It’s funny the impact a memorial can have on you. Sometimes you see one portrayed in a book or TV show or film and, perhaps because of the context within which it was shown, and because it looks cool, it leaves a real impression in your mind. Then you forget all about it until, maybe years later, you see the memorial in person from a particular angle or in a particular way, and the mediated memories come flooding back.
FDR was one of America’s greatest presidents, and also one of the most controversial. I’d known that for a long time. What I hadn’t known for quite so long was the extent to which that controversy extended into the bedroom. I was reminded about that quite forcefully when I visited the president’s family home at Hyde Park, New York.
The time I visited the George Mason Memorial I stumbled across it almost completely by accident. If there was ever a memorial in Washington, DC that seems like it was intended to be hidden from view, this is it. Just as well it’s so darned charming.
Fifty years on from its end, many of the wounds from the Vietnam War have finally started to heal. Perhaps surprisingly, given its early controversy, the memorial wall has helped that healing process along.
If you’re visiting Washington, DC and find yourself standing at the southern edge of Lafayette Square, chances are you’re there to get a view of the White House. But take a few minutes to look around and you’ll also see the park contains some fascinating statuary. There are some great stories behind those statues.
I’ve visited Gettysburg on five separate occasions over the years. But the most memorable of these was the time a ranger was giving us a tour of the National Military Cemetery and decided to go off script and do something a bit different. Suddenly we were off on a graveyard adventure!
It’s hard to overstate how much difference a good interpretive guide can make to your experience of a historic monument. I’ve had visits to great monuments spoiled by poor interpreters and visits to less well-known sites really brought alive by inspired historical interpretation. Longfellow House is a happy example of the latter category.
I used to be a big fan of “The West Wing” on TV, and the term has become synonymous with the presidency. But there are West Wings and West Wings. The one that is attached to Independence Hall in Philadelphia isn’t as famous or as deserving of fame as the one stuck to the Executive Mansion. But it is a bit of a hidden gem in terms of what it contains inside.
Dougie Does Monuments 