Jaybird's Jottings

The Battle of York

They shoot without shame

 In the name of a piece of dirt

For a change of accent

Or the color of your shirt

Better the pride that resides

In a citizen of the world

Than the pride that divides

When a colorful rag is unfurled. 

-  "Territories," from Powerwindows by Rush.  Lyrics by Neil Peart.

 

Patriotism is good.   Understanding all the facts is better.

In reading about the “War of 1812,” I came to learn about the “Battle of York.”    Not our country’s finest moment.   Some of the troops burned parts of the city of York, which became Toronto.    In turn, this was part of the reason the British torched Washington.

The War of 1812 has been called the “forgotten war.”   In some ways, that’s understandable.    As one writer quipped, if the name of the war is a year…  On the other hand, it lasted three years and was fought on three different theaters.   

Commemorations are taking place not only in our country, but in Canada.   As this article notes:

An upcoming exhibit at the Market Gallery will identify 181 Canadian, First Nations, American and British soldiers who died in the Battle of York and will include artifacts from the battle itself, first-person accounts and maps.

The exhibit, dubbed, “Finding the Fallen: The Battle of York Remembered,” was put together in collaboration with historians and genealogists from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

The George Washington Parade

“In days gone by Alexandria people were very elaborate in their preparations for the celebration of the 22^nd of February, as this city was the place where George Washington spent many a pleasant hour…” -  Washington Post Bureau, 621 King Street, Alexandria, February 21, 1897

 

“Martha, I’m going to Alexandria.”

If our first First Lady heard that once from her husband, she heard it a hundred times.   Hard to say just how many times George came to town, but Robert L. Madison’s book, “Walking with Washington” sports dozens of sites in the seaport city where our First President dined, danced, spoke, worshipped and conducted business.

The love affair between city and man continued today with the annual George Washington Parade in Old Town Alexandria (Happy 280^th Mr. President!).   The largest such event (3,500 participants) in the country began at 1 p.m. and marched a one-mile route through the historic district.  

Unlike two years ago when inclement weather forced a rare cancellation, participants and parade watchers enjoyed mostly sunny skies.   The route passed by historic places such as Market Square/City Hall where Washington reviewed troops, voted and helped push through the "Fairfax Resolves."

This year I decided to take in the early aspects of the parade, including the "Armed Forces Community Covenant Ceremony
."    This was a chance to say thanks to the active duty troops and veterans, and strengthen the bonds between the community and Fort Belvoir and Quantico Marine Base.  

Informational displays from area merchants and organizations ringed the water-filled square.   I talked with a representative with the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation about the current projects along the Route 1 corridor.   Places like Arlington have shown that suburban routes can re-develop with a "Smart Growth" way.    High-density and mixed use nodes are needed along Richmond Highway as the future hangs in the balance. 

Two reps with the firm handling the I-495 Express Lanes said the project is on target for a December 2012 opening.  Some smaller interchange work will be done in 2013.   

There will be 10 access points.   Travel will be free for vehicles with three or more passengers, as well as for buses, motorcycles and emergency services.  

Didn’t get to stick around for the parade, but with the good weather, I’m sure the turn out was great.   Alexandrians love their George Washington Parade.

 

 

 

 

Finding Francis Scott Key: Baltimore

Flag House and Star-Spangled Banner Museum

844 East Pratt

Scooted back up to Baltimore yesterday to take in these two places and a return to Café Gia Ristorante in Little Italy.   The server seemed burned out, but the better half and I agree the food is some of the best Italian we’ve had.   Nice ambience and opera music a bonus.

Built in 1793, the Flag House is a national landmark.   It was the home and place of business of flag maker Mary Young Pickersgill, who moved here in 1806.  

In 1813, after Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry, requested a 30 x 40 garrison flag, Mary and her assistants went to work.   Helping was her daughter, her three nieces and as Eshelman notes, “probably her servants.”   15 stars were required, as Vermont and Kentucky had joined the Union.     They finished the job in August 1813.

Your starting point is the Museum.    A ten-minute film gives you the background on the story.    The exhibit features two can’t miss items.  One is a piece of the flag that flew over Ft. McHenry.  The other is a piece of the rafter from Key’s Georgetown Home.  Given that nothing remains from his home, this piece of wood takes on more importance.

A guided tour of Pickersgill’s home lasts about 20 minutes.    If you’re collecting a list of creaky floor tours, add this one.

Be sure and wander over to the stone mosaic of the Continental United States in the back yard, and take the photo op with the large flag on the side of the museum.

