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

DAY 34 – August 1, 2012 – The US Capitol Smithsonians in Washington DC

Today we are going to have a guest blogger and photographer.  It’s my day off.  Jawbreaker has offered to blog about the day.

NOTES ON THE US CAPITOL VISIT:  The only thing I would want to blog before he gets started is about visiting the Capital Building.  After all the mishaps we have had getting in and out of security, I was scared to death to bring anything, and I left things I could have brought.  Bring your cameras and cell phones to the Capital Building.  You are aloud to take photographs in most places where they give you the congressional tour.

You are not aloud to have cameras or cell phones, or even keys for that matter, when you go to the Senate and House of Representative Sessions, in that same building.  That’s where we were confused and thought we couldn’t bring anything.  When you are ready to go to those sessions, they have a check-in room where they will hold your things for you until you are done.  I wish I had brought my better camera with me to the Capital.  But since I didn’t want it confiscated and I didn’t know what to bring, I left it behind.  So that’s my two bits for the Capital.

Capital:
In the Capital, we went through security and met up with a very charismatic tour guide. She gave everyone headphones so that we could all hear her share very interesting stories about the Capital.

In the Rotunda, she explained that there are 2 statues for every state (not all statues are in the Rotunda of the Capital because some are in other places we were not allowed to visit). Idaho’s Statues are of William Borah and George Shoup. There are other statues of great people from presidents to famous people.

The story I was most interested in was of the mural that goes around the room of the rotunda. They wanted to draw a short history of the United States around the top of the room.  But about halfway through the painting, the artist stepped back and fell off the scaffolding.  He survived the fall (he being 75 at the time), but he would never finish the drawings.

So his assistant was sent to finish the job, but he didn’t measure right, and finished the mural 30ft before the end of where he was supposed to finish.  He was fired and 30 ft. of the wall was left blank until 1960, when Congress hired another man to finish the painting with a few more events that have happened in the years passed. There is one thing to look for in the drawings.  If you find the civil war troops marching in lines, look to the left to find a tree. Above the bush/fern tree is a faint drawing of the 2^nd artists face. Speculation says he put himself in because he was fired or because he was suppose to finish the drawings.

The next room we visited is another room with statues. This was the old House of Representatives meeting place. One cool thing besides the statues, is the explanations of the acoustic parabelum.  John Quincy Adams, after being president of the U.S., is the only president elected back to Congress. In the meeting hall, there is an acoustic anomaly, where he sat that allows you to hear the faintest whispers from the other side of the room.  We were able to hear our tour guide whisper even above the loud conversations and screaming children. In his day they thought him to be wise and very quick in debates.  Later after he died, they realized the acoustics in the room, might have helped his wisdom.  They speculate that he just listened to the opponents from the other side of the room, and then had lots of time to prepare.

Sessions of Congress
It would have been great to visit if they had had any action in Congress, but when we visited, the room was empty.  Senator Lieberman’s was talking to himself, introducing the Internet Security Reform. It is great if you love government and politics but if you don’t like it, this might be a boring visit.  Remember to read up about how it works or you might get disappointed.

NatureHistoryMuseum
Warning: This is a zoo of dead animals. This museum is made of mostly replicas and if you hate nature or looking at rocks don’t go in.

This is a great museum but if you think nature is boring or dead animal or rocks; don’t go in!!! There are amazing representations and fossils of animals but I can bet you about 90% of the things on display a) never lived;  b) lived but are now rocks; or c) is just a rock.

If you are a die hard rock collector or avid animal lover it’s great. Everyone else you are just looking at plastic and rocks.  There is one living thing. There are fish, but you need to find them if you want to see something that is alive.

[EDITORS NOTES: this is the opinion of a maybe slightly cynical teenager : ).  His younger brothers and sister loved the museum and cried when we left.  And I am not a museum fan, I prefer more active learning than walking around looking at things with no explanation other than billboards.  But I was pleasantly surprised, this was one was good.   I guess my teenage son was hoping for a live zoo, with animals jumping at him behind glass : )  ]

American History:
This museum on the other hand has real artifacts from the day. There are things to see from money dating back to Carthage, Tunisia (back before Christ) to a real Huey Helicopter in full length and height. This museum you really need to take time to look at. There are things that you can’t find anywhere but here because they preserved it.

One thing that is a must see is the original chairs from Appomattox Court House where General Lee sat and surrendered to Grant to basically end the Civil War.  This Museum as so many real artifacts from the time, that it is a must see in D.C. The boys favorite is the original nazi flag that the flew over the Riechstag before the Russians took Berlin in WW2.

Air and Space Museum:
This is a great museum if you like air and space flight.  It ranges from SS-2 “Saber” Russian Nuclear Missile to replicas of Wright’s flying machine.  This museum has a lot of modern items.  And surprisingly fit a lot of planes in this building.  We will be visiting the Air and Space Museum by the Dulles Airport, because they have more room, and more items there, and it is an annex to this building.

They have an obsession with space travel.  They have satellites all the way to items that relate to our time on the moon.  It was really great overall.  Foreknowledge on what you are looking at here, makes it a sweeter experience.

[EDITORS NOTES:  Everyone loved today.  But after walking from 8am until 7pm some of us were pretty exhausted.  Starburst was slightly teary eyed towards the end,  there was not enough food for her.  (We tried to accommodate that as fast as we could).  And little Fireball climbed into the motor home’s kitchen bench and passed out before we pulled out of downtown.  But the funny thing was, he had skipped the whole day, I kept wondering where his limitless energy had come from.  But apparently we did drain it all, he never woke up the rest of the night.]

Summary of Day 34
Drove:  37 miles
Walked: 8 miles

Places we visited or saw: 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