Category: USA

Kansas State Capitol

Topeka KS – August 2021

Kansas State Capitol in Topeka, completed 1903. There are 38 domed state capitols in the US. This capitol is the second tallest of the 38. The dome is pure copper. It would take 2.3 million pure copper pennies to make up this dome! 
The statue atop the dome is the “Ad Astra” statue, which represents a Kaw warrior pointing his arrow at the North Star. The state’s official motto, “Ad astra per aspera,” is Latin for “To the stars through difficulty.”
President Dwight Eisenhower is the only president from Kansas.
President Abraham Lincoln statue on the capitol grounds.
Also on the capitol grounds.
The rotunda.
Chandelier hanging from the top of the rotunda.
There is much copper throughout the building. Quite beautiful.
An Eisenhower statue inside the building.
Mural depicting the civil rights struggle in Kansas. The landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka outlawed segregation of public schools.
Senate chamber.
From the Senate chamber, looking across the building to the House chamber.
House of Representatives chamber.
Speaker’s podium in the House.
View from the podium.
From the House chamber, looking across the building to the Senate chamber.

President Harry Truman Sites

Independence MO – August 2021

President Harry and First Lady Bess lived here beginning in 1919 when they were married. It was the “Summer White House” during his presidency 1945-1953. He lived here until he died in 1972. Truman was our 33rd president, from 1945-1953.
President Truman typically used this door to go in and out of the house. His top coat and hat are hanging on the rack inside. The building was closed due to COVID fear, so we could tour only the outside.
This was Truman’s last car – 1972 Chrysler Newport – exactly as it was when he died in 1972.
Bess’s two brothers lived in these houses next door to Truman’s house.
Harry Truman lived here from about 4 to 18 years old.
Harry Truman met Bess Wallace in the First Presbyterian Church in 1892, when he was 8 years old.
Unfortunately the museum was also closed.
The Trumans’ graves are located in a courtyard inside this building.

Missouri State Capitol

Jefferson City MO – August 2021

Missouri State Capitol
Statue of President Thomas Jefferson, for whom Jefferson City is named.
The Ten Commandments monument is still on the capitol grounds – yay!
Monument showing Secretary of State James Monroe signing the Louisiana Purchase agreement with France.
The Rotunda.
Like West Virginia’s capitol, there is a chandelier hanging from the top of the rotunda.
House of Representatives Chamber
Senate Chamber
Bust of President Harry S Truman, only president from Missouri.
Mark Twain
Rush Limbaugh
Portrait of William Henry Harrison, first governor of Missouri Territory, and 9th President of the US.

Louisville Slugger Factory/Museum

Louisville KY – August 2021

This was a pretty neat museum in downtown Louisville KY. This the the Hillerich & Bradsby baseball bat factory. They produce baseball bats! Many pro baseball players help design their own bats for this company to produce. Their story is very interesting.
All of the wood for the bats come from the region along the Pennsylvania-New York border.
The wood from the trees is cut into “billets”…
…which are then cut into baseball bats using this special lathe, which spins at 50,000 rotations per minute! It was amazing to watch this machine do its work. Here, it has already cut the handle and is spinning toward the barrel of the bat. This machine is used to make all the bats for the major league baseball players.
This lathe, called “Hempel tracer lathe”, is used to cut all other bats for “normal” people.
This machine takes each bat and cuts off the knob from the barrel, stamps the bat’s length, sands the end of the barrel, and airbrushes the bat to clean off dust particles.
Many bats at various stages of completion.
Cool three-legged stool.
The museum part has some neat statues. Here is their newest, Roberto Clemente.
Jackie Robinson
Ted Williams
Derek Jeter
Babe Ruth
Major Leaguer Pete Browning used this bat in 1887. His nickname was the “Louisville Slugger”, for whom the bat is now named.
Babe Ruth’s bat. The story of this bat is pretty cool…
Jersey and bat used by Honus Wagner in 1915.
Joe DiMaggio used this bat during his 56 game hitting streak in 1941.
Hank Aaron used this bat to hit his 700th career home run.
Hillerich & Bradsby made this special chair to honor Hank Aaron becoming the all-time home run king.
They call this the Fort Knox of Louisville Slugger. It contains over 3000 different bats created by the players who used them, including many of the greats of the game, like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, et. al. It also holds their signature plates and bat patterns.
After you tour the factory you get a free miniature bat souvenir. Of course I had to pose in front of the big bat! The big bat is an exact scale model of Babe Ruth’s bat from the 1920s. The model is 120 feet high, with a 9-foot diameter, and weighs 68,000 pounds. It is made of carbon steel.