USA 2017 - Laura visits Fort Stanwix and travels to Boston

After sadly leaving Dorisanne, her husband and wonderful collection of Sasha dolls, Laura and her family drove north east through the beautiful open countryside to Rome, near Utica in New York State.  They found a motel just across the road from the historic reconstructed Fort Stanwix and the next morning were up bright and early for breakfast in the diner next door before crossing the road to the Fort museum and the fort itself.

The museum had a lot of interesting exhibits about the history of the fort however there wasn't much time to take it all in because of a long car journey ahead, so Laura soon ventured outside again to visit the reconstructed fort.  The original had been besieged by the British during the American War of Independence in 1777, successfully defended by the colonists but destroyed by fire in 1781.  It had been built by the British to guard the portage called the Oneida Carrying Place during the French and Indian War in 1758.  The reconstruction is on the same site, with the same construction methods and materials, it is a wooden palisade fort and is a national monument.

This sign told about the family life at the fort much of which surrounded the fort except when it was under siege.

Approaching the fort, which was hidden behind the tall plants

The simple but impressive sign for Fort Stanwix National Monument

Approaching the bridge to the fort

The sign showing four pointed star shape of the fort

Many of the families of soldiers lived in tents around the outside of the fort

The rollers for the drawbridge just inside the entrance

Sign about the artisan quarters where the specialists (carpenters and blacksmiths) lived and worked as they made useful things to support life at the fort (less skilled maintenance work was carried out by soldiers)

The artisan quarters in one of the corners of the fort were very dim and dark, lit by lanterns

On top of the artisans quarters were cannons and the flagpole

The flagpole was very tall, Laura felt quite small beside it

Laura with the flagpole

Laura could see one of the colonial soldiers crossing the bridge as he walked out of the fort - he was there to welcome the modern day visitors to Fort Stanwix

During the 1970s various excavations were carried out at the fort site

This was the remains of an original brick fireplace in Fort Stanwix, Laura could guess it was where the soldiers cooked their meals

This was laid out as the orderly room, the fort headquarters

This room was furnished as the Commandant's quarters which had originally been in another building (not reconstructed). Laura thought that Colonel Peter Gansevoort lived in much nicer conditions than the ordinary soldiers

Outside in the bright sunshine Laura met the colonial soldier.  He was very friendly and explained a bit about what life was like at the fort.

This was officers' quarters, another rather nice room in the fort

This was lodging for visiting officers

Families of officers usually lived outside the fort as camp followers, however General Moody had his wife and daughter living in the fort from 1780-1781

Laura liked the child's toys carefully stored on the shelf in the Family quarters

In the family quarters were these buckets and a shoulder yoke for carrying the water from the well

Looking at the family quarters with the personal touches such as the wooden clogs and the baby cradle

The cradle was placed near the fireplace, where it would have been warm.  The stool was made from a single log of wood and would have been used to sit at the fire when cooking food.

Quill pens and ink at the writing desk

Looking at the Junior Officers' quarters

Laura liked the shelves above the fireplace, where all sorts of useful items to be stored easily within reach when needed

Weapons and tools in the Junior Officers' quarters

The Junior officers would have gathered around this table every day

One of the most interesting rooms was that of the Suttler (civilian trader) - the shop/trading post in the fort was where the soldiers to barter for the goods he supplied.

The Suttler's room was where furs and other essentials of every day life were traded in the fort.  Furs were valuable currency.

Laura was fascinated by the items on the shelves behind the counter in the trading post

Laura thought the apples looked tasty - many of the other items the Suttler traded were less familiar to her.

The fort was constructed from large trees cut to shape with saws and axes with all the pieces jointed together carefully

The soldiers lived in humble conditions

Soldiers slept together on raised bunks on straw with sacks stuffed with straw for pillows

Laura discovered that soldiers who were waiting for trial and punishment for some crime were kept away from their fellow soldiers in a guard house - their confinement was not the punishment, which was usually public, humiliating and painful

The papers for a Court Martial in the guard room

In the guard room was this fascinating model of the fort

Laura liked another model of the fort showing its construction

Laura had enjoyed her visit to Fort Stanwix National Monument and wished she could have spent longer in the museum where the friendly curator had been so helpful.  This national monument and its museum was entirely free to enter and was so interesting.

