US History and LDS Church History Trip…and links to each days blog

This is a National Cemetery were many soldiers are buried from the Battle of Antietam.

Brigham Young’s Mill and Home Site

We visited 218 US History and LDS Church History sites in 47 days.  (That included visiting 54 different cities). Each day is blogged with information about places we visited, maps, photos and highlights of the day.

If you would like more information if you are planning a trip, you can email me at priceless6191@gmail.com.  I kept very detailed records including: budgets, trip plans, and calenders for the trip showing our day by day progress.  I also have tons of brochures and maps for specific places, although I did try to scan the most important details I have onto each blog page.  Below is listed each city we visited, and what we did there.  Click on a city and start exploring.

I made this blog because I realized I would have appreciated a site with more specific information.  I hope this is beneficial to anyone who wants to take a history trip.  It was our families dream trip, and we still refer to it often.

Here is a PDF with a summary of our trip. (If you would like an editable version, I have the spreadsheet version also.)
Trip Itinerary

** Just a side note as you look around the site…no my kids names are not Bazooka, Starburst, Jawbreaker etc…our kids just picked nicknames so they could have some privacy.  Have fun looking!!!!

Alcova, WY
Devils Gate, Church, Trek, Independence Rock

Custer, WY
Custer County Museum, City 4th of July

Crazy Horse, SD

Keystone, SD
Mount Rushmore 4th July Celebrations

Rapid City, SD
Dinosaur Park, Storybook Park

Wall, SD
Wall Drug

Omaha, NE
Winter Quarters Visitors Center, Winters Quarters Temple (E,B), Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, Glenn Cunningham Lake, Pioneer Courage Park

Council Bluffs, Iowa
Kanesville Tabernacle

Nauvoo, IL
Play “High Hopes and Riverboats”, Movie “Remembering Nauvoo”, Play “Sunset by the Mississippi”, Women’s Garden, Riser Boot Shop, Blacksmith Shop, Seventies Hall, Lucy M Smith Home, Brickyard, Heber Kimball and Wilford Woodruff’s homes, Movie “Joseph Smith-Prophet of the Restoration”, Joseph Smith’s Homestead, Mansion House, Nauvoo House, Red Brick Store, Smith Family Cemetery, Trail of Hope, Youth of Zion, Play “Old Anna Amanda” 2xs, Nauvoo Pageant 2xs, Carriage Ride, Pioneer Park Pastimes, Nauvoo Temple (B,E), Frontier Fair 2xs, Play “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo”, Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds, Lands and Records Office, King Follet Discourse, Emma and Josephs Letters Vignette

Carthage, IL
Carthage Jail

Macomb, IL
Dinner with Steve -Guadalupes Restaurant

Petersburg, IL
Lincolns New Salem (camped there)

Springfield, IL
Springfield Vis Ctr, Lincolns Home Vis Ctr, Lincolns Home, Lincolns-Herndon Law Office, Old Capital, Lincoln Library, Lincoln Presidential Museum

Chicago, IL
Chicago Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Cloud Gate, Chicago Temple (B,E)

Gary, IN
Just for Gas and Photos

Kirtland OH
Kirtland Ward, Ashery, Isaac Morley Farm, Newel K. Whitney Store, Whitney Home, Sawmill, Schoolhouse, Kirtland Temple RLDS

Parma, OH
Brian and Camilla’s Home

Hiram, OH
John Johnson’s Home

Middlefield, OH
Amish Country, Cheese Factory, Hiram College (where President Garfield attended and taught)

Kenmore, NY
Mags home, Keeners, Lindbergh Elementary, Pam’s Home

Niagra Falls
Niagara Falls, Cave of Winds

Buffalo, NY(2 sites or events)
Downtown Buffalo, Duffs Chicken Wings

Mendon, NY
Home built by Brigham, Early Meeting Home, Phineas Young’s Home, John Young’s Home, Tom Tomlinson Inn, Heber Kimballs home site, Camped at John Young’s Home, Site of Brigham Young’s Mill and Home, Baptismal Site, Tomlinsons Cemetery

Palmyra, NY
Palmyra Visitors Center, Palmyra Temple (B,E), Palmyra Pageant, Sacred Grove, Smith’s Log Cabin and Frame House Alvin built, Hill Cumorah, Martin Harris’s Home, Book of Mormon Publication Site (Grandin Building)