 

 

“The Exchange” at Potomac Yard

One of the busiest real estate construction sites in the D.C. area is Potomac Yard.   In between the Target and the new Monroe Bridge, town homes and condos are sprouting up with many plots marked “Sold.”   A 30-foot tall mound of dirt marks the work being done for the new “Transit Way.”    Materials for the new park await installation.    New streets are taking shape.   

Now comes the announcement that, “The Exchange at Potomac Yards,” will begin this spring.   This is the Town Center at Landbay G, located just south of Target and north of the Fire Station.   It looks the Glebe Road extension will run through it.

As noted by DC Mud, plans for the 17-acre spot include:

800,000 s.f. of office and hotel space, with two hotels offering 625 rooms, along with 534 residences. The town center will include a plaza that features a seasonal ice skating rink.

Meanwhile, the City is in the process of deciding where to place the new Metro station.   This new Town Center would be relatively close to most of these options.  

 

The Paradox of Liberty

We visited the National Museum of American History yesterday.   They have two exhibitions touching on the life of Thomas Jefferson.

The largest of the two is, “Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty” (runs to October 14, 2012).  The centerpiece is a shining statue of our third President, fronting a curved wall that displays the names of his slaves.  

Equally moving, however, is the contrast of fates.   On the one hand, Colonial elites lived the good life and the American economy benefited from enslaved labor.   Jefferson studied Enlightenment Philosophy and wrote of life and liberty.

On the other hand, the growing institution of slavery.  As one informational placard notes:

The people of Monticello and their descendants strove to make Jefferson’s ideals a reality.  They believed in the truth of the Declaration, cherished the hope that it would one day be more than an ideal, and joined with – and often led – countless other African-Americans in the cause of liberty.

The strength of the exhibit is the look at the families.    A family tree for the Hemings is a must see, as well as a map of where the families settled after they left Monticello.   The Brown Colbert family moved to Washington, D.C.

Assisted by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, the National Museum of African-American History and Culture prepared the exhibit.   They will be moving into the new museum building at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 14^th Street.

As we were walking along Constitution Avenue, we could see the beginnings of the work starting for the new museum.  The media-only groundbreaking ceremony takes place February 22^nd with President Obama scheduled to provide the appropriate remarks (Live webcast)

The other exhibit is on Jefferson’s Bible.   The Smithsonian website notes:

The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, created by Thomas Jefferson in 1820, is an 84-page assemblage of passages from the first four books of the New Testament. 

The book remained privately held throughout his life. Its existence was only known to a few of his closest circle of friends. The book remained in his family until his great-granddaughter sold the volume to the Smithsonian Institution in 1895.

Over the years, the book's condition became so fragile that it could no longer be safely handled or displayed. In 2011 the Museum completed a complex and challenging conservation project, which has made it possible to present the newly restored volume to scholars and the general public.

 

 

Top Twelve Buildings and Homes in Alexandria

Freedom House

1315 Duke Street

Museums can have a powerful effect on our thoughts, feelings and beliefs, especially so when the location is precisely where the history was made.    Nowhere is this more true than with the “Freedom House” on Duke Street.    Built in 1816, this three-story brick building looks like any other townhome in the historic district.   If only it shared a harmless past.

From 1828 to 1840, Issac Franklin and John Armfield earned a fortune by operating one of the nation's largest slave trading firms.    The pair bought and shipped over 10,000 slaves.  (“From Slavery to War,” Deirdre Murphy and Sarah Sidman).   Franklin was reported to have made $1M before retiring.   A buyer in Natchez said he “supplied this country with two-thirds of the slaves” (Stephen Deyle).

Demand for domestic slaves increased after the foreign slave trade was abolished in 1808.   Between 1800 and 1860, more than 750,000 enslaved men, women and children were moved from the Upper South to the Deep South.   Annual profits for Franklin and Armfield averaged $100,000 (money at that time, not adjusted to present day).  

A weekly scene in Alexandria was the coffles of enslaved African-Americans marching down Duke Street to the waterfront.   Franklin and Armfield owned three ships that took their human cargo to New Orleans and Natchez, Mississippi.   Each summer, 100 or more were led out of the city for the two month overland march.   

Designed by Julian Kiganda, this small museum is one of the most moving experiences in the Washington area, an absolute must see.   The self-guided tour takes you along the ground floor with interpretive markers and photos.  You then walk down the stairs to the basement where slaves were imprisoned while they awaited their fate.   A video with actors recreates oral histories.   Information panels and exhibits tell the story of slave life and the slave trade.  

After Franklin and Armfield sold the operation in 1936, a series of other owners ran the business.   The last were Price and Birch (1858-1861).  

