Manassas National Battlefield Park

Prior to the DC Road Meet, I spent some time at Manassas National Battlefield Park. This was my second visit to the park, and it was my first since October 2001. On that trip, the photos I took with a $30 camera was ruined by a piece of film lodged inside. Since then, I had been wanting to get back to some of the sights on that trip to retake photos and enjoy everything again.

I only had about 90 minutes to two hours before I needed to get to the meet site, so I didn't see everything I wanted to, but I can always come back.

The National Park Service recommends that if you do not have a lot of time to spend to take a hike on roughly mile long Henry Hill loop. So that is part of what I did. The Henry Hill loop highlights the First Battle of Manassas and some of the key figures, events, and locations in that battle.

For the entire set on flick (even a few signs), head here.

A view of the Henry House. Judith Henry, who lived here, was the first civilian casualty of the war. She was bedridden and refused to leave. Her house was destroyed by Union cannon who believe sniper fire was coming from her building. She would pass away the day following the battle.

A neat look at one of the Union cannons.

Fence along Robinson Farm Lane

A Confederate gunner's view on Henry Hill.

The Stonewall Jackson Statue - It looks a bit modern, almost super hero like, but the 1st battle of Manassas is where Jackson earned his 'Stonewall' nickname.

I took a look at the Stone House - which stood along the Warrenton Turnpike (now US 29) at the time of the war. The Stone House is closed for the winter. One of the neat things about the Stone House is the unexploded artillery that is lodged in the exterior walls - sitting there now for nearly 150 years.

My final stop was the stone bridge. The bridge which was damaged during both battles and was restored sometime after the end of the war. It most likely carried US 29 traffic at one point. The bridge that carries US 29 now was built in the 1960s.

There is plenty more to see and explore at the battlefield, a few monuments, the visitor's center, cemetery, and a number of hiking trails along parts of both battles. If you are visiting there, I would suggest 4-6 hours to explore and really appreciate the history.

Comments

Paper Highways: The Unbuilt New Orleans Bypass (Proposed I-410)

There are many examples around the United States of proposed freeway corridors in urban areas that never saw the light of day for one reason or another. They all fall somewhere in between the little-known and the infamous and from the mundane to the spectacular. One of the more obscure and interesting examples of such a project is the short-lived idea to construct a southern beltway for the New Orleans metropolitan area in the 1960s and 70s. Greater New Orleans and its surrounding area grew rapidly in the years after World War II, as suburban sprawl encroached on the historically rural downriver parishes around the city. In response to the development of the region’s Westbank and the emergence of communities in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes as viable suburban communities during this period, regional planners began to consider concepts for new infrastructure projects to serve this growing population. The idea for a circular freeway around the southern perimeter of t

Hernando de Soto Bridge (Memphis, TN)

The newest of the bridges that span the lower Mississippi River at Memphis, the Hernando de Soto Bridge was completed in 1973 and carries Interstate 40 between downtown Memphis and West Memphis, AR. The bridge’s signature M-shaped superstructure makes it an instantly recognizable landmark in the city and one of the most visually unique bridges on the Mississippi River. As early as 1953, Memphis city planners recommended the construction of a second highway bridge across the Mississippi River to connect the city with West Memphis, AR. The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge had been completed only four years earlier a couple miles downriver from downtown, however it was expected that long-term growth in the metro area would warrant the construction of an additional bridge, the fourth crossing of the Mississippi River to be built at Memphis, in the not-too-distant future. Unlike the previous three Mississippi River bridges to be built the city, the location chosen for this bridge was about two

Huey P. Long Bridge (New Orleans, LA)

Located on the lower Mississippi River a few miles west of New Orleans, the Huey P. Long Bridge is an enormous steel truss bridge that carries both road and rail traffic on an old-time structure that is a fascinating example of a bridge that has evolved in recent years to meet the traffic and safety demands of modern times. While officially located in suburban Jefferson Parish near the unincorporated community of Bridge City, this bridge’s location is most often associated with New Orleans, given that it’s the largest and most recognizable incorporated population center in the nearby vicinity. For this reason, this blog article considers the bridge’s location to be in New Orleans, even though this isn’t 100% geographically correct. Completed in 1935 as the first bridge across the Mississippi River in Louisiana and the first to be built in the New Orleans area, this bridge is one of two bridges on the Mississippi named for Huey P. Long, a Louisiana politician who served as the 40th Gove

Gribblenation

Search This Blog