ANDERSONVILLE, GA CIVIL WAR POW CAMP AND MUSEUM

Today, April 4th, we decided that it was time to do some sight seeing, especially since Gary knew of a POW Camp and Museum from Civil War era near where we are parked for this week.
It is always fun driving through different parts of the country.  This is mostly farm country, so much like Ohio except for the red clay!!

Not the road that we meant to be traveling.
But we followed through!

In 1865 the prison closed and the US government established the national cemetery which continues as an active national cemetery to this day.  The National Prisoner of War Museum opened in 1998 to tell the stories of all American prisoners of war.

Part of a stockade much like that used during the Civil War.

This is a good portion of the interior of the stockade area.

The main source of water was but a tickle much of the time and was estimated to have adequate water for 10,000 prisoners. But it was insufficient for the 33,000 men who were held here at one time in it's history. Much of it was contaminated by human waste leading to thousands of cases of dysentery. 

Providence Spring monument.
As the stockade was constructed a spring on the side of
the hill was covered. During a heavy rainstorm in 1864,
a flash flood knocked down parts of the stockade,
uncovering the spring.  It was considered providential
by prisoners as it appeared at a time of
intense heat and thirst.  The monument was erected in 1901.

While no major escape plans succeeded, prisoners did attempt to depart by tunneling and various other methods.

It would be so difficult to put in words the pictures of conditions at this camp, as were many camps during most of our war histories!!  Unless you've been through it, it would be difficult to imagine the conditions even with these pictures and narratives on film. 

So all I am going to give you are some of the primary captions and historical articles.

There were many physical articles from the era and pictures of such:

As we were leaving the museum to drive through the cemetery, there was a young chap taking an oath to become a junior park ranger. 

As we had seen in other cemetery grounds, there are monuments that different states in our country involved in the wars have since erected in honor of their state's dead soldiers.

Massachusetts monument in the center,
Ohio's monument on the right. 

Wisconsin's monument,
the largest  noticed as you first
enter the park.

Illinois Monument

New York Monument

We could not get close enough to see the state name on a few of the monuments.  Heaven forbid if we get out of the car to walk to them!!.  But it would be me dragging my feet!!   I usually do well with the zoom lens though.

We did drive through Americus GA on our way, but only stopped at Walmart for a few minutes. We did tour Americus in previous trips through Georgia.

Attractive water tower

These next two pictures were from the Resort that we just left in Silver Springs, FL.  I passed this on my walk about the park.  This area had the only park bench!!

Have to honor Canada as well as the United States.

This little church we saw on our little trip north from Ocala, near Hawthorne where we had lunch with my cousin and her husband.  I forgot to put this in that Blog, and it was too pretty and freshly painted to leave it out.  I would have loved to see the interior.

We don't have anything else planned for the rest of the week, but stay tuned.

OUR NEW PRIMARY RESIDENCE LOCATION, ESPECIALLY FOR WINTER

No new sightseeing!!  But NEWS at last!!

There are two of these signs at the only entrance
on Rt. 64.

Our site is on the entrance road into the resort.
Nice large green areas on the three corners.
And an orange grove to our back. 

As of April 4th, 2019 we will have a different home base!!  The Florida SKP CO-OP Resort where we stayed for January and February of this year, has finally had a site empty and prepared for resale for #1 on the waiting list.  That would be us!!  We have been on that waiting list for six years going from #138 to #l. Quite a long wait, though others have been known to wait for eight years.
We will then pay our electric and a LOW association fee.  So much more economical than renting a site wherever we light!!
A different home base for us, just picture our motorhome in this red one's place for the coming winter!!

This Resort has many activities during the prime months of winter and we sure take our picks!!  Gary even taught a color pencil class and I hope to get a scrapbooking group going, if there is enough interest,. At least there is a large clubhouse/social hall where I can find a large enough table to use for my own work if it is not too busy with other groups.

Clubhouse with patio on the opposite end
from the swimming area.
This looks much smaller than it is.

Main Social Hall and stage area., with the library
and kitchen behind this photographer "me".

We will also have to find an area of interest in the park for us where we can volunteer to do our share as member -owners in the park.  It is definitely run by membership owners/volunteers!! And well run!!There is a swimming pool

a shuffle board court, a road that they use for pickle ball among many other things. There are also many green areas for activities including a campfire ring.  Only grills are permitted on individual sites.
In the clubhouse all around the main social/dining hall and dance floor with stage, there several other rooms.
There is a good kitchen with good equipment,
 
and a well stocked library with a committee to manage it.

There is a laundry, card room, showers and such also.  We met people parked across from the clubhouse who had a bathroom issue in a NEW motorhome and had to use the shower/bathroom for a week or more! Always good to know that it is there and well kept!

On our Site we hope to add a cabana for more shade.  Maybe one of the two shown below!!  We saw these in the last resort where we spent March.  We got many ideas there, but will not have a lot of space for the walkways and gardening of bushes and flowers.  Gary says, "Good! Less work!".  We'll See!!

I will be so glad to have this park for our mile or more walk per day as the streets are nice and smooth!! We just have to walk four main lengths and around the front section to measure the mile.
Ignore the marked sites on the map, just people who we met and got to know.  But we are in the front section not far off the highway.

 During our two months there I participated in several craft Fridays and we attended the activities for the week of Cracker Capers, including one movie night of a movie explaining who the Crackers were in time past.  It was interesting!
In addition to the movie night, there was a Bingo night and a Sunday Ice Cream Social, a Ladies day out for lunch and a Guys day out for breakfast or lunch.  They also have a dinner night out for all in the Resort/by reservation for any who want to attend.

There was also a Dinner and Program for the 30 Year Celebration of the Resort's history as an Escapee membership co-op.  We heard many stories about it's beginning from the few original members still living in the resort.  It was very interesting and we love knowing that we will be a part of this history as it is told on down the years. It sure was a full house that evening!! Of course, the catered fried chicken dinner was a draw also.

Craft and Bake Sale

Gary with his Art in the Craft and Bake Sale

I have had problems with Picasa today while trying to organize the Blog.  So check back and see if I have added to it.  I will close out for now.
It is cool weather here in Georgia, but has been sunny so far.
Take care and see you in the north in a month or so.