POW'S--A Perfect Place for Memorial Day Weekend

Columbus, Georgia
Lake Pines RV Park

When we planned things to see during our week here, we thought since today was in the middle of the Holiday Weekend, people would already be where they were spending the holiday, making today the best day to be on the highway.  We were ready to leave a little after 8 am.  

Where were we going?  The Andersonville National Historic Site, which wasn't crowded.  The Site is divided into three parts, National Prisoner of War Museum, Prison Site and the Andersonville National Cemetery. 

I'm glad we did the Prisoner of War Museum first.  I was surprised to learn that it covered all POW's from all of our wars.

Once again our timing was perfect as they were getting ready to show a very well done video.  Just listening to what these POW's went through is heart wrenching.  

The museum had equal amount of stories covering all the wars.  

As you went out the rear doors you saw this reflection pool.

This park is on the grounds of the Andersonville Prison.  

The first Union prisoners arrived at Camp Sumter on February 1864 before it was finished.  It was intended to hold 10,000 over 16 1/2 acres.  By August there were 32,000 prisoners on 26 1/2 acres.  It is believed that 13,000 died while imprisoned during those 14 months. 

I knew we wouldn't have time to do everything so didn't stop at the spring.  We also thought about stopping in Americus to see the Habitat for Humanity exhibit, but didn't think it was open today.

Our next stop was the Jimmy Carter Historic Site Georgia.  This didn't look like your normal National Historic Site.  

It is housed in the old Plains High School where Jimmy Carter attended school.  

We viewed the excellent orientation film in the old auditorium.  

Bill felt comfortable sitting at the oval office desk.  We've seen so many of them, I think they must be mass produced.

One of the classrooms has been replicated to look like one during Carter's school years.  

This is about all that I remembered about the Carter's.  

This is the town of Plains that Carter painted.

He still teaches Sunday school classes.

This is a copy of the Nobel Peace Prize he won in 2002.

I didn't realize he was a submariner.  Don could have probably told me that.  

The Plains Depot was home to the 1976 campaign headquarters.  It was the only building in Plains that was empty and had a bathroom.  

Next we drove down to the boyhood farm, passing the haunted house where the Carters rented from 1956 to 1961.

You can't help but pass Billy Carter's service station and the Carter residence which is closed to the public since the town only has a few streets.  The Carter residence which was built in 1961 is the only home they ever owned.  

We didn't stop.

The Secret Service booth.

The one thing I neglected to mention was the park rangers were so helpful and friendly.  

Here's the home and you can walk through it.  The family moved into in 1928.   There was no running water or electric.  

Notice the thunder mug by Jimmy's bed.

This was a big day when they put in running water and this bathroom.  Notice the bucket over the shower which has holes in it for a shower head?

  

This was where they came to after school to get their list of chores that his mother left for them.  

These were the clay tennis courts. Jimmy was always beaten by his father when they played.

 That building is the commissary that they ran for their workers.

It was well stocked and there was a list of the prices in those days but they never paid any money.  It was deducted from their wages.

The windmill doesn't work anymore.  Notice the gasoline pump by the side of the commissary. 

We were ready for lunch but the only restaurant closed at 2.  I really wanted to try the peanut ice cream.  The downtown was constructed around 1890 and remains relatively unchanged.  

The RV Park has a free jam session at the barn every last Sunday of the month, but by the time we returned it was almost over.  

I don't mind telling you that we both decided we need to do absolutely nothing the next two days.  We figure the pool and the holiday travelers will leave and we'll enjoy doing nothing.

Turtle Safely.......