From my travels, August 5, 2021.

We got up and had a nice breakfast at the hotel. It was raining, but we decided to take our chances and roll downtown.

The first stop I wanted to take the boys to was the old Out of Town News near Harvard. Of course, this meant that I had to explain the concept of a newsstand to them, but I also got to share the story of how Microsoft had been started there. It wasn’t the best experience since it was still raining, and there wasn’t anywhere great to park, but it was some history that is more on the nerdy side.

From there, we stopped over at the Cambridge Microcenter – always a favorite store for us. And to be at the one where the MIT folks shop was a treat. It was fun to browse around there, and we were even able to pick up some inexpensive oversized golf umbrellas while we were there. Who would have guessed?

I then took the boys by MIT. Due to COVID-19, we couldn’t really go in any of the buildings, but we were allowed to check out their extremely nerdy bookstore. I especially liked their rather creative “MIT” t-shirts, but they didn’t carry them in the boys’ sizes. Bummer. Both boys were able to pick out postcards that they sent back to their mom – something of a tradition for us now.

Moving back into history nerd mode, we drove over to the Charlestown Navy Yard to see the NPS Visitors Center there and pick up Junior Ranger books for Boston National Historical Park. There we were able to see and learn a little about the Battle of Bunker Hill. Sadly, the WWII-era Fletcher-class Destroyer USS Cassin Young (DD-793) was closed due to the rain (maybe there is concern about the decks being too slippery?)

But it wasn’t a complete waste. After passing through security, we were able to go aboard the USS Constitution – the oldest commissioned warship still afloat in the world. It was very cool to be able to explore her and speak with the sailors who keep her in such good shape while sharing her history with the public.

We crossed over into Boston and drove by the Old North Church, and made our way to Faneuil Hall for a late lunch. “Nene” was able to find “fried clams with bellies” that she was very excited about – it was a taste of home for her.

Around the corner, we were able to visit the Old State House, and the site of the Boston Massacre in front of it, which the boys had been reading about in school. It isn’t quite how you picture it since modern-day Boston is certainly more built-up than it was during 1770.

On our way out of town, we drove around Boston Common (and especially to see the monument to the 54th MA) and even got to see Fenway Park. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out at the hotel – including finishing up those Junior Ranger books – and then having dinner at the Burlington Mall food court. There would be more to do in the morning.

From my travels, August 4, 2021.

The boys’ grandparents – affectionately known as “Nene” and “Baba” – had wanted to take the boys to Boston to explore some colonial history, as well as some of the history of their family from their mom’s side. Regular readers will know that I’m all for a trip like that!

We loaded up the van and got on the road north. Along the way, I wanted to stop off and show the boys the Submarine Force Museum – which I had visited once with my family as a kid – and was excited to share with my own boys.

Among the favorite attractions within the museum for my crew were the dummy sub controls and actual working periscopes in a more interactive section. The periscopes stick out through the roof of the building and allow a 360-degree view around the building. The boys had fun looking for our car out in the parking lot – and John said he wanted to install one at home.

The true highlight of the museum was of course getting to go aboard the world’s first nuclear-powered vessel, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571). The boys and their grandparents had never done anything like that. It’s much roomier than the WWII-era USS Becuna that the boys and I had visited in Philadephia a few years earlier.

I think that everyone had a good time learning and experiencing some new things on our first stop – especially considering that the museum is free. From Groton, CT, we continued north through Rhode Island, and got to our hotel in Lexington, MA that evening. We had a nice dinner out at Red Heat Tavern, and then settled in to rest up for the activities we had planned in Boston the next day.

From my travels, July 17, 2021.

This is going to be a fairly long post because we’re about to cover a lot of ground.

Back in the summer of 2021, I had a rare weekend without my boys. My now-wife Emily suggested that it might be nice to do a battlefield trip. I suggested visiting the Fredericksburg / Richmond area since I’d been reading Gordon C. Rhea’s excellent series of books about the Overland Campaign, and besides: Fredericksburg is a cool town with some nice restaurants.