After the Union army marched into Alexandria in May 1861, they found the place abandoned.   The house became a jail for Union deserters, as well as a temporary place for contrabands and freedmen.     A large back yard and small buildings was part of the facility.

In 1870, the slave pens were demolished.    Alexandria Hospital was located there from 1878 to 1884.  From then to 1979 the building was a boarding house and apartments.    In 1986, the owners financed an excavation.   Ten years later the Museum opened along with the Urban League.

Last year Michael Lee Pope wrote a book about ghosts in Alexandria.   1315 Duke Street is not included in his book.    Who among us, however, can think this place is not forever haunted by these shackled souls?

 

 

 

Charlotte’s Rise: A Middle of the Piedmont Perspective

“I like calling North Carolina home.”

In the 1970s, that pleasant-sounding jingle could be heard across the airwaves in the Tar Heel State.   For my family, it was certainly true.   All of us except my Mom were born and raised in the state, and we all spent the 60s living in Greensboro.    My brother and his wife have always lived in North Carolina, and my two sisters and their families have lived in Charlotte for the longest time.   I’ve not lived there since 1991, but we’re close enough to visit.

So as you can imagine, I was pretty excited when the Democratic Party selected Charlotte last year to host their 2012 National Convention (September 3-5).    The Queen City bested St. Louis, Cleveland and Minneapolis to make history.   This will be the first time North Carolina has hosted a presidential-nominating convention.

The major networks no longer cover the two conventions like they once did.  Nevertheless, with 1,500 media expected to descend on the city, and cable and internet coverage, the convention will be the biggest three-day event in the Tar Heel State since who knows when?

In thinking about a comparable event, my mind was taken back to the NCAA Final Four, which was held in Greensboro in 1974.    And therein lies an interesting story, a tale of two cities, two places that have had a rivalry of sorts through the years.    That rivalry is worth examining, as one way of appreciating the distance Charlotte has traveled to reach the pinnacle it now so proudly stands on.

With a surging population knocking on the door of the .75M mark, two major league teams, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a business-friendly community, and a revitalized “Uptown,” Charlotte has become a first-class city.   Greensboro, while certainly a fine place to live, has not kept up with the state’s largest and fastest-growing city.   

Some might think the Queen City has always been way ahead of the Gate City in terms of cachet and bragging rights.  I would argue, however, that is not true, and the difference between the two was once much closer than what one might think.

Founded in 1768, Charlotte certainly got the jump on Greensboro (the two are separated by about 90 miles) by 40 years, and has always been the more populous city.  The gap, however, which is now almost triple, was not that wide in the 50s and 60s.    

While Greensboro, ranked second in population for the longest time until Raleigh surpassed it in the 80s, did trail Charlotte in population, the city did not in other high-visibility aspects such as sports.   Greensboro parlayed its middle of “Tobacco Road” location (UNC, Duke and Wake Forest are a short drive away), and a new Coliseum close to I-40 (opened in 1959) to become Hoops Heaven in the state.

In 1974, it was Greensboro, not Charlotte, who hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.  With some serious home cooking, N.C. State beat the mighty Bruins of UCLA in OT in the semi-finals, and then took the crown over Marquette.  The only other time the state hosted the Final Four was Charlotte in 1994.

The ACC Men’s Tournament has flirted with other locations, but Greensboro has been its proven home.   From 1967 to 1988, Greensboro hosted the “toon-a-ment” 14 times, while Charlotte did so just three.   Greensboro will also host in 2013-2015.

The ACC tournament no longer means as much as it once did, but up until 1974, only about two-dozen teams made the NCAA tourney, and the only way to do so was to win the conference tournament.     If you wanted to drive somewhere in North Carolina, title tilt Sunday was the time to do so.   Half the state was watching the game on TV, and almost always at least one Carolina team, if not two, had advanced to the championship game.    

Greensboro’s glory days were also marked by their hosting the “Big Four” tournament from its beginning to end - 1971 to 1981.   And when the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association (Remember those radical red-white-blue basketballs?) arrived in 1969, Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh co-hosted the games. The team, however, was based in Greensboro.

Until Charlotte landed the Hornets in 1988, North Carolina did not have a major league sports team.   That’s one reason why having a PGA Men’s tournament in the state was so important.   Starting in 1938, the Gate City hosted the “Greater Greensboro Open.”   The face of the “GGO” was none other than Slammin’ Sammy Snead who hoisted the trophy a record eight times and gave the tournament a down-home flavor the fans loved.   

