We made it back from our “Journey Through Hallowed Ground” yesterday. As was the case with Dickens there were some joyful times and there were some disappointing times. :) I will spend a couple of posts here describing parts of our visit. Being a U.S. history buff this trip had a lot of meaning for me.

Our first stop was in Charleston West Virginia where we, as usual, toured the capital building. We got there on a Saturday and went to enter the building and to our surprise we found no guards or inspection stations.  I think this was the first time in several years we have been able to just walk in and enjoy the sites. Just across the way from the Capital building was a Museum of West Virgina. Without a doubt this museum was the best State museum we have been in. There were many displays about the State’s history including coal mining and its resulting conflicts.

There were stories about the ruthless tactics the coal company owners used to beat up and murder the workers who were trying to get better working conditions and a general life style improvement. As was typical of the Robber Barons of the early 1900s they, somewhat like today, wanted to totally control of just about everything and without any burdensome government interference.

Anyway it was an a very informative museum. We also throughly enjoyed the landscapes leading up to the capital and after we left. After we left West Virginia we went on to Maryland. It was not what I expected. But more on that the next post.