob answered it, the voice on the other end was our tour guide at John Tyler’s home. “This is Tim at Sherwood Forest; are you still coming for the tour? Tom was supposed to call and let me know if everything was on schedule. We have two other couples here and if you’re coming, we’ll wait for you.” While it sounded as though Tim was angry at my companions, he calmed down when Mongo reassured him of our arrival time: “We didn’t realize we were supposed to call – we thought we were the only ones on the tour. Our GPS says our arrival time is 10:56 and we are only eight miles away. We’re hurrying as fast as we can – we ran into a bit of unexpected traffic.” When the three of us finally arrived at the entrance to our destination, the Rogue was kicking up gravel as Tom sped along the lengthy driveway and into the parking area. Once on foot, my photographer was out of breath as he tried to keep up with Bob – my companions walked as fast as they could towards the front porch of Sherwood Forest where the others waited for us. Upon our arrival where my friends tried to catch their breath, Tom said to the group as he checked the time on his phone: “Hey, we made it by a minute.” Tim shot back in a stern voice and said: “You’re lucky, you made it by thirty seconds. I hope you didn’t forget the bobble head.” In my mind, as I listened to the exchange from the camera case, thirty seconds early meant we weren’t late and there was no way my photographer would forget to bring me to the house. After all, we had advanced special permission for me to be photographed in an interior room of our choice – which was something that’s rarely done. There was one aspect of our visit, however, that was a huge disappointment to my photographer and me: We had hoped that Harrison Tyler, the President’s grandson, would be able to hold me for a photo. We were told that Mr. Tyler was 92 years old and was residing in an assisted-care facility in Richmond. In my mind, all we could do was wish Harrison Tyler the best of luck and hoped he received the greatest care available. Tom, Bob, and I were honored to visit his and his grandfather’s home.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The seven of us sat in chairs on the back porch of Sherwood Forest while Tim began by talking about the history of the place. The plantation house was built in 1790 and was named Walnut Grove. John Tyler bought the plantation in 1842 while serving as our 10th President and he lived there the rest of his life after leaving the White House. Upon purchase, Tyler renamed the plantation ‘Sherwood Forest’ as it signified he had been “outlawed” by the Whig Party, and he felt like Robin Hood. With the additions that were made to the home by Tyler, it’s now considered the longest frame house in America, measuring just over the length of a football field at 301 feet. Once Tim had finished his spiel on the porch, our group was escorted into the home – and my eyes were wide open as I tried to find the best spot for Tom to place me for our one photo. Tim escorted our group from room to room; we walked in the footsteps and gazed at the same walls that John Tyler did for the last 20 years of his life. But it was at Sherwood Forest’s main staircase where my enthusiasm turned uncertain – for it was there that our guide talked about the infamous “Gray Lady”. For over a century, nearly every inhabitant of the home had seen or heard the resident ghost; she was either rocking in a chair with a child or just walking up or down the steps. As a matter of fact, a few years ago a permanent image had mysteriously appeared on the staircase wall that resembled a woman’s face – and I could see it as plain as day. In my mind, there was no way I was going to pose on those steps alongside that face. Our last area of the tour was in the “hyphen” that Tyler had built for the dance style of the era called the “Virginia reel”. When the hour-long tour was finished, the others left the house, which was the moment of truth for my picture. Tom discussed the possible rooms with Mongo, and each had agreed the living room area seemed to be the best as it featured several artifacts that belonged to President Tyler. As an added bonus, there was a footrest that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson there as well. That was all I needed to hear – I was all in! </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5114-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8520" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5114-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5114-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5114-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5114-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5114-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5114-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In the living room of Sherwood Forest, I had the honor to stand on a table that John Tyler used in the White House. Located on the floor to my right was the footrest once owned by Thomas Jefferson.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="853" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5115-2.jpg?resize=800%2C853&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8521" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5115-2.jpg?w=2097&ssl=1 2097w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5115-2.jpg?resize=281%2C300&ssl=1 281w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5115-2.jpg?resize=768%2C819&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5115-2.jpg?resize=961%2C1024&ssl=1 961w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5115-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Situated next to me on John Tyler’s table was the President’s cigar box, a book, and his now-shortened walking stick. I thought to myself: “If that walking stick was any shorter, I could use it.”</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Words couldn’t describe the feeling I had during the few minutes that I stood on John Tyler’s table. I was so close to the President’s personal cigar box that I saw in my mind’s-eye Tyler’s hand reach to open it for one of the stogies inside. I was unsure if it had been Annique Dunning, or someone else, who made it possible for me to pose on that table; either way, I was incredibly thankful for the awesome experience. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We returned to the porch where our tour had first begun and much to our surprise we were given a bonus – Tim sat with the three of us and we discussed Sherwood Forest and John Tyler’s Presidency for nearly 45 minutes. It was cool to see that Tim had forgiven us for our earlier near-tardiness; as a matter of fact, he agreed to hold me while Tom captured an image of the two of us. Even though I wasn’t being held by Harrison Tyler; in my eyes, it was the next best thing. As soon as our discussion with Tim ended, my companions and I took another tour of the grounds. The only thing different from 2019 was the family’s calico cat didn’t follow us around the house. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1038" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5118-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1038&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8522" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5118-2.jpg?w=3839&ssl=1 3839w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5118-2.jpg?resize=231%2C300&ssl=1 231w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5118-2.jpg?resize=768%2C997&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5118-2.jpg?resize=789%2C1024&ssl=1 789w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5118-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5118-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">There was no doubt I was held in high esteem in the hands of our tour guide Tim on the porch of Sherwood Forest. The resident expert on John Tyler and his house had asked that his last name be omitted as Tim didn’t want to be stalked by potentially unstable individuals who may read this blog. My photographer assured him that Earl McCartney doesn’t read it, which meant he was safe!</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5122-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8523" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5122-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5122-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5122-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5122-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5122-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5122-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After we parted ways with Tim, I stood alongside one of the two 500-pound cast iron dogs that graced the entrance to Sherwood Forest. When the property was occupied by Federal troops during the Civil War, the Union soldiers tried to steal the pair. The soldiers carried them a short ways, but due to their incredible weight, the dogs were discarded.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="605" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00069-2.jpg?resize=800%2C605&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8525" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00069-2.jpg?w=4255&ssl=1 4255w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00069-2.jpg?resize=300%2C227&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00069-2.jpg?resize=768%2C581&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00069-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C775&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00069-2.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00069-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00069-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The back side, or carriage entrance, to Sherwood Forest – which was where we first met Tim and the others on our tour. One of the men on the tour with us was Bill Watson. My photographer thought it was ironic that there was another ‘Watson’ on the tour.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00071-2.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8526" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00071-2.jpg?w=4320&ssl=1 4320w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00071-2.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00071-2.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00071-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00071-2.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00071-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00071-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The building to my left, which was at the far end of the 301-foot Sherwood Forest, served as John Tyler’s office. Unfortunately, that office was not included on our tour.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00078-2.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8528" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00078-2.jpg?w=4320&ssl=1 4320w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00078-2.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00078-2.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00078-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00078-2.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00078-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00078-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">While I stood in the front yard of Sherwood Forest near a Chinese chestnut tree, I envisioned John Tyler, and his wife Julia Gardner Tyler, as they walked around the property during the President’s retirement.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00075-2.