September
16-23, 2019
Louise Cosca
Regional Park
Clinton, MD
We parked at
the Branch Avenue Metro Station and took the train into the city on the day we
went to the Capitol Galleries.
After going
through the general security screening we made our way to the Senate security
area where we had to check in our electronics and go through a second security
screening before being shown to seats in the gallery. We didn’t stay long because there wasn’t much
going on.
After going
through the same screening procedure as mentioned above for the House gallery
we were informed that they were in recess.
GEEZ. (No photos are allowed in
the gallery.)
After
finding out that we would have hours until the House would be in session at 5Pm,
we decided to walk the few blocks to Ford’s Theatre.
Just five
days after General Lee’s surrender, President and Mrs. Lincoln attended a performance
at Ford’s Theatre.
John Wilkes Booth, a
famous actor, desperate to aid the dying Confederacy shot Lincoln, then jumped
down to the stage and escaped through a rear door.
The museum
in the basement of the theatre contains exhibits on Lincoln’s presidency, Civil
War milestones and the assassination plot.
Once in the
theatre we were able to sneak a peek into the Presidential Box.
On the day
of our visit stagehands were busy building the set for the upcoming production
of the play, Fences.
Included in
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site is the Petersen House, located directly
across the street from the theatre.
After
Lincoln was shot, he was carried to the Petersen House and placed into the
first-floor bedroom where he died the next morning.
The Center
features three rooms in the house furnished in 1865 period pieces and two
floors of exhibits addressing the immediate aftermath of Lincoln’s death and
the evolution of Lincoln’s legacy.
One of the
best features of the museum space is the winding staircase and 34-foot tower of
books about Abraham Lincoln.
The “books”
in the tower are made from aluminum
After
walking back to the Capitol Building we went through the double security
screening again before entering the House Gallery. It was interesting to watch the voting
procedure but the best part of the experience was to witness a new congressman
being sworn in due to a special election that had been held in North Carolina.
In addition
to the National Historic Sites within Washington D.C. there are several NHS
near where we were camping in Maryland.
The Thomas
Stone National Historic Site was the property of one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence.
Stone
purchased the property and constructed a new home in 1771 for his wife Margaret
and their two daughters.
The original
plan was to build a small, modest home but that changed when his father died
and five of his younger brothers and sisters came to live with him.
From the
time of Stone’s death in 1787 until 1936 when the land was sold the descendants
of Thomas Stone continued to live in the home.
We also
visited Port Tobacco Village, a short drive away from the Stone house.
Settled by
the English in the 17th century, the town became the second largest
in Maryland. It was a seaport with
access to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. After river traffic was cut off by silting
and the town was bypassed by the railroad, it fell into decline.
Our final
excursion, while staying at Louise Cosca Regional Park, was to Fort Washington
Park that was for many decades the only defensive fort protecting Washington
D.C.
We began our
tour at the Visitor Center where I stamped my passport and then walked the path
down to the entrance to the fort.
During our
tour I “volunteered” to participate in a dance demonstration by the Arlington
House Victorian Dance Society.
It was
extremely hot during most of our stay at Louise Cosca Regional Park but we did
have a couple of nights that were cool enough to enjoy a campfire.
