We conceived this road trip when the plan for GGPa's burial combined with 5th graders studying colonial Jamestown. We like taking road trips and seeing the country, and the boys are great car travelers. So off we went...
First, we made a quick stop in Nashville. Just enough time to have a great meal, check out the riverfront, and get a sense of the importance of music to the city.
Cumberland River at Riverfront Park
Boys reading in Riverfront Park
Loud, busy, touristy Broadway in Nashville
The next day, we stopped at Cumberland Caverns to check out this extensive cave system, which was touted as one of the best in Tennessee. We liked the waterfalls, magnesium pool, and the chandelier.
We arrived in Atlanta, and were happy to spend time with the Lokey family. We went to MLK National Historical Park to learn an important piece of history, and get a National Park passport stamp. This museum/park area were very well done. It's important to take in the information to continue to grow our historical empathy. We were able to view museums, MLK birth home, Ebenezer Church, and see his tomb. This was an impactful afternoon.
Taking a moment to play!
That evening we went to a Braves game. Burke is a Braves fan from childhood, and it's fun to see this get passed on to Ryan and Evan. The game was very engaging. The crowd energy was high and in sync, there were a lot of hits/runs, a come-from-behind win for the Braves against the Phillies, and a fireworks show to wrap up the evening.
We gathered with extended family for GGPa's burial. We were happy to meet many degrees of cousins, including Meredith.
GGPa's burial service was lovely, complete with family, a kind pastor, and military honors.
Georgetown, GA
In this location are GGPa, his first wife Dorothy, and their first child Loring; his parents Clifton Lokey & Dickie (Crozier) Lokey, his sister Mary and her son, and his brother Richard.
The next day, we drove over a cow pasture, and hiked through the thorny woods to find the Methvin Family Cemetery. It's on private property, used to be owned by GGPa's family. It's estimated that there are about 100 Methvins buried in this area. There was so much overgrowth and debris, it was impossible to locate all the stones. Also, they are old and weathered and difficult to read. This history expedition was fascinating, and I'm so glad we all got to take part.
As best I can recall, the farm originally came into James & Margaret (Burke) Methvin's ownership. They were both born in the early 1800's, and are buried in this cemetery. We were able to see their headstones fairly easily. They were GGPa's great-grandparents - his father's mother's parents.
One of their daughters, Clifford Methvin, born 1851 and known as Miss Cliff, eventually took over the farm. This is GGPa's grandma - his father's mother. She is also buried here and we were able to see her stone fairly easily.
After the Methvin Cemetery, we drove to a cemetery in Shiloh where some of GGPa's mother's side of the family are buried. These are GGPa's maternal grandparents, Richard & Mary Ida (Pittman) Crozier. Aunt Mary, Burke, Ryan and Evan are descendant from GGPa. Gracie (next to Evan) is GGPa's sister's (Mary) granddaughter. Brenda, Beth, and Alan are GGPa's brother's (Ben) children. His other brother, Richard, had no children.
GGPa was very much into genealogy. I know we hope to keep this tradition of recording and honoring our past going!
After our time in Georgetown, GA, it was time to say goodbye and continue our road trip. We headed for Savannah, GA. We went out to the Crystal Beer Parlor for some late evening drinks and appetizers in honor of Father's Day.
The next day we took a hop on-hop off trolley tour around the city. We learned some interesting history, and got a lay of the land.
In Savannah, you can walk around the streets with cups of alcohol, known locally as "travelers". Burke and I had to try it out since it's somewhat of a novelty.
Famous cookie spot in Savannah
Savannah River
This old tree is a point of interest, and caught Evan's eye, and mine, as well. It's called the Candler Oak, it's one of the oldest living landmarks in the area taking root in the early 1700's paralleling the establishment of Savannah. Look at that itchy Spanish moss.
The boys were very impressed with the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
This is a statue of James Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia. Ryan and I learned a bit about him in our 5th grade social studies curriculum, and enjoyed learning even more about Oglethorpe and about the history of Savannah. One reason Savannah is a standout city is because General Sherman did not burn it down during the Civil War, preserving many historical buildings and records. Also, there are these unique park squares every few blocks, an Italian city planning feature that Oglethorpe incorporated into his plan for Savannah.
