In our retirement we are have decided it is time to leave the bubble of Ithaca, New York and see what America is really about. We invite you to join us as we learn about people, places and the natural history we experience in our travels.
We took a short couple day trip to the Hudson River Valley this week via the scenic Rt. 28 route through the Catskills. We were pleasantly surprised by peak foliage due to the higher elevation.
We came across Andes, New York (population 1, 114), perhaps the smallest town in the Catskills. We were happy to see the plethora of Harris/ Walz yard signs lining Main St. in an otherwise politically red Delaware County.
Main street Andes is lined with quaint boutiques and restaurants. The town has been successfully marketed as a tourist destination for New York City. We are told the town fills up on weekends, so we recommend coming on a weekday during peak tourist season. It is a great place to hike, fish, ski or just enjoy the outdoors.
We had dinner at the Andes Hotel, where there is a jovial crowd of locals filling up the porch and bar in the evening. The food was decent.
The Doll House
We stayed at The Doll House, a fully renovated victorian house on Main St. In the hamlet.
We recommend this treasure if you are planning a get away in the Catskills.
On the last day of our trip we visited Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia. A visit to this place has been on John’s bucket list for a long time and it did not disappoint. We plan another visit when more is in bloom outside. I will leave you with a collage of beauty until next trip. Thank you for adventuring with us!
We are in Williamsburg, Virginia and yesterday we visited the Jamestown Settlement Museum. We were not sure what to expect in terms of an inclusive historical perspective and were happy to see that they describe the museum”s mission as fostering “an awareness and understanding of the early history, settlement, and development of the United States through the convergence of American Indian, European, and African cultures and the enduring legacies bequeathed to the nation.” It does seem that they are very much attempting to be inclusive in the telling of history. I am wondering how different it is from the presentation of facts 20 years ago?
I did not know much about Bacon’s Rebellion, an armed rebellion of settlers against Colonial GovernorWilliam Berkeley, Bacon and his armed rebels ransacked their colonial capital, threatened its governor and upended Virginia’s social order. They managed to chase Berkely from Virginia and burned the settlement to the ground. The rebellion failed. Soon Bacon was dead and his militia defeated. The rebellion he led is commonly thought of as the first armed insurrection by American colonists against Britain and their colonial government a hundred years before the American Revolution. (History.com) The alliance between European indentured servants and Africans (a mix of indentured, enslaved, and free Blacks) disturbed the colonial upper class. They responded by hardening the racial caste of slavery in an attempt to divide the two races from subsequent united uprisings with the passage of the Virginia Slave Codes of 1705.[5][2][6]. White indentured servants were subsequently offered 50 acres of land to farm when their servitude ended, giving them considerably more status, while Blacks were subject to lifetime servitude or slavery, which was a very effective way to prevent any future uprisings.
John Glover’s racially integrated regiment rowed George Washington’s troops across the Delaware leading to a victory at the Battle of Trenton
Yesterday we arrived in Williamsburg, Virginia, which is home to both the Jamestown Settlement Museum and Colonial Williamsburg living history museum. We decided to visit the Jamestown Settlement first and were very surprised to see pods of military people all over the place dressed in costume from the Greek Phalanx (500 B.C.E) to the current day Virginia National Guard as part of the 40th annual Military through the Ages event. Being a Quaker and a pacifist, I was not happy to see this taking over the Jamestown Settlement Museum. I have to admit, that I did find elements of it very interesting. There was a pod there representing Black Soldiers of the American Revolution.
We spoke at length with a man from New Jersey (I never got his name) who was representing the 14th Continental Regiment. He was a wealth of information about Black history in general and particularly John Glover’s regiment from Marblehead, Massachusetts.
Glover marched his regiment to join the siege of Boston in June 1775. At Boston, General George Washington chartered Glover’s schooner Hannah to raid British supply vessels, the first of many privateers or warships authorized by Washington. For this reason the Hannah has been occasionally called the first vessel of the Continental Navy or its later successor the United States Navy.[10] (Wikipedia)
The Marblehead militia or “Glover’s Regiment” became the 14th Continental Regiment. John Glover was able to raise a regiment of 500 men composed of both his militia and Marblehead mariners, and termed by Washington as soldiers “bred to the sea.”[11] This regiment became known as the “amphibious regiment” for their vital nautical skills. It was composed almost entirely of seamen, mariners and fishermen.[12] Many of these men of were Native Americans, Jewish, African-Americans, and Spanish forming the first integrated units in the new American military.[2] The regiment’s muster rolls listed one-third of the men as dark complexioned. A Pennsylvania general was shocked by the “number of negroes” treated as equals in Glover’s Regiment.[13] Most of the regiment lived in Marblehead, and came together before the war, fishing in the Grand Banks. At sea, everyone was working towards a common goal, and a person’s background didn’t matter, a philosophy carried over into the regiment.[2] (Wikipedia)
Our Jamestown experience in all was very interesting, although it was disconcerting to see Jamestown Settlement staff in costume intermingled with people walking around in togas, suits of armor, kilts, viking costumes and current day combat gear. I will do another post on what I learned about the Jamestown Settlement itself.