Waterloo, NY
Peter Whitmer home

Oakland, PA
Aaronic Priesthood Monument, Joseph and Emma’s Home Site, Grave of Emmas parents and son Alvin Smith, Susquehanna River

Jersey City, NJ 
Liberty Harbor

New York, NY
PATH Rail System, Site World Trade Center, 911 Memorial and Museum, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, China Town, Little Italy, Noho, Washington Square Park, New York University, Empire State Building, Garment District, Bryant Park, Time’s Square, Theatre District, NBC Studios, Carnegie Hall, Central Park, New York City LDS Temple, Madison Square Gardens

Philadelphia, PA
Independence Visitor Center, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, City Tavern (restaurant), Carpenters Hall, New Hall Military Museum, Benjamin Franklin’s Grave, President’s House Site, Liberty Bell Center”

Hershey, PA
Hershey Amusement Park

Gettysburg, PA
Gettysburg National Park

WashingtonDC
Washington DC Temple (B,E), IKEA, Ford’s Theatre, Petersen House and Center for Education and Leadership, Spy Museum, National Archives, Washington Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Holocaust Museum, Lincoln Walking Tour, Arlington Cemetery, United States Capital Building, a Session of Congress, a Session of the House of Representatives, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Smithsonian American History Museum, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, White House, Holocaust Museum, Nationals Game

Alexandria, Virginia
Mount Vernon

Centreville, VA
Bull Run Regional Park (Camping), visit with Tamara and family, Atlantis Water Park

Manassas, VA
Battle of 1st and 2nd Bull Run (Manassas)

Harpers Ferry, WV
Harpers Ferry

Sharpsburg, MD
Antietem Battle Field

Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, VA Pier and Chick-fil-A

Chantilly, VA
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Annex

Middletown, VA
Cedar Creek Battlefield (2nd Manassas Battle Reenactment)

Charlottesville, VA
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, University of Virginia

Buena Vista, VA
Southern Virginia University

St Louis, MO
St Louis Temple (B,E), St Louis Arch and Musuem, Old Court House (Dred Scott Case), Outside Busch Stadium, Feet in the Mississippi, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Park and Grant Farm, Home Town Buffet, St Louis Cardinals Game, St Louis RV Park

Cottleville, MO
Joel and Christy’s Home

Independence, MO
LDS Visitor’s Center, Harry Truman Presidential Library, Missouri Mormon Walking Tour (things we saw on the tour: Clinton’s Soda Fountain, Jackson County Courthouse, 1827 Log Courthouse, Bingham-Waggoner Estate, Church of Christ Temple Lot, Community of Christ Temple, Gilbert and Whitney Store, Printing Office Site (Evening and Morning Star), Governor Boggs Home Site, and Partridge Home Site and School) , Campus RV Park (next door to the LDS Visitors Center), Vaile Mansion

Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Temple (B)

Liberty, MO
Liberty Jail, Eight Witnesses Monument

Richmond, MO
David Whitmer’s Grave, David Whitmer’s Livery site (marked by with a plaque), Old Richmond Jail Location, Statue of General Alexander W. Doniphan, Pioneer Cemetery (Monument for the Three Witnesses, Grave for Oliver Cowdery, Peter Jr. and Jacob Whitmer’s Graves)

Farwest, MO
Far West Temple Site

Jamesport, MO
Amish Country, Amish Baseball Game, and Shopping

Jameson, MO
Adam-ondi-Ahman , Jameson Town Fair and Parade

Doniphan, NE
Mormon Island

McKinnon, WY
Little America

Boston, MA
11 years later we went back to add Boston to our list or US/church history travels. Here is a link to the beginning of that trip. Yale, Scarburough and Prospect Ave in Hartford, CT, Mark Twain’s Home, Boston Temple, Boston Aquarium, Faneuil Hall, Boston Massacre Site, Old State House, Boston Latin School Site, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, New State House, Boston Commons, Harbor Cruise, USS Constitution, Bunker Hill Monument, Old North Church, Paul Revere’s Home, Old South Meeting House, Union Oyster House, Omni Parker House, Cheers, Prudential Tower Observation Deck, Trinity Church of Boston, Old South Church

