The Great Atlanta Trip 2011: Visiting Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Ellen Wilson and James Frazier

 Four hours in a car is a long time for anyone….especially a one year old….but Major was a total champ and as we pulled into the parking lot of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, I was excited that he and Amber were both there with me and was anxious to get inside and take in the life and career of our 39^th President. 

After the trip to see Santa, Major was ready to get out of town for a while as well

 A few days before, Amber and I had decided that we needed to get away for a day. We both had time off over the holidays and, as you tend to do when you have time off, we had filled the bulk of it with the mundane tasks of home ownership and the joyous to and fro of Christmas, both of which had left us completely tired.  Christmas with Major was absolutely fantastic and we decided that the good times needed to continue rolling and what better way to do that than with a last minute, ill conceived, poorly planned road trip?! 

IKEA Atlanta

 Living in Nashville, we are with-in easy driving distance of Memphis, Atlanta, Louisville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville but only one of these has the ultimate draw for Amber, IKEA.  So with little discussion, I was online booking a hotel in Atlanta.  Being a tad bit into History, I, of course, knew that not only was Jimmy Carter’s Library located in Downtown Atlanta but that the Martin Luther King tomb, museum and Ebenezer Baptist Church were all there as well, and after just a minute of research I discovered that they were located less than two miles apart.  I also began looking at Tennessee’s Governors that might be buried along our path and discovered one in Chattanooga, which you pass through on your way to Atlanta. So between my history sites and Amber’s trip to IKEA and the hotel booked we were ready to roll…….until Major came down with a little bug and we had to cancel the hotel and instead make a trip to the pediatrician’s office. Four days later, with Major fully recovered and ready to rock again we rebooked our hotel and we were on our way….

Major and I outside of the Carter Library & Museum

 

The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum is located just outside of downtown Atlanta in what appears to be a quiet little neighborhood.  Having visited 4 other Presidential Libraries and Museums, I have to say that the Carter location is a bit underwhelming, not to say it isn’t good, but Carter’s administration in comparisons to those of Truman, Eisenhower, Regan and even Nixon, just isn’t that interesting. Having said that I would highly recommend anyone visit that might be in the area or interested in the lives and/or careers of the Presidents.  A large percentage of the Museum is dedicated to Carter’s post-presidency life, which has been, arguably, much more impressive than his political career and has seen him win the Nobel Peace Prize, which is on display at the end of the museum tour.  You walk away from the library with a deep sense that Carter is, as he portrayed himself in his campaigns, a fine, decent, admirable and honest man. 

Tomb of Martin Luther King, Jr, and Coretta Scott King

 The Martin Luther King, Jr. Historical Sites are a very short drive from the Carter Museum and include a Museum, Birth Home, Center for Non-Violent Social Change, Ebenezer Baptist Church and the final resting place of King and his wife, Coretta Scott King.  Being short on time we decided to head straight for the tombs, in order to insure that we had time to take it in properly. Having been to the final resting places of many of this nation’s greatest leaders, I have to say that standing at the tomb of Martin Luther King, a feeling of standing near greatness came over me that I have rarely felt before. The same can be said for the very well preserved Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King ‘s father was pastor and where he was baptized, preached his first sermon and was, until his death, co-pastor. 

Eternal Flame located near the King Tomb

 After a trip to IKEA and a good night’s sleep we were up and ready to head home the next day.  For the trip home I had planned two stops:

View from the top at Myrtle Hill Cemetery, Rome, GA

The first was in Rome, GA, to visit Myrtle Hill Cemetery, which is the final resting place of Woodrow Wilson’s first wife and for a little over a year of his term the First Lady of the United States, Ellen Wilson.  Of all of the cemeteries I have ever visited, Myrtle Hill is easily one of the most amazing as the whole of the cemetery sits on a very steep hill. While Woodrow is buried in D.C. with his second wife, Ellen rests next to her father and other kin in a very serene peaceful plot. 

Ellen Wilson's Grave

The last stop on our journey was to Forest Hills Cemetery located just outside of downtown Chattanooga and is the final resting place of James B. Frazier, the 33^rd Governor of Tennessee, and my 24^th Governor visit of the year.  Interestingly, I had been to Forest Hills Cemetery just four years earlier when my great uncle, Dudley Merritt, was laid to rest there. 

