National Railroad Museum – Green Bay, WI

When you think of one of the first African-American labor unions in the US, what comes to mind?

Trains – specifically porters for those trains. It wasn’t until 1937 that the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was organized by A. Philip Randolph. You can learn all about life for the porters when you visit the National Railroad museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

We had just finished a serendipitous two days in nearby Door County. En route to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we drove straight through Green Bay and wanted to see something.This museum popped up on Trip Advisor. What cinched the deal was when someone said, “Great for an hour or two, especially on a rainy day.” It was raining. We had about 90 minutes – no longer. “Let’s do it,” I told my husband.

 

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The main exhibit was “Pullman Porters: From Service to Civil Rights.” What I really enjoyed about this exhibit is that they had voices from previous Pullman porters reminiscing about their own experiences. Some talked about the privilege it was to work for Pullman. Others talked about segregation. The most poignant for me was hearing one retired porter talk about how he was always nicknamed “George” and felt he had no say to correct the passengers. (more…)

Natchez Mississippi

Last month, we went to South Louisiana. On the way home, I wanted to explore a bit of Natchez since it has a huge amount of antebellum homes.

View of the Mississippi River from Natchez
View of the Mississippi River from Natchez

 

Natchez Visitors' Center
Natchez Visitors’ Center

Our time was limited and thankfullly, we found the Natchez Vistors’ Center to get an overview of everything. Although it was filled with informative brochures, the most valuable item was the walking (or driving) tour of the historic downtown area and plantation homes.

Rosalie Plantation
Rosalie Plantation

Owned and operated since 1938 by the Mississippi Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Rosalie Plantation was home to Peter and Eliza Little beginning in 1823. Shortly afterwards, the Littles started the Natchez Children’s Home in their house. After they both died in the mid-1850’s, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wilson purchased the property. They too took in orphaned children and deeded it over to one of their charges, Fannie McMurtry. The home remained in Fannie’s family until the last child, Annie Rumble died. (more…)

Read more about the article Creole Nature Trail – Part 2

Creole Nature Trail – Part 2

One of the most scenic drives in Louisiana is the Creole Nature Trail in the southwestern edge of the state. We did the western half of it in 2013, but decided to do the eastern portion of it a few weeks ago. It was Christmas Day so many of the stops were not open.

Abbeville, LA

As we left Lafayette, we headed south on Highway 167 to Abbeville, La – a small town in Vermillion parish. The main claim to fame is the Palmetto Island State Park, but we didn’t have time to visit. The highway led us through the town square and around the Vermillion Parish courthouse. It’s my favorite style of archictecture, much like the style of famed architect A. Hays Town. It was no suprise when I later learned that Mr. Town built the Greek-Revival building in 1953.

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Georgia Governor’s Mansion – Atlanta

“Are you sure we can do this?” my daughter asked. “I mean, doesn’t somebody live here?”

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We had just turned into the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta. I presented my driver’s license and the guards at the gate told us where to park.Walking up to the orange brick building flanked with 30 white columns, we rang the front door bell where a white-haired, petite docent greeted us on this rainy day and gave us the history of the mansion. (more…)