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8527" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00075-2.jpg?w=4207&ssl=1 4207w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00075-2.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00075-2.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00075-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00075-2.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00075-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00075-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing directly in front of Sherwood Forest’s ‘river entrance’. During my time inside and outside of the house, I was thankful the Union Army troops didn’t destroy the historic home after their stay on the property.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="590" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5135-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C590&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8529" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5135-2-1.jpg?w=5396&ssl=1 5396w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5135-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C221&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5135-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C567&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5135-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C756&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5135-2-1.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5135-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5135-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">At one point towards the end of our grounds tour, Tom placed me next to Sherwood Forest’s bell.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5138-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8559" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5138-2-1.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5138-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5138-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5138-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5138-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5138-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Was the bell authentic to the home when John Tyler lived there? Was it a dinner bell? I figured I could get closer to Tyler’s bell than I would the Liberty Bell later in the trip. </figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Sherwood Forest was one of those places that any history fan or Presidential enthusiast should visit at least once in their life. For myself, Tom, and Bob, we’ve been there twice in the last two years and it might not be our final visit – providing the Tyler family continues to allow visitors onto their property and into their amazing home. It was hard to believe that we had been at Sherwood Forest for nearly three hours when we made the long walk back to the Rogue. But as thrilled as my photographer and Mongo were to get inside John Tyler’s home, they were twice as excited for their next stop – Colonel John Tayloe’s Mt. Airy Plantation near Warsaw, Virginia. I was looking forward to the next visit as well, but since it wasn’t a Presidential home, it would be hard for it to compare to Sherwood Forest – at least in my blue-grey painted eyes.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It was 3:10pm when Tom pulled into the drive-thru at the Warsaw McDonald’s where he had a quick lunch. He also used that time to call the woman who made our Mt. Airy tour possible and let her know we had made it to the area. I knew that my photographer and Mongo were eager to see Anne Neuman again; after all, she used her pickup truck to drive the pair out to the Tayloe Family Cemetery during their 1991 Declaration of Independence Tour. The two key elements of the 30th reunion tour of Mt. Airy that would be missing was Anne’s daughter Mary; who lived in Richmond with her husband and kids and was too busy at work to meet with us and Anne’s mother Polly, who had passed away in 2011 at the age of 95. On this 2021 visit to Mt. Airy, however, Polly and Mary were replaced with Anne’s brother Gwynne Tayloe and a couple of Labrador Retrievers.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It was nearly 3:30 when Tom drove slowly on the long driveway that led up to the historic mansion. He was forced to drive slow as he didn’t want to raise up dust and draw shell fire, which was what a nearby sign that was posted onto a tree had warned. From the camera case on the back seat, I could easily tell by their conversation that this Mt. Airy visit meant a lot to my companions. When we pulled up near the back entrance of the historic Tayloe house, Tom and Bob were transported in time to their early 30s as the memories of their first visit had flooded back. I heard my photographer say to Bob as we got out of the car: “It was up on those steps that little Mary held my document and over there was where we saw Mrs. Tayloe and her daughter (Anne Emery) standing when we first arrived. It was as though I could still see Polly standing near the driveway with her white hair freshly coiffed from her visit to the beauty parlor earlier that morning.” It was absolutely cool that Anne and Gwynne were there to lead us around the west wing of the building, which gave the three of us a chance to hear about the history of the house and for Tom and Mongo to reminisce about their previous visit in ’91. To me, it was mind-boggling that both Anne and Gwynne were direct descendants of Colonel John Tayloe II, the planter and politician who had Mt. Airy built in 1764. The historic house has been in the Tayloe family since – including the current owners (Anne’s son) Tayloe Emery and his wife Catherine.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Since Anne had just returned from the eye doctor and her pupils were dilated, she stayed long enough to meet the three of us and pose for a photo with me; which was cool. Gwynne was an amazing tour guide; he led us to the front of the house before we made the long walk out to the family cemetery. In 1991, a herd of cattle had followed us to the cemetery while we rode in the back of Anne’s truck with Mary. There were no cows in 2021, although two labs followed us along the dirt pathway and into the wooded area where the cemetery was located. When we arrived at the Tayloe Family Cemetery, which was surrounded by a three-foot high brick wall, the four of us entered through the iron gates and we headed immediately to the graves of Francis Lightfoot Lee and his wife Rebecca. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When Tom placed me onto the flat stone that marked the grave of Francis Lightfoot Lee, I immediately thought about his contributions and the sacrifices he made to the formation of our country. Lee was a member of the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1779; when he signed the Declaration of Independence, he and his brother Richard Henry Lee were the only brothers to sign the document. In 1772, Francis married his second cousin Rebecca Tayloe; soon after their marriage, the couple moved into their newly built home they called Menokin, which was located roughly four miles from Mt. Airy and was the site we had visited two years earlier. Sadly, Francis died at Menokin on January 11, 1797 at the age of 62 – which was only four days after Rebecca passed away at the age of 44. While the Tayloe burial ground was filled with weeds and overgrowth, it wasn’t as terrible as it was in 1991 when Bob had to do some major landscaping to find Lee’s gravesite. When the three of us were finished paying our respects at the grave of Francis Lightfoot Lee, we walked to the opposite side of the burial ground to visit the final resting place of Polly Tayloe – the beautiful woman who generously invited Tom and Bob to her home in 1991.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5198-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8533" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5198-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5198-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5198-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5198-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5198-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5198-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">From my position at the entrance to historic Mt. Airy, I knew that Tom and Bob were very excited for their reunion with Anne Tayloe Neuman who they had met in 1991.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5194-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8534" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5194-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5194-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5194-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5194-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5194-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5194-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It had been nearly 30 years to the day since their 1991 visit to Mt. Airy, but Tom and Bob never forgot this sign posted along the driveway to the Tayloe home.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1109" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5144-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1109&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8536" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5144-2.jpg?w=3578&ssl=1 3578w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5144-2.jpg?resize=216%2C300&ssl=1 216w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5144-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1064&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5144-2.jpg?resize=739%2C1024&ssl=1 739w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5144-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5144-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was an absolute honor for me to pose with the two Tayloe’s – Gwynne Tayloe and his sister Anne Tayloe Neuman. My photographer and Bob had met Anne in 1991 during their visit to Mt. Airy.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5168-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8537" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5168-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5168-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5168-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5168-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5168-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5168-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing at the entrance to the Tayloe Family Cemetery located a short distance from Mt. Airy. While the overgrowth didn’t bother my companions, they were concerned when they found the skins of several large snakes inside the graveyard. Bob said: “If the skins are here, then the snakes are likely here too.”</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="562" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5159-2.jpg?resize=800%2C562&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8538" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5159-2.jpg?w=5693&ssl=1 5693w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5159-2.jpg?resize=300%2C211&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5159-2.jpg?resize=768%2C539&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5159-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C719&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5159-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5159-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was a personal honor for me to pay tribute to Francis Lightfoot Lee – Signer of the Declaration of Independence.