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7/24-7/26/20 and 9/4-9/7/20 Spruce Knob Park /
Monongahela Forest Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, and an
ideal location for any outdoor activities you may be up for. The peak of the
mountain has a nice 0.5-mile hiking trail that has informational placards
about the formation of the surrounding geography, and local wildlife. 2020 |
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Birthplace of Davy Crocket State Park, Lawrenceburg,
TN. This was an unexpected find on the road to Gatlinburg that
turned out to be more fun than expected. There were docents in period dress
acting out relationships with the crocket family, but if this was not your
style there were also tour guides not following the role playing. I ended up
spending a couple hours here and talked with the rangers for more information
about who is brought in to oversee the park, and what type of work they do
outside maintenance (like their gardens). 2020 |
Mount Le Conte, Great Smokey Mountains National
Park, TN This mountain trail within the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park leads to the peak of the tallest mountain in Tennessee. Near
the summit is a lodge which offers limited pass visitors the opportunity to
sleep in the clouds, and get what are surely unforgettable views in the
mornings and evenings. The lodge is maintained by helicopter and Llama supply
trains and offers short histories of the expansion of this idyllic
mountaintop retreat. Reported by MT. 2020 |
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Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg, TN This aquarium far surpassed expectations upon visiting.
Previously I had not heard a lot about this aquarium, often being overlooked
for the other powerhouses in California or Atlanta, but it is definitely
worth stopping by if in Tennessee. There was a broad variety of aquatic life,
no just fish and tons of information about the
ecosystems they live in. The mermaid shows are also a great attraction for
small children to experience “real life” mermaids! 2020 |
Wings of America, Pigeon Forge, TN. This was the best bird show I have seen. There was a
plethora of information about each bird as an introduction, then multiple
fly-overs and up-close encounters with them as the show went on. The hosts
were also very informative about the dangers present to all the birds they
displayed and provided information to help preserve them in the future.
Including a magpie to assist in donation collection was also a great way to
increase donations (it worked on me). 2020 |
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Buchanan’s Station Cemetery, Nashville,
Tennessee This cemetery is near the site of the original Buchanan’s
Station. In 1792 a conglomeration of
local Indian tribes — Cherokee, Creek, and Choctaw (numbering 300-900
Indians, by various accounts) attacked Buchanan Station, in the hope of
slaughtering all the settlers and then marching into Nashville. Miraculously,
20 riflemen defended the station without the loss of a single settler.
Because of the victory in this “Battle of Buchanan’s Station” the town of
Nashville was saved. To honor this
historical victory, and John Buchanan and Sarah “Sally” Ridley for their
leadership in the station’s defense, DAR dedicated a Historical Marker in the
Buchanan’s Station Cemetery. This
Dedication Ceremony was attended by DAR, SAR (who performed the flag
ceremony), city dignitaries and local historians. Reported by LR. This cemetery is near the site of the original Buchanan’s
Station. In 1792 a conglomeration of
local Indian tribes — Cherokee, Creek, and Choctaw — (numbering 300-900
Indians, by various accounts) attacked Buchanan Station, in the hope of
slaughtering all the settlers and then marching into Nashville. Miraculously,
20 riflemen defended the station without the loss of a single settler.
Because of the victory in this “Battle of Buchanan’s Station” the town of
Nashville was saved. To honor this
historical victory, and John Buchanan and Sarah “Sally” Ridley for their
leadership in the station’s defense, DAR dedicated a Historical Marker in the
Buchanan’s Station Cemetery. This
Dedication Ceremony was attended by DAR, SAR (who performed the flag
ceremony), city dignitaries and local historians. 2019 |
Buchanan Log House, Nashville, Tennessee Following the above-mentioned cemetery marking, we visited the
Buchanan Log House for a reception hosted by local DAR chapters. This house preserved not only the history
of the Buchanan family but its construction was representative of the lives
of many early settlers that struggled to establish homes in the Cumberland
settlement and Middle Tennessee area. The Buchanan Log House is one of the
best examples of two-story log construction during that period. The Addison Log House is also located on
the property. The Buchanan Log House
was restored and placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. |
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The Hermitage, Nashville, Tennessee The Hermitage is one of the nation’s oldest and largest historic
site museums. It is the home of our
7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. The Hermitage consists of the mansion,
garden & grounds and Jackson’s Tomb.
