We decided to go over to the coast today. However, even thought it was sunny and 52 degrees, there was a really cold wind blowing, so walking much on the beach didn't work so well today,
We started at the Fort Finch State Park on Amelia Island, in Fernandina Beach, FL. It is just over the GA/FL border. There is a living museum at Fort Finch--on the weekends. So, we just walked through the Fort. It was used during the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and WWII, since it is located to protect the harbor. We noticed that they were flying an American flag with the stars arranged in a star shape. We had never seen that. Has anyone else?
Then we decided to go over to St Marys Island, where the Cumberland Island National Seashore is. Unfortunately, the Cumberland Island National park is only accessible by Ferry, which, now that the Federal government is back in business, is running again. However, the timing didn't work for us, so we visited the Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum, and the Submarine Museum, a few doors down. I watched a video about submarines and learned more than I ever knew about them. It was actually very interesting. St Marys has a cutesy historic district and a small waterfront.
If the weather had been 10 degrees warmer, or no wind, it would have been a much better day. As it was, it was just OK.
We spent most of the day at the Okefenokee Swamp at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Sanctuary. We started with the visitor's center and a informational movie, then went on a 1-1/2 hr boat tour. We were the only ones with the narrator, who was extremely knowledgeable and informative. It is a unique, huge, swamp in our country, with a very diverse ecosystem and wildlife. It was pretty chilly today, with no sun, so we didn't see much wildlife--a few baby alligators, and a few amazing birds. Then, we went over to the site of some early homesteaders -- swamp dwellers. They have restored a homestead from 1927, from a family that lived there until the 60's. They needed to be really self-reliant. But, the water is pure, and game is abundant. We ended up with walking a 3/4 mile boardwalk into the swamp, out to an owl's observatory. That was really neat.
We had heard about the "Folkston Funnel", which is in the town where we are staying. About 45 -60 trains come through each day. And we get to hear them at our RV site. The place has attracted "railfans", so that they have built a viewing station, and put the radio chatter between the engineers on a loudspeaker. These folks know all of the different kinds of trains and engines etc. that come through. We went through the little train museum, and spoke with the local docent who actually finds the trains a nuisance, when trying to get through town. The trains are REALLY LONG. We sat and watched one. OK, been there, done that.
Okefenokee Swamp boat tour photos:
Swamp Trail hikes and Homestead photos - (the white around the homestead is NOT snow, but white sand, which they swept clean):
Boardwalk hike into the swamp and photos from the observation tower:
Evie does most of the posts, as I have three other blogs to run, not that I am keeping up with them that well, so I will just weigh in occasionally.-PJR Searching For The Oak
I had a bit of a disappointment as our journey to the Emancipation Oak was unsuccessful. The Emancipation Oak is the site of one of the most inspiring stories in American history. On January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation had gone into effect and there was a big celebration observed by then, Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson, in command of the First South Carolina Volunteers. You can read about it here.
It was not that the GPS led us astray exactly. The Emancipation Oak is on the grounds of a Navy Hospital. The petty officer at the gate told us we could not go in without a DOD ID.
Studying the map it looked like the base was just in the way of the path so we drove around a little and then made another inquiry at the gate. This time we got a Marine, who perhaps not coincidentally was black. He told us that actually there will be a grand ceremony in a month when the Oak will be open to the public. I noted another car had stopped with a lady looking confusedly at a map. She was also there for the Oak.
Public History Gets An Update
This is all related to the National Park Service recognizing Reconstruction. This area (Charleston, Beaufort, Hilton Head, etc.) probably has the most interesting Reconstruction story. It had some of the plantations that produced the most wealth- first from rice and then from cotton. South Carolina, home of John Calhoun, produced some of the most impassioned defenses of slavery and led the way in secession, which made what happened next kind of ironic.
Beaufort and Hilton Head were captured and occupied by Union forces early, making it the earliest experiment in Reconstruction and one that promised great hope as many of the tillers of the soil went from being owned themselves to owning the land that they worked. It also was the area where hope stayed alive the longest according to the tour we had of the Penn School.
Regardless, this all gets me reflecting on historiography, which is not something sensible people think about much. It is actually the interpretation of Reconstruction more than the argument about the cause of the Late Unpleasantness that is at the heart of the historic reckoning, long deferred, America is having with the original sin of slavery.
It would seem that when Thomas Jefferson wrote the first of the self-evident truths as being "all men are created equal", which give them the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the men who signed that should have gone home and liberated all the enslaved people that they purportedly owned. Well, they didn't do that, but from our modern viewpoint, there is at least some evidence that they felt bad about the clear inconsistency.
John Calhoun and the paternalistic ideology that he embraced and helped form, two generations later, would seek to resolve the inconsistency by simply declaring that the Declaration of Independence was wrong. The lofty Calhoun monument (raised to a great height because blacks kept defacing it according to tour guide Franklin Williams) highlights the Constitution. Maybe to give the whole picture it could have added "Declaration not so much".
If slavery was the original sin, then the war was the sacrifice that might have expiated it and that was the hope that informed Reconstruction, but it was not to be. They did try, but after Reconstruction was abandoned, came Jim Crow, which is when many of those monuments went up. The one to Calhoun dates to 1896.