And so the long car journey continued, this time travelling East.  The countryside gradually changed as the road roughly followed the route of the Erie Canal, Laura realised later that she had more or less travelled the length of the canal on this trip, as she crossed the Hudson River where the canal begins.

The countryside became more wooded as Laura and her family travelled further East.  Soon they said goodbye to New York State and entered Massachusetts, one of the New England states. The weather was changing too as the clouds rolled in and some drops of rain landed on the windscreen.  It was still warm though cooler than at the fort.

Welcome to Massachusetts

Despite the heavy rain as Laura arrived at her friends house in Wayland, Massachusetts, she decided that her new surroundings were very beautiful.  There were wild turkeys wandering around the tree lined garden, three gorgeous cats (including a majestic Maine Coon) and a rather delicious dinner including corn on the cob with butter!

Dinner in New England

Laura was looking forward to her next, long awaited outing involving literary and US history.

USA 2017 - Laura at Niagara Falls and Rochester

On the Monday after the Band Organ Rally, Laura and her family were on the road again.  It was another glorious sunny day as we drove to Niagara Falls, not far from the Carousel museum at North Tonawanda which we had visited on Friday and Saturday.

Approaching the Niagara falls, in the distance the water smoke rose in the air

Laura and her girl approached the Niagara Falls in a semi shady park on the USA side

Laura was already wearing her blue raincoat when her girl picked up a poncho on the approach to the boat

The Maid of the Mist boat was filling up

Laura looked back at the observation tower on the USA side of the river as the Maid of the Mist drew away from the shore

The straighter falls threw white mist into the air

Laura was amazed by the amount of water tumbling over the edge and the noise of the falls

There is a rocky island between the straight (USA) falls and the curved Canadian falls

The Niagara falls island and cliff

The Maid of the Mist boat went as near as possible to the Niagara Falls and it was obvious why everyone needed rain ponchos as there was so much spray and mist, the camera lens was covered with water!  It was very exciting and Laura was glad to be sheltered under her girl's poncho.

As the boat turned away from the Niagara Falls, Laura stood in front of them (firmly held by her girl)

When she returned to dry land, Laura looked up at the Rainbow bridge 

She could see the international border between Canada and the USA in the middle of the bridge

Laura and her girl climbed up the steps alongside the straight, USA falls to get a closer look

There was so much mist in the air above the falls and Laura was glad she had kept her raincoat on

Laura could see that the plants alongside the falls were very green - it was hot and they got a lot of watering!

She enjoyed the view of the boat pulling away with another group of passengers as she want back to the observation tower

She had a wonderful view of the falls from the observation tower

Laura could see the path just below her where she had just been walking to get closer to the falls

Even the view after leaving the observation tower was exhilarating as the water thundered over the edge

The river just above the falls was very wide and rapid

Laura was glad to be standing firmly on dry land as she stood with the falls behind her

Laura bought a postcard of the Niagara falls for her friend Henry, who had visited them the previous year.  After leaving the Niagara Falls, Laura travelled to visit a music box and band organ collector and restorer in Rochester, New York. 

There was an intriguing automata which was a lot of fluffy pussy cats seated around a table moving their heads from side to side and meowing to be served.

Laura liked this miniature music box which looked like a barrel organ but actually contained a music box paper roll player, like one she had at home. 

The box acts as an amplifier for the music box mechanism (the tuned comb plucked by pins which are activated by holes in the music card).

Laura and her girl had fun playing with the cat at the music box collector's house too - it was chasing a laser light all around the room which was very funny. 

It had been a lovely day of contrasting things to see and do. Laura was looking forward to the next day.  She had a very special person and doll collection to visit.