When we left the Rally, we headed over to Andersonville, the site of the notorious Confederate military prison established during the Civil War. It was built in early 1864 and operated for 14 months.
During those 14 months, 45,000 Union soldiers were confined in the open area originally designed to hold 10,000; and almost 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding or exposure. Prisoners were left to their own devices when water became scarce and the only shelter they had was from lean-to's or tents designed from blankets they brought with them. It was a very somber, depressing sort of visit as one imagines the horror and the plight of the soldiers housed here. 
They were dying so fast, they couldn't dig enough graves; so they dug trenches and laid the bodies in shoulder to shoulder. Surprisingly, all but about 400 of the victims were identified, thanks in part to a worker in the hospital who duplicated the rolls. Later, Clara Barton came and helped to catalog the dead by matching the numbers on the roster with the numbers on the wooden grave markers and thereby identified the interred. Their final resting place is a national cemetery on the property.The prison site itself is preserved with markers outlining where the stockade stood and the "dead line" which was another interior line which prisoners were not to cross into under penalty of death. The commandant, Captain Henry Wirz, was executed for war crimes due to the conditions under which the prisoners were held; but there are conflicting arguments about whether he was just a scapegoat and others should have been held accountable as well. There were other prison camps during the Civil War in both the north and south and at least one northern prison had a record that nearly matched that of Andersonville. However, Andersonville was the one which was most publicized and got the most attention. A real history lesson here.
Also on the grounds of the National Historic Site is a prisoner of war museum which is dedicated to all prisoners of war during every war or conflict in which the U.S. has been involved. It is also a very somber museum and one unlike any I have seen before.
Today we drove 22 miles over to Plains, Georgia. 
Time to do something upbeat and we decided to visit the hometown of former President Jimmy Carter. What a neat little town. They have truly capitalized on their most famous favorite son and he has reciprocated by making his residence here and participating in the community like he did before he entered into politics.
We started out at the old Plains High School which anywhere else would have been torn down
and replaced by something more modern. That would have been a real shame. The schoolhouse has been lovingly restored and it reminded me of my old grade school back in Indiana. The auditorium even had the old wooden seats that were beautifully finished and highly polished where we first sat to view a short movie about Jimmy Carter. The museum was well done with information about President Carter's early life in Plains, his family, his early political aspirations, and his eventual run for the presidency. The entire community rallied around him and helped with his campaign. It is an interesting story and one in which the entire town takes pride.
We drove by Billy Carter's old gas station. It looks better now than it did in the pictures we saw. They have been working on it and it will become a museum as well. We then drove out to Carter's 
boyhood home and toured the house and grounds. Terry found the well amusing as he watched some people trying to figure out how the bottom fill galvanized well bucket worked. Having used one like it on his grandparents' farm, he stepped up and showed other visitors how it worked. 
Most visitors to Plains hope that they might catch a glimpse of the former president and first lady and I was no exception, but that didn't happen. He and wife Rosalynn are seen out and about from time to time, but today wasn't the day. Their house is easy to find but not easy to get to. He has secret service protection, of course, and the compound is locked up tight.
Also on the grounds of the National Historic Site is a prisoner of war museum which is dedicated to all prisoners of war during every war or conflict in which the U.S. has been involved. It is also a very somber museum and one unlike any I have seen before.
Today we drove 22 miles over to Plains, Georgia. 
Time to do something upbeat and we decided to visit the hometown of former President Jimmy Carter. What a neat little town. They have truly capitalized on their most famous favorite son and he has reciprocated by making his residence here and participating in the community like he did before he entered into politics.We started out at the old Plains High School which anywhere else would have been torn down
and replaced by something more modern. That would have been a real shame. The schoolhouse has been lovingly restored and it reminded me of my old grade school back in Indiana. The auditorium even had the old wooden seats that were beautifully finished and highly polished where we first sat to view a short movie about Jimmy Carter. The museum was well done with information about President Carter's early life in Plains, his family, his early political aspirations, and his eventual run for the presidency. The entire community rallied around him and helped with his campaign. It is an interesting story and one in which the entire town takes pride.
We drove by Billy Carter's old gas station. It looks better now than it did in the pictures we saw. They have been working on it and it will become a museum as well. We then drove out to Carter's 
boyhood home and toured the house and grounds. Terry found the well amusing as he watched some people trying to figure out how the bottom fill galvanized well bucket worked. Having used one like it on his grandparents' farm, he stepped up and showed other visitors how it worked. 
Most visitors to Plains hope that they might catch a glimpse of the former president and first lady and I was no exception, but that didn't happen. He and wife Rosalynn are seen out and about from time to time, but today wasn't the day. Their house is easy to find but not easy to get to. He has secret service protection, of course, and the compound is locked up tight.
It was a great visit topped off by something truly special. Peanut Butter ice cream. A store owner here invented the soft serve recipe and serves it up himself. What a wonderful treat. I'm not a big ice cream fan and I had expected it to be hard ice cream, but it was super good. I may go back for more before we leave!
Till next time. . .
Dale
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