Why History and Working Out is a Great Combination?

Okay, so you might think the title is a little odd but it definitely is not. If you are an avid runner, walker, biker, or anything else I can not think of then you know how hard it is sometimes to find a beautiful, peaceful place to enjoy the outdoors. One such place that I spend a lot of time during the spring and even 1oo degree weather of the summer is Petersburg National Battlefield. For just a ten dollar pass, that lasts not just an entire season but a whole year, anyone can enjoy not only the history of the park but a great five mile jog through a picturesque landscape or a ten mile bike ride through rugged trails. Another great thing about the park that you cant really get in the suburbs is the abundance of wildlife, especially deer, that have made the park its home; the only occasional hassle is that sometimes if you don't look you can step in what they left behind, which can ruin any run. When I first started running there I made sure to stop and check out all the historical landmarks along the way, I have been there so many times that now as I run I can just recount the events in my head, such as the old chimney and the underground mines. Here are a couple of the great sites at Petersburg National Battlefield Park which is where the Union and the Confederate Army fought during the Siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War.

Here is an entrance to one of the many tunnels that the Union soldiers built under Confedrate lines during the Battle of the Crater during the Siege of Petersburg. In those tunnels with the help of former coal miners Grant and Colonel Pleasants placed 8, 000 pounds of explosives directly under the opposing troops. On July 30th 1864 they detonated the explosives creating a crater some 135 feet wide which is still visible today. Some three hundred Confederate soldiers were killed instantly by the blast and another hundred were severely injured.

Here is the great crater at PNBP. .. To your left is the wall of the crater. This event during the Siege of Petersburg can be seen in what recent movie with Oscar winner Nicole Kidman? Can you guess???

This is an actual cannon used from Battery five, the dimmonic line. This cannon was used by the Union army forces during the opening days of the Siege of Petersburg. Around June and July of 1865






This landmark at the battlefield is one of the more visited and more known within the park. This chimney is known as "Taylors Chimney" and was used actually by both sides during the Civil War. Located around the Crater, it was used as an observation point at varying times during the Siege of Petersburg




These are just a couple of the great sites that you can see if you ever visit, jog, walk, or take a bike ride within Petersburg National Battlefield. I can promise you the scenery and the history will not disappoint. Included at the bottom is a couple of sites that you can visit that will give you more information on the history of the Siege of Petersburg and PNBP. Please let me know of any other great jogging and biking places that you love to visit that can be located in Virginia or even those from another state. I would love to hear.


Here are some great sites for more information on PNBP


This link gets you to the actual site for Petersburg National Battlefield Park.
www.nps.gov/pete

This site will give you some information on the Siege of Petersburg.
petersburgsiege.org

Here is a great website for younger kids. It gives an animated history of the Siege of Petersburg. Must have Real Player to view.
http://www.historyanimated.com/Petersburg.html

Thursday March 12, 2009

The Importance of History and YOUR Community

Everywhere that we look today we are surrounded by the history of the past. That ground that your feet happen to rest on and the community that you live in most likely had some historical event happen on there. When we were children we all probably had landmarks that impacted history some way that were right down the street from our homes. How great would it be to grow up on the banks of the Hudson in Weehawken, New Jersey, the site of the famous duel between Alexander Hamiliton and Aaron Burr. If you live in Utah or California it would not be uncommon for you to play on the abandoned lines of the first transcontinental railroad. Regardless of the event most communities and cities have cultural and historical landmarks that have made impacts on history and the world around us and the great thing is that these landmarks are open for everyone to visit and discover.





In the community that I grew up in there were dozens of historical landmarks to see, so much that after living there for twenty years I still have not seen all of them. With other kids, me and my brother would play on the old dirt bunkers that Union soldiers built to defend their forts or bike down by the riverfront where vital supplies were sent to Ulysses S. Grant who had made City Point the headquarters of the Union Army in the Seige of Petersburg during the Civil War. These areas along with Petersburg National Battlefield are registered landmarks by the National Park Services and are visited by thousands of tourist each month.



Growing up and playing here as a child, I did not recognize the importance of these places but as I became a college student and an eventual history major I became to appreciate how much my community and surroundings, these historical landmarks, influenced my decision to become a historian and eventual teacher. This blog is designed to take a look at the historical landmarks that have made such an impact on my life and helped me to make the eventual educational and career path that I have decided to take. These blogs will give readers a visual walking tour of these landmarks as well as why that are as important to the history of this area as well as the history of the United States. Along with pictures, timelines and links to other websites will be included so that you can understand the importance of these events. Please feel free to respond about landmarks that you have visited or ones from your community.

Link to information about Grants Headquarters
http://www.nps.gov/history/logcabin/html/cp.html

Link to history of First Transcontinental Railroad
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr

Link to the Duel of Hamilton and Burr
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel

If you would like to visit a blog where you see what historical landmarks from other communities then you should check this link out, its also linked on the title.

http://www.markeroni.com/

Wednesday March 11, 2009.