#33

 Name: James Beriah Frazier

Birth: 18 October 1856

Death: 28 March 1937
Age at Death: 80 years, 5 months and 10 days old

Interment: Forest Hills Cemetery, Chattanooga, TN

Term in Office: January 19, 1903 – March 21, 1905

Political Party: Democrat

James Beriah Frazier was born on October 18, 1956 in Bledsoe County, TN.  Graduating from the University of Tennessee at the age of 21, he would be admitted into the bar in 1881, and open a law practice in Chattanooga.  In 1902, he was elected Governor, and would be greatly admired for the strides he would make in improving education and for working to regulate mining in order to make it safer for workers. Reelected in 1904, he would only serve a few months of his second term before the death of former Governor, William Bate, who would leave an open seat in the United States Senate, where he was serving at the time of his death. Frazier would retire the governorship in order to take this vacated seat and would serve there until 1911.  Following his time in the senate, he returned to Chattanooga where he would continue to practice law until his death in 1937.

Andrew Johnson and 2011 a year in review

As 2011 begins to wind down and I have had time to reflect a little on the past nearly 365 days, I am astonished by all that has happened.  The beginning of 2011 started off with me planning on making one Presidential trip (to LBJs Ranch and Grave) and the Governor’s Blog wasn’t even on the radar and now here I sit having visited 6 Presidents and 19 Governors (I hope to visit one more to make it an even number before the end of the year). My journey has taken me to five different states and over a dozen small towns in Tennessee that until now I never had a reason to visit. 

From the eastern most visit to Teddy Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, NY to western most  visit to Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA is an expanse of 2862 miles…in between these two locations I visited Andrew Johnson in Greenville, TN,  Harry Truman in Independence, MO, and Eisenhower in Abilene Kansas, Lyndon Johnson in  Stonewall, TX and   Richard Nixon in Yorba Linda, CA.

The view from the Reagan Library

I saw an alien head in Lebanon, TN, while visiting William Campbell, and the birthplace of Nathan Bedford Forrest, on my way to visit Prentice Cooper in Shelbyville.  After many attempts to contact the land owner, I snuck into the cemetery of Newton Cannon to snap a few shots of his grave in Eagleville and saw the first private grave monitored by an alarm system  I have ever seen while visiting Austin Peay and Willie Blount in Clarksville, TN. 

Newton Cannon Cemetery

These experiences have been shared with some the most important people in my life.  Amber and Major were with me in Knoxville as we trudged up and down the hilly downtown looking for the Old County Court House, which is the final resting place of John Sevier.  While on a family vacation to my aunt and uncle’s place, my dad and my nephew, Will, took time out to travel with me through the hills of East Tennessee, seeing views that were truly breathtaking, own our way to Greeneville to visit former Governor and President, Andrew Johnson.  Effrin and I took our first plane trips together to both Kansas City and Los Angeles and visited a total of four former Presidents.  William and I traveled to five different cities and knocked out an astonishing six governors in one day. All of these experiences meant so much to me and brought me even closer to the people in this world that I love and respect most. 

Major's ready to roll...

You see, that is what each of these trips truly is, an experience, to be shared and remembered and each name I check off of the list brings with it experiences and memories that will last a lifetime. It is the laughs and the struggles, the time spent driving and wandering the cemeteries looking for graves, the places we eat and the weird little side trips we take, that makes each visit special and unique and what I crave more than anything. So, thank you all, thank you for reading, thank you for participating and if you’re ever feeling the need to visit a graveyard be sure and let me know and I will be there with camera in hand ready to make new memories with you.