I booked a hotel and got dinner reservations at Fahrenheit 132 downtown. We had an absolutely amazing dinner there on Friday night, and strolled around the town a bit. The next day was going to be all about battlefield stomping.

Massaponax Church

If you’re going to follow the path of the Overland Campaign after the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, you pretty much need to start here at Massaponax Church.

This is where Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade planned out the next phase of the campaign. This is also the site of the only known photos taken of both of these generals together. Emily was nice enough to help me attempt to re-create one of them, and we had a little fun with it. Standing in the footsteps of Grant is becoming something of a tradition for me.

Battle of North Anna – Civil War Battlefield #135

It had been 665 days since my last “new” battlefield visit. It felt good to get out and explore something again!

I had been dreaming about seeing the site of the Battle of North Anna for years. The field is somewhat preserved today – at least a lot of the earthworks are – by a county park. Emily and I hiked along the “grey trail“. The earthworks here are well-preserved and just seemed to go on and on. Definitely among the nicest I have seen.

The site of Brig. Gen. Ledlie’s ill-advised attack was nasty – gullies and breastworks – no wonder it was a slaughter. The view of the river at Ox Ford was also imposing. Gen. Robert E. Lee’s great “inverted V” trap was indeed formidable.

Battle of Hanover Court House – Civil War Battlefield #136

Just a single wayside marker near the Hanover Tavern mentions the action of the 1862 Battle of Hanover Court House.

This one was not part of the Overland Campaign, but it was along the route we were taking and I hadn’t visited yet. Elements of both armies passed through this area multiple times during the war as well.

Battle of Haw’s Shop – Civil War Battlefield #137

Wayside markers at the Salem Church and the Enon Church (both along Studley Road) describe the action of the all-cavalry Battle of Haw’s Shop. Once again, Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer makes his presence felt as it was the charge of his Michigan Brigade that broke the Confederate lines.

Battle of Totopotomoy Creek – Civil War Battlefield #138

A small section of the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek is preserved by the NPS around the “Rural Plains” house (where Patrick Henry was married). We attempted to walk along a trail there, but it was very hot and not well-marked, so we turned back.

Emily made the first artillery-spotting of the day: a real 3-inch Ordnance Rifle from the Phoenix Iron Company.

Battle of Old Church – Civil War Battlefield #139

Another cavalry battle involving George Armstrong Custer, the Battle of Old Church didn’t have any markers or preservation at all. We drove through the center of the field – along McClellan Road – and it was pretty easy to see where the original Union defensive line would have been.

Battle of Cold Harbor – Civil War Battlefield #140

The Battle of Cold Harbor is another place where the NPS has preserved a small section of a massive field. There’s a lot more still to be done here, with the American Battlefield Trust always on the lookout for ways to preserve every acre they can.

There is a nice Visitor Contact Station here – though we weren’t allowed inside because of COVID-19. A couple of rangers had a canopy set up out front and were handing out maps, Junior Ranger materials, and answering questions.

We picked up a map and did the short 4-stop auto tour. It was nice, but I wonder how much visitation a satellite site like this gets.

Second Battle of Deep Bottom – Civil War Battlefield #141

A small roadside marker along Darbytown Road, near the Hardy Central Baptist Church, tells of some of the action of the Second Battle of Deep Bottom. It is located near the spot where Confederate Brig. Gen. John R. Chambliss was killed.

Battle of Glendale – Civil War Battlefield #142

We drove through most of the field of the Battle of Glendale on the way to our next stop. The fighting here was part of the earlier 1862 Seven Days Battles, so it wasn’t the focus of this trip. I didn’t stop for any of the markers, mainly because it didn’t seem like there was anywhere safe to pull off and read them.

The NPS also no longer runs a Visitor Contact Station out here, so that makes it harder.

Battle of Malvern Hill – Civil War Battlefield #143

I know that I just got done saying that I wasn’t focusing on the Seven Days Battles during this trip, but I decided to add the Battle of Malvern Hill to the itinerary after reading about Henry Hunt’s masterful use of artillery here.