Tours are given of the Mansion by period dressed docents. Jackson’s mansion is considered to be one
of the best-preserved early U.S. presidential homes. The one-acre gardens are adjacent to the
house and were said to be a favorite spot for both Andrew and Rachel
Jackson. Jackson’s Tomb is located in
this garden where he is buried next to his wife, Rachel. The Original Hermitage grounds were
operated as cotton fields. After the
civil war, the grounds were turned into a working farm. Other than the mansions personal
interpreter-led tours, the rest of the Hermitage is a self-guided tour. Things not to miss include the slave
quarters, Springhouse, cotton field, museum, and theater and gift shop. 2019 |
Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee The Grand Ole Opry is not to be missed in Nashville! The first live broadcast show on the radio
was over94 years ago in 1925. The
Grand Ole Opry is recognized world-wide as the show that made country music
and many country artists famous. Since
1925, the Grand Ole Opry has changed locations five times, moving to its
present location, in the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974. The singers who performed at this show were
Chris Janson, Emmylou Harris, Dierks Bentley Margo Price, Mark Wills, John
Conlee and Bill Anderson. We also
enjoyed a surprise appearance by Jimmy & Roslin Carter. 2019 |
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Historic Westwood Mansion, Knoxville,
Tennessee Our group was fortunate to have lunch in this historic
mansion. Originally built in 1890as a
“wedding promise” between John & Adelia Lutz, it is a rare example of the
Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque architectural styles. While having lunch in the West Parlor,
Fresco Parlor and the Painting Studio our group listened to the docents who
told us the story of the Lutz family and some of the historic pieces in the
various rooms. Many of Adelia Lutz
original art pieces are on display in the Painting Studio. Two of the documents were descendants of
the Lutz family. We concluded our
visit with a self-guided tour.
Historic Westwood Mansion was placed in the National Register of
Historic Places in 1984. Reported by
LR. Our group was fortunate to have lunch in this historic
mansion. Originally built in 1890 as a
“wedding promise” between John & Adelia Lutz, it is a rare example of the
Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque architectural styles. While having lunch in the West Parlor,
Fresco Parlor and the Painting Studio our group listened to the docents who
told us the story of the Lutz family and some of the historic pieces in the
various rooms. Many of Adelia Lutz’s
original art pieces are on display in the Painting Studio. Two of the docents were descendants of the
Lutz family. We concluded our visit
with a self-guided tour. Historic
Westwood Mansion was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in
1984. |
Blount Mansion, Knoxville, Tennessee This was the home of William Blount, one of the signers of the
United States Constitution. William Blount served in Congress under the
Articles of Confederation and as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention
in 1787. He built this house in
1792after being appointed by President George Washington to be Governor of
the Territory of the United States South of the Ohio River. This historical site consists of the
mansion, a recreation of an 18th century detached kitchen built where the
original kitchen stood, the detached Governor’s office (atypical 1790’s law
office) and the cooling shed. This
site was recognized bidder as a Historical Site and a DAR historical marker
is displayed in the front yard. 2019 |
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James White’s Fort, Knoxville, Tennessee This fort houses one of the original 1786 residences of
Knoxville and was the home of James White, the founder of Knoxville. It is the most visited historical site in
the city. This fort was chosen as the
capital of the Southwest Territory in 1790.
In 1970, White’s Fort was reconstructed as a museum. Reported by LR. This fort houses one of the original 1786 residences of
Knoxville and was the home of James White, the founder of Knoxville. It is the most visited historical site in
the city. This fort was chosen as the
capital of the Southwest Territory in 1790.