#18 & #20

Name: Andrew Johnson

Birth: 29 December 1808

Death: 31 July 1875
Age at Death: 66 years, 7 months, 2 days old

Interment: Andrew Johnson National Cemetery

Term in Office: October 17, 1853 – November 3, 1857 & March 12, 1862 – March 4, 1865

Political Party: Democratic & Unionist/Military Governor

Andrew Johnson was born on December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, NC, to Jacob and Mary Johnson.  Following the death of his father, he would move with his mother and stepfather to Greeneville, TN, in 1826. Entering into an apprenticeship, as a tailor, he would open eventually open his ownsuccessful shop. The year after moving to Greeneville, he would meet and marry his wife, Eliza McCardle, with whom he would have five children. He would first be elected to the State Legislature and then the State Senate and finally as a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives.  He would serve in the House of Representatives for ten years before being elected as the Governor of Tennessee, a post which he would hold for two consecutive terms. Following his terms as Governor he would next be elected to the U.S. Senate and would serve there until Tennessee seceded from the Union on June 8, 1861.  A strong proponent of the Constitution of the United States, Johnson viewed secession as unconstitutional and would be the only Senator from a seceding state to continue serving during the Civil War. In 1862, Lincoln would call upon Johnson to serve as the Military Governor of the State of Tennessee for the duration of the War.  In the election of 1864, Lincoln would again call upon Johnson to be his running mate.  A little over a month after his inauguration as Vice President, Johnson would be thrust into the role of President following the assassination of Lincoln. As President, Johnson would offer amnesty for the rebelling southern states and much of the confederate government.  He would also become one of only two Presidents to be impeached and was only one vote shy of being convicted.  Following his term as President, Johnson would run for and eventually be reelected to the U.S. Senate, the only former President to do so.  He would die on July 31, 1875, in Elzabethton, TN.  According to his wishes he was buried in Greeneville, TN,   his body being wrapped in an American flag and his head laid upon a copy of the Constitution. 

Now it's time to DANCE (and visit some Governors)

I have several passions in life...obviously history is one...another is my family and friends and finally music. I've been a fanatical music fan as long as I can remember and honestly some of my earliest memories are tied to some song or another. I've been, and am, a fan of everything from Hank Williams to Kanye West, from Miranda Lambert to Minor Threat...There are, in fact, very few bands or artists that I can't find at least something that I enjoy.

Music has brought me great joy in life and been with me through the deaths of both of my grandmothers. When my Nanny died I couldn't stop listening to Juliana Hatfield's album Hey Babe, when my Mawmaw died it was Public Enemy It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back...both strange choices but also both albums that I begged my grandmothers to take me to the mall to purchase and being the loving grandmothers that they were (are) they both happily obliged.

Minus the fact that she is beautiful, one of the first things that attracted me to Amber was the fact that she was a fan of the band Material Issue. When we got married we were obsessed with Elton John's song , "Tiny Dancer", and listened to it basically on repeat for days and when we found out she was pregnant with Major we became obsessed with the Mumford and Son song, "Timshel". Ask me any period in our relationship and chances are I can tell you what music we were listening to at that particular time.

Since the day Major came home from the hospital we have attempted to expose him to as much music as possible. One of the first days we were home I sat with him on the couch and listened to old country music all day. When he was upset, for whatever reason, The Decemberists calmed him and his love for the theme-song to The Simpsons was evident by his efforts to see the TV anytime the song was playing.

So to say that his first live music experience was important to us is an understatement. We toyed with taking him to see Steve Martin perform bluegrass this past summer, but decided against it for various reasons. It all clicked into place, however, when we found out that Yo Gabba Gabba was touring and playing in Knoxville, which is just a few hours from us. Ever since he was tiny he has loved Yo Gabba Gabba...he'll watch as Mark Mothersbaugh draws or Biz Markie does his beat of the day and dance anytime the Super Music Friend Show band performs.

We weren't sure how to expect him to react to the whole live experience, but minus shear terror at the very beginning he was enthralled by the show and stared at the performers with a look of amazement on his face. Sitting there with him, I couldn't help but be thankful that I have such an amazing child and that he is growing up so beautifully. He seems to be developing a love for something that has been with me for so many years...a love of music that will hopefully bring him joy for his entire life...and I think that is all that any parent can really hope for at the end of the day is that their child is healthy and happy...for if they have those two things everything else will be okay.

Oh and I also got to visit a few graves while we were in Knoxville.