Remains of Magnolia Beach Hotel in Georgetown, South Carolina
In our travel we have come across abandoned African American resorts all across the country. While we would never want to turn back hard won victories during the civil rights movement, it is sad that these vibrant vacation spots for the African American community were lost.
The Magnolia Beach Hotel, built in the 1930’s during the time of segregation in the South, was a popular destination for local and visiting African Americans. It was listed in the Green Book and was known for its vibrant nightlife. It hosted many famous performers of the day- Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Pearl Bailey were among the famous acts. The hotel and Beach were destroyed in 1954 by Hurricane Hazel and was never rebuilt.
Charleston, South Carolina really is a beautiful and interesting city. I had forgotten that it was one of the original 13 colonies from the founding of the U.S. and has many buildings dating to the colonial period.
One interesting fact is that there is a city ordinance saying that no building may be built taller than the tallest church steeple. Charleston is known as the “Holy City” because of it’s religious tolerance and the abundance of places of worship. Though the history of Charleston’s nickname is hotly debated, one thing remains clear: it’s home to one of the largest concentrations of churches in the U.S. (including some of the country’s oldest congregations). It is worth noting that this tolerance came over time- the famous Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first Black church built in 1818, faced major discrimination and hostility. State and city ordinances at the time limited worship services by black people to daylight hours, required that a majority of congregants in a given church be white, and prohibited black literacy. In 1818, Charleston officials arrested 140 black church members and sentenced eight church leaders to fines and lashes. City officials again raided Emanuel AME Church in 1820 and 1821 in a pattern of harassment. (Wikipedia).
The new International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina is definitely worth a visit. Built on Gadsden’s Wharf, where 40% of all American enslaved persons entered the country, the museum has an interesting focus on reconnecting African American families with their history and ancestors through their Center for Family History. Here is a PBS news story about the genealogy research center.
The museum has a large exhibit on the Gullah Geechee of the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia Low Country.
You can also learn about Carolina Gold- the rice industry in South Carolina that was developed by enslaved people who brought the knowledge of rice production from their homeland in Africa..
They also had a movie about the Black Indian society for the New Orleans Mardi Gras. Many enslaved people were taken in by the Seminoles and that history is celebrated during Mardi Gras.
As we visit museums on the Civil Rights Trail, we have noticed that the info can get somewhat repetitive. This museum presents information that I have not seen elsewhere. I encourage you to visit!
This is our first visit to St. Augustine, Florida and one thing is immediately evident that sets it a part from most other Southern cities and towns we have visited- there are very few Black people here. The Black population in St. Augustine was 4.9% in 2023, compared to many Southern cities that are majority Black. We wondered why this was true and found out that in 1965, the population was 40% Black, which peaked our interest further, especially since St. Augustine hosted the first free Black community in the land.
St. Augustine “Foot Soldiers” protesting segregated beaches
An article in Harper’s magazine article written in 1965 by Larry Goodwin, entitled “Anarchy in St. Augustine” details the violence that happened here during the civil rights movement. Bull Conner had nothing on the White community leaders in St. Augustine. Trigger warning: there is liberal use of “N****r” in the article, but I recommend a read in spite of this. Goodwin states that St. Augustine “is perhaps the most bitterly divided community on the North American continent. Massive hostility exists not only between the races, but also within the white population”.
Holstead (Hoss) Manucy, klan-oriented leader of a group that townspeople call “Manucy’s Raiders.” His numerous, well-organized tribe roams the beaches by day and the plaza by night, and is officially known as the Ancient City Hunting Club and less officially as the “Gun Club.” Local sheriff Davis named Mauncy and several of his men as “honorary special deputies”.
Reverend Andrew Young of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference staff summed up the dismay of the Negro leadership at the unique group of recently appointed “volunteer special deputies” in St. Augustine: “It’s one thing to oppose the klan. . . . But when you have one man, wearing civilian clothes, beating you while another, wearing a badge, stands waiting to arrest you when the first one gets tired, well, that makes you think. St. Augustine is really worse than Birmingham. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen.”
