Other Miscellaneous Pittsburgh Photos

Main Entrance to PNC Park and Honus Wagner Statue


Roberto Clemente Statue at PNC Park



Me on the Right Field Concourse at PNC Park
Too bad the Pirates weren't in town; they were in Seattle getting embarrassed by the Mariners (YIKES!)


Me and Art Rooney

Senator John Heinz History Center

The second amazing museum I visited while in PA was the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center. This place was everything I expected and then some. The main reason I wanted to go was to see the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum which is contained therein. I am terribly bummed by the fact that only one of the many photos I took in this place came out. I guess it was just a crappy one-time-use camera. Next time I go, I will have a digital! Anyway, here's the one photo that made it.


Me and the Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s. Yes, that is an honest to God curtain of steel in front of the poster. Pretty awesome.

Aside from that I saw Mario Lemieux's game jersey from the 1992 Stanley Cup, an array of Penguins hockey sticks, and more Pirates and Steelers memorabilia than I can list here. All that being said, I was a bit let down by the exhibit as a whole. When you enter the gallery, they really build it up. Piped in noise of sports announcers calling great moments in Pittsburgh history, fans cheering, etc. You enter a large room with a huge screen that plays a rousing video of Pittsburgh sports highlights that showcases all of the great legends of the city (Mazeroski, Clemente, Franco Harris, etc.). After the video I was almost in tears, it evokes that much of an emotional response. Unfortunately, you leave the video room and start the exhibit with displays about weird, non-major sports like speedboat racing and marbles tournaments. The baseball section of the gallery is the most impressive with another film, narrated by Joe Morgan, about Negro league baseball in Pittsburgh (very well done), and of course tons of Pirate stuff. I almost gagged to see the Barry Bonds jersey though (I'm NOT a fan). The football gallery is almost as good, with as much emphasis on high school and college ball as on the "Stillers." The hockey exhibit is pitiful at best. All in all, OK, but not what the build-up led me to believe I was in for.

The exhibit on the history of the Heinz family and company is awesome. I recommend that exhibit to everyone because it is just a cool piece of pop/consumer culture. The timeline exhibit is good, although I didn't have enough time to spend in it, as we were running short.

If you get a chance to visit this museum, definitely go. What they've done architecturally with a six story brick warehouse is amazing. The building itself is a gem. The gift shop is great and if you want to stay all day they do have a cafe in house that serves food and drinks. It was definitely a worthwhile experience even if my photos didn't come out. There's always next time!

French and Indian War Forts

Most folks probably wouldn't think about French and Indian War forts when they think of North Carolina, but we have one (or at least the site where one once stood). One of our least known state historic sites, Fort Dobbs is an interesting site with a lot of potential. Efforts are currently underway to raise the funding necessary to reconstruct the fort near Statesville.

On my recent trip to Pennsylvania I visited a terrific example of French and Indian War fortifications, Fort Ligonier. I had not been to this site since I was a child and boy has it changed! They have done a tremendous job restoring the fort, installing excellent exhibits in their museum, and putting together an artillery collection unsurpassed as far as I can tell. I was told by a staffer there that they've put $5 million into the work there and I wouldn't be surprised if they have $500,000 or more tied up in reproduction artillery alone. They've got everything from swivel guns (probably 20 of them) mounted on the fort walls to 8-inch howitzers on field carriages. They've got a mortar wagon, a howitzer mounted on a sled, and ammunition wagons. Its just plain damn impressive! The photos show a few examples.


One of the fort's many swivel guns



8-inch howitzer


Howitzer on a sled

Fort Ligonier was an active fort from 1758-1766 and was named for Sir John Ligonier, commander in chief in Great Britain. The fort restoration is excellent and is based on sound archaeological research. The museum exhibits are very nice and include two of the most unique artifacts I've ever seen - a pair of pistols given to George Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette. The same pistols were later owned by Andrew Jackson. The museum also has some other Washington artifacts. It is a unique site all around and well worth a visit if you are anywhere close by. The only downfall to Fort Ligonier is that they are only open to the public May through October. I assume this is a money saving effort as they are a private, non-profit and receive no government funding.

I think that the folks who are trying to rebuild Fort Dobbs could learn a lot by visiting Fort Ligonier and spending time with their staff. The staffer I talked to said he has had a number of phone conversations with the site manager at Fort Dobbs. That is a line of communication that will be beneficial to North Carolinians in the future, as the Fort Dobbs project moves forward.