Charlotte can now boast they host one of the more prestigious tournaments on the men’s tour, but it took them a while to gain that status.   When the Queen City lost the Kemper Open in 1979, the GGO was the only PGA Men’s tour stop until Charlotte gained the Wachovia Championship in 2003.

NASCAR-wise, Charlotte is by far the king, a status they cemented when the city landed the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.    But in the 60s and 70s, Greensboro could always claim “King” Richard Petty, who lived in nearby Randleman.

Oddly enough, the biggest sports rivalry between the two cities in the 60s and 70s played out on the ice.    Given the state’s love of basketball, that doesn’t sound right, but recruiters in both cities faced a tough task as the best talent went, and in many ways still does, to Chapel Hill, Durham, Winston-Salem and Raleigh.  

The place to be on a Saturday night back then was to see the Checkers versus the Generals (AA minor league).   The competition provided two sports in one, hockey and pugilism.  In fact, I think my going to those games in the late 60s set the stage in terms of my thinking of the two cities as rivals.  

Charlotte tasted hockey glory before Greensboro by landing a minor-league team in 1957, and winning the playoffs in their first year.   But consider this.   From 1960, the year the Coliseum and the Generals debuted, to 1973, the final year of the East Coast League, both cities were in the league’s Southern Division.   During this time, Greensboro’s winning percentage was .581 while Charlotte’s was .540.   The Generals finished ahead of the Checkers nine times, while the Checkers bested their rivals five times.    The men in green also won the Southern Division seven times while the Checkers did so just twice, at that came later in the early 70s.

My hometown can still hold its head high when it comes to sports.   They’ve got a jewel of a downtown ballpark for their Class “A” baseball team, and the city recently recaptured some golf glory and cachet when the PGA Tour returned to storied Sedgefield Country Club, and the tournament became part of the “FedEx Cup” playoffs.   The Greensboro Coliseum, the second largest indoor arena in the country with 23,500 seats, will host the second and third round of March Madness this year.

Since the late 70s, however, Charlotte has grown and flourished like no other city in the state (although Raleigh and their Hurricanes would have a little something to say about sports bragging rights).   With Hugh McColl, the former Chairman and CEO of Bank of American behind the wheel, the city took off like a dragster in the 80s and 90s.   The retired Marine gobbled up banks and financial institutions left and right, leading the way to Charlotte becoming the second largest banking headquarters in the U.S.    The city’s population grew from 315,000 in 1980 to 731,000 in 2010, making it the 17^th most populous city in the U.S.   The Queen City is arguably the hottest player in “New South.”

It’s certainly not been all roses for Charlotte.   The financial crisis hit the city hard and not everyone there is thrilled with the coming invasion of Big Blue.   

And recently, the euphoria of landing the convention has given way to criticisms.   Several weeks ago, the Charlotte Observer’s Mark Washburn fumed when the Director of Media Logistics told reporters her briefing would be off the record.  Washburn contrasted that directive with the DNC’s previous announcement the Convention would be “the most open and accessible in history.”   

Additionally, grumbling could be heard among everyday party supporters when the DNC committee revealed President Obama’s final day speech would be moved from the arena to “Bank of America Stadium.”  

Despite these bumps in the road, civic pride is swelling in this fine Southern city to levels never before seen.   Such great feelings, however, have been felt there before.   When Charlotte joined the Eastern Hockey League in 1957, the team, helped by an outpouring of support from the fans, promptly won the championship over teams from cities like Philadelphia.    

Democrats from across North Carolina will cheer the President in September, but those in Charlotte will be particularly pleased to say they like calling North Carolina home.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finding Francis Scott Key: Fort McHenry

In the summer of 1814, dark storm clouds hung over the nation’s capital.   Having sacked Washington and brought Alexandria to its knees, the British forces targeted Baltimore.   The nation’s third largest city and major port fielded more and better defenses than Washington, but its capture would be the biggest prize for the enemy.

In mid-September, Admiral Cochrane and General Ross sailed their fleet up the Chesapeake past Annapolis.   Two weeks earlier, the British had arrested Dr. William Beanes, a friend of the Key family at Upper Marlboro.    President Madison, who selected Key for his “polished gracious manner” (Delaplaine), sent him to the British brass to ask for Beane’s release.   

General Ross agreed to free the good doctor, but his approval coincided with the start of the assault on Baltimore.  The three Americans were now on board one of the 40 British ships headed to Baltimore.   Since they knew of the British plans, their release would come after the battle.

On Monday, September 12, Cochrane’s fleet arrived at North Point, about a dozen miles east of Baltimore.    Their strategy would unfold with a two-pronged attack.     Pound Fort McHenry into submission, sail past it to Baltimore, and with the soldiers and sailors retreating, send in the ground troops to take the city.