#1

 Name: William Blount

Birth: 26 March 1749

Death: 21 March 1800
Age at Death: 50 years, 11 months, 23 days

Interment: First Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, TN

Term in Office: September 20, 1790 – March 30, 1796

(Technically served as Governor of the United States of America South of the River Ohio)

Political Party: Democratic Republican

William Blount was born on March 26, 1749, near Windsor, North Carolina. 

In 1776, William entered into service in the Revolutionary War, serving as paymaster with several units fighting out of North Carolina. On February 12, 1778, William married Mary Grainger, with whom he would have six children. Following the war he would enter into the North Carolina House of Commons and as a delegate to the US Constitutional Convention and would be one of the signers of this document. In 1790, William was appointed as Governor of the Territory of the United States, South of the River Ohio, as well as superintendent of Indian Affairs, by then President George Washington. He would serve in these positions for six years, dealing with the early establishment of the region and issues with the local Indian Tribes. Following his term as governor of the region he would go on to serve as President of the Tennessee Constitutional Convention and be elected to serve in the United States Senate. On June 8, 1797, however, William would be expelled from the Senate because of his involvement in an affair involving an attack on Spanish Florida and Louisiana. Despite his expulsion from the U.S. Senate, William was elected to serve in the State Senate the following year and would also serve as Speaker of that body. Two years later, William died at his home in Knoxville on March 21, 1800. 

#2

 Name: John Sevier

Birth: 23 September 1745

Death: 24 September 1814
Age at Death: 70 years, 2 days

Interment: Old Knox County Courthouse  

Term in Office: March 30, 1796 – September 23, 1801 & September 23, 1803 – September 20, 1809

Political Party: Democratic Republican

John Sevier was born in New Market, Virginia, on September 23, 1745. John would marry Sarah Hawkins in 1761 and move with his wife into the Holston settlement, which was located in what would become East Tennessee. At the onset of the Revolutionary War, John would work his way to the position of Colonel in a division that was known as the Overmountain Men, which was a division of men from West of the Appalachian Mountains. John would lead them in their greatest victory over loyalist fighters at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Following the war he would first serve as Governor of the ill-fated State of Franklin from 1785 until its dissolution in 1788. After this term he would serve as Brigadier-General in the Tennessee State Militia for five years. In March of 1796, he would be sat as the first Governor of Tennessee, which would be entered into the Union on June 1, 1796. He would serve a total of six years before having to step down due to the term limits set forth by the Tennessee Constitution. It was following his first term that his rivalry with Andrew Jackson, a supporter Archibald Roane, the man who won the governorship following Sevier. Their argument would almost come to the point of a duel, which was going to take place in Kingston, TN, but both men would walk away without firing a shot. Following Roane’s term as governor, John would again be elected as governor serving another six years. At the end of his next term, John would first serve two years in the Tennessee State Senate and then four years in the United States Congress. He would die in 1815, while surveying the boundary between the Creek Nation and the State of Georgia, first being interred at Fort Decataur his remains would later be moved to their current resting place on the grounds of the Old Knox County Courthouse. 

#3

Name: Archibald Roane

Birth: circa 1759

Death: 18 January 1819
Age at Death: 59 or 60 years

Interment: Pleasant Forest Cemetery, Farragut, TN

Term in Office: September 23, 1801 – September 23, 1803
Political Party: Democratic Republican

Archibald Roane was born in Lancaster County, PA, sometime in 1759.  After the death of both of his parents in 1767, Archibald was made a ward of his uncle John Roane, who was a Presbyterian Clergy man and saw to it that he received a good education. Sometime around the year 1780, he moved to Liberty Hall, VA, and married Ann Campbell.  He was later admitted into the bar and set up practice in Jonesborugh and Greeneville, TN. In 1790, he was selected as the Attorney General for the Territory of the United States West of the River Ohio and would go on to be one of the original framers of the Tennessee Constitution. In 1801, he was elected Governor of Tennessee and would spend two years in this position, during which time he would deal with helping to define the border between Tennessee and Virginia. He would lose his reelection bid to John Sevier, after serving only one term. Following his time as governor he would return to practicing the law and serve as a Circuit Judge as well as on the Superior Court of Errors and Appeals until his death on January 18, 1819. 

