SAINT-GAUDENS Our 69th Park in our 27th State

This park is in Cornish, NH.  We were familiar with the work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens but knew nothing of him.

Unveiled on Boston Common in 1897, the Shaw Memorial, final version, 1900 exhibited here at the national historic site.

The "Little Studio"

 DIANA, Second Version, 1892

The House he started "summering" in 1885

 Inside the home

Inside the home

 Carriages 

 Fire Wagon

Beautiful flower gardens (August)

 I couldn't get over this tree.  It was enormous and beautiful.

We found, as I am sure Saint-Gaudens did, this to be a place of beauty and meditation.  We could have stayed here all day and absorbed the beauty.  

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM NETWORK Our 68th Park in our 26th State

The Underground Railroad refers to the effort of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage.

Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape, at first to maroon communities in remote or rugged terrain on the edge of settled areas. Their acts of self-emancipation made them "fugitives" according to the laws of the times, though in retropsect "freedom seeker" seems a more accurate description. While most freedom seekers began their journey unaided and many completed their self-emancipation without assistance, each decade in which slavery was legal in the United States saw an increase in active efforts to assist escape.

FORT DONELSON NB Our 66th Park in our 26th State

"Fort Donelson will hereafter be marked in Capitals on the maps of our United Country..."

Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant was becoming quite famous as he wrote these words following the surrender of Confederate Fort Donelson on Sunday, February 16, 1862. The Union victory at Fort Donelson elated the North, and stunned the South. Within days of the surrender, Clarksville and Nashville would fall into Union hands. Grant and his troops had created a pathway to victory for the Union.

DOVER HOTEL Our 67 Park in our 26th State

Built between 1851 and 1853, the Dover Hotel accommodated riverboat travelers before and after the Civil War. General Buckner and his staff used the hotel as their headquarters during the battle. It also served as a Union hospital after the surrender. After Buckner accepted Grant's surrender terms, the two generals met here to work out the details.

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY Our 65 Park in our 25th State

Experiencing "America's Favorite Drive"

A Blue Ridge Parkway experience is unlike any other, a slow-paced and relaxing drive revealing stunning long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and pastoral landscapes of the Appalachian Highlands. Protecting a diversity of plants and animals, the Parkway meanders for 469 miles, providing opportunities for enjoying all that makes this region of the country so special.

OVERMOUNTAIN VICTORY Our 64th Park in our 26th State

NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL

The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail 

involves communities in four states that lie along a 

corridor of 330 miles. The Trail includes both 

walkable sections and a commemorative motor 

route. Along the way are visitor centers, museums, 

historical markers, state and national historical 

parks, graveyards, monuments and geographic 

landforms. They all help tell the story of an event 

critically important to the success of the American 

Revolution.

COWPENS NB -- Our 63rd Park in 26th State

The Only Double Envelopment in the American Revolution

“…our success was complete…”
  -- Daniel Morgan to Nathanael Greene, January 19, 1781

A pasturing area at the time of the battle, this Revolutionary War site commemorates the place where Daniel Morgan and his army turned the flanks of Banastre Tarleton's British army. This classic military tactic, known as a double envelopment, was one of only a few in history.

This is a beautiful area, but not a lot to see.

 You can learn everything you want to learn about the battle in the text books or online.

Gaffney, SC