Other Valuable Links:
Mormon Pioneer Trail Auto Tour Route Guide
mormontrails.org

Our Families Favorite National Historic Sites

You can’t really rank any church or US historical sites, because all of it was amazing!  But since most people don’t have 47 days we thought we’d have our kids rank what they would say were the sites that were a must see.  Our kids were told if they could only visit 3 of the church sites we went to, what would they choose.  So here their choices….some of them surprised me a little…

Jawbreaker (male teenager)
1^st Washington DC,
2^nd Gettysburg,
3^rd Second Manassas Battle Reenactment or Philadelphia

Spitz (male teenager)
1^st Harpers Ferry
2^nd Second Manassas Battle Reenactment
3^rd Nationals Game

Warhead (male teenager)
1^st Second Manassas Battle Reenactment
2^nd Spy Museum
3^rd Hershey Park

Bazooka (male pre-teen)
1^st Second Manassas Battle Reenactment
2^nd Smithsonian Natural History Museum
3^rd Hershey Park

Starburst (female 7yrs old)
1^st Hershey Park
2^nd Mount Rushmore
3^rd Grants Farm

Fireball (male 6 yrs old)
1st Atlantis Water Park
2^nd Grants Farm
3^rd Hershey Park

Mr. S (adult male)
1^st Second Manassas Battle Reenactment
2^nd Baseball Games
3^rd Washington DC

Mrs. S (adult female)
1^st Gettysburg
2^nd Second Manassas Battle Reenactment
3^rd Philadelphia or Washington DC

Our favorite experience in WashingtonDC
Jawbreaker: Can’t choose, loved it all
Spitz: American History Museum, Spy Museum, Nationals Game
Bazooka: Natural History Museum, and the Nationals Game
Warhead: Spy Museum, Arlington and Chick-fil-A
Starburst: Spy Museum and the White House
Fireball: Seeing my cousin Daniel
Mr. S: Washington DC Temple and the Nationals Game
Mrs. S: Being with cousins, Washington DC Temple, Mount Vernon, and Holocaust Museum

Our favorite Civil War battle experiences:
Hands down the battle reenactment was EVERYONE’S favorite.  No one even had to blink to say that.  But we will rate what everyone thought about the battle fields we visited, the little kids can’t remember anything past today, they just keep telling us how phenomenal the battles have been the last two days.
Jawbreaker: All of them
Spitz: Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry
Warhead: Gettysburg
Bazooka: Antietam
Mr. S: Gettysburg
Mrs. S: Gettysburg and Manassas

Favorite thing we did Philadelphia:
Jawbreaker:  Independence Hall
Spitz:  City Tavern and Liberty Bell
Warhead:  City Tavern (restaurant)
Bazooka:  City Tavern and Military Museum
Starburst:  Independence Visitors Center and the collectors cards
Fireball:  City Tavern
Mr. and Mrs. S: Independence Hall

Our favorite St Louis experiences:
Jawbreaker: Cardinal’s Game
Spitz:  Cardinal’s Game
Warhead: Arch and Grant’s Farm
Bazooka: Arch and Cardinal’s Game
Starburst:  Grant’s Farm
Fireball:  Grant’s Farm
Mr. S:  Cardinal’s Game
Mrs. S:  Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Park, and Grant’s Farm

DAY 33 – July 31, 2012 – Harper’s Ferry and the Battle of Antietam

Last night we went to bed watching Civil War documentaries.  I had a documentary on the Battle of Bull Run.  I pulled it out to watch, but realized that there were two more segments ahead of it.  So instead of watching the Battle of Bull Run we watched documentaries on John Brown’s War and Fort Sumter.  I just watched them so that we watched the documentaries in the correct order, but it turned out to be a precursor for the next day.

Our drive to Antietam Battle Field  turned out to be more eventful than expected.  We didn’t have a map in front of us since we were using our GPS, and we were surprised to see we drove through West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia, and I can I say, I LOVE Virginia.  It was so beautiful…hilly, green, and the old homes…beautiful.  I’ve been begging Mr. S to consider teaching here.  What a beautiful place to live.

