The Scrapbook

1999 - TimeTravelers' spokesperson, former Virginia First Lady Roxane Gilmore, sent us reports from some of her family's favorite places in Virginia.

"Students are natural explorers! TimeTravelers welcomes children to a wealth of discoveries about history, science and art; about research, and about technology. A wonderful learning program!"
-- Virginia's First Lady, Roxane Gilmore

Montpelier

On March 16, I went to Montpelier, the home of our nation's fifth president James Madison, to celebrate his 248th birthday. At the Madison family cemetery, I placed wreaths on both James and Dolley Madison's tombs to pay my respects to such important figures of America's past.

My visit to the cemetery also honored the 150th anniversary of Dolley Madison's death. Throughout her lifetime, she understood the importance of history, too. In fact, she was one of America's first preservationists. When you Time Travel to Montpelier, see if you can find out what she worked so hard to preserve during her lifetime.

While at the 2,750-acre estate, I took advantage of a new exhibit at the Madison house, "Discovery Madison." I learned that the entire Madison family -- grandparents, nieces, nephews and all -- lived in the 55-room mansion. It was facinating to see and understand how the house changed structurally, beginning as an eight-room house and growing as rooms and buildings were added to accommodate everyone. Visit "Discovery Madison" and see if you can explain the route family members took to get from one section of the house to another. The exhibition also includes the story of slavery at Montpelier and a presentation on Dolley Madison, who served as White House hostess for 16 years.

Jamestown

I have traveled back in time twice at Jamestown over the past six months. During my first visit, my family and I worked for five hours at a supervised excavation site, digging for clues about Virginia and America's history.
Our work paid off, and together with the archaeologists, we found more than 100 artifacts. We recovered early fort materials, ammunition, beads, and ceramics. My son, Jay, even discovered an Irish halfpenny from 1602! After you visit Jamestown, log onto this site, go to the student journal, and tell us what the archaeologists found when you were there.

On my second visit to Jamestown in June, best-selling author Patricia Cornwell (forensics expert) and I met with lead archaeologists. We discussed the two skeletons excavated there, and then flew on a helicopter to Washington, D.C. to view one. We spent most of our time at the Smithsonian studying the skeleton's gunshot wound. When you're at Jamestown, be sure to visit the archaeology lab, where skeleton "J.R." is on display and find out how old archaeologists think he is.

Colonial Williamsburg

In June, I celebrated the 300th anniversary of the founding of Colonial Williamsburg. My adventures took me to the Nassau Street Tavern excavation site, a key spot in Williamsburg's history. Built in 1699, the tavern sits at the crossroads of Williamsburg, a site central to the community's founding. The tavern bacame an important part of Colonial Williamsburg and served travelers and visitors until the 1720s. Now you can travel to the tavern to witness archaeology at work as the cellar is excavated. The site is only open until the beginning of August, so don't miss out.

While you are in Williamsburg, be sure to visit the new exhibit, "1699: When Virginia was the Wild West," at the DeWitt Wallace Gallery. It rounds up the rarest collection of 17th-century decorative art objects from Virginia, plus more than 300 extraordinary artifacts from Indian, African, and English settlement sites.

Science Museum of Virginia

This summer I kept cool while experiencing an exciting, close-up view of the Egyptian dessert on an English archaeologist's sixth attempt to find the Pharaoh's tomb, in the Science Museum's IMAX film, "Mysteries of Egypt." The film takes viewers back in time to November 1922, on a journey that also explores thousands of years of Egyptian history. See "Mysteries of Egypt" to find out if the archaeologist is successful in his search through the scorching dessert for the tomb of a great ruler of ancient Egypt.

If you enjoy beating the heat at the "Mysteries of Egypt," visit the new planetarium show at the Science Museum or the Splendors of Ancient Egypt exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The planetarium show demonstrates how Egyptians linked their lives with the stars. And the Museum of Fine Arts presents one of the largest collections of Egyptian treasures to visit the United States. It explores the mysteries of one of the world's greatest civilizations through art. Whether you like archaeology, the stars, art, or learning about history, these TimeTravelers spots offer first-rate learning experiences.

Mount Vernon - George Washington Estate and Gardens

I celebrated George Washington's 267th birthday in February during the George Washington Bicentennial 1999 kick off at Mount Vernon. The bicentennial began with a bang as more than 17,000 visitors attended - a record for Mount Vernon. While celebrating Washington's birthday, I visited the new exhibit, "Mount Vernon as It Was: One Hundred Objects from the World and Times of George Washington." Through the 100-artifact exhibit, the mansion resembles, as never before, the home that Washington knew before his death. I also enjoyed the new walking tour of Washington's funeral procession in which we wore black armbands, followed the path of the funeral procession, peered into the old tomb, and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring his death. Go to Mount Vernon and you will learn about the deep grief Americans felt when the Father of our Country died 200 years ago.

The George Washington Bicentennial offers an array of activities honoring our first president that will continue throughout 1999. Other interesting activities at Mount Vernon include a new mansion tour and multi-media show presenting the final hours of Washington's life. Other museums and historic sites around the country are celebrating Washington's bicentennial as well. Don't miss "Treasures from Mount Vernon: George Washington Revealed," a traveling exhibit, at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. The exhibit displays priceless artifacts relating to Washington's life and has traveled around the country from New York to California. Go see it and be part of the nationwide celebration. Don't forget that as a TimeTrveler visiting at least two George Washingotn sites around Virginia you will receive a special Only in 1999 commemorative patch when you send in your stamped passport.

Library of Virginia

No place offers a greater wealth of knowledge about history, or any other subject that interests you, than a library. I often take advantage of the Library of Virginia, a wealth of information right at my backdoor - and a TimeTravelers site too. In addition to all the resources a library offers, the Library of Virginia is also presenting a special exhibit, "Mapping Virginia." The display of 150 maps and map-related documents shows how Virginia has been depicted from the late 16th century to the present. Go see for yourself the changes in mapping of Virginia and learn about how drastically the size of the state has changed since the 1700s.

During your visit to the Library of Virginia, be sure to stop by the circulation desk to see the two cases nearby that exhibit the history of Hollywood Cemetery. The display celebrates the cemetery's 150th anniversary by presenting its history through maps, photos, and a model of monuments at the cemetery.