Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park & Memorial

In late May we took a trip a short way west to explore Illinois and St. Louis.  On the way we stopped at several historic sites associated with Abraham Lincoln.  The first was the Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park in Illinois.

The Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park and Memorial is a 162 acre (0.65 km²) state park located on the Sangamon River in Macon County near Harristown, Illinois. This important historic site, only 12 miles Southwest of Decatur, offers hiking, canoeing, picnicking, recreational activities, and a glimpse into the past.  The park offers a unique view of central Illinois.

The state memorial, created in 1938, commemorates the approximate location of Abraham’s Lincoln’s first home in Illinois. The original Lincoln cabin has long been lost but the memorials and the quiet forest and stream easily transport the visitor back to the time when the Lincoln's first settled this virgin wilderness.  When you visit the park, drive east to the end of the park road where you will the find the memorials.
--from Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park & Memorial website

As you drive by it would be easy to miss the entrance, though there is a nice sign there isn't much else to mark that this is the entrance to a state park.

Once you enter the park definitely still doesn't look like much is there.

Before long you do come to a handy historical marker.

We stopped at the first area of the park and walked over to the picnic shelter to eat our lunch.

There was also a small playground.

This is the site of the first home that Abraham Lincoln lived in when he first settled in Illinois.  The site was originally selected by Lincoln's second cousin, John Hanks in 1829.  Hanks had felled and cut logs to build a cabin but then decided to leave.  Hanks continued to write to Thomas Lincoln, hoping to convince him to move from Indiana to Illinois.  Hanks eventually received word from the Lincolns, confirming the move to Illinois.  Once the family, consisting of Thomas and Sarah Bush Johnson Lincoln, Abraham, his stepbrother John Johnson, nine other relatives, and in-laws, arrived.  Thomas, Sarah, John, and Abraham lived here during 1830, even though Abraham spent much time away as a hired farm laborer.  Sickness and the Winter of the Deep Snow caused the Lincoln family to leave after only a year at the site.  With his father and stepmother's moving, this is where Abraham Lincoln finally struck out on his own, buying a canoe and floating down the Sangamon River to his future at New Salem.
--from exhibit signage

We passed by a cemetery on the way back to the remainder of the park.

After parking there was a short walk through the grass.

A tablet on a stone, erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1904, marks the site of the cabin.

Another large stone and tablet sit in a small plaza.

I found a stone with Lincoln's face in the surrounding flower bed.

Other than that there wasn't much to see, but I was glad we had stopped as it was nice to put some more history to the travels of the Lincoln family.  Abraham was born in Kentucky, spent his childhood in Indiana, and then became an adult in Illinois, so all three states claim him.  You can see a few more photos from our stop in the park in this album.

~Matt

Clay Center's Discovery Museum

On our way home from Virginia we made a stop in Charleston, West Virginia to visit a Children's Museum.  As we have a membership at the local Cincinnati Museum Center we enjoy reciprocal benefits at a number of museums around the country and one of those is at the Clay Center.

The Clay Center’s Avampato Discovery Museum houses three floors of hands-on discovery exhibits featuring more than 12,000 square feet of non-stop fun. Splash around in WaterWorks, learn about the science of sound in The Maier Foundation Music Studio, and get your body in motion in Healthy Me!! Check out real life exploration in My Town and climb to new heights on Ashton’s Climbing Sculpture! Like to change it up every once in a while? Our Mylan Explore-story gallery plays host to limited time exhibits from all over the country.
--from Clay Center website

The museum is conveniently located close to Interstate 64 as we drive through Charleston, West Virginia on our way home to Kentucky from a visit to Virginia (or vice versa).  The only downside is that parking is in a pay lot, but I really can't complain when we're getting in to the museum for free.  Just take note that they're not open on Mondays--we made that mistake once and had some disappointed kids.

Inside the building we headed for the Discovery Museum once we had gotten our tickets.