Honestly, it isn’t that much of a hill, but the approaches that the Confederates used were absolutely murderous. I don’t know how anyone survived those assaults. Thanks to Hunt’s artillery, the Union army could safely retreat from their failed campaign against Richmond.

First Battle of Deep Bottom – Civil War Battlefield #144

We found a wayside describing some of the action of the First Battle of Deep Bottom near where the Union pontoon bridge had been constructed. There is a small park there today.

Battle of Chaffin’s Farm / New Market Heights – Civil War Battlefield #145

Stopped at Fort Harrison which had a few markers to describe the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm / New Market Heights. The earthwork fort is fairly well-preserved, and Emily enjoyed this spot as it was pretty easy to visualize what happened here.

Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads – Civil War Battlefield #146

This is where the names of the fights start to get a little repetitive and confusing.

There is a wayside marker for the Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads – along with a fake Parrott Rifle – in the parking lot of a C&F Bank. This was a minor battle with a matching very minor interpretation.

Battle of Darbytown Road – Civil War Battlefield #147

There are two markers for the Battle of Darbytown Road (one called it the Second Battle of Fair Oaks) located outside of Dorey Park. This was another very small action.

Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road – Civil War Battlefield #148

There was no marker here – nor was there a safe place to pull off. I did see a marker for Fort Lee in the vicinity of where I think the Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road took place, but to be honest, all of these fights seem to overlap and get confused.

Battle of Oak Grove – Civil War Battlefield #149

I know – here is another of the Seven Days Battles, but as I was driving through the area anyway, I decided to check of the Battle of Oak Grove.

This field is now completely consumed by Richmond International Airport. I guess the airport has to go somewhere, but it’s a shame to wipe out a historical battlefield in the process.

There is a marker and a few cannons along the airport entrance road that commemorate the fighting, but I couldn’t visit them as the entire area is littered with “NO PARKING” signs.

Battle of Seven Pines – Civil War Battlefield #150

Just to make it an even 150 – and because it was right along our route anyway, I stopped at the Battle of Seven Pines – another of the Seven Days Battles. This one was basically a bonus.

There isn’t much left of this field, but the lines seem fairly well marked with roadside signs. We saw one of the typical VA stone markers outside of the local library.

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We saw a lot on our 1-day trip. In fact, 16 battlefields in one day is a personal record for me that I doubt I’ll ever top. Emily was a really great travel partner. I’m lucky to have her.

From my travels, June 6, 2021.

For the final stop of our family road trip through New York, we had wanted to see a very unique museum ship: the Cannon-class Destroyer Escort, USS Slater (DE-766).

We got into Albany and were able to get tickets for the 2:30pm tour. It was crazy hot that day, but the ship really felt alive as there was a team of volunteers aboard doing various restoration projects. Some of them were even cooking their dinner in the galley. That was pretty cool to see.

Our tour guide did a really good job. There was a brief introductory film in the visitors center / gift shop and then we were taken aboard.

Over 500 destroyer escorts were built during WWII in order to protect convoys of supply ships from attacks by submarines and aircraft. Slater is the only one that still survives, owing to the fact that she served with the Greek Navy for a number of years during the Cold War. A group of preservationists bought her and have been restoring her to the appearance she had during WWII. The other challenge they have is the almost constant need for repairs as these ships were built very quickly without longevity in mind. Apparently one of these warships was even completely built from scratch in just over 23 days. The whole story is a testament to American industrial might during the wartime years.

For being such a small and quickly-built ship, she was very well armed. Probably the coolest weapon system we saw was the hedgehog mortar – an anti-submarine that shot a ring of depth charges ahead of the ship. My boys also enjoyed getting to see the radio room and the combat information center.

By the end, we were all pretty wiped-out by the heat that day. It was the only part of the experience that wasn’t top-notch.

From my travels, June 6, 2021.

The day after we visited Fort Ticonderoga, we got to see the site of a British surrender during the Revolutionary War: Saratoga National Historical Park.

