Getting back into Photobucket is sure bringing up a lot of stuff! This trip was from 2014.
We started our trip at Harrison’s Landing and the Berkeley Plantation. This was the home of Declaration of Independence signer Benjamin Harrison. President William Henry Harrison was also born here. And Benjamin Harrison the President was the grandson of Benjamin Harrison the declaration signer.
Although we couldn’t tour the house we could tour the grounds. Berkeley actually has two homes on it.
Benjamin Harrison built the first three story house in America at Berkeley. In 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign, the Army of the Potomac under Gen. George B McClellan camped on the grounds. While here the Army of the Potomac was attacked by Confederate Calvary under the command of J.E.B. Stuart. Today a cannonball that was shot at the old house is still imbedded in the wall.
So much happened here. Did you you know that the first Thanksgiving didn’t happen in Massachusetts? Nope it happened here in 1619 before the pilgrims even landed.
We wandered through the gardens and the grounds towards Harrison’s Landing on the James River.
One last fact about the Berkeley Plantation. In 1862 following the Seven Days Battle General Daniel Butterfield and his bugler developed the 24 notes on a bugle that we now know as “Taps”. Butterfield found the previous “lights out” call of “Tactics”, which was borrowed from the French as being too formal. He wanted a “Lights out” bugle call the honored his men so he developed “Taps”.
We drove on into Williamsburg where we had accommodations for a couple days. we got settled in and ate then decided to take the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown.
But first…. one of the ladies at the Plantation told us of a scenic route into Williamsburg over the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge and then Taking the Ferry back across at Jamestown….and who doesn’t like a ferry ride?
The Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge is a vertical lift bridge. instead of opening like a drawbridge the center section is lifted by the towers to allow boats to pass.
We drove on to the ferry along the James River and the woman definitely gave us a great tip.
The ferry took us past the site of the original Jamestown Colony.
So now lets go to Yorktown! Yorktown contains many of the oldest continually inhabited buildings in America, many built in the early 1700’s.
We arrived at Yorktown shortly before dusk. The houses around us were really old.
We walked around the old town taking pictures for a while then went to see the Yorktown Victory Memorial.
Although Congress authorized construction of the memorial almost immediately, it wasn’t built until 1884. As the dusk settled over the James River we headed back to Williamsburg.
Old Man Wandering 