Mon
Oct 22 2007
11:00 am
Road trip journal: Staunton, VA
By: R. Neal

The first overnight stop on our New England road trip was in Staunton, VA. It was just supposed to be a sleepover, but we discovered a neat little town and, bonus, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum...


The Woodrow Wilson Museum. Visits to presidential museums are great history lessons. Woodrow Wilson presided over some interesting times, including the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote (which was officially ratified by Tennessee's vote), the establishment of the Federal Reserve, creation of the Income Tax, and of course World War I (which Wilson ran on a platform to keep the U.S. out of). At the end of WWI, Wilson proposed the idea for the "League of Nations" to help prevent future wars.

He was considered the first "progressive" president, who believed in regulation of corporations and stood against monopolies and corporate influence in government.

I was surprised to learn that he was somewhat of a segregationist. His theory was that blacks should be separate so they wouldn't have to compete with whites to get ahead.


The Woodrow Wilson birthplace, next door.


Interesting and beautiful gardens on the grounds.


Downtown Staunton, VA. Worth a stop if you're on your way up north on I-81. It's also near the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway if you're coming South. We had dinner at The Pullman, a nice restaurant in a converted train station.


Interesting iron works garden, spotted on our way out of town.

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Carole Borges's picture

In New England

Submitted by Carole Borges on Tue, 2007/10/23 - 10:37am.

we would call it Stahn-ton. We have a Taunton in MA and that's how we say it. Tahn-ton.

Carole Borges's picture

Great photos! I love the formal garden.

Submitted by Carole Borges on Tue, 2007/10/23 - 10:30am.

I've always found Virginia to be a very pretty state with friendly people and charming architecture.

bizgrrl's picture

In the South we too might

Submitted by bizgrrl on Tue, 2007/10/23 - 10:39am.

In the South we too might call it Stahn-ton, but it still might sound different.

smalc's picture

A lady at a hotel there

Submitted by smalc on Wed, 2007/10/24 - 8:44am.

A lady at a hotel there corrected me a while back, I said Stahnt-un. She said it was Stant-un.

Mykhailo's picture

It makes more sense than

Submitted by Mykhailo on Tue, 2007/10/23 - 11:47am.

It makes more sense than Maury County.

redmondkr's picture

From Natchez to Mobile

Submitted by redmondkr on Tue, 2007/10/23 - 12:12pm.

I have a recording of Nana Mouskouri singing Blues in the Night.

She is a marvelous singer but when she gets to:

From Natchez to Mobile, (pronounced with a very British Mobīle.)
From Memphis to St. Jo

I have to chuckle.

And what about LaFollette?

Visit us at

Wearybottom Associates

Up Goose Creek's picture

Downtown

Submitted by Up Goose Creek on Wed, 2007/10/24 - 6:11am.

Staunton ranks right up there as one of my favorite small US towns. The fact that its downtown is concave (bowl shaped) gives it an intimacy that convex (hilltop) or flat downtowns don't have.

Plus, I envy their train service.

____________________________________
Less is the new More - Karrie Jacobs

Up Goose Creek's picture

Cardinal

Submitted by Up Goose Creek on Wed, 2007/10/24 - 10:07pm.

I had the opportunity to ride the Cardinal this summer. Got on near Beckley. The countryside west of Staunton is about as bucolic as it can possibly be.

I thought it was very convenient that Martha Stewart's NY pals could just hop on the train to visit her in Alderson.

____________________________________
Less is the new More - Karrie Jacobs

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