#21

 

Name: William Gannaway Brownlow

Birth: 29 August 1805

Death: 28 April 1877
Age at Death: 71 years, 8 months

Interment: Old Gray Cemetery, Knoxville, TN

Term in Office: April 5, 1865 – February 25, 1869
Political Party: Republican

William Gannaway Brownlow was born on August 29, 1805, in Wythe County , VA, and moved at a very early age to Eastern Tennessee.  After the death of both of his parents in 1816, he was left to the care of his mother’s family. He would enter into the Methodist ministry in 1826 and spend the next ten years as a traveling minister, also known as a circuit rider.  Following his marriage he would become editor first of the Tennessee Whig newspaper and then the Knoxville Whig. In 1861, after the outbreak of the Civil War, he refused to swear allegiance to the Confederate Government and would be forced into hiding near Cades Cove, TN. He would be captured and interred in a Confederate prison camp in Knoxville but be set free after his inhuman treatment suffered at the hands of his captors was exposed.  Following his release he would spend time traveling the north drumming up support for the Unionists who were still in Knoxville.  William would return to Knoxville following the cities occupation by the forces of Union commander, General Ambrose Burnside, and immediately reopen his newspaper under the name Knoxville Whig and Rebel Ventilator. He would be seated as governor following the seat being vacated by Andrew Johnson, due to the death of Abraham Lincoln, and go on to win the position outright in the next election. Under his governorship Tennessee would become the first state readmitted into the Union following the Civil War. In 1869, he would be elected to the United States Senate and serve there for the next six years.  Retiring from the senate in 1875, William would die on April 28, 1877.

The Cast

I figured since most of my trips will be made with other people I would start out by introducing the main players to you. So when I say, "Major, Tom and I went to see_____ grave", you'll know that I am not making a David Bowie reference.

Amber Love

Amber is my wife. She's not a big fan of history or graveyards (she's a weirdo, I know), but she is a big fan of me, so she will sometimes be my (un)willing accomplice and has proved herself quite good at locating graves based on pictures online--"Oh look this fence has what looks like spears on the top instead of  spikes"--she loves music (especially The Decemberists) and is great about letting me run off on my little history filled trips. She's completely amazing and I would be lost without her.

Major Knox

My little man is only 8 months old, but has already visited one President and six Governors with me. Truth be told he fell asleep before the actual grave visits but he made it to the graveyard and was with me so I'm still counting them. (In case you're wondering, yes, his middle name is from James K(nox) Polk, who is easily one of my favorite Presidents.) He enjoys terrorizing our cats, screaming at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason and jumping. He is the light of our world.

Tom (aka Dad) and Barbara (aka Mom)

My dad is interested in history and we've visited all of the Presidents from Tennnessee together so I am sure I will be able to convince him to check out some Governors with me.  He enjoys college football, westerns and spending time with his family. My mom will likely be playing a supporting role in this undertaking but has already helped out by steering me to graves over the phone. She's a fan of Facebook and of her four grandchildren. They're both fantastic parents/grandparents.

William (aka EWG)

William is probably the biggest history fan of all of my friends and he and I have set ourselves to the task of visiting all of the semi-major Civil War Battlefields in Tennessee (there are a lot more than you'd think) so anytime we make one of these trips I am making him visit the graves with me, which I have no doubt he'll enjoy. William is a music aficionado, talented writer and runs a great music blog called Guess What I'm Listening To? William is my brother (not literally but he might as well be).

Effrin Lucian (aka E)

As previously mentioned, Effrin is my main travel partner for the Presidential Grave visits and has seen all but two of them with me (Both of the Johnsons). He doesn't know it yet but I'm going to be enlisting him from time to time on the Governor trips as well. I'm sure he'll be down though.  Effrin has seen Phish 80 times and is an absolute marketing genius. Effrin is an amazing guy, a great 'uncle' to Major and one of our closest friends.

Well, there you have it, my main accomplices, the people that will keep me motivated, help me to pursue my dreams and hopefully one day accomplish them...they'll probably help me see some Governor's graves as well.