While we were driving we started to see signs for Harpers Ferry.  Although the older boys already knew about it, Mr. S and I had

The engine house that John Brown took refuge in at Harper’s Ferry.

forgotten, but the movie last night on John Brown’s War had updated us enough to know we wanted to see Harpers Ferry.  So everyone agreed we would take a detour through Harpers Ferry.

In 1859, a radical abolitionist John Brown led a group of 21 men in a raid on the United States arsenal. He hoped to use the captured weapons to initiate a slave uprising throughout the South.

John Brown’s men were quickly pinned down by locals, and forced to take refuge in the engine house next to the armory. U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee was assigned as commander. After negotiation failed they stormed the fire house and captured most of the raiders. Brown was tried for treason against the State of Virginia, convicted and hanged. The raid was considered a catalyst for the Civil War.

Because of the town’s location on the railroad and at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, both Union and Confederate troops moved through Harpers Ferry frequently during the Civil War.

Harper’s Ferry

At one point, right before the Battle of Antietam, Robert E. Lee, sent Stonewall Jackson to surround and capture the town.  The Confederate’s captured 12,419 Federal troops.

Harpers Ferry was more than we expected.  They have done a great job of keeping the streets near the armory in a similar fashion to what they looked like during John Browns raid.  The older kids loved looking in the museums, and the younger kids were able to earn two different Junior Ranger badges.  So everyone was happy.  It was a great stop.

Afterwards, we started again to the visitor’s center for the Battle of Antietam.  This was not a motor home friendly journey.  Mr. S was white knuckled as we climbed steep, narrow, windy hills heading there.  But we arrived safely, although there were hills we just kept praying the motor home could climb.

This park was great also.  We listened to the Ranger give a 20 minute explanation of the battle, watched a movie on the battle, and then bought another TravelBrains audio tour CD and drove through the park.  You would think it would get old.  But listening to the stories just makes you want to learn more and more.  Mr. S said it made him want to

Battle of Antietam

go home and read more books on the Civil War.  I whole heartedly agree with him.

The Battle of Antietam happened one month after the 2^ndBattle of Manassas.  At this battle, General Robert E. Lee was forced to regroup, because a portion of his army

Modern version of photo on the right

was late getting back from Harpers Ferry.  And two days later he commanded troops in the Battle of Antietam, which had the highest number of deaths among troops of any single day in United States military history.  Out of nearly 100,000 soldiers engaged in the battle, about 23,000 were killed, wounded, or missing.  That is 1 out of every 4 soldiers!

Yet, even with all this bloodshed, you could see God’s hand in the battle.  It was an amazingly close fight.  In many respects it was a draw.  And it could have been a loss.

But even with all this loss, some huge blessings came from this war…

This fight reshaped the logistics of field medicine, and much of what they started doing here, is still used today.  Dr. Jonathan Letterman established an ambulance corps to evacuate the wounded.  He also adopted triage (a system of prioritizing casualties by the severity of their wounds).

One of the saving grace’s for the Union, was blessing from God.  Some men found cigars laying on the ground, and wrapped around the

This beautiful bridge was the scene of a very bloody battle. It’s called Burnside Bridge after one of the generals.

cigars was Lee’s Special Order 191, his plan of operations for the campaign.  This “Lost Order”, gave Union General McClellan, who tended to be a timid General, the opportunity to know how to strike Lee’s divided forces.  This miracle could have been the difference between a loss or a win…both having significant consequences.

First, the loss discouraged major European powers such as France and England who were considering supporting the Confederacy.  This in itself probably altered the course of the war.  Imagine what the Confederacy could have done with strength from France and England.

Second, Abraham Lincoln was waiting for a Union victory, to announce the Emancipation Proclamation.  This victory made that announcement possible.

This battle played a huge role in the outcome of both the United States and the Civil War.  And I had no idea about it until today.  It was amazing to learn about.  It was an amazing day!

If you want to see incredible photos of the aftermath of this battle.  A photographer, lost his business betting these photos would be important.  They are today, but back then, he lost a lot of money trying to capture these pictures…

http://www.nps.gov/anti/photosmultimedia/Historic-Photogaphs.htm

This is a National Cemetery were many soldiers are buried from the Battle of Antietam.

Summary of Day 33

Drove:  166 miles (99100-99266)

Places we visited or saw: Harper’s Ferry, the Battle of Antietam