And here is where the historiography comes in. Historiography is essentially the history of history. The historiography around the Civil War and Reconstruction is probably the area where different narratives cause people to be disconcerted the most. Generally, people will learn a narrative from their schooling and pop culture and the like and will more or less stick with it and shake their heads at the people who hold other narratives. Sometimes there is a conversion experience, where they suddenly realize that the narrative they learned is what "they want you to think" and now they have the real story.
The Lost Casue version of Reconstruction is one of redemption of the South from the rule of carpetbaggers and scaliwags who manipulated those freed from slavery for their own selfish gains. People being people, there must have been some of that going on. I remember learning about carpetbaggers and scaliwags in grammar school. But it was an odd story, because it didn't seem to have any good guys. That's because in the version devised around the turn of the century, the good guys wore white robes.
McLeod Plantation
At any rate at the McLeod Plantation, not only the history, but also the historiography was addressed. Much of the narrative focused on the enslaved people who lived there who outnumbered the white owning family by 15 to 1 and the different sorts of terror that invoked on both sides. Much of the story comes from archeology including bricks with the imprints of tiny fingers.
The main house had had a porch added in the twenties because for a while it marketed itself as a tourist attraction for the moonlight magnolia version of antebellum South Carolina.
What is interesting is the way in which stories evolve as different questions are asked of different sources. It is not that Lost Cause is entirely false, although it does lean on a lot of post Civil War rationalizations. It is just that those historians didn't care much about what it was like to be enslaved. They more or less accepted the master class version that they treated their work force better than other master classes.
W.E.B DuBois challenged the Lost Cause reading of Reconstruction in the 1930s. That got scholars going so that by the sixties neo-abolitionists were going strong, changing college curricula which worked its way into high schools and now half a century later is finally seen in public history.
Live In Fame Or Go Down In Flames
Which made me wonder about the future of the Mighty Eighth Museum. It was like walking into an episode of 12 O'Clock high.
The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum preserves for all Americans, the stories of courage, character, and patriotism embodied by the men and women of the 8th Air Force from WW II to the present. The Museum treasures and uses its unique collections and resources to teach values to the Nation's future generations.
It does that really well and I loved it. And I don't want it to change. But I predict that it will. There is nothing there about what it was like to be on the ground as the Mighty Eighth was dropping explosives, some of which remain unexploded to this day.
When my generation passes, I suspect that the museum management will be pressured to expand their perspective a bit. I guess I won't see it. In the meantime, I'm thankful that we grew up under an umbrella of air supremacy. The United States Air Force, which the Eighth help birth, has an extraordinary record. The last time a US service member on the ground was killed by enemy air action was in 1953.
Marching Through Georgia
Anyway now we are in a campground in Georgia. There is an American flag and below it is a Confederate flag and below that the Gadsen flag.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter J. Reilly is touring the South with Evie Pless.
We packed up and left Yemassee, GA and drove 3 hours to Homeland, GA, which borders the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (Swamp). The RV camp is in the middle of nowhere, and it looks like a whole town/area of mobile homes. And, a train runs by on a regular basis --oh joy. Actually, one of the attractions on the Folkston, GA website is the Folkston Funnel. People actually go to the Folkston train station to watch the trains go by. That must indicate how much there is to do around here, if that is considered a main attraction.
We'll spend a day or two exploring the Wildlife Refuge, and then head over to the coast, an hour away.
Peter's is feeling pretty proud of himself, as he set up the water, electric and sewer at this site quite seamlessly. He is surprised at how well it went, and he keeps being concerned something won't work right. So far, so good!
Two things we learned today during the setup. One--the blue handle that indicates which water inlet gets used, only turns in ONE Direction--not both ways. We kept trying to force it to go backwards. Now we don't. Second--you can actually screw the water hose onto the inlet using our hands, backwards, and don't need the wrench and pliers to get it tight. And, it doesn't leak, so that tells us we got it right.
Since we spent the rest of the day here, I spent some time doing an online Intro to Robotics course I found offered for free by the Open University, partnered with various other universities. So far, it is very interesting --I've always been fascinated by Robots.
So we didn't really know how long it would take to get ready to go, after hanging out in one space for 2 weeks. We did tend to start "spreading out" a bit. Did the laundry, took a couple walks, cleaned the RV, and figured out where we are going to stay in the Smokey Mountains on the way home. Since we need to be out of the Thousand Trails system for a week, after our stay in Alabama, we found a Good Sam's campground in Pigeon Forge, TN.
I'm deciding that simpler meals, especially made on the stove versus baking, might be the way to go. Made sloppy joes - easy.
Our biggest challenge was closing down the water and sewer systems. We needed to empty the black and grey tanks (that is simple, since we were hooked into the sewer system). But then, we needed to flush out the black water tank of all of the sewage--change from potable water hose to non-potable water hose, fill up the black water tank, then flush. It took several flushes. Then, you have to dismantle everything and put it all away into the LITTLE compartments in the side of the RV.
