Category: Presidents

Greeneville TN

Home of President Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States. President Johnson was sworn in as president when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865.

This is one of two homes in Greeneville that Johnson lived in.
This is the other. He lived in each home about the same amount of years.
This is a replica of the house in Raleigh NC where President Johnson was born. The original house no longer stands. He was born into poverty.
The inside of the birth house.
This is a replica of Johnson’s tailor shop, which is inside of the museum.
The inside of the tailor shop.
President Lincoln added Johnson to the ticket for the 1864 election. Lincoln, a Republican, chose Johnson, a southern Democrat in an effort to unite the nation as the Civil War was drawing near an end.
After Lincoln died, Johnson was sworn in using this Bible.
President Johnson was a conservative, constitutionalist…
President Johnson was the first US President to be impeached. The Republican-controlled Congress opposed virtually everything Johnson did. Congress passed a law called the Tenure of Office Act, which essentially tried to disallow the president from removing his cabinet members. Johnson vetoed the bill, but Congress overrode his veto. The president went ahead and fired Secretary of War Stanton, believing the act to be unconstitutional.
The House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson, which is a political action that is similar to an indictment in the criminal justice system. The trial in the Senate, requiring two-thirds vote to convict and remove Johnson from office, voted 35-19 to convict and remove, which was one vote short of removal!
Senator Edmund Ross of Kansas cast the final, and deciding vote, against convicting President Johnson.
Statue of President Andrew Johnson
Close-up
Monument and grave of President Andrew Johnson.

Orange County VA

So we took advantage of a beautiful Presidents’ Day holiday this year, and went to Orange County, home of one US President and birthplace of another.

MONTEBELLO

Zachary Taylor, our 12th President, was born at this site in 1784. The house where he was born no longer stands, and the current Montebello farm is private and not open to the public. Taylor’s family lived in Kentucky, and they visited family in Virginia, and on their return trip, several people became ill, so they stopped here to recover before continuing on to Kentucky. It was during this time that the future president was born. President Taylor was a cousin of President James Madison, whose house is…

MONTPELIER

Just a few miles from President Zachary Taylor’s birthplace is Montpelier, the home of James Madison, the 4th President of the United States, and author of the US Constitution.
Approaching the front of Montpelier.
This is a beautiful house! Maybe even more impressive than Monticello!
This is the view from the front porch at Montpelier.
Gazebo with brick columns.
Entrance foyer
Parlor
Dining room
James Madison’s desk in his office
President Madison’s bed in his later years, when he was too weak to walk upstairs.
This is also the room that he died, June 28, 1836, six days short of July 4, the day that Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on. He was last signer of the Constitution to die.
One of his nieces asked him “What is the matter?”
His last words were “Nothing more than a change of mind, my dear.”
James and Dolley Madison’s bedroom
This is the room where James Madison wrote the United States Constitution.
Actually, he carefully drafted a proposal to replace the failing Articles of Confederation. He took his proposal to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, and as discussions progressed, became know as the Virginia Plan, which was mostly adopted with a few changes based on ideas from other states. Virginia was the tenth state to ratify the new constitution in 1788, and the current United States form of government was launched!
Outbuildings, such as smoke houses and slave quarters
A pitcher honoring President Madison, misspelled “Maddison”.
President Madison was our shortest president. When I first started studying about the presidents, I read that he was 5’1″ tall, and when I reached that height in fourth grade I was very proud to be as tall as a president! Now, depending on whose research you read, President Madison’s height was anywhere from 5’1″ to 5’6″.
Graves of President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison.
Shortly up the road from Montpelier is this house, which was the home of freed slave George Gilmore, who built it in the 1860s.
Inside of George Gilmore’s house..

MONTPELIER STATION

Train depot at Montpelier.
Interesting scene here. Notice the signs above the doors. This is what life in the south was like during Jim Crow.
This is the room for the “colored” people.
This is the much larger room for Whites.

