Gettysburg
Last week we went on vacation to Washington D.C. We decided to go to Longwood Gardens on our way out and we stopped by Gettysburg on our way out.
The magnolia trees were in full bloom on in Pennsylvania. We have magnolias here in Ohio, but we often get cold weather when they’re budding so they’re not as pretty as they are out east.
The cemetery at Gettysburg is a somber yet beautiful place. It is filled with old trees that were planted to represent the states that lost men during that battle. I thought about this quote while we were walking around under the canopy of the very old trees, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
Fought over the first three days of July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most critical battles of the Civil War having occurred at a time when the fate of the nation hung in the balance.
We were only there for an hour or so as the sun was setting. It is so amazing to think about the history of our country and what places like this represent. I’ve been to Gettysburg several times, and each time it’s very moving. I’m very thankful that places like this have been preserved.
Do you like to visit historical places like Gettysburg?
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We don’t really have magnolia trees that I’ve found here in CT, so I loved seeing your pics. As for visiting historical places, I do like to do that mostly, but I don’t like it when there are “over-guided” tours and it feels like I can’t absorb the place in my own way… as if there are things I *should* see/get out of the place rather than what I’d really want to…. though a just-right tour can be quite helpful, I admit, but I tend to get antsy part way through and either want to linger at X point or skip on ahead in other parts.
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That is one of the nice things about Virginia, the number of magnolias and crepe myrtles that give burts of bloom in even the most urban settings. Our family had folks pass at Gettysburg and while that was several generations ago, it does bring an eerie feeling when there.
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That tree is amazing!
You know, I got dragged around to historical sights like crazy as a kid, and I only really liked the writers’ houses (go figure). So, as an adult, I have it in my head that all that stuff is boring, only I haven’t been to any historical sites as an adult. I think it would be far different than spending eons at Colonial Williamsburg at 10 years old.
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I always tear up when I see photos like these (which are amazing btw). We visited Arlington a few years ago and it was pretty incredible, especially the changing of the guard. But the vastness of the site and the sheer number of graves was humbling.
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We visited Arlington while we were in D.C. It was amazing.
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I remember visiting Gettysburg when I was young, but I only remember being at an overlook and viewing it from afar. Love the quote, I’ve got to save it for my quotes folder.
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