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="604" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5160-2.jpg?resize=800%2C604&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8539" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5160-2.jpg?w=5301&ssl=1 5301w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5160-2.jpg?resize=300%2C226&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5160-2.jpg?resize=768%2C579&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5160-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C772&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5160-2.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5160-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5160-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Both Francis and Rebecca Tayloe Lee died in January 1797 – Rebecca on January 7th and Francis Lightfoot Lee four days later on January 11th.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1067" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00085-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1067&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8540" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00085-2.jpg?w=3240&ssl=1 3240w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00085-2.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00085-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00085-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00085-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was truly awesome to have a Tayloe watch while I stood on the grave of Francis Lightfoot Lee.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5165-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8542" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5165-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5165-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5165-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5165-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5165-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5165-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Before we left the Tayloe Family Cemetery, Tom wanted to pay the ultimate tribute to Polly Tayloe by placing me on her tombstone for a photograph. Polly passed away at Mt. Airy at the age of 95 on June 3, 2011.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="552" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00081-2.jpg?resize=800%2C552&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8541" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00081-2.jpg?w=4299&ssl=1 4299w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00081-2.jpg?resize=300%2C207&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00081-2.jpg?resize=768%2C530&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00081-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C706&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00081-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00081-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The beautiful late afternoon sunlit front of Mt. Airy, home of the Tayloe’s since 1764.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00080.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8543" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00080.jpg?w=4320&ssl=1 4320w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00080.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00080.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00080.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00080.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00080.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00080.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was likely that Francis Lightfoot Lee once walked the grounds where I stood after he met and fell in love with Rebecca Tayloe.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5175-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8544" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5175-2.jpg?w=5847&ssl=1 5847w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5175-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5175-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5175-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5175-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5175-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It’s difficult to see me standing on the top step of Mt. Airy, but during my time there I thought the place was eerily cool.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5179-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8545" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5179-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5179-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5179-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5179-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5179-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5179-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">From my position on the porch of Mt. Airy, I could see the opening in the foliage where we took the pathway to the cemetery.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="557" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5184-2.jpg?resize=800%2C557&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8546" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5184-2.jpg?w=5716&ssl=1 5716w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5184-2.jpg?resize=300%2C209&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5184-2.jpg?resize=768%2C535&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5184-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C713&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5184-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5184-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This was the second dog statue that I had posed with in the past three hours. The statue was located on the back side of Mt. Airy, which to me was spookier than the front. Throughout the visit, I had wondered if anyone has ever experienced any paranormal activity there.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5186-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8547" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5186-2.jpg?w=5769&ssl=1 5769w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5186-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5186-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5186-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5186-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5186-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In this view, it’s easy to see the east wing house of Mt. Airy, which was where Gwynne Tayloe (our tour guide) said he resided.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5188-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8548" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5188-2.jpg?w=5847&ssl=1 5847w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5188-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5188-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5188-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5188-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5188-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When Tom captured a final image of Mt. Airy, he couldn’t help but think of the seven-year-old Mary Emery who posed with his Declaration of Independence thirty years ago.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="556" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/MT-AIRY-MARY-2-2.jpg?resize=800%2C556&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8549" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/MT-AIRY-MARY-2-2.jpg?w=1288&ssl=1 1288w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/MT-AIRY-MARY-2-2.jpg?resize=300%2C208&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/MT-AIRY-MARY-2-2.jpg?resize=768%2C534&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/MT-AIRY-MARY-2-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C712&ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">On May 30, 1991, Mary Emery stood on the steps of Mt. Airy with Tom’s copy of the Declaration of Independence.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Boy was I wrong! Earlier in the day as the three of us headed for Mt. Airy, I wasn’t nearly as excited for the stop as Tom and Bob were. After all, they had been talking about that historic home for 30 years and they’ve itched to get back there since. It was undoubtedly one of the top highlights of their 1991 Declaration of Independence Tour. But since the home or property didn’t have any association with any of the Presidents, I was just going through the motions during the visit – or at least that’s what I had first believed. Once Tom began to carry me around the property and out to the cemetery; and then as I posed with the amazing-yet-spooky-looking house, I was hooked. The Tayloe House was a true national treasure, and it was an honor for me to have visited – I was just glad it was during the day.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">My companion’s agenda had Mt. Airy listed as the final stop of the day, but since it was only 4:45pm and there was a lot of daylight left, Tom and Bob decided to “free style” their way to Burnt House Field Cemetery and the grave of Declaration of Independence Signer Richard Henry Lee. After all, it was only 18 short miles from Mt. Airy and both guys had been there in 1991. How hard could it be to find? But even with their trusty GPS and Bob’s <em>Rand McNally</em> atlas in hand, my companions managed to get themselves lost when they got north of Hague, Virginia. We seemed to drive around in circles for nearly a half-hour before Tom and Bob finally found the remote burial place – and I could hear the relief in their voices when they saw it. They easily recognized it; Burnt House Field Cemetery hadn’t changed at all since my companions were there thirty years ago. From what I heard during our drive, those two had difficulty finding Lee’s grave back then as well – but in their defense, GPS hadn’t been invented yet. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The grave of Richard Henry Lee was inside the five-foot tall brick walls of Burnt House field Cemetery – which actually resembled a fortress in the middle of a wheat field. At one time, however, the burial place was alongside the Lee’s plantation house known as Machotick, which was where both Signers were born. Machotick burned down in 1729, giving the place its name. When we arrived at the Lee family cemetery, I heard my photographer say aloud: “I sure hope the gate is open – there’s no way I could climb over that wall. And if I did use the vehicle to get up and over, there’s now way I’d get back out.” Luckily for everyone concerned, the iron gate was open and Tom immediately placed me onto the flat, white marker that was imbedded into the brick floor.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Richard Henry Lee was one of the largest influences on American independence, but he’s hardly ever mentioned in the same breath with Hancock, Jefferson, Franklin, or Adams. But on June 7, 1776, Lee introduced a resolution for independence to Congress in Philadelphia. Richard Henry Lee stood up and in a loud and unwavering voice proclaimed: “That these United Colonies are, and of right out to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; that measures should be immediately taken for procuring the assistance of foreign powers, and a Confederation be formed to bind the colonies more closely together.” John Adams seconded the resolution and the revolutionary ball was rolling – less than a month later, the Declaration of Independence had been written and adopted. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5214-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8552" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5214-2.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5214-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5214-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5214-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5214-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5214-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When the brick walls of the Lee Family Cemetery, known as Burnt House Field, came into view, my companions breathed a heavy sigh of relief. We were no longer lost.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="579" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00092-2.jpg?resize=800%2C579&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8553" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00092-2.jpg?w=4145&ssl=1 4145w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00092-2.jpg?resize=300%2C217&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00092-2.jpg?resize=768%2C556&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00092-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C741&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00092-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00092-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was a proud moment for me to stand near the Burnt House Field Cemetery. Not only was it the final resting place of Richard Henry Lee, but it was also close to where both Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee had been born.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="528" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5207-2.jpg?resize=800%2C528&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8554" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5207-2.jpg?w=5681&ssl=1 5681w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5207-2.jpg?resize=300%2C198&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5207-2.jpg?resize=768%2C506&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5207-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C675&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5207-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5207-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing at the gated entrance to the Lee’s cemetery; behind me, off in the corner, was the white marker that signified the grave of Richard Henry Lee. I figured Tom had difficulty with the sun angle for his photos as I heard him complain to Bob about it.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1076" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5204-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1076&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8555" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5204-2.jpg?w=3938&ssl=1 3938w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5204-2.jpg?resize=223%2C300&ssl=1 223w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5204-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1033&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5204-2.jpg?resize=761%2C1024&ssl=1 761w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5204-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_5204-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Stained and weathered, yet unweakened by time, the marker beneath my base was the grave of one of America’s greatest patriots – Richard Henry Lee.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="691" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00093-2.jpg?resize=800%2C691&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-8556" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00093-2.jpg?w=3649&ssl=1 3649w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00093-2.jpg?resize=300%2C259&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00093-2.jpg?resize=768%2C664&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00093-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C885&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00093-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC00093-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">“Nobody puts Baby in the corner”, but someone put Richard Henry Lee in the corner.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">For nearly all of his adult life, Richard Henry Lee served in public office. His services began as Justice of the Peace in 1757 when he 25 years old; he signed the Declaration of Independence at age 44 while a member of the Continental Congress; Lee was a United States Senator from Virginia when George Washington became President in 1789; and he finished his career as President Pro Tempure during the Second Congress in 1792. His rise to national prominence wasn’t deterred by the fact that he lost all four fingers on his left hand in 1768 from a hunting accident – he wore a black silk glove while in public to hide his disability. Worn, tired, and aged from a life of fighting for freedom, Richard Henry Lee died at his home ‘Chantilly’ on June 19, 1794. He was 62 years old at the time of his death; the same age as brother Francis Lightfoot Lee was when he died. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As I stood on the final resting place of Richard Henry Lee, I thought about the impact he had made on our country. Had it not been for George Washington’s popularity, I wondered if Lee may have been considered as our nation’s first President. There’s no doubt in my resin-filled mind that Richard Henry Lee should be mentioned when America’s freedom is ever discussed – alongside the household names of Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Hancock, and Hamilton.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The clock neared six bells, and it was time to find a place to stay close to our next day’s starting point – which was Port Royal, Virginia. Bob searched his on-line app and found a good rate at the Country Inn & Suites in Dahlgren, Virginia. Once we arrived at our hotel, Tom placed me in my usual place near the TV set after he and Bob lugged their gear to the room. It had been a long and exciting day – we had met some great people and saw some amazing sites. After my photographer wolfed down some “authentic” Mexican food (Taco Bell), the lights went out at 9:00pm and I was alone with my thoughts. While Sherwood Forest and our time with Tim was awesome, I kept thinking about our experience with Gwynne Tayloe and his sister Anne at Mt. Airy. Such a family legacy at such an amazingly historic home – it couldn’t have gotten much better than that. But wait, there was one thing missing. I would’ve given anything to have met Georgie Wallace “Polly” Montague Tayloe – but in a small way, I think I did.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">** <strong>This post is dedicated to Anne Tayloe Neuman, Gwynne Tayloe, and of course, the incredible Polly Tayloe!</strong> **</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/139-you-say-tyler-i-say-tayloe/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">8483</post-id> </item> <item> <title>99: IN THE CRADLE OF THE PRESIDENTS – VIRGINIA’S NORTHERN NECK</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/99-in-the-cradle-of-the-presidents-virginias-northern-neck/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/99-in-the-cradle-of-the-presidents-virginias-northern-neck/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2020 16:52:38 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Anne Emery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Belle Grove Plantation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Colonel John Tayloe II]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Digger's Dungeon]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Francis Lightfoot Lee]]></category> <category><![CDATA[James Madison birthplace]]></category> <category><![CDATA[James Monroe birthplace]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kill Devil Hills]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mary Emery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Menokin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mount Airy Plantation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Orville Wright]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Polly Tayloe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The first flight]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Grave Digger]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Wright Brothers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Virginia's Northern Neck]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wilbur Wright]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wright Brothers Monument]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wright Brothers National Memorial]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=5484</guid> <description><![CDATA[Bob Moldenhauer was up at sunrise on Tuesday May 14, 2019 as the weather finally allowed him to make his morning run. I saw him as he quietly left the motel room; Bob did his best not to wake my…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Bob Moldenhauer was up at sunrise on Tuesday May 14, 2019 as the weather finally allowed him to make his morning run. I saw him as he quietly left the motel room; Bob did his best not to wake my snoring photographer. Mongo had a jump in his step and a smile on his face – and I knew why: he was headed to the site where the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane. While Moldenhauer loves history and the Presidents, his number one interest is visiting places that are associated with our astronauts. As a matter of fact, Bob has met dozens of American spacemen and women; and some of them know him by name. And for Bob Moldenhauer, Kill Devil Hills is the holy grail for space flight as it’s the site where a human first left the ground in a controlled powered machine. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">My photographer finally rolled out of the sack at around 7:00am, which was about the time that Mongo had returned from his run. The two of them got the Acadia packed and we were in line to enter the Wright Brothers National Memorial roughly twenty minutes before it opened. The NPS pass that Tom had purchased in Yorktown got the three of us in without paying and before I knew it, we were standing alongside a large granite monument that was in the middle of a field. From an opening in the camera case, I could easily read the bronze plaque that was affixed to the side of the monument: “The first successful flight of an airplane was made from this spot by Orville Wright December 17, 1903, in a machine designed and built by Wilbur and Orville Wright”. On the ground, next to the large chunk of granite, was a reproduction of the launch rail that the Wright’s had used to guide their “Flyer” before it became airborne. Even though this was not a Presidential site, I was thrilled to death to be at the spot where one of the greatest achievements in world history took place. As my photographer slowly removed me from the camera case to place me on the rail, he discovered that the surgery on my leg from the night before didn’t work well. Likely during our short hike to the historic site, the jostling in the camera case may have caused my leg to crack open again. Not wanting to take a chance of my wound getting worse, Tom left me in the case during our entire time at the Wright Brothers site. That decision was based on the fact that we had a couple of Presidential sites to visit later in the day and my photographer needed me to be able to stand on my own two legs. Luckily for me, my companion left the top of the camera case open so that I could see the historic sites with my own painted eyes. <strong> </strong></p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0332-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5564" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0332-2-1.jpg?w=5600&ssl=1 5600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0332-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0332-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0332-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0332-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0332-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> This granite monument marked the exact spot where Orville Wright took to the air on December 17, 1903. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0342.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5565" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0342.jpg?w=6000&ssl=1 6000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0342.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0342.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0342.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0342.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0342.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> The view along the flight path where the Wright Brothers made their first four successful flights on that historic day. The smaller granite markers in the distance mark the landing spots of those four flights – each one was a little further away from the previous one. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="578" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WRIGHT-BROTHERS-AIRBORNE.jpg?resize=800%2C578&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5487" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WRIGHT-BROTHERS-AIRBORNE.jpg?w=7162&ssl=1 7162w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WRIGHT-BROTHERS-AIRBORNE.jpg?resize=300%2C217&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WRIGHT-BROTHERS-AIRBORNE.jpg?resize=768%2C555&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WRIGHT-BROTHERS-AIRBORNE.jpg?resize=1024%2C740&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WRIGHT-BROTHERS-AIRBORNE.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WRIGHT-BROTHERS-AIRBORNE.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">John T. Daniels used a camera that was pre-set by Orville Wright to capture one of the most famous photographs in American history. Pilot Orville Wright had just left the ground in the first-ever flight of a heavier-than-air-machine. Wilbur Wright, standing to the right of the plane, had ran alongside to balance the machine on the monorail before liftoff.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0337-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5488" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0337-2.jpg?w=3595&ssl=1 3595w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0337-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0337-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0337-2.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0337-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0337-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The four landing markers as seen from the starting point. The first flight by Orville lasted 12 seconds and travelled 120 feet. Wilbur was next and flew 12 seconds over 175 feet. Flight number three, with Orville in the pilot’s seat, lasted 15 seconds and covered 200 feet. The last flight of the day was the most impressive – Wilbur was airborne for 59 seconds and travelled 852 feet.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0358-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5489" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0358-2.jpg?w=5727&ssl=1 5727w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0358-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0358-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0358-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0358-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0358-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">From this vantagepoint, it was as though I could feel the breeze of ‘The Flyer’ as it flew just above me on it’s first flight on December 17, 1903. The Wright Brothers had given their “runway” rail the nickname “Junction Railroad”.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0397-3.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5490" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0397-3.jpg?w=4503&ssl=1 4503w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0397-3.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0397-3.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0397-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0397-3.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0397-3.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The view towards the launch site from the landing marker of the fourth flight that was 852 feet away. Not only was the landing site of the first flight shown just to the right of this granite marker, but the Wright Brothers Monument can be seen above it. The second and third landing site markers are hidden from view.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0345-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5491" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0345-2.jpg?w=5600&ssl=1 5600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0345-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0345-2.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0345-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0345-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0345-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Situated a short distance east of where the first flight had occurred were replicas of two buildings that the Wright Brothers used as a hangar and shelter.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0353-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5492" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0353-2.jpg?w=5599&ssl=1 5599w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0353-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0353-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0353-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0353-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0353-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The crude interior represented what the Wright Brothers had used in 1903.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0354-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5566" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0354-2-1.jpg?w=5599&ssl=1 5599w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0354-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0354-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0354-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0354-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0354-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> As we stood near the replica hangar, it was as though I could see Orville in my mind’s eye as he took to the air in the distance. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0404-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5495" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0404-2.jpg?w=3030&ssl=1 3030w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0404-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0404-2.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0404-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0404-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0404-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">During our tour of the Visitor Center museum, we saw some very historic artifacts associated with the first flight; including Orville’s drafting tools and his engineering handbook.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0406-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5567" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0406-2-1.jpg?w=5325&ssl=1 5325w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0406-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0406-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0406-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0406-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0406-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Addie Tate’s sewing machine that Wilbur Wright had borrowed to modify the 1900 Glider’s wing coverings. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0409-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5497" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0409-2.jpg?w=3993&ssl=1 3993w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0409-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0409-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0409-2.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0409-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0409-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">With a replica of the historic Flyer in the background, an authentic broken wooden propeller from the original Flyer is shown protected in a glass enclosure.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0411-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5498" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0411-2.jpg?w=4220&ssl=1 4220w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0411-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0411-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0411-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0411-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0411-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In the distance, the Wright Brothers Monument can be seen through the wings of the replica Flyer that was on display inside the museum.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0412-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5568" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0412-2-1.jpg?w=3091&ssl=1 3091w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0412-2-1.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0412-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0412-2-1.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0412-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0412-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> The museum also featured some of the actual fabric that covered the wings of the original ‘Flyer’. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="966" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0415-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C966&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5523" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0415-2-1.jpg?w=1785&ssl=1 1785w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0415-2-1.jpg?resize=248%2C300&ssl=1 248w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0415-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C927&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0415-2-1.jpg?resize=848%2C1024&ssl=1 848w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0415-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> These two pieces of the original Wright “Flyer” were taken by Neil Armstrong to the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0429-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5524" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0429-2-1.jpg?w=5335&ssl=1 5335w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0429-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0429-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0429-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0429-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0429-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Located in the shadow of the Wright Brothers Monument was a full-sized sculpture that was created by Stephen H. Smith. The artwork depicted the brother’s historic moment in 1903. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0422-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5525" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0422-2-1.jpg?w=5600&ssl=1 5600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0422-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0422-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0422-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0422-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0422-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> This view of the sculpture peers over the shoulder of John T. Daniels who had captured the original historic event with Orville Wright’s camera. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0420-2-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5569" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0420-2-2.jpg?w=5189&ssl=1 5189w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0420-2-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0420-2-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0420-2-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0420-2-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0420-2-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Stephen H. Smith’s artwork depicted the entire scene as it played-out on December 17, 1903. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0425-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5527" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0425-2-1.jpg?w=5599&ssl=1 5599w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0425-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0425-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0425-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0425-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0425-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> The statue depicted the excitement on Orville Wright’s face at the moment he made history. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0427-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5528" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0427-2-1.jpg?w=5599&ssl=1 5599w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0427-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0427-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0427-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0427-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0427-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> <br>From the left wing of the sculpture, the Wright Brothers Monument can be seen through the plane’s front rudder. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0433-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5530" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0433-2-1.jpg?w=3678&ssl=1 3678w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0433-2-1.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0433-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0433-2-1.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0433-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0433-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Although Bob had made the journey up to the Wright Brothers Monument, my photographer decided to capture his images from ground level. I think Tom was still feeling the effects of his midnight hike up to the monument. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0434-2-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5570" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0434-2-2.jpg?w=3993&ssl=1 3993w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0434-2-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0434-2-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0434-2-2.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0434-2-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0434-2-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> As our visit to the Wright Brothers National Memorial came to an end, Bob Moldenhauer rendezvoused with Tom and I at the Acadia. </figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The time we spent at the site where Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first airplane on December 17, 1903 was amazing and is a place where every American should visit at least once in their lifetime. I looked out from the camera case from where Orville took to the air for only 12 seconds on a flight that carried him just 40 yards; and then I thought about the fact that only 66 years later, men flew to the Moon and back. To me, that was truly mind boggling. Then I had another epiphany – America sent astronauts to the Moon and brought them back safely, but we don’t yet have glue that can effectively keep my leg together.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">After our visit to the site where the first flights were made by the Wrights, I was carried inside the Visitor Center’s Museum where we saw plenty of authentic artifacts that were related to the Wright Brothers; as well as replicas of Orville and Wilbur’s gliders and their first planes. One artifact that I knew was near and dear to Mongo’s heart was the pieces of the original “Flyer” that Neil Armstrong took to the Moon’s surface with him during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. A small piece of wood from the plane’s propeller and a small section of fabric taken from the “Flyer’s” wing were stowed away in Armstrong’s “personal preference kit” that he had onboard the Lunar Module. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Finished in the museum, Tom drove us south of Kill Devil Hill where we stopped at the life-size sculpture of the first flight scene that was nearly in the shadow of the Wright Brothers Monument. I had to give my photographer a lot of credit for exercising patience during our visit as Stephen H. Smith’s sculptures were crawling with kids, which made it difficult for Tom to capture his pictures. I nearly laughed out loud when I heard my photographer growl to himself when he saw a ten-year-old kid sitting on top of Orville Wright’s back as he ‘flew’ the plane. Within 15 minutes, however, we had our photos and rendezvoused with Mongo near the West side of the monument. We had been to the southernmost point of the trip and now it was time to head North.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> During our drive out of the Outer Banks, I got extremely excited when my photographer mentioned to Bob that we were going to make a quick stop at the home of the grave digger. I immediately wondered which Presidential grave the person had dug and whether or not I would get to meet that guy. But, when Tom pulled into the parking lot of a place in Poplar Branch, North Carolina, I was immediately disappointed; and quite frankly, I felt betrayed. The grave digger that my photographer had referred to was a Monster Truck and Tom wanted to snap a few photos and buy tee-shirts for his grandsons. It turned out that the Grave Digger is Bo and Rory’s favorite Monster Truck and my camera guy simply couldn’t resist the temptation to stop.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0441-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5572" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0441-2.jpg?w=4004&ssl=1 4004w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0441-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0441-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0441-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0441-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0441-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Bob Moldenhauer captured this image of my photographer as he posed with the Grave Digger outside of its home in Poplar Branch, North Carolina. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0452-2.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5518" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0452-2.jpg?w=5312&ssl=1 5312w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0452-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0452-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0452-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0452-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0452-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">At one point I heard my photographer say to Mongo: “I need to get Bo and Rory down here to see this place. They love the Grave Digger.”</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We spent only about 20 minutes at the Digger’s Dungeon; mainly because my photographer knew that he would be back with Bo and Rory. Time was precious at that point because we were nearly 250 miles from Washington D.C., and we had at least three sites to see before we got to our Nation’s Capital. At roughly 3:30pm, we arrived at the first of those sites near Warsaw, Virginia – and it was a place that Tom and Bob had first heard about during their 1991 Declaration of Independence tour. After a brief stop at the Menokin Visitor Center, the three of us headed down a two-track roadway to the historic site where the ruins of Menokin were in the process of being preserved.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Menokin was built around 1769 and was a wedding gift from John Tayloe II to his daughter Rebecca and her new husband Francis Lightfoot Lee after their marriage in 1772. Just four years later, Lee was in Philadelphia as a Virginia representative to the Continental Congress and he voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence. Once Lee had retired from public service, he and Rebecca lived the rest of their lives at Menokin. The loving couple died just four days apart at their beloved Menokin in January 1797. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The historic two-story stone house was in rough shape as half of the exterior had collapsed to the ground over the years and the interior didn’t look much better. But as I stood directly in front of the dilapidated structure, the true beauty of Menokin began to emerge – at least in my eyes. As a matter of fact, Buzz Aldrin’s words that he spoke as he stood on the Lunar surface in 1969 popped into my mind: “Magnificent desolation”. My photographer carried me around the entire perimeter of Menokin and I was afforded a glimpse of history 220 years into the past. At one point, I had wanted Tom to set me onto a section of the debris field for a picture; but I could sense that he didn’t feel comfortable getting too close to the ruins as the historic structure didn’t appear to be overly stable. My cameraman knew that Francis Lightfoot Lee and his wife Rebecca both died in that house; Tom didn’t want to be the next casualty at Menokin.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0477-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5573" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0477-2-1.jpg?w=5600&ssl=1 5600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0477-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0477-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0477-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0477-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0477-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Menokin, the home of Rebecca and Francis Lightfoot Lee, during the preservation process that will feature structural reinforced glass walls that will make the structure safe for visitors. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="693" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MENOKIN-ORIGINAL2.jpg?resize=800%2C693&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5533" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MENOKIN-ORIGINAL2.jpg?w=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MENOKIN-ORIGINAL2.jpg?resize=300%2C260&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MENOKIN-ORIGINAL2.jpg?resize=768%2C665&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Menokin, shown in an undated photo, before it’s walls collapsed.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0462-2.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5534" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0462-2.jpg?w=5306&ssl=1 5306w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0462-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0462-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0462-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0462-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0462-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This view of Menokin from the rear shows that some of its original foundation was still intact; but its interior has been nearly destroyed. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0469-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5574" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0469-2-1.jpg?w=5600&ssl=1 5600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0469-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0469-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0469-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0469-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0469-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Some of the steel beams that will support the glass walls were already in place. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0471-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5536" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0471-2.jpg?w=4143&ssl=1 4143w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0471-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0471-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0471-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0471-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0471-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I heard my photographer tell Mongo that he’d like to return when the project was finished and tour the historic home of Francis Lightfoot Lee.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0476-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5539" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0476-2.jpg?w=3025&ssl=1 3025w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0476-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0476-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0476-2.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0476-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0476-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I had wondered whether or not Francis Lightfoot Lee had sat near that very fireplace before he travelled to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0467-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5538" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0467-2.jpg?w=3686&ssl=1 3686w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0467-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0467-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0467-2.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0467-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0467-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As we stood near the front of Menokin, I had wondered how many times Francis Lightfoot Lee, or his beautiful wife Rebecca Tayloe Lee, had looked out of that very window.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> Located only a few miles south of Menokin was a plantation house that was near and dear to the hearts of my photographer and Mongo. Mount Airy Plantation was built around 1758 and was the home of Colonel John Tayloe II. During their 1991 D of I tour, Tom and Bob had permission from the owner of Mount Airy, Mrs. Polly Tayloe, to visit her historic home and the Tayloe Family Cemetery where Signer Francis Lightfoot Lee was buried. A month or two before our 2019 trip, Tom did his best to contact the family members for permission to once again visit Mount Airy; but unfortunately, his request went unanswered. Since we were less than six miles away, my photographer and his friend decided to venture onto the property for at least a glimpse of the historic Mount Airy home. It was cool for me to hear their excitement as Tom drove the Acadia up the long driveway towards Mount Airy as my companions relived their ’91 visit. Suddenly, my photographer stopped the car when he saw the mansion through an opening in the pine trees. From my position inside the camera case, I could hear Tom and Bob as they discussed whether or not they should continue their journey up to the house. While their credo has always been: It’s better to beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission; they decided against going closer than they already were. Their trip to Mount Airy in 1991 was very special and they didn’t want to jeopardize that moment in time by an uninvited and unexpected visit that could potential turn out bad – especially if Polly, or her daughter Anne Emery, or granddaughter Mary didn’t live there anymore. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0479-2.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5540" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0479-2.jpg?w=4234&ssl=1 4234w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0479-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0479-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0479-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0479-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0479-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I heard my photographer say that he got the chills when he saw the Main House at Mount Airy for the first time in 28 years. This was as close as Tom and Bob got to the historic house; and for them, the only thing missing was ten-year old Mary Emery standing on the steps.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="540" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MOUNT-AIRY-1.jpg?resize=800%2C540&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5541" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MOUNT-AIRY-1.jpg?w=960&ssl=1 960w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MOUNT-AIRY-1.jpg?resize=300%2C203&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MOUNT-AIRY-1.jpg?resize=768%2C518&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Main House at Mount Airy Plantation as it looked in 1991 with Mary Emery standing on the front steps. The ten-year old had Tom’s copy of the Declaration of Independence in her hands.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="487" height="720" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MARY-EMERY.jpg?resize=487%2C720&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5542" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MARY-EMERY.jpg?w=487&ssl=1 487w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MARY-EMERY.jpg?resize=203%2C300&ssl=1 203w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mary Emery made sure Tom and Bob made it to the Tayloe Family Cemetery where they found the grave of Signer Francis Lightfoot Lee. Mary’s mother, Anne, drove the history-loving duo to the burial ground in the back of her pickup truck.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As we retraced our path out to the main highway, I could tell that both Tom and Bob second-guessed their ultimate decision to not get closer to the house. After all, Mount Airy did have a Presidential connection. It turned out that Colonel John Tayloe II was friends with George Washington and the future first President had visited the plantation a time or two. In my mind, however, I thought it was the right move to respect the family’s privacy. I figured there would be a time in the future when Tom and Bob could revisit Mount Airy and it would be a reunion that I would love to partake in as well. I could envision myself standing on the same front steps that Mary Emery had stood in 1991 when she held my photographer’s copy of the Declaration of Independence.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It was a couple of minutes before 5:00pm when we arrived at the birthplace site of President James Monroe that was located near Monroe Hall, Virginia. During the 30-mile drive from Mount Airy, we passed the road that led to the birthplace site of George Washington; and we ended up only 15 miles east of where James Madison was born. It was hard for me to fathom that three of our first five Presidents were all born within 25 miles of each other. There was no doubt in my mind that Virginia’s Northern Neck is the cradle of American history and the birthplace of its presidency.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The first thing I saw when Tom carefully removed me from the camera case was a 12-foot tall granite obelisk that marked the birthplace site of fifth President James Monroe. Born in a small farmhouse at this site on April 28, 1758, James Monroe lived and worked on the family farm until he left for college. When the future President’s father died in 1774, James inherited the farm. Over the years, the farmhouse was abandoned and then was destroyed; only remnants of its foundation were recently discovered by archaeologists. In 2017, a project to build a replica of the birth home of President Monroe began and was still ongoing during our visit. After I posed for a few photos standing alongside the obelisk, I was carried further back onto the property where we saw the replica farmhouse. There was also a small Visitor Center on the grounds as well, but that was closed for the day.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-MONROE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5544" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-MONROE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=4187&ssl=1 4187w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-MONROE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-MONROE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-MONROE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-MONROE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-MONROE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The granite obelisk marked the site where James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758. The replica Monroe farmhouse can be seen in the distance behind me.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5545" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=5600&ssl=1 5600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When James Monroe was born here, his father’s farm was not a plantation, but instead was a small modest farm. The farmhouse was a wooden, four-room structure where James’ parents lived with their five children.