JAMES MADISON MUSEUM

In the town of Orange, there is this neat museum called James Madison Museum. It is basically a museum about the history of Orange County. This house, completed rebuilt inside the museum, is a typical Virginia house in the 1800s for Virginians who didn’t live in mansions like Mount Vernon, Monticello and Montpelier.
A horse-drawn Rockaway carriage from the 1880s.
1912 Ford Model T
President James Madison’s favorite chair
Bust of President James Madison
Everything in the picture belonged to President Zachary Taylor:
Bed, grandfather clock, general’s chest and chair.
Although born in Virginia, President Taylor grew up near Louisville, Kentucky.
He enlisted int he US Army in 1806 and eventually rose in the ranks to brigadier general. He fought in the War of 1812, Black Hawk War, second Seminole War, and finally the Mexican-American War, during which he emerged as a national hero for winning the Battle of Buena Vista even though outnumbered 4 to 1. As a national hero, he won the 1848 presidential nomination from the Whig Party, and then the presidency. He died in office in 1849, elevating Millard Fillmore to the presidency.
Slave’s clothing and other items.
The museum holds a pretty large collection of arrowheads, and Indian tools, as well as ancient rock drawings.
The town of Orange once had a very busy silk mill, and there are artifacts from that mill in the museum. This ball of silk would be spun into silk thread one mile long!

RAPIDAN VA

Driving through the countryside of Orange County, we passed through the little village of Rapidan, which spans the Rapidan River, and rests in both Orange and Culpeper Counties.
This is the Waddell Memorial Presbyterian Church, built in 1874 in the Carpenter Gothic style with board and batten siding.
This is the Rapidan Schoolhouse, built in 1887 for the rector’s eight children. It was later used as the town library.
The inside of the schoolhouse.

MITCHELLS VA

This is Mitchells Presbyterian Church in Mitchells, Virginia. This is the village where my father was born in 1925.
These are the graves of my grandparents.
These are the graves of my great-grandparents.

CULPEPER VA

This memorial park is located in the town of Culpeper.
Dedicated to Culpeper County natives who have served in the US military.
These stones honor my father’s five brothers who served in World War II.
Civil War battlefield at Brandy Station.
This battle on June 9, 1863, the largest cavalry battle of the entire Civil War, lasted for one day, as the Union forces slowed down (but did not stop) General Robert E. Lee’s progress toward Gettysburg, and the battle that would occur there on July 1-3.
We finished our day here at the Frost Cafe in the town of Culpeper.
They have the best fried chicken!

George Washington’s Mount Vernon

After all these years we FINALLY made it to Mount Vernon!
Entrance with the circle drive. Again, we visited a landmark that was hidden by scaffolding! They are doing some structural rehabilitation on this side.
This is the porch that faces the Potomac River.
Potomac River from Mt Vernon’s front porch
Tulip Poplar planted by George Washington in 1785.
The ballroom, where the Washingtons entertained.
Mirror actually owned by George Washington.
George and Martha Washington’s bedroom. George died in this bed in 1799. Martha closed the door and never slept in this room again. She died in 1802.
George Washington’s office.
The actual key from the French Bastille. This was a gift to George Washington from French Marquis de Lafayette.
The Washingtons’ tomb.
George Washngton’s casket.
The museum was very full and informative. There are several videos that are very well done.
This is a scene of young George Washington as a surveyor
Revolutionary War General George Washington on his horse
George Washington’s inauguration
George Washington’s actual dentures. They were not wood, but a combination of human and cow teeth, and elephant ivory!
George and Martha with grandchildren “Washy” and Nelly
As our nation’s first president, Washington was certainly self-aware of his importance in the country’s future and continuity.
So it looks like people have been rubbing Washington’s nose, so…
… since we did it with Abraham Lincoln, why not Washington?!