For more information on the French and Indian War go to the website for the 250th anniversary celebration.

More F&I links include:
#1
#2
#3

Back from the 'Burgh

Well, I'm back from my hiatus in posting. I have been in Pennsylvania since Thursday visiting relatives. My parents are both natives of Somerset County, PA (Shanksville, to be precise). It was thanks to the US Marine Corps that I was born in North Carolina. Anyway, most of my extended family still lives in PA so we go up to visit on occasion.

I have cousins that now live in Pittsburgh (Shanksville and Somerset County aren't very exciting for many young, single adults unfortunately) so when I go up to visit, I am afforded an opportunity to visit that fabulous city. My cousin Nicole is working toward a Master's degree in 19th century American literature at Duquesne, while her brother Ryan is a sophomore at tiny Carlowe College (Nicole's alma mater coincidentally). I had a lot of fun in the 'Burgh and I am of course a huge Pittsburgh sports fan, so I was in hog heaven. I managed to see two very awesome historic sites/museums on my trip and more description and photos will follow later. For now, I will leave you with a photo of me on the hills of the Mount Washington neighborhood with the city of Pittsburgh in the background, and a photo of me and the two aforementioned cousins.


Pittsburgh is beautiful at night


Ryan, Nicole, and yours truly (Three Cousins)

Two New Encyclopedia Entries

I had lunch today with the editor of the online encyclopedia hosted by the North Carolina History Project. He informed me that my two latest entries were put up on the website today. One is about the CSS Neuse, and the other about James I. Waddell. I encourage you to go and check out these entries, as well as whatever else may catch your eye while you are on the website. My next entry will deal with the Confederate raid on the USS Underwriter. That should be done in a couple of weeks.

New Ship of the Week on the Header

This week, I am featuring the CSS Chickamauga.

CSS Chickamauga, a 585-ton cruiser, was formerly the blockade running screw steamer Edith, which had been constructed in London, England, in 1863. She was purchased by the Confederate Navy at Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1864 and refitted as a warship. Chickamauga operated as a raider in the western North Atlantic in October and November 1864. After capturing several Union merchant ships, she returned to Wilmington. Chickamauga remained on the Cape Fear River until 25 February 1865, when she was burned to prevent capture.

Sailors from the Chickamauga also took part in the land battle at Fort Fisher in January 1865, as they were detailed to artillery. A number of heavy guns in the fort were manned by navy crews in both battles.

Back on Flat Land Again

Well, the mountains are behind me, literally. I left Asheville shortly after 6:00 this morning, arriving back in Kinston a little after 12:30. I had a great time over the past few days and saw some areas of the mountains I had never seen, thanks to David Tate, site manager at Vance Birthplace. We spent Thursday morning scoping out a shooting range, lunch locations, and a hotel for a black powder safety course that I am putting on next June. I think we laid a solid foundation for that three-day event, as everything seemed to fall right into place. Last night I caught the first four innings of the Asheville Tourists/Hickory Crawdads baseball game. The rain chased me off after that; I figured if they wanted to play in the rain that was fine, but it didn't mean I had to get drenched too, so I left early and went back to the hotel, knowing that I was leaving early and should probably get some sleep. All in all it was a relaxing yet productive trip. Now for the weekend (and whatever it may hold).

Fun in the Mountains

I'm feeling very nostalgic tonight. I am currently sitting in a Hampton Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. I always get nostalgic when I come here. I am here on a work-related trip visiting the Thomas Wolfe Memorial and Zebulon Vance Birthplace. I had a nice visit at Wolfe this afternoon and am looking forward to spending the day at Vance tomorrow.

The reason I get nostalgic when I come here is because during the summers of 1994 and 1995 I worked on the staff at Montreat Conference Center, a Presbyterian conference center near Black Mountain. Those two summers were two of the best of my life. I realize in hindsight that I grew as a person a lot as a result of those two summers. I met a lot of really great people, some of which I still keep in touch with.

