Category: States

Mission San Jose

San Antonio TX

Mission San Jose (full name: Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo.) is the most complete and reconstructed mission. This mission dates to 1720, and it was fully restored in 1930s. Mission San Jose has perhaps the most beautiful sanctuary, but unfortunately it was closed on the day we were here.
Sculpted in 1775, the Rose Window is considered to be one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in North America.

Mission Concepcion

San Antonio TX


The San Antonio Missions National Historic Park contains four missions within several miles of each other. The missions were built in the early 1700s and have been the center of their communities since then, even today.

Mission Concepcion (full name: Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisma Concepcion de Acuna) is one of the oldest unrestored stone churches in the USA.
Mission Concepcion served as a religious center, and the missionaries here also taught the inhabitants to function as a European community. The combination of Spanish Catholicism and native cultures produced the unique culture of modern day South Texas.
Mission Concepcion sanctuary.
Decorated for Christmas.
The baby Jesus figure is placed in the stable on Christmas Eve.

San Fernando Cathedral

San Antonio TX

San Fernando Cathedral was founded in 1731 by a group of 15 families who came from the Canary Islands at the invitation of King Phillip V of Spain and is the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in the State of Texas. This church was planned to be at the center of life in this city. The Cathedral building is also the oldest standing church building in Texas.
San Fernando Cathedral at night on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve service.
The bones of the Alamo heroes lie here. William Travis, David Crockett and Jim Bowie, and others.

Christmas in Fredericksburg TX

This is a 26 foot German Christmas Pyramid, or “Weihnachtspyramide”.
Fredericksburg is a cute small city in the Hill Country of Texas, For the Christmas season, every night at 6 PM they have their tree lighting ceremony in the historic Marketplatz. The loud speakers play Christmas carols, then a narrator tells of the history of Christmas in Fredericksburg, and then the countdown to the tree lighting, where all the trees lights are turned on to cheers from the crowd. The Marketplatz crowd was actually pretty large and enthusiastic. (I took this picture hours later so not many people were there by then).
Fredericksburg’s Main Street lighted for Christmas.

Museum of the Pacific War

Fredericksburg TX

Fredericksburg TX was the hometown of Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the US Pacific fleet during World War II. This building, now a museum, was once a hotel owned and operated by Nimitz’s grandparents, and then his parents.
National Museum of the Pacific War. This is a world-class museum, with excellent collections of many items of importance to help you understand the war in the Pacific.
The museum contains six distinct sections: George H. W. Bush Gallery, Admiral Nimitz Gallery, Plaza of Presidents, Japanese Garden of Peace, Memorial Courtyard, and Pacific Combat Zone. We only had time to go through the first three.
This is the fairwater and periscope (next picture) from the U.S.S. Pintado. Pintado made six war patrols in enemy waters, disposing of five naval vessels and ten merchantmen of Japan, sinking or otherwise disabling 132,900 tons of enemy shipping. During her fifth patrol, she rescued all twelve crew members of the B-29 “City of Galveston”.
Periscope from the U.S.S. Pintado.
Main mast from the destroyer USS Foote.
5 inch/38 caliber gun.
Mark 15 torpedo tube.
Twin 40MM Bofors.
U.S. 105MM Howitzer M2A1. These were the standard light field howitzer for the US during World War II.
Ordnance QF 25-pounder Field Gun. Considered to be one of the best field guns of the war, this gun saw service throughout World War II with British and Commonwealth forces.
75MM Field Gun, M2A2. This gun was nearly obsolete in 1940, and was largely relegated to training, but a few did see service in the Philippines and Java against Japanese invaders.

Presidents Plaza

Ten US presidents served in the military during World War II. Presidents Roosevelt and Truman’s service was as commander-in-chief.
41st president George H. W. Bush.
40. Ronald Reagan.
39. Jimmy Carter.
38. Gerald Ford.
37. Richard Nixon.
36. Lyndon Jonhson.
35. John F. Kennedy.
34. Dwight Eisenhower.
33. Harry Truman.
32. Franklin Roosevelt.