Great Lakes Trip 2019 Day 11

Dixon IL

The Dixon arch
Breakfast in the beautiful dining room
A “Dutch Baby” – this was delicious!
Pumpkin bread with cranberries
Sausages, etc.
Wings of Peace and Freedom, donated to the city of Dixon by Nick Taney, an immigrant to the US from Bulgaria, in gratitude for President Reagan’s part in ending the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
Ronald Reagan equestrian statue
The Rock River
Interestingly, Dixon was home to several people who made significant contributions to American life. Charles Walgreen, the founder of Walgreen’s Drug Store. The Walgreen family still owns the estate in Dixon.
John Deere developed the steel plow in Dixon.
Also, film director/actor Orson Welles was born just a few miles from Dixon.
The Rock River at Lowell Park.
Ronald Reagan was a lifeguard here for several years in the 1920s. He was credited for saving 77 lives in the Rock River here during those years.
This is a statue of Abraham Lincoln in military uniform. Lincoln served in the military during the Blackhawk War in the early 1830s. He never saw any combat, but he was stationed here in Dixon during that time.
After church, we ate lunch at Flynnie’s Diner, which was very good!

President Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home, Dixon IL

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. He was president from 1981-1989. He is one of my favorite presidents. After four years of President Carter’s “malaise”, President Reagan ushered in a time of positive outlook, and a great turnaround of a sour economy and a depleted military. He spoke of the US as the “shining city on the hill”. I could talk about this president for hours, since I grew as a young adult and got married during his presidency.

This is the home in Dixon that Ronald Reagan lived for a few years during his childhood. He was an excellent athlete, and a superior swimmer. After graduating from Eureka College (IL) with a degree in Economics, he went on to become a radio announcer. As a radio announcer, he broadcast Chicago Cubs baseball games from a small radio station in Iowa. There was no live TV feed (not available yet), so he would receive the teletype throughout the games and announce that action as though he was actually watching it! While he was in California for Cubs spring training, he scored a screen test, and thus his acting career in Hollywood began! Reagan served several terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild, then went on to become governor of California in the late 1960s.
This statue shows President Reagan looking at corn kernels.
This was Reagan’s parents’ bedroom. None of the home’s furnishings are from the Reagans, but period pieces. Ronald and his brother Neil Reagan described what they remembered about the furnishings when the house was being prepared to become a museum.
The Reagans actually had an indoor bathroom (not with these fixtures, however).
Ronnie and Neil’s bedroom.
Living room.
Living room fireplace.
When President Reagan visited Dixon in 1984, he recalled that as a child, he would hide his coins under this tile by the fireplace (for safekeeping). He reached down and place four pennies under the tile to demonstrate.
Popcorn was a favorite snack of the Reagan boys.
Dining room.
When President Reagan visited Dixon in 1984, he ate lunch here. He sat at the left in this picture. The place at about 8 o’clock in the picture is the plate he ate from.
Typical 1920s kitchen.
The ice box in the center of the wall has a sign for “ICE”. The customer would place this sign in the window to indicate to the Ice Man how much ice was needed. Each ice block was 25 pounds.
The inside of the “ice box”. The blocks were picked up with tongs similar to these.
Ronnie Reagan and his friends played a lot of football in this yard beside the house.
1919 Model T Ford similar to one the Reagans would have owned.
Reagan attended this school.
Reagan and his brother were both voracious readers. They would come to this library to check out books.
The Reagans attended this church. Reagan’s mother was a Sunday School teacher here, as well as Ronald himself as he grew older.
Dixon is a cute, well-maintained town.
President Reagan was born here in Tampico IL, about 20 miles from Dixon.
Reagan was born in an apartment on the second floor of this bank building. It was a bakery at the time Reagan was born, February 6, 1911. The room he was born in was the window to the left of the sign on the second floor.
Plaque on the building. President Reagan was a determined proponent of individual liberty.
The room where Reagan was born.
This is the back porch of the apartment, with a window from the adjoining apartment. When Reagan was an infant/toddler, and his mother needed to step out to do chores, she would simply hand the child through the window to the neighbor to watch. When President Reagan visited in 1984, he crawled through the window, which he said was “the last time”.
Mural on a building in Tampico IL
Windmills along the Illinois countryside. They weren’t turning very much, some not at all.
Illinois countryside.
Illinois countryside.

