Touring Virginia

This is yet another late post since we spent Memorial Day weekend without internet signal.
Virginia is so rich in history and loaded with sites to see we had to pick just a few to check out during our short visit. This is what we did on the 27th.

Our first stop was Schuyler, Virginia--childhood home of Earl Hamner. As you may recall, Earl Hamner is the author and creator behind "The Waltons". The book and TV series was based on Earl's real life family and set in Schuyler. We visited the Walton's Mountain Museum. Located in the old school where Earl and his brothers and sisters attended classes and graduated, the museum is full of memorabilia from the series as well as 6 rooms replicating the TV sets from the TV series.
It was very interesting to learn about the actual town the "Walton's" grew up in. In the series, the Walton family worked at the saw mill. In reality the town's economy was fueled by a huge soapstone factory. All of Hamner's family worked there. At the height of it's activity, Shuyler boasted a rail line, numerous stores and several thousand inhabitants. Today the sleepy little town is home to less than 100 residents. With the resurgence of soapstone's popularity for kitchens, the residents hope the factory will re-open and jump start the economy. More information on the museum can be found at: www.waltonmuseum.org


Next we headed in to Charlottesville to look at the Mitchie Tavern. In 1989, we visited Charlottesville and toured Monticello. At that time, we skipped touring the historic tavern so we decided to see it today. Established in 1784, the tavern served as the social center of its community. We decided to try the dining room called "The Ordinary". The servers were all dressed in period attire. Period dishes such as Colonial Fried Chicken were quite tasty. It was fun lunch.

After our nice educational lunch, we headed up the road to Ash Lawn-Highland, home of President James Monroe. James Monroe was our fifth US President (1817-1826). Prior to that he was a US Senator, Minister to France, England and Spain, Governor of Virginia, and Secretary of State and War. As Jefferson's special envoy he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. His Monroe Doctrine formed the cornerstone of America's foreign policy.

Monroe purchased the estate in 1793 because of his friendship with Thomas Jefferson. The Monroes moved into the home in 1799 and their first guests were James and Dolly Madison. Talk about famous friends!
We toured the elegantly furnished home and it's garden and grounds. Many of the furnishings are known to have belonged to Monroe. The costumed guides gave us lots of information about the Monroes as well as life during the early 1800's.
Although the Monroes planned to retire to Ash-Lawn Highland, in 1826 finances and poor health forced them to sell the estate. After a few owners, it now belongs to the College of William and Mary and is operated for the education of the general public. More can be seen at: www.ashlawnhighland.org


Another day full of history! There is so much to see !