Major General Samuel Smith, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, led the defense of Baltimore. Thousands of militia and volunteers, many from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, had poured into the city.    The American forces would protect Baltimore with in a triangle-shaped position east of the harbor.   

Fort McHenry, manned with a thousand men and its guns and batteries, bolstered the front point.   To their left, troops manned guns at Rodgers Bastion on Hampstead Hill.  On the right flank, a series of earthworks would protect any sneak attack from the south.    The men were not as seasoned as the British, and knew they would be in for the fight of their lives.   Commodore Rodgers led a small and highly-skilled group of sailors and marines.   

On the afternoon of Monday, September 12, the British ground forces encountered the American line in the “Battle of North Point.”   General Ross was mortally wounded by a sharpshooter, a kick in the gut to the morale of the British Army.    But the British continued to fight and forced the American troops to retreat back to Baltimore.

On Tuesday, the 13th, the British infantry waited while the British vessels began their pounding of Fort McHenry.    All day and all night they fired, an estimated 1500 to 1800 shells.   

At midnight, an attack on the earthworks south of Ft. McHenry failed.   The bombing resumed and lasted until the morning.     Realizing a victory was not at hand, the British withdrew.    Baltimore rejoiced.

Key, who had also witnessed the burning of Washington and the Battle of Bladensburg, saw the entire attack from the ship that was anchored near present day Key Bridge.    

If the “Battle of Baltimore” was a movie, this would be the end.   Francis Scott Key, however, had something to say about the heroic American defense of Fort McHenry.   As the cartel ship he was on sailed into Baltimore, the poet-lawyer and successful diplomat pulled out a letter from his pocket and began writing down some verses.    

 

 

Lincoln “Center for Education and Leadership” Opens

Two of the most profound places to visit in the nation’s capital are Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House.  On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot our 16^th President at the former.   The following morning, Lincoln drew his last breath across the street at the latter.

With the opening today of the “Ford’s Theater Center for Education and Leadership,” visitors, history buffs and Lincoln learners now have a third place to visit.    On the 203^rd anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, the new center opened its doors to the public this morning.  The five-story venue is located in the renovated office building across the street from the theatre, and next door to the Petersen House.

The Center features permanent exhibits with artifacts not seen before by the public, a Lincoln Memorial theater, education studios, a Leadership Gallery floor with lecture space, and a retail store.  

The early star of the show is a 34-foot high stack of books written about Lincoln.   Actually, this tower is a “fire-proof aluminum fake” sculpture that visitors are allowed to touch.

One free ticket will suffice for Ford’s Theater, the Petersen House, and the new Center. There’s no charge for admission, but obtaining timed tickets in advance is recommended, especially for the spring and beyond.    If you want to reserve without going there, Ticketmaster will issue them for a $2.50 service fee.

For the two open houses (today and Feb 21), you can only get your admission ticket at the Box Office, unless you are part of a group.

From what I gathered, once you get your ticket, you can’t proceed directly to the Center.   Instead two options.

One is to go with the group, who takes in the museum at Ford's Theatre, a presentation at Ford’s Theatre, and then entry to the Center via the Petersen House.  It took us about an hour to reach that point.

Or you can join the group when they come out of Ford’s Theatre and walk across the street to the Petersen House.

In either case you walk through the house, viewing the room where First Lady Mary waited, a second where others gathered and then the room where President Lincoln died from his head wound.   You then take an elevator up to the new center’s fourth floor, and work your way down.  

There’s no return to the Petersen House and you exit at the bottom of the Center, where the retail store is located.

If you've already been to the Ford's Theatre, it's somewhat annoying to have to do it again, but all in all, this is a wonderful new experience.   I haven't been this excited since the opening of the Newseum three years ago.   President Lincoln would be proud...

 

Trip To Baltimore

Despite the gloomy weather, had a great time in Baltimore today.   My history pal Bill Connery, born and raised in Crab Cake City, and an expert on much of its history, was kind enough to offer his services as a guide.    

Will have a better report on Key in the coming days, for now a couple of photos.

The first is inside Fort McHenry’s wonderful new Visitor Center.    Seeing the Key statue near the movie screen seemed odd at first, until the lights went down.

The second photo is from Patterson Park, which was known as Hamstead Hill during the War of 1812, and the location of Rodgers Bastion.   The British invasion was on two fronts - the airborne assault from their ships and the ground forces which were repelled here.    The commemorative marker and the pagoda were a pleasant surprise.    The marker is one of several in the City erected for Key during the Centennial.