BootsnAll Travel Network



The Shirley Plantation and Richmond, VA

September 25th

We checked out of our hotel (back to camping) and continued the road north. We stopped at Shirley Plantation on the James River. It is the oldest still functioning plantation in the United States and has stayed in the hands of the same of family. Today the land is leased out and they grow soybeans and cotton and the original home and buildings have been reconverted into a museum. The owner lives on the 2nd floor of the home and the ground floor is open to visitors- it has been restored to its early 20th century appearance.

After the plantation, we drove into Richmond, the capital of Virginia. We parked next to the riverfront which has been turned in to a public park. A railroad follows the waterfront and you can still see some of the remains of past industry. The former iron works has been turned into a historical site with a museum about the Civil War. We visited some of the exhibitions about the battles that took place in the area. Richmond was the second and principal capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War and was completely raised at the end of the war. Part of the museum recounted the stories of both the soldiers and the civilians who suffered through the war.

Our last stop in Richmond was at the Capitol building, a Greek revival building which was built under the guidance of Thomas Jefferson who had been inspired by his stay in Paris as ambassador to the U.S. When Fabien told the docent at the entrance that he was from France they gave us a special self-guided tour pamphlet with all of the connections between France and the Capitol building. “See, we are still friends.” We continued the road towards Monticello and found a campground before it got too dark to settle for the night.



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