Atlanta

Atlanta May 24 - 31
Atlanta is Georgia's 5th permanent capital city (1868). Savannah, Augusta, Louisville & Milledgeville