Nimitz Gallery

Admiral Chester Nimitz. Nimitz was a 5-star admiral (Fleet Admiral), one of four 5-star admirals – a rank that was created during World War II. There were also five 5-star generals in the army.
Sea chest owned by Chester Nimitz’s great grandfather; hand carved wooden shoes worn by Nimitz’s great grandfather Jacob Weirich, who wore these shoes outside as work boots; rolling pin; woodworking plane.
Chester Nimitz’s childhood cradle and high chair.
Five-star flag flown at Chester Nimitz’s headquarters on Guam.
Trunk issued to Chester Nimitz during his military career; PB2Y Coronado model made of mahogany, Nimitz oftern traveled throughout the Pacific aboard a PB2Y; Travel cribbage board custom made for Nimitz at Pearl Harbor in 1943 – Nimitz often played cribbage with other staff on long flights.
Model 42 Harley Davidson WLA, used extensively in World War II.

George H.W. Bush Gallery

Before Pearl Harbor

A very good series of displays and videos explaining the background of Japanese aggression leading up to December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor.
Admiral Heihachiro Togo.
Scroll written by Admiral Togo recording his words before the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. It reads: “The country’s fate depends upon this battle. Let every man do his duty with all his might.”
Selfie within the Japanese flag.
There are many, many more displays giving much greater detail.
During 1941 World War II raged over much of the rest of the world, but Americans hoped we could avoid being drawn into the conflict. This is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 1941, just a couple weeks before Pearl Harbor. Interesting side note – Macy’s donated the Uncle Sam balloon to the war effort because rubber was scarce.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese HA-19 Midget Submarine used in the attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941.
Interior of HA-19 Midget Submarine.
USS Arizona door.
This captured midget submarine was one of five the Japanese used for the Battle of Pearl Harbor. The other four were sunk or scuttled.

US enters the war

The Doolittle Raid in early 1942 gave the US a jolt of confidence following the Pearl Harbor attack. This B25 is similar to the planes used in Doolittle’s Raid.
Japanese Vice Admiral’s tunic believed to have been worn by Isoroku Yamamoto; Time magazine from May 1943; Admiral Nimitz’s pistol; bubblegum card featuring Admiral Nimitz; intercom used in Admiral Nimitz’s CINCPAC office.
F4F Wildcat was the primary Navy and Marine fighter during the first 18 months of World War II. It was slower and less maneuverable than the Japanese Zero, but it was rugged and had more firepower.
Guadalcanal.
M3 Stuart tank.
3-inch Japanese gun. These guns destroyed 3 Stuart tanks before being taken out.
The Sullivans. Five Sullivan brothers were killed in action in 1943. An incredible story.
Japanese triple-barrel gun.
The Jeep was originally designed in Pennsylvania and delivered in September 1940. The army called in GPV (General Purpose Vehicle). It was used in every war theater due to its versatility.
The Bat was the first effective radar-guided bomb that could be launched under the wing of an aircraft.
Japanese defenses on Saipan used the 37MM guns and 70MM mortars for close infantry support. The 37MM fired both high explosive and armor piercing high explosive ammuniton.
40MM Bofors Rapid Fire Cannon.
This is the bridge of a US cruiser.
Future president George H.W. Bush was shot down when he was on a bombing mission in 1944. He was rescued by the submarine USS Finbank. Incredibly his rescue was recorded on video.
Imperial Japan was harsh police state.
Planting the American flag on top of Suribachi on Iwo Jima.
This poster honoring the Iwo Jima photo, autographed by the Marines who did the flag planting.
The US flag from the destroyer USS Hugh W. Hadley DD-774, which was badly damaged when a Japanese 500 pound bomb exploded beneath it. The Hadley listed but did not sink. Prior to the bomb, the Hadley successfully shot down 23 Kamikazes.
Combat Information Center on destroyers like the Hadley.
“Fat Man”, similar to the plutonium bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.
Japanese Aichi “Val” Dive Bomber, which played a major role in the success of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. “Val” was the Allied code name for the plane. This plane was destroyed on the ground by Allied bombers at an airfield on New Britain at Rabaul, probably in 1943.