Andersonville

[Cranchris31]

Well I loaded up the 3 kiddos and headed out to Andersonville today 1-6-20. Weather was nice 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. It's about a 50 minute drive from our house, and ever since we moved to Georgia in October I've been itching to get a trip over to Andersonville Prison.

Our first stop was where the old stockade was. We were able to park and explore a few things. We arrived around 1045 and it was great. Anyone who has traveled and explored with little kids know they can be a handful sometimes but outside of one other couple we spoke with, the former prison site was empty.

My daughter enjoyed reading the signs explaining the different areas.

After driving the entire loop around the old stockade site, which is a one way road, we stopped and examined a couple sites where there were confirmed escape tunnels.

These markers represent locations where tunnels were found.

We then made our way down to an area where a full display was showing the types of shelters the prisoners had to create. The kids really enjoyed this area and asked a lot of questions.

This was the only picture I took from inside the visitor center, which is actually the National Prisoner of War Museum. There were many great exhibits, but by this point the attention span on a 6,4, and almost 2 year was starting to fade. There a couple interactive videos and displays they enjoyed, before we hit up the gift shop where we bought a book and a magnet.

We ate lunch at a little park situated between the old stockade and visitor center area, and the short drive to the cemetery. Plenty of picnic tables, everything was clean and quiet and the kids enjoyed.

These are the 6 Raiders whom the fellow prisoners tried and hung. Only tombstones in the park without wreathes. After lunch we drove down here to check out the cemetery and got out here and explored a little. From here we drove across the highway to the town of Andersonville. They have a nice Pioneer town, and we went into the Drummer Boy Museum. This is the only picture I got from inside the small museum, there was an entrance fee here of $5.00

There were a couple other small outbuildings and antique stores but we did not hit them up. We grabbed some ice cream and headed out. All in all it was a great trip, and I was impressed at how user and kid friendly the entire area is. The shop owners mentioned to me the 3rd week in October they put on a festival, and being a somewhat local now, if I hear anything about a solid date for 2020 I will post it here!

 

[EJ Zander]

Great pics and look like you guys had a super day! Creating some fond memories for those young ones. Gotta GGGrandfather buried there.

 

[Mrs. V]

View attachment 341300Well I loaded up the 3 kiddos and headed out to Andersonville today 1-6-20. Weather was nice 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. It's about a 50 minute drive from our house, and ever since we moved to Georgia in October I've been itching to get a trip over to Andersonville Prison.
View attachment 341301Our first stop was where the old stockade was. We were able to park and explore a few things. We arrived around 1045 and it was great. Anyone who has traveled and explored with little kids know they can be a handful sometimes but outside of one other couple we spoke with, the former prison site was empty.
View attachment 341302View attachment 341304View attachment 341305View attachment 341306My daughter enjoyed reading the signs explaining the different areas.
View attachment 341307After driving the entire loop around the old stockade site, which is a one way road, we stopped and examined a couple sites where there were confirmed escape tunnels.
View attachment 341308These markers represent locations where tunnels were found.
View attachment 341309We then made our way down to an area where a full display was showing the types of shelters the prisoners had to create. The kids really enjoyed this area and asked a lot of questions.
View attachment 341310View attachment 341311This was the only picture I took from inside the visitor center, which is actually the National Prisoner of War Museum. There were many great exhibits, but by this point the attention span on a 6,4, and almost 2 year was starting to fade. There a couple interactive videos and displays they enjoyed, before we hit up the gift shop where we bought a book and a magnet.
View attachment 341312We ate lunch at a little park situated between the old stockade and visitor center area, and the short drive to the cemetery. Plenty of picnic tables, everything was clean and quiet and the kids enjoyed.
View attachment 341313These are the 6 Raiders whom the fellow prisoners tried and hung. Only tombstones in the park without wreathes. After lunch we drove down here to check out the cemetery and got out here and explored a little. From here we drove across the highway to the town of Andersonville. They have a nice Pioneer town, and we went into the Drummer Boy Museum. This is the only picture I got from inside the small museum, there was an entrance fee here of $5.00
View attachment 341314There were a couple other small outbuildings and antique stores but we did not hit them up. We grabbed some ice cream and headed out. All in all it was a great trip, and I was impressed at how user and kid friendly the entire area is. The shop owners mentioned to me the 3rd week in October they put on a festival, and being a somewhat local now, if I hear anything about a solid date for 2020 I will post it here!

Glad you all had a good time. Our family history says that one of ours was held in Andersonville, and when he came home by train, his wife carried him off and put him in the back of the farm wagon. No one seems to know his name. My Grandmother knew, but left no documents with his info on them. Very frustrating!

 

[captaindrew]

Thanks for the tour

 

[JOHN42768]

Thanks for posting. I'm sure yout helper had a good time

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

You must already know this, you have really good children! All mine would have been 2 year old blurs in photos.

Thanks for sharing the visit and photos- it's on my list.

 

[Cranchris31]

You must already know this, you have really good children! All mine would have been 2 year old blurs in photos.

Thanks for sharing the visit and photos- it's on my list.

They enjoyed it! My oldest son loves digging through all my Civil War and military stuff.

 

[Seduzal]

Thanks for sharing this awesome adventures with your family at an awesome Civil War site.. Andersonville.

 

[Gary Morgan]

I really enjoyed the picture of the Raiders' Graves with no wreaths. I knew they didn't get flags on Memorial Day, but it had never occurred to me that they were also passed over at Christmas.

 

[Cranchris31]

I really enjoyed the picture of the Raiders' Graves with no wreaths. I knew they didn't get flags on Memorial Day, but it had never occurred to me that they were also passed over at Christmas.

If anyone deserves to be passed over it certainly would be them!

 

[Gary Morgan]

If anyone deserves to be passed over it certainly would be them!

Yes, they absolutely had it coming.

 

[CSA Today]

Yes, they absolutely had it coming.

No one likes those who turn on their own people, I doubt anybody is putting wreaths on the graves of the twenty-two of a similar ilk that Pickett hanged at Kinston either.

 

[Harms88]

All I can say is I'm jealous......not so much that you got to go to there (a place I'd like to visit) but you have nice weather at the moment! Here in Idaho it's foggy, threatening to snow and the streets are snow covered! lol

 

[reading48]

was there a few years back...very hallowed ground....Seems to me they built that prison on one very big ant hill....at least when we visited that summer, they were all over.....Tks for the pics...

 

[Gary Morgan]

Seems to me they built that prison on one very big ant hill...

As I recall from my stint as a Biology teacher, fire ants - those stinging beasties - were a twentieth century import from Africa {?} and so they would have been one scourge, at least that the prisoners were spared. Which leaves lice, maggots, mosquitos, etc....

 

[AnnaLee]

Thanks for the photos. One of these days I hope to visit Andersonville.

 

[Cranchris31]

Thanks for the photos. One of these days I hope to visit Andersonville.

Certainly worth the trip.

 

[Kip124thNY]

Thanks for posting.

 

[bdtex]

I love the 3rd pic from the top. I visited Andersonville in June 2018. Some of it was freshly mowed but the vegetation was still thick in and on the banks of Stockade Branch.

 

[Cranchris31]

I love the 3rd pic from the top. I visited Andersonville in June 2018. Some of it was freshly mowed but the vegetation was still thick in and on the banks of Stockade Branch.

I plan on going back sometime in the summer, I did see the signs by the creek with venomous snake warning.