They had quite a number of different science based exhibits such as this skeleton.

I had to take this picture inside the restroom because I don't think I've ever seen a black toilet before.

I thought their WaterWorks exhibit was quite amazing.

I've enjoyed WaterWorks at the Duke Energy Children's Museum in Cincinnati for a number of years (ever since I started working there and taking my nieces and nephews to visit), but this one was much better.

At one point you can experience rain.

Inside this area there were also ways to experiment with the water flow via boards that would block and redirect water.  If you made the watercourse narrow enough the water level would deepen, showing what happens during a flood when levees have been built along a river.

There is also a water vortex.

Downstairs is a fascinating area where kids can explore an entire town's worth of experiences.

Kids could explore a fire engine.

Then they could ride on a police motorcycle.

At the government section they could pretend to be governor and learn about laws, governance, and voting.

Inside the bank you'll find an ATM where you can actually insert a toy card.

The cards are connected to a job sheet.  If you take the card and go do a job at another location in the town you can add money to the card.

The card can then be used to pay for things at the grocery store.

At the grocery store there is plenty to shop for.

You can ring out your purchases on the cash registers.

Want to fix a car?  Come on over to the repair shop sponsored by a local car dealership (we see one of them along the highway every time we drive through West Virginia).

The theater is even open.

It features a stage with plenty of costumes for kids to enact their own dramas.

Lastly we stopped by the Department of Planning.

Here you can plot out what the roads and buildings of a new city could look like.

Plenty of different options are available, including evil roundabouts, ;-).

We had a great time visiting the Discovery Center and will definitely be back on one of our trips to Virginia.  You can view more pictures from our visit in this album.

~Matt

Meadow Farm Museum

While we were in Richmond last May we decided to visit the Meadow Farm Museum with the kids in the afternoon after we visited Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.  It was a place that my inlaws had visited several times but I had never been there before, so I thought it would be fun for us to explore.

Meadow Farm Museum, an 1860 living history farm site and museum, presents programs and exhibits on the culture of the rural South. Our history interpreters provide insight into the lives of Dr. John Mosby Sheppard, the owner of Meadow Farm, and his family. On selected weekends, they demonstrate seasonal activities in the farmhouse, barn, doctor’s office, kitchen, fields, and pastures.
--from Crump Park website

After we parked we headed up the path towards the museum.

The building isn't large.

Inside is an information counter.

Then you'll see a number of signs, artifacts, and artwork on display.

The property has a long history, having been settled by Native Americans previously and Virginian settlers since the late 18th century.

The property was owned by the Sheppard family starting in the mid 1700s.

After leaving the museum we walked towards the farmhouse and other buildings.

We saw a number of sheep in the fields.

I also really enjoy seeing split-rail fences.

A number of outbuildings are visible.

We made our way to the house for our tour.

Inside the house is fully furnished.

I don't remember how many are period pieces and if any are reproductions.

I know my sisters would appreciate this old sewing machine.

It can be so interesting to compare toys for children with those they play with today.  Some are so similar and some so different.

The tour didn't just cover those that lived in the main house, but also revealed the darker history of the property.  "In 1860, Dr. John Sheppard owned 17 enslaved people.  7 of these people were women."  The cellar of the house had been dug by a former slave who had been emancipated in the early days of the nineteenth century.

Once outside we had a better view of the house.

This outline shows the original location of the outside kitchen.

This log tobacco barn is the only surviving one in Henrico County...  In 2000, Staples Mill, L.C. donated the barn to Henrico County, who moved it two miles east to Meadow Farm.  The bar dates to the early twentieth century, but resembles similar bars from the nineteenth century.  Tobacco was a major cash crop in Virginia and John Mosby Sheppard grew it here between 1855 and 1860.
--from exhibit signage

I think during other times of the year or on weekends it is a busier place, but we still had fun walking around and learning some history.

You can view some more photos from our time at the farm in this album.

~Matt