In 1970, White’s Fort was reconstructed as a museum. |
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Hindman Settlement School, Hindman, Kentucky This school has been a DAR-supported school since 1921. In addition to providing dyslexia services
to local students within the community, Hindman preserves the culture (music,
dance, storytelling, arts & crafts and instrument playing) and supports
the agricultural heritage of eastern Kentucky. Our group enjoyed a delicious
farm-to-table luncheon served family style with food grown on the
campus. The afternoon was spent with self-guided
tours of the campus. Of Particular
interest was the Dyslexia Technology Center.
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Camp Yonahnoka,
Linville, North Carolina Crossnore School
&Children’s Home sponsored a dinner and fashion show for us here. They welcomed us to the area and told us
about the various activities they had planned at the school for the next
day. The fashion show included various
types of woven shawls made and sold at the school. Camp Yonahnoka
was at the base of the historical Grandfather’s Mountain. |
Crossnore School
& Children’s Home, Crossnore, North Carolina Founded by DAR member Dr. Mary Martin Sloop in 1913, Crossnore has been a DAR-approved school since 1924. Children are placed here from all over
North Carolina and range in age from 1-21 yrs. The school provides residential services,
community-based foster care and adoption, outpatient therapy and education
and school based clinical services. The school has 20 live in cottages that
house up to 9 children each. Crossnore also provides Youth in Transition for foster
students between 18-26 yrs., helping them to transition into young
adulthood. Our self-guided tour of the
campus included the classrooms, the Weaving room, Sales Store and the
chapel. After lunch, we assembled in
Sloop Chapel to attend an emotional presentation by Shenandoah Chefalo, a
Michigan DAR Daughter and a faculty member for the Center for Trauma
Resilient Communities. |
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Tamassee DAR
School, Tamassee, North Carolina Founded in 1919 by the Daughters of the
American Revolution, Tamassee is a place of refuge
for children in need. Many children
who come to Tamassee are neglected, abandoned,
abused or are placed there by caregivers who can no longer care for
them. The school provides residential
gender homes for children ages 6-21 yrs. along with education for elementary,
middle and high school children. Their Life Bridge Program helps students
from 18-21 yrs. that wish to pursue higher education in a community college
or teaches work skills for job placement so the students may learn to live
independently after leaving Tamassee. The school also provides a Foster Care
Program and Community Children’s Daycare Center. Our visit consisted of
campus tours, lunch, meetings and a special Dedication Ceremony for the 100th
anniversary of the school. The
California Daughters spent time with the six girls in the California Pouch
Cottage where they treated us to a house tour and we in turn hosted a tea for
them. |
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Berry College, Mount Berry, Georgia Founded by Martha Berry in1902, Berry College, a liberal arts
college, is credited with being the largest college campus in the United
States with 27,000 acres of fields, forests and Lavender Mountain. Designated portions of the campus are open
to the public for hiking, cycling, horseback riding and other outdoor
activities. A large population of deer
(approximately 1500-2500) live on campus and eagles have been known to nest
in the campus’ tall pine trees since 2012.
(Year round viewing of their nests can be seen on live web cams at
https://www.berry.edu/eaglecam/). Our visit consisted of a student-narrated
campus tour, a visit to the Martha Berry Museum, and reception on the back
lawn of Oak Hill. During dinner in the
new Christopher Browning Pavilion, the Berry students choir performed for our
assembly. |
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Kate Duncan DAR School (KDS), Grant, Alabama Known as the “Gem of Gunter Mountain” in the Appalachian
foothills, KDS was started by the Daughters of the
American Revolution in 1924. The school serves nearly 1,400 students from
K-12 and is dedicated to academic achievement, patriotic and moral values,
and service to community and country.
Our visit included touring the campus, visiting classrooms, talking to
students, a robotics demonstration, and a crafts fair. The Trimberger Family Foundation donated
funds to KDS this year for the purchase of a computer and an Advanced
Programming Program for the Robotics Team.
It was nice to see a demonstration by the Robotics Team utilizing our
donated computer and program. |
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