On 10/27/2008 we traveled to Nashville Country RV Park in Goodlettsville, TN. We visited the TN Capitol on 11/02/2008. The majestic Tennessee State Capitol, completed in 1859, is located on a high hill in downtown Nashville. It was one of the most magnificent public buildings of its time, anywhere in the U.S. The distinctive tower is designed after the monument of Lysicrates in Athens, Greece. The architect, William Strickland, died in 1854 and is entombed above the cornerstone. The exterior and interior walls are massive blocks of limestone. During the Union occupation of Nashville (1862-65), the Capitol was transformed into Fortress Andrew Johnson. The artillery located there never had to be fired in battle but were used for drills and celebrations. The picture is of the TN Capitol’s east side.
We drove to Whispering Pines RV Park in Jackson, TN on 11/05/2008. Then on 11/08/2008, we saw Shiloh National Military Park in Shiloh, TN. Congress established Shiloh National Military Park on December 27, 1894, to commemorate the April 6-7, 1862, battle that raged around Shiloh Church and Pittsburg Landing. Producing more than 23,000 casualties, the battle was the largest engagement in the Mississippi Valley campaign during the Civil War. The picture is of the Hornets’ Nest area of the battlefield.
The picture is of Abigail on a Confederate Cannon pointing toward the Hornets’ Nest / Union Line.
On the next day 11/06/2008, we visited the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center (Shiloh National Military Park) in Corinth, MS. During the siege and battle of Corinth, Union and Confederate troops constructed miles of earthworks guarding the approaches to Corinth from the north, east, and west. In the late summer and early autumn of 1862, Union soldiers erected a line of redoubts on commanding ground within one-half to three-quarters of a mile of the railroad crossover. The picture is of a reconstructed defensive wall.
We arrived on 11/12/2008 at T Ricks RV Park in Hazen AR. We visited the AR Capitol in Little Rock, AR. The Capitol Building stands 230 feet tall featuring a circular central drum tower that is capped with a dome and cupola. The building was built over a century ago as a replica of the US Capitol and has been used in many movies as a stand in. The construction started in 1899 with George Mann and ended in 1915 with Cass Gilbert. The picture is of the AR Capitol’s east side.
We moved on to Lewisburg Bay RV Park in Morrilton, AR on 11/19/2008. The next day 11/20/2008, we picked up Cliff’s telescope at Arkansas Sky Observatory and visited Stout Point and Grave site of Petit Jean all on Petit Jean Mountain. The Arkansas Sky Observatory is a privately run observatory on Petit Jean Mountain and is owned and operated by Dr. Clay Sherrod. The picture is of the observatory telescope.
This is the eastern tip of Petit Jean Mountain which is a part of Petit Jean State Park. A public road takes you to the parking lot about 75 yards from the overlook. A board walk has been constructed to afford a good view of the Arkansas River Valley to the north and various mountains to the south. There are steps to exit the board walk and climb out on the rocks if you so desire. The elevation is approximately 1050 ft. and the normal pool elevation of the river below is 286 ft.. At more than 750 feet above the average terrain, Stout’s point affords a grand view. The picture is of Stout’s Point looking south.