Great Lakes Trip 2019 Day 7

Michigan State Capitol
Lansing MI

Michigan State Capitol
Senate chamber
House of Representatives chamber
House chamber ceiling
George Romney, Governor of Michigan 1963-1969. He was the father of current Utah Senator Mitt Romney.
Portrait of President Gerald Ford. We are going to his Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids later this morning.
Looking up at the rotunda.
Farm in rural Michigan

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
Grand Rapids MI

President Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids MI.
Mary Jean with First Lady Betty Ford.
Statue of President Gerald R. Ford, our 38th President. He became president upon the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon on August 9, 1974. I remember watching President Nixon announce his resignation on August 8, 1974. Ford had become Vice President when Nixon nominated him upon the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew, who was under investigation for political corruption (bribes, etc.). Thus President Ford is the only person who became president without a national presidential election. He ran for election in the 1976 presidential election against Jimmy Carter. I was a senior in high school that year, and I was eligible to vote for the first time, and President Ford received my first ever vote for president. Unfortunately, he lost to Carter.
Astronaut statue
President Ford was born as Leslie Lynch King Jr. in Omaha NE (Nebraska’s only president), but his father severely abused his mother, so she divorced him and moved to Grand Rapids MI, where she met and married Gerald R. Ford. The child’s name was legally changed to Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. The quote in this picture is referring to his adoptive father.
Ford grew up in Grand Rapids MI
President Ford was perhaps our most athletic president. He was a star football player in high school, and went on to be a star lineman for the University of Michigan!
Ford was an Eagle Scout.
Ford served in the Navy during World War II.
His boat, the USS Monterey’s biggest challenge was when it was hit by a typhoon in the Pacific Ocean.
Prior to his presidency, Gerald Ford was a Congressman from Michigan. He rose through the ranks to become majority leader in the House. In 1972, President Nixon won re-election in a landslide, but oddly the Republicans did not win the house, which would have elevated Ford to Speaker of the House. If that would have happened, Ford likely would not have been nominated Vice President to replace Agnew, and thus would not have become president when Nixon resigned.
President Nixon’s resignation letter.
President Nixon was forced to resign because of his role in the Watergate scandal, which started in 1972 when some Nixon supporters broke into the Democrat headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC, and they were caught. Nixon become involved later, primarily to cover up the break in. As the scandal mounted, Nixon likely obstructed justice in blocking investigators.
When President Ford assumed office, he inherited a deeply divided and uncertain government and country. He had earned a very strong reputation for honesty and decency.
President Ford issued a pardon for President Nixon, in an effort to close the book on Watergate. Most likely, this pardon was the primary reason he lost in 1976 to Jimmy Carter.
President Ford’s Oval Office
President Ford’s Oval Office
The ceiling in President Ford’s Oval Office
Replica of President Ford’s Cabinet Room. Mary Jean is sitting in the chair for the Secretary of Interior…
… and I am sitting in the President’s chair.
President Ford worked full steam, even though many people of the left tried to paint him as an “illegitimate” president.
State dinner clothes and table settings.
President Ford authorized leaving the US Embassy in Saigon in 1975, thus ending our involvement in the Vietnam War.
The campaign of 1976.
This is what 1976 looked like! The United States celebrated our 200th birthday all year – lots of patriotic events all year, all over the country! JM’s Monroe Singers performed patriotic concerts several times throughout the year.
The Freedom Train came to Fredericksburg and set up at the FMC plant. I went though the displays on the Freedom Train, and the thing that I still remember most after all these years was seeing NBA star Bob Lanier’s size 21 shoes!
Model of the USS Gerald R. Ford.
This is a beautiful woman at a beautiful museum.
Graves of President Gerald and First Lady Betty Ford
Downtown Grand Rapids MI