So let's examine the nostalgia. I started feeling it as soon as I was past Morganton on I-40 and saw the mountains looming up ahead of me. When I saw the Black Mountain/Montreat exit (#64) I started reminiscing in my mind about the time spent there. I went to the Asheville Mall this afternoon to kill some time and went to Pipes Ltd., the shop where I bought my very first pipe some 13 years ago. For old times sake, I bought an ounce of the blend I used to smoke from there called Asheville Mist. In a rather eery moment, I saw a friend's ex-fiancee walking in the mall with a child on her hip. She looked right at me, didn't speak, so I kept on walking. But how odd is it that I go to a place where I haven't been in at least 6 years and see someone I knew in a past life. Whoa! As I was leaving the mall, thunderstorm clouds had settled on the tops of the mountains and a cool rain was falling. I passed by the Chili's restaurant where I sat one night in 1995 drinking scotch with my friend Harvey. He was moving from Wilmington to New Mexico and stopped in Asheville for the night (the first leg of a seven day trip). Its the last time I saw Harvey. We exchange Christmas cards every year. He now lives in Arizona, is married, and has a child.

Anyway, as nostalgic as it all may be, I know that I would not want to live here again. Truth be told, I'm not really fond of snow and ice which kind of kills the mountains for me. Do I miss the area, yes. Do I love to come back, yes. But no matter what its still different now than it was a dozen years ago, ex-fiancees and tobacco stores aside. Asheville has grown immensely and is not the same place it was then. Most of the people that I really care about from those days no longer live here. But I still get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I see those mountains looming ahead. And when I'm here its almost like living in a dream.

Update on SCV Presentation

My presentation to the CSS Ram Neuse Camp #1427 SCV last night went well. To my way of thinking, that camp exemplifies what the SCV should be. They are all gentlemen and most of them are well-read and knowledgable. I fielded a lot of good questions, some of which I had no answer to. All in all it was a good experience and I look forward to being invited back in the future.

My Next Presentation

This Tuesday evening, June 12, I will be giving a presentation at the monthly meeting of the CSS Ram Neuse Camp #1427, SCV in Kinston, NC. This camp has had some recent turmoil in regards to SCV politics. A number of the camp's members split from the group about two years ago and formed another camp. I know most of the gentlemen in Camp #1427 and they are all fine folks. They are genuinely interested in history, rather than current heritage politics and a number of them are involved in local preservation and tourism development groups. They have done a lot to further the efforts of Kinston's growing heritage tourism industry and should be commended for their efforts.

The meeting will be held at King's Restaurant (a Kinston icon) on Highway 70 East. Dinner starts at 7:00 p.m. and my presentation will kick off at about 7:30 or so. This time around I am doing a presentation on Private Isaac Taylor of Company K, 2nd NC Cavalry and the longest surviving Confederate veteran in Onslow County. Parts of Taylor's story are like that of any Confederate soldier, but there are some unique twists. It is a program that I've found appeals to SCV and UDC groups, and it is a fairly brief program in comparison to some of my others. If you're in Kinston on Tuesday evening and want some good food and a little history, stop by King's and see us!


Isaac Taylor in his later years, with his daughter-in-law
Photo courtesy of Mr. Taylor's great granddaughter

How About a Confederate Ship on the Header?

The new header, the first Confederate ship to grace that spot, is the CSS Nashville. This 1221-ton sidewheel steamer was built in New York in 1853 and seized by the Confederate government in Charleston in 1861, being converted to a blockade runner/cruiser. She ran the blockade into Beaufort, NC on 28 February 1862, carrying a much-needed cargo of supplies and weapons. Not too long afterwards she was sold to private interests in Georgetown, SC and operated first as a blockade runner Thomas L. Wragg, then as a privateer Rattlesnake. On 28 February 1863, just one year after running the blockade into Beaufort, she was destroyed in Savannah by the Federal ironclad USS Montauk.

This ship holds a special place in my pantheon of vessels because a few years ago a friend of mine who is an antique weapons collector/dealer obtained an Enfield rifle with "CSS Nashville" stamped on the underside of the barrel. What a find!

New Ship on the Header

The USS Ceres was a 150-ton side wheel steamer capable of 9 knots. She was 108'4" long and carried a compliment of 45 officers and sailors. She was armed with one 30-pounder rifle and one 32-pounder smoothbore. The Ceres had a storied history in the coastal waters of North Carolina, participating in actions at Roanoke Island, Elizabeth City, and Plymouth, among others. She captured a number of vessels including the CSS Ellis. One of the final acts of the Ceres was to tow the sunken ram CSS Albemarle to Norfolk, VA at the close of the war.