Dean & Linda Stock
Well-known member
DAY 34?APRIL 15?AUSTIN
We have so many places we want to visit, and rain wasn?t going to keep us home. We went to the Capitol first. We went on a short, but interesting tour. They have a huge rotunda that is 218? high, 14? higher than the U. S. Capitol. Louisiana recently rebuilt their capitol with a tall tower, so Texas lost its reputation as the highest capitol, though it is still the largest. They are very proud of being big; in fact they say they will be the biggest state again when the ice in Alaska melts! We took pictures, but we?re still having problems, so we don?t know when, or if, we will ever get them into the Photo Gallery.
They had two impressive statues, one of which was of Sam Houston, the first governor. He had two nicknames, ?The Raven? and ?Big Drunk?. He lived with the Indians twice, once when he was younger, and then again after the loss of his wife. He was a busy guy?the only person to be governor of two states, Texas and Tennessee, and he was Texas?s first U. S. senator. Texas has had 6 flags?Spanish, French, Mexican, Republic of Texas, U. S., and Confederacy. They were pictured in marble in the foyer, and were very pretty. The Civil War ended in 1865, but Texas didn?t rejoin the U. S. until 1870. The Democrats allowed the Republican candidate, Hayes, to win if they would quit occupying the south?talk about the granddaddy of backroom deals! They had all the governors? portraits, but the one that intrigued me was Miriam Ferguson who was the governor from 1925-1927, after her husband was impeached. He didn?t want the University of Texas teaching about evolution, and the academics were powerful enough to get him impeached, despite his great popularity. Miriam ran on the slogan of ?2 governors for the price of one.? They were called ?Ma? and ?Pa? Ferguson. She tried to pardon him, so she lost the next election, but she was re-elected in 1933 for two more years. Texas had the first woman governor, less than a decade after women got the right to vote.
We then went to the Visitors? Center, which had discount coupons, a great map, and lots of good information.
I was so looking forward to the George Washington Carver Museum, but Dean wasn?t. One of my students did a report on him, and I learned that he was a fascinating, multi-talented man. What a waste! Of our time and the city of Austin?s money. It was a beautiful building, but inside was just one small glass case with a bit of Carver?s history. There were 2 galleries. One was devoted to blacks who had made achievements, just their pictures and a paragraph about their accomplishments. The second was about marriages that had lasted a long time?advice from the couples, and biographical information. They had a small room, which was supposed to be a children?s gallery. It just had more pictures and paragraphs. We were the only visitors at the museum. It didn?t have anything engaging for kids or adults.
I did learn more about the history of Juneteenth. I knew it was celebrated in California. But, it actually celebrates the day that Texans learned that blacks were emancipated, June 19. They were officially freed in April, but it wasn?t until two months later that Texans found out. We?ve been to other museums that celebrate Black history, and the Underground Railroad Museum is by far the best. This museum would be the worst we?ve visited.
We dodged rain all day. At times it was hard rain. More is predicted for tomorrow and Saturday. Most of the places I planned to visit in Austin are outdoors, so we?re praying for the rain to go away?far away. Rain is not part of my itinerary.
Stayed at Oak Forest RV?FHU, 50 amps, posted price is $44/night, discounts of 10%-50%--we combined our Passport America (50% one night) with our AARP (30% for two nights) and paid $82
Temperature: 72? and rainy
Miles Traveled: 0
We have so many places we want to visit, and rain wasn?t going to keep us home. We went to the Capitol first. We went on a short, but interesting tour. They have a huge rotunda that is 218? high, 14? higher than the U. S. Capitol. Louisiana recently rebuilt their capitol with a tall tower, so Texas lost its reputation as the highest capitol, though it is still the largest. They are very proud of being big; in fact they say they will be the biggest state again when the ice in Alaska melts! We took pictures, but we?re still having problems, so we don?t know when, or if, we will ever get them into the Photo Gallery.
They had two impressive statues, one of which was of Sam Houston, the first governor. He had two nicknames, ?The Raven? and ?Big Drunk?. He lived with the Indians twice, once when he was younger, and then again after the loss of his wife. He was a busy guy?the only person to be governor of two states, Texas and Tennessee, and he was Texas?s first U. S. senator. Texas has had 6 flags?Spanish, French, Mexican, Republic of Texas, U. S., and Confederacy. They were pictured in marble in the foyer, and were very pretty. The Civil War ended in 1865, but Texas didn?t rejoin the U. S. until 1870. The Democrats allowed the Republican candidate, Hayes, to win if they would quit occupying the south?talk about the granddaddy of backroom deals! They had all the governors? portraits, but the one that intrigued me was Miriam Ferguson who was the governor from 1925-1927, after her husband was impeached. He didn?t want the University of Texas teaching about evolution, and the academics were powerful enough to get him impeached, despite his great popularity. Miriam ran on the slogan of ?2 governors for the price of one.? They were called ?Ma? and ?Pa? Ferguson. She tried to pardon him, so she lost the next election, but she was re-elected in 1933 for two more years. Texas had the first woman governor, less than a decade after women got the right to vote.
We then went to the Visitors? Center, which had discount coupons, a great map, and lots of good information.
I was so looking forward to the George Washington Carver Museum, but Dean wasn?t. One of my students did a report on him, and I learned that he was a fascinating, multi-talented man. What a waste! Of our time and the city of Austin?s money. It was a beautiful building, but inside was just one small glass case with a bit of Carver?s history. There were 2 galleries. One was devoted to blacks who had made achievements, just their pictures and a paragraph about their accomplishments. The second was about marriages that had lasted a long time?advice from the couples, and biographical information. They had a small room, which was supposed to be a children?s gallery. It just had more pictures and paragraphs. We were the only visitors at the museum. It didn?t have anything engaging for kids or adults.
I did learn more about the history of Juneteenth. I knew it was celebrated in California. But, it actually celebrates the day that Texans learned that blacks were emancipated, June 19. They were officially freed in April, but it wasn?t until two months later that Texans found out. We?ve been to other museums that celebrate Black history, and the Underground Railroad Museum is by far the best. This museum would be the worst we?ve visited.
We dodged rain all day. At times it was hard rain. More is predicted for tomorrow and Saturday. Most of the places I planned to visit in Austin are outdoors, so we?re praying for the rain to go away?far away. Rain is not part of my itinerary.
Stayed at Oak Forest RV?FHU, 50 amps, posted price is $44/night, discounts of 10%-50%--we combined our Passport America (50% one night) with our AARP (30% for two nights) and paid $82
Temperature: 72? and rainy
Miles Traveled: 0