Lynchburg, Virginia

We had a couple of days before leaving Lynchburg to head over to Williamsburg, so we thought we'd hit a few of the local spots. We drove downtown and decided to take a self-guided architectural walk around the town. The streets are very hilly, in fact, San Francisco has nothing on this town! After walking a bit, we passed the "Weenie Stand" which boasts the "best hotdogs in the world" so naturally we had to stop in and try them. We have to admit, they were certainly one of the best we have ever had.

Then we continued our walk. At the turn of the century, Lynchburg was one of the wealthiest cities in the nation, with their fortunes built on trade, tobacco and manufacturing. As a major railroad and medical center, it was here that General Lee was heading before surrendering at nearby Appomattox. One of the most unique architectures, is the Monument Terrace. In 1924, the monument was dedicated as a memorial to Lynchburg's soldiers killed during World War I. The bronze statue at the base of the terrace is entitled "The Listening Post" and was added in 1926. The stairs lead to the city's 1855 court house.

Our second stop of the day was the Old City Cemetery which was established in 1806 and is one of the oldest public cemeteries in the United States that has been in continuous use since its founding. More that 20,000 people are buried here, most before 1925. It is most unusual because it is also a museum. It contains a hearse and caretakers' museum, a station house museum, and a medical museum. In addition, there are over 200 varieties of antique roses, a butterfly garden and lotus pond. In the Confederate Section, we found a listing of names which contained the name of John Vinson, who fought in the 26th Infantry for North Carolina. Don't know if he was a relative, since my maiden name is Vinson, but we thought it was interesting. We never could find his gravestone, though.

Our last stop was at Poplar Forest which was the "other home" of Thomas Jefferson which he designed and built while he was President as a retreat for rest and writing. In 1806, Jefferson traveled from the White House to personally direct the masons in laying the foundation of this octagonal house. Poplar Forest was Thomas Jefferson's well-kept secret.

Before we left Lynchburg, we had found that Panera Bread offered Wifi, so we stopped in there and had breakfast and picked up e-mail. Next stop will be Williamsburg - so stay tuned for more history about the Revoluntary War. Love and hugs to everyone.