The violence in St. Augustine drew in many of the nationally known civil rights leaders- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth and others. As demonstrations reached their peak in St. Augustine, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was being filibustered in congress. The images of segregation and violence coming out of the city helped to end the stalemate and get the legislation passed.
As much as DeSantis wants to erase Black History in Florida, we are fortunate that he cannot erase all that the internet offers. In 1990, the Florida Legislature created the Study Commission on African American History in Florida “to explore ways to increase public awareness of the contributions of African Americans to the state.” The commission created an in-depth document called the Florida Black HerItage Trail. While the language is somewhat dated, it seems like a pretty good reference. I read this document in addition to an article by the Fort Mose Historical Society and blackpast.org to learn the story of the first free Black community in North America.
The first Underground Railroad in America did not lead from south to north, but north to south. As early as 1687, enslaved people fled bondage from English-controlled South Carolina to seek life as free men and women in Spanish Florida. As Great Britain, France, and Spain competed for control of the New World and its wealth, they all in varying ways, came to rely on African labor to develop their overseas colonial possessions. Exploiting its proximity to plantations in the British colonies in North America and the West Indies, King Charles II of Spain issued the Edict of 1693 which stated that any male slave on an English plantation who escaped to Spanish Florida would be granted freedom provided he joined the militia and became a Catholic. This edict became one of the New World’s earliest emancipation proclamations.
The Spanish established the fortified town of Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose (on St. Augustine’s northernmost border) to accommodate the influx of escaped enslaved people. Fort Mose became the site of the first free black community in what is now the United States. By 1738 there were 100 Black living in Fort Mose; many were skilled workers, blacksmiths, carpenters, cattlemen, boatmen, and farmers. With accompanying women and children, they created a colony of freed people that ultimately attracted other fugitive slaves. Throughout the following decade, the Spanish continued to strengthen Fort Mose to provide an effective defense against English army advances.
When war broke out in 1740 between England and Spain, the people of St. Augustine and nearby Fort Mose found themselves involved in a conflict that stretched across three continents. The English sent thousands of soldiers and dozens of ships to destroy St. Augustine and bring back any runaways. They set up a blockade and bombarded the town for 27 consecutive days. Hopelessly outnumbered, the diverse population of blacks, Indians and whites pulled together. Fort Mose was one of the first places attacked. Lead by Captain Francisco Menendez, the men of the Fort Mose Militia briefly lost the Fort but eventually recaptured it, repelling the English invasion force.
Nonetheless, England eventually prevailed in the battle over control of North Florida. In 1763, the French and Indian War in the Americas ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The treaty turned the Florida colony over to the English and returned Cuba to the Spanish. The residents of Fort Mose sailed to Cuba with the Spanish, along with a few hundred remaining Indians. But, following England’s loss of its American colonies to the revolutionaries during the American Revolutionary War, Spain regained possession of Florida again in 1783. It had to relinquish La Florida to the newly created United States in 1821. Florida became a slave-holding state. Even as an American slave territory, many blacks continued to find freedom in Florida. While Seminole Indians owned slaves, permitting them to live in separate villages in exchange for one-third of their crops, they also welcomed many escaped, black bondsmen as members of their nation. Some runaway slaves joined the Seminole tribe and made numerous contributions in the doomed effort against the U.S. military during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).
Over the years, the Fort Mose site was swallowed by marsh, and the important legacy of its community was largely forgotten. Late in the twentieth century, a highly dedicated team of archaeologists, historians, government leaders and committed citizens helped restore Fort Mose to its rightful place of honor. Today, Fort Mose is recognized as a significant local, national and international historic landmark.
We are in St. Augustine, Florida- the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the United States. In honor of Womens’ History Month, I would like to tell you about Diamond Lil- an adventurer, entrepreneur, physician and rebel.
Dr. Luella Day MacConnell ((1870-1927), was by all accounts, quite a character. Born in Baltimore, she became a practicing physician in Chicago. She developed “gold Fever” and moved to Dawson (in the Yukon Territory) and made her fortune in 1898. In about 1901, “Diamond Lil”, as she was known, arrived in St. Augustine. She bought land adjacent to the Matanzas Inlet north of the Mission de Nombre de Dios and created the Fountain of Youth tourist attraction. Until her death in 1927, in St. Augustine, she fabricated stories to amuse and appall the city’s residents.
Perspectives on the Road 