Cruising the Chesapeake part 2

Cruising the Chesapeake 2

by Mary Jo

I chronicled the first part of our April Chesapeake Bay Revolutionary War themed IMG_0217 (1) here.  Now for the second exciting installment!

Washington, DC:

After leaving Yorktown, Virginia, the site of the British surrender to the new United States in the Revolutionary war, we headed north. Next stop: Washington, DC.!

As usual, there were several excursions available to passengers.  The Mayhem Consultant and I are fond of taking coach tour overviews because they give a broader sense of the area and show both highlights and lesser lights. Also, the guides are generally specialists in local history and have many interesting things to say. 

Our Washington coach tour was of this type, and because it was in DC, there were a number of monuments and memorials.  We saw a nice assortment of these, but the one that impressed me the most was the Marine War Memorial which is adjacent to the Arlington National Military Cemetery.

 

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Benjamin Banneker: A Tribute

by Mary Jo

February is Black History Month in the US and Canada.  I understand that the UK has a similar celebration in October.  February was chosen because both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were born this month, on the 12th and 14th respectively.

Until last fall, I had only the vaguest awareness of Benjamin Banneker–that he was an early BenjaminBannekerAfrican American scientist of some sort.  And that was the extent of my knowledge.

Then a friend visited and the Mayhem Consultant suggested I take her to see the Benjamin Banneker Museum , which I'd never heard of.  Situated in a very rural area of Baltimore County, I was surprised to find that the museum is a handsome building that is the centerpiece of the 142 acre Benjamin Banneker county park.  Moreover, the park is located on the site of Banneker's own farm.

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