Oh yes, then we had to fill up the water tank a bit, so we can have water and toilets for tonight. Of course, we forgot that you had to close the spigot on the fresh water tank, so it kept emptying on the right side of the RV as we were attempting to fill it on the left side. But, how better to learn?
And, I just thought of another challenge we still haven't quite conquered. The stupid water hoses screw onto the RV inlets and onto the water spigot ass backwards! The screw thingy near the inlet tightens counterclockwise, and the screw thingy on the hose tightens clockwise --both right next to each other. So you have to turn the hose one way and the screw thingy the other way, neither one actually wanting to turn. It is quite a sight--Peter with the wrench, me with the pliers, both trying to get our tools into the same spot and turning in the wrong directions,
I immediately wrote down every step "Full Water/Sewer Hookup --Leaving". I think I have 15 steps, each with sub-steps!
We are off in the morning.
We decided to go into Charleston today, as we needed to stock up on healthy food, and Charleston has both a Trader Joe's and a Whole Foods, right near each other. So, we went to the Unitarian Church, again first. It's like the Sirius philosophy set in a typical church. Strange. But the sermon was non-religious, but very relevant.
Then we went over to the McLeod Plantation. Before the civil war, it grew cotton, with 75 - 100 enslaved laborers, and only 5 whites living in the main house. Extremely good tour guide, giving a vivid sense of the times. The Living Oak trees were huge, with limbs spreading out and to the ground. They were between 200 and 600 years old.
Then we went shopping. It's hard to shop, with a small refrigerator, freezer, and limited cupboard space. Mostly, we needed drinking water, as I don't feel comfortable drinking the water from our tanks, or even the city water piped in through our hoses.
We decided that we have seen most of this area, both history and nature, that we are able to absorb. Two weeks in one place is actually a lot. Especially, if the campground is just a staging area to stay at, and not an interesting, fun place to be vacationing in. So far, the RV campgrounds are not as nice as the State Park campgrounds. But, it's early yet, and the Thousand Trails sites are free, until May, so it makes sense to use them, and do the day trips to the interesting stuff.
We spent the morning trying to figure out our route going back home, in March and April, and reserving campgrounds. We then went for our 2 mile walk. I decided to try a new recipe, that uses our microwave/convection oven. I hadn't used the oven feature yet. It takes a lot longer to prepare food with my smaller, different cookware, and I needed to bake in little segments. Three 25 minute baking sessions, instead of one cookie sheet for 25 minutes. The oven is small -- but works!
Another hike around the camp lake--nice weather. Feels good to get out and walk.
We needed to make an appointment with Tiffin home office, to do some warranty work, before the warranty expires in April. As it turns out, the home office is in Alabama, about 45 minutes from where we are staying. So we are taking the RV in at the end of March, and I needed to send them a list of little things that do need attention. Hopefully, after all of these little bugs are worked out, it won't need so much attention going forward. But, like all homes, I guess it will always need ongoing maintenance.
Today was another rest day - sort of. We hung out at the campground for the morning. I did 2 loads of laundry, had lunch. Since it was such a beautiful sunny day, and we are trying to be sure we get a good amount of exercising in each day, we found a local wildlife sanctuary that had good hiking trails.
We really lucked out with the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary. It had amazing boardwalks over swamps that were forests flooded with water. It had wonderful hiking trails, and ended with a beaver pond like none other that I have seen. The water was covered in red and green algae. It looked like someone had poured lime green paint, and then red paint, in the water, and swirled them around. The result looked like a swirled carpet, that you could walk on. We even saw big turtles, basking in the sun. It ended up being a 3.5 mile hike. Just perfect.
For dinner, we decided to go over the the KOA campgrounds 1/2 mile down the road. It has a beer & wine tasting room, and a pizza parlor. We met and chatted with some interesting folks, including the couples that are hired by KOA to work there, for 6 months at a time. They are usually full-time RVers who get free RV lodging and pay.
Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary boardwalk:
The beaver pond and duck pond:
The Walterboro Red Rocking chair--is the symbol of South Carolina Low Country hospitality:
The day started off raining, and ended up gorgeous--sunny, in the mid-sixties. On our way to Hunting Island, we stopped at Penn Center. This was the original school for the freed enslaved children, right after the Civil War. It was then a school for blacks, through the 1960's. Now, it is a museum. Just so-so.
However, the Hunting Island State Park consists of the entire island. We started at the Nature Center and did the 1 mile nature trail over to the ocean. This was another shore completely covered with dead trees. This time, they were all washed up on shore over the last century, due to various storms, as this beach is at the point of a peninsula on the island.
Next, we walked the boardwalk into the marsh. Best sense of what these huge fields of grass really are. Walking the boardwalk, you can see that it is all water, with grass sprouting up.
Then, we drove over to the light house--decommissioned in 1933. We climbed the 167 steps, to the top, to the magnificent view. Then, we just walked the beach, looking for sea shells, and just enjoying the day--the sun, the warm weather, the ocean waves, the wind, the miles of beaches. My kind of day.
Happy Birthday to Lou and Claire !!!
The Hunting Island State Park nature center trail to the ocean:
