Post Office, Charles Town, W. Va.

 "Founded in 1786, by Charles Washington, Brother of the President.  Here John Brown was tried and convicted of Treason.  Home of W. L. Wilson, Post Master General- 1896- who here started the first Rural Free Delivery in America."

Here is a vintage postcard scan of the Charles Town post office (I bought this postcard in Charles Town), followed by a couple of photos I took at the building recently.

The John Brown Wagon- Charles Town, West Virginia

I mentioned that the John Brown Wagon, which took him to the gallows on the day he died and transported his remains later, is on display in the museum in Charles Town.

The top color photo is one I took of the wagon while we visited.  The black and white picture under it is scanned from a postcard I bought at the museum.

Jefferson County Museum- Charles Town West Virginia

This was something not even on my radar when we planned our trip to the Charles Town area.  I am so glad I found this place!

We stopped by the visitor center in Charles Town, and they recommended that we swing by the Jefferson County Museum which is in the same building as the library.

AND, this ended up being a highlight of our visit to the area.

A very nice young lady gave us a map of the museum, and even gave us a bit of a mini guided tour. 

They do have some very interesting displays on the local school, industry, etc.  There are vintage toys.  All worthy of display.

BUT, they have many items that I am sure make bigger museums jealous.

There is a HAND WRITTEN letter from George Washington to his brother Charles, who founded this town.  It is in a very protective case, and it is the original that is on display.

I think most visitors swing by here to see the John Brown related items though...  and they do have many.

Guns from the arsenal are here.  Personal items of Browns are in cases to see nearby.  They even have some very impressive items relating to the man and his time in the area.

There is an entire case of small items owned or relating to Brown.

I think the most stunning/shocking item is the wagon that Brown rode in on his way to the gallows.

As we left, we noticed that the museum sold old vintage linen postcards for a quarter each or five for a dollar!  I felt like a thief buying them at that price, but I bought $5 worth.  Plus, I think it was $6 to go through... so this place is a great bargain too!

I don't want to knock any of the other great sites around, but this museum is incredible.  I would say if you only had a couple of hours to spend in the Harpers Ferry/Charles Town area and you can only visit one place- this would be the one to visit.  I would even say that, if you had to choose between a quick visit to the National Park location, or this museum.....  I would pick this nice little museum!

Charles Town West Virginia

We made sure that we had time to explore Charles Town while we were near Harper's Ferry.  Charles Town, in a lot of ways is really a very significant part of the John Brown story.

I had several spots in town that I had noted from my research that I wanted to visit.  The courthouse and the Post Office, which was, in 1859, the jail where Brown was held.  I also had noted the site of his hanging which was only a few blocks away from the neighboring courthouse and post office.

We visited all of the sites, AND we stepped into the very nice local visitor center.  A nice fellow running the place let us know that the town does a FREE John Brown walking tour!  Well, we had already done our own tour, so we passed on this.  For the record, another couple staying at the same inn as us told us that they did the walking tour, and it was incredible!

We did notice references to Brown everywhere.  It seems that there is an "Abolitionist" brewery!

Anyway, here are a few photos from around town.  I think the most interesting site, the hanging site, is now in a private yard.  There is a historic marker there, and a short fence around the yard..... but the actual site is simply in a yard.  Kids were riding bikes nearby, locals drove by...  but yeah.  Its just in a yard.

Harper's Ferry West Virginia

Here are just a FEW photos I took while we visited Harper's Ferry West Virginia.

This is where John Brown's famous raid went down...  an event that some credit with igniting other events leading to the Civil War.

There is so much that has been said about Harpers Ferry, I really don't have anything new to contribute......  but here are some photos.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

It is that time of year when I really want to read something scary!  I love Halloween, and Fall....  and I try to enjoy as much about the season as I can!

I wanted to find some reading material that seemed appropriate.  Luckily, I found a copy of Kathleen Kent's book, "The Heretic's Daughter", set during the witch trials in Salem!

One thing that popped out to me as I read a description of the book was that one of the book's main character's, convicted and executed Salem witch Martha Carrier, is an ancestor to the author!  That gives this book some significant cred up front.

The story is told from the perspective of Martha's daughter, Sarah, who is growing up in this well known New England area.  She and her family experience a good amount of rejection thanks to family health issues.  She is forced to stay with her aunt and uncle for some time as these issues occur.  She develops a strong bond with a cousin, and her relations and perceptions of each family member evolves as she is moved around.  She develops more of an understanding (and admiration) of her parents, while her psychological guard goes up concerning others.

While she is dealing with living a regular young girl's life, the witch hysteria becomes a major focus for the locals, as Sarah, her mother, and most of the rest of her family find themselves in jail, accused of being witches.

"The Heretic's Daughter" is a very well written book concerning this time and place in history.  MANY modern authors have tried to write about this... with mixed success.  Source material is scarce, and some authors have taken excessive creative liberties.

Kathleen Kent has not done that.  Sure, this is historic fiction, and she has written a story, but I believe she has stuck VERY closely to the known facts.  THIS is exactly what I think probably went down in Salem and the surrounding areas in 1692.  She is making some of this up..... but she has absolutely gotten the tone and the vibe right.

If you have read up on the events, you know that the convicted were likely the most dedicated Puritans of them all.  Even with threat of death, they refused to make a false admission to save their lives.  These were stubborn, disciplined people who would literally rather die than to renounce their status as a faithful believer. 

Again, the author really gets the FEEL of the time right.

The book has a good flow and I was able to read this one over a few days.  It is dark while still being true to the events and it gets my highest possible recommendation.

Godfather's Pizza- Madisonville, KY

I know....  what's so special about a chain pizza place in a mall?

Well, years ago, when me and my buddies first got our driver's licenses, we were itching to go to new places.  ANY place new.  Madisonville was less than an hour drive from us.  We had always heard of it, but never been there, so we went to Madisonville.

Madisonville was smaller than Owensboro, but it was still a city big enough to have stuff going on- including a nice mall.

Going to Madisonville...  and the Madisonville Mall was something fun and new to us.  It was different.

This little Godfather's Pizza has been a constant at the mall.... at least as long as I have been going there.  I like their pizza and breadsticks.  And there is something very cozy about the dine-in area here.

Its dim with glassless windows looking into the mall.  For some reason, I think all great pizza shops should be dim.  Especially a "Godfather's" pizza.  Dim is good for...  you know, secretive conversations.  Private business.  Dark pizza places make me think of pizza places in the 80s too. 

Even now, whenever I drive through or to Madisonville, I like going to Godfather's.

I like going here for nostalgia's sake... and because I like the food.

I stopped by the other day and I thought it was cool that they had the place all decorated up for Halloween.  Check out the photos.  They did a good job.

Wild Mountain Bakery and Cafe- Murray Kentucky

Wild Mountain Bakery and Café was a good stop for us on a recent trip through western Kentucky.

This is a nice place to enjoy a nice sandwich and coffee in this great college town.

We stopped by and had "Smoke Bomb" sandwiches which were perfect.

The sandwiches came with chips and this was just a nice, satisfying meal.

On the way out, we got a great blue berry muffin, and I got a pumpkin spice latte.  The latte (a large) was LESS THAN $4!  Take that, chain coffee shops!

Wild Mountain is a very DIY kind of place (they even roast their own coffee beans).  They are very local, and very into the whole fresh homemade thing.


The staff was very friendly- we had a pleasant chat with a young Murray student from Louisiana who is studying equine management.  She chatted with us about travelling, while also telling us about the shop and it's offerings.

This little café just really hits all of the marks in making a perfect place for lunch or coffee.