After leaving Savannah, we drove to my cousin Jimmy's house. He and his family live outside Raleigh, NC. We hadn't seen them in 10+ years, and they've never met Ryan and Evan. We ate pizza, visited, and the kids swam.
Me, Ryan & Evan with Jimmy and his kids Caden, Riley, and Mason
The next day, we stopped by the North Carolina state capitol in Raleigh.
President who came from North Carolina
The boys got to hold a flag that was flying over the capitol.
Then we drove to Richmond, Virginia. This capitol is notable for various reasons. First, it relates to the oldest elected legislative body in the U.S. Virginia's first capitol was at Jamestown. It was moved to Williamsburg, and moved once more to this location in Richmond. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson, and also served as the capitol for the Confederacy.
Precise measurements were taken during his lifetime for this statue of George Washington. The statue was installed at this location in the Virginia State Capitol building in the late 1700's, and has never been moved. It was interesting to learn that during the Civil War, Washington was revered by the North because of his federalism beliefs, and also revered by the South for his revolutionary leadership.
Robert E. Lee
Jamestown, VA - the first permanent English colony in North America. This was also part of our 5th grade social studies curriculum on colonization, so it was cool to see it for real. It's an active archeological dig. I loved the close proximity to the James River. Below Ryan is reading about the church ruins, fort fence visible on left side, with John Smith looking toward the river.
Evan entertains himself with thoughts of baseball. Though not totally uninterested, he hasn't quite caught the history bug yet.
Me and my guys - Jamestown
After Jamestown, we strolled the streets of Colonial Williamsburg.
Governor's Palace at Williamsburg - home to Royal Governors of Virginia Colony, and then home to two post-colonial governors, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, before capitol was moved to Richmond.
Williamsburg Capitol Building
The following day we drove on, headed toward Washington D.C. We spent a good chunk of the day at George Washington's Mount Vernon in Virginia. It's an impressive estate, full of history - including his tomb seen below.
the kitchen garden
One of the our favorite parts was this interactive experience with Martha Washington. At her time, there wasn't much west of the Ohio River Valley. She asked children where they were from, and feigned surprise if it was far from Virginia. When the boys told her they were from Michigan, she asked if it was near Fort Detroit (pronounced with French pronunciation). Ryan said yes, and she said something like, oh my that's the wilderness. She also taught historical facts about her family as she interacted. She was masterful and engaging.
The Potomac River
Ryan & Evan at Mount Vernon
Siri was directing us to service entrances, and making us drive through a Pentagon parking lot, but finally we found the visitor entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.
JFK & Jackie
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Ryan took this picture of us in Arlington.
We spent a good portion of the next day exploring Ford's Theater and related museums.
This 34-foot book tower in the education and leadership center is represents a fraction of the approximately 15,000 books written about Abraham Lincoln.
Ryan, Evan, Burke outside the theater
We walked through the National Portrait Gallery, mainly focusing on presidential portraits. Of course, this was one of our favorites.
Time to head home! On the way, we stopped in Morgantown, West Virginia to pay respects to some Ponka family members. This was quite a quest, locating their gravesites. At Beverly Hills Memorial Garden, we used some verbal directions and matched what we were seeing against a picture on my phone taken in 2016. Evan wins the prize for finding my dad's parents - Joseph & Claire (Straub) Ponka. Other members of Claire's family are nearby, including her parents. I remember Claire's mother, Great Grandma Straub. We used to visit her in Morgantown when I was young.
In East Oak Grove Cemetery, we drove around forever looking for other members of my grandpa, Joseph Ponka's, family, including two of his sisters and his parents. Also, buried here is his son, my dad's brother, my Uncle Joe. Many memories of him - the boys knew him too!
Last hotel swim of our 12 day road trip!
27,000+ miles later, we safely arrived home - tired, a little smarter, with lots of great memories.