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5547" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE-2.jpg?w=3142&ssl=1 3142w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-BIRTHPLACE-SITE-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The damage to my left leg made it hard for me to stand upright on that obelisk. I knew that I faced certain surgery before we visited the sites in Washington.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-REPLICA-BIRTHPLACE-BUILDING-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5552" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-REPLICA-BIRTHPLACE-BUILDING-1.jpg?w=4316&ssl=1 4316w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-REPLICA-BIRTHPLACE-BUILDING-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-REPLICA-BIRTHPLACE-BUILDING-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-REPLICA-BIRTHPLACE-BUILDING-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-REPLICA-BIRTHPLACE-BUILDING-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MONROE-TJ-AT-REPLICA-BIRTHPLACE-BUILDING-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Although it wasn’t finished, the replica James Monroe birth house was identical to the four-room farmhouse that his parents once owned. </figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Our stay at the Monroe birth site lasted for about 20 minutes. Once we returned to our vehicle, we began the 15-mile journey westward to Belle Grove – the plantation where James Madison was born. Upon our arrival at that site, we saw a large sign at the entrance which stated that Belle Grove was not only the birthplace of President Madison, but it was also currently a Bed and Breakfast as well. Tom navigated the Acadia along the gravel roadway until we came to a circular driveway directly in front of the impressive mansion. The first thing I saw when I was removed from the camera case was a large sign that let visitors know that Belle Grove was a private residence and the mansion and grounds were currently closed. The sign also stated that uninvited guests were not to proceed past that point; unless, of course, they had reservations to spend the night there. I immediately thought to myself: “Or else what? That has never stopped my photographer and Mongo before!”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Luckily for the three of us, Belle Grove was visibly in the open and unobstructed to the eye; which made it easy for Tom to get some nice images of the historic plantation – at least from a distance. The current Belle Grove Bed and Breakfast was built in 1790; which was nearly 40 years after the birth of James Madison. It turned out that the plantation house where our fourth President was born on March 16, 1751 had been destroyed (likely by fire, which was the destiny of a lot of historic buildings) and was replaced by the current structure. Since the three of us were unable to venture close to the house, Tom did his best to photograph me with the building in the background. Perhaps someday in the future my cheap photographer will bring me back to Belle Grove where I can pose for images inside the building instead of standing 250 feet away.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0516-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5553" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0516-2-1.jpg?w=5600&ssl=1 5600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0516-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0516-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0516-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0516-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0516-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> When we arrived at the entrance to Belle Grove, I was happy that my rotund photographer didn’t have to walk the long tree-lined driveway to the mansion. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0509-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5554" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0509-2.jpg?w=5600&ssl=1 5600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0509-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0509-2.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0509-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0509-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0509-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When we saw the sign, the three of us felt as though we weren’t welcome at Belle Grove.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5556" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE2-1.jpg?w=3572&ssl=1 3572w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I was placed onto the ornate entrance column that was over 200 feet from the front of Belle Grove. Would I have liked to have gone closer to the building? Heck yes!</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5557" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=3805&ssl=1 3805w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MADISON-TJ-AT-BELLE-GROVE-BIRTHPLACE-SITE.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I stood on the angled section of the column, I worried that my bad leg would cause me to fall and bounce off the two lower sections on my way to the ground. I got lucky and kept my balance.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0504-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5558" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0504-2.jpg?w=5292&ssl=1 5292w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0504-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0504-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0504-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0504-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0504-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I posed in front of Belle Grove, I knew the house was not the actual birth home of James Madison. I did wonder, however, whether or not the column that I stood on was there before the original Belle Grove house was destroyed. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0496-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5560" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0496-2-1.jpg?w=4630&ssl=1 4630w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0496-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0496-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0496-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0496-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC_0496-2-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When I looked at Belle Grove Plantation one final time before we left, I had wished that my photographer would’ve walked up to the porch and placed me there for a picture.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> After our photo-shoot in front of Belle Grove had finished, I thought maybe my photographer would throw caution to the wind and carry me up to the porch; but he didn’t. In a ‘worst-case scenario’, I figured we would only get yelled at or asked to vacate the property. I was concerned. Had my photographer lost his nerve? Some of our finest moments and greatest adventures in our first six years of visiting Presidential sites have been due to him taking a chance. There’s a Star Trek quote that continuously runs through my head, although I’ve changed the working up a bit: “Presidential history – the final frontier. Our mission: To explore historic sites; to walk in the footsteps of the Presidents; and to boldly go where no one has gone before.” And then we quietly drove away. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> With Belle Grove behind us, it was time to boldly go to Washington, D.C. – or at least to our motel just south of our Nation’s Capital. During the one-hour, twenty-minute journey to our hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, I had flashbacks of the cockroach that Tom killed in our bathroom at the Best Western Hotel near the Pentagon during my first trip to D.C. in 2014. I was relieved when I heard Mongo say that he didn’t reserve our room at “The Cockroach Inn”; but instead we had reservations at the Day’s Inn – a relatively inexpensive place that Bob had stayed at in the past. While that hotel was over four miles further away from our sites in Washington, we were confident that our room would be “roach free”. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> It was a few minutes after 7:00pm when we arrived at our home-away-from-home for the next four nights. Once the guys had unpacked the Acadia, the three of us headed to the IHOP that shared a parking lot with the hotel. After I had the displeasure of listening to my photographer gorge himself on pancakes, we finally settled into our room at around 8:15pm. But it wasn’t time for the lights to be turned off just yet. Instead, I headed to the surgical table where Tom once again did his best to fix my left leg. He took a small piece of gauze tape and glued it into place with Gorilla Glue. Once that procedure had time to dry, he wrapped my leg with an additional strip of tape. I was impressed because the color of the tape matched the color of my stockings; which made it hard to detect that I was a surgery survivor. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC08249-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5562" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC08249-2.jpg?w=2546&ssl=1 2546w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC08249-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC08249-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC08249-2.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC08249-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSC08249-2.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After my surgical procedure in our room at the Day’s Inn, I almost looked good as new. I did gain a new sense of confidence and was ready to take on Washington.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> As I stood alongside the television set with the newfound strength in my legs, I could feel a sense of excitement in the room. As I listened to my photographer and Mongo discuss the plans for our first day in Washington, it was at that moment when I realized why they were so excited: We had tickets to tour the White House in the morning. I couldn’t believe my resin-sculpted ears – in a little over twelve hours, I would be inside the home to every President since John Adams. But as mind-boggling as that news was, it got even better – I discovered that we were also scheduled to go back into the White House on Friday as well. It turned out that we were slated for a regular public tour of the Executive Mansion on Friday morning; we had an invitation for lunch in the West Wing at noon; and we were invited for a private West Wing tour at 8:30 in the evening where we had a possible chance to see the Oval Office. Now I understood why it was important to my photographer that he performed surgery on my damaged left leg that night. He wanted me to look good in case we met President Trump or Vice President Pence. He also needed me to be able to stand upright on my own two legs; just in case he had the chance to set me onto the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. When the lights in the room were finally extinguished, all I could think about throughout the entire night was the White House. In 2014, I had posed in front of both the North and South sides of the historic mansion. But in the morning, I would get closer – a lot closer. Would I make it into the hands of the President of Vice President; or even First Lady Melania Trump? Only time would tell! </p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/99-in-the-cradle-of-the-presidents-virginias-northern-neck/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5484</post-id> </item> </channel> </rss>