At the time of our visit, the visitors center was closed for renovations, so we had to settle for a picnic table on the back porch staffed by NPS volunteers. They were very helpful in getting us oriented, including give our crew maps and Junior Ranger books. My brother and his girls had never done a Junior Ranger program before, so it was fun to be able to do that together – even if it did bring out a little bit of competition between all of us. 🙂

After a little bit of discussion, we planned our route: a truncated version of the standard auto tour.

• Stop 1: Freeman Farm Overlook – The views here were awesome.
• Stop 2: Neilson Farm – A helpful volunteer was manning the house here and helped orient us.
• Stop 3: American River Fortifications – Really incredible views here.
• Stop 6: Balcarres Redoubt
• Stop 7: Breymann’s Redoubt – The “Boot Monument” was the highlight here.
• Stop 9: The Great Redoubt – If you can believe it – even more incredible views!

There were two Revolutionary War battles that took place here only a few weeks apart: the Battle of Freeman’s Farm, and the Battle of Bemis Heights.

It seems that this park – like Kennesaw Mountain – gets used mainly for the hiking and biking trails, though it was certainly not as crowded as Kennesaw was during our time there.

We lingered a while at Stop 9, using the picnic tables to finish working on our Junior Ranger books. The kids all had a good time with that, and we rewarded at the end with a very cool wooden badge.

We continued south to one more historical stop on our road trip.

From my travels, June 5, 2021.

Since my brother had moved to upstate New York, and had done a little of his own history tourism, he invited me to join him and his girls on a trip through some of the historical sites north of him. We coordinated on an itinerary and set a date.

Our first stop was going to be the farthest north that my boys had ever been: Fort Ticonderoga. This was going to be a first visit for all of us except for my brother, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it was a really beautiful place. After a few hours in the car, we arrived just in time for a really well done artillery demonstration.

While the fort and scenery are beautiful, it has a less-than-successful history. It seems that no one – not the French, British, nor Americans – was ever able to really defend the place from attack. It changed hands constantly almost from the time it was built. Part of the issue is that the fort is dominated by nearby Mt. Defiance.

The fort has quite a collection of French and British artillery dating from the 1730s – 1750s at various spots around the structure. The barracks-turned-museum also holds some pretty cool artifacts and is well put together.

One of the coolest parts for me was the plaque at the entrance to the fort that lists all the famous historical figures whose footsteps you are about to walk in. I just had to get a photo of my guys rubbing shoulders with these greats.

After a few hours, we had seen all that we could, and my brother suggested heading over to Mt. Defiance to get the perspective from there. It was a long road up to the top – and I appreciated the cell tower up there – a mixing of history with modernity. The view was very impressive, and a small shelter at the summit had a few waysides to give more context for the actions that took place around Ticonderoga.

It was a great start to an awesome weekend road trip with more historical nerdery to come!

From my travels, May 1, 2021.

Ever since we visited the Independence Seaport Museum, the boys have looked forward to visiting the USS New Jersey (BB-62) just across the river from Philadelphia. I had heard through Facebook that they were hosting a promotion that gave discounted tickets in exchange for old electronics to recycle. Since we had an old computer to get rid of, this seemed like the perfect chance for a win-win. Emily was even willing to go along with us for her first visit to a museum ship.

We had no trouble exchanging our old computer for some discounted tickets and made our way aboard. We did the entire standard tour route, and went as high as we were allowed to go in the ship. I had visited the ship a few times in years past, and I was impressed with how much restoration work had been done since my last tour. Emily was most surprised by the lack of privacy in the crew berthing area – it’s tight quarters on a warship – even one as massive as a battleship. The boys had a good time “firing” the .50 machine gun and the anti-aircraft guns on the deck. The restored Combat Engagement Center (CEC) with the radar and computers to control the modern “smart weapons” that New Jersey was fitted with in the Gulf War era, was also a favorite stop.

As we were leaving, the boys expressed how cool it was to be on a battleship. They are both looking forward to visiting more ships – most notably a destroyer and an aircraft carrier – so that they can complete their “collection”. Stay tuned for those.

From my travels, September 7, 2020.

This was a quick drive-through as our family was on our way back from visiting the beach in Stone Harbor, NJ. Because of traffic, we took a different route than normal, and ended up crossing over the modern bridge at the site.

There is a roadside marker here describing the action of the Battle of Quinton’s Bridge, but the ground is all private property, and I didn’t have a safe place to pull off and even take my own photo. While the field is probably mostly intact, I have to imagine that the approaches are somewhat different than they were in 1778.

From my travels, July 27, 2020.

With my recent interest in 19th century industrial history – especially where it relates to the Civil War – the Hagley Museum was an obvious place to check out. Because of the partial closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we were also able to get discounted admission. The boys and I planned a visit, and my mom even came along, too.

The museum preserves the site of the original du Pont gunpowder mill along the Brandywine. Many of the old industrial buildings there still exist, and even the water-powered machinery still operates. The mills where the gunpowder was actually ground and mixed were 3-sided buildings with thin metal roofs, so that any accidental explosions would be directed toward the river and not cause permanent damage. There were very strict rules for the employees regarding flammable materials, as you can imagine.

During the Civil War, Delaware was – like Maryland – a state with divided loyalties. The du Pont family lived and worked in the area around the Delaware / Pennsylvania border, so they were strongly pro-Union. Several of the men in the family served in military roles. One of the docents at the museum told us that something like 60% of the gunpowder used by the Union during the war came from these mills. It’s staggering to think about – especially considering how peaceful the place is today. Nature lovers would find plenty to do here as well between the gardens and the lovely views of the Brandywine.

Besides all the cool 19th century machinery, the coolest thing we got to see what the demonstration of the gunpowder testing rig. This was a little apparatus that would show how much force the gunpowder released when it was ignited, and was apparently used as a tool by some of the company’s salespeople.

In the end, it was a good day and an awesome museum. It’s the kind of place that I’d like to visit again in the future.

From my travels, December 14, 2019.

I heard through Facebook that the Independence Seaport Museum was hosting a “Family-friendly” tailgating event in celebration of the fact that the 2019 Army-Navy game was taking place that day in Philadelphia. That sounded like a fun thing to do with my boys, and while I had visited the museum ships there several years ago, the boys had never been aboard any kind of historic ship before. No better way to spend a day!

The tailgating turned out to be a bit of a bust. I didn’t see any activities set up, and there was hardly anyone in the museum during our visit. At least we weren’t fighting the crowds, huh? We got combo tickets for the museum and the ships, and started our visit in the museum.

We spent about 45 minutes going through the exhibits in the museum, which were all very kid-friendly. There was a ton of hands-on stuff, too. My guys really enjoyed playing with the remote-control submersible that was in the lobby, as well as the nearly life-size model of a schooner (complete with a sail to raise), and the exhibit on the river as habitat.

It was also cool to see some local history highlighted that was not explicitly maritime in nature – the very interactive exhibit about Fort Mifflin was a nice introduction to that story. And that’s another place that I need to take the boys to explore soon.

Finally it was time to head outside for the main event: the ships!

Our first stop was the WWII-era Balao-class diesel-electric submarine, USS Becuna (SS-319). This was the very first warship that the boys had ever been on, and I think they both had a really good time. Neither one seemed to have difficulty moving through the water-tight doors, or through the confined spaces. I had downloaded a tour app that the museum provides on my phone, and that also helped engage the boys with what we were seeing. Isaac especially enjoyed the control room – all those buttons!

Next, we went aboard the Protected Cruiser USS Olympia (C-6). This ship is most famous for being Commodore George Dewey’s flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. She also brought the unknown soldier home following WWI. I believe that she is also the oldest steel-hulled warship still afloat in the world.

The boys noted how much larger and fancier this was than the newer submarine. I think that John especially enjoyed this ship – he took a couple of turns in the demonstation hammock aboard in the berthing area. We got to do the whole tour here, but weren’t able to go up on the deck because of the rainy conditions that day.

As we disembarked, the boys looked across the river to the massive Iowa-class Battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) over in Camden, NJ, and told me that they wanted to visit that ship next. It was a really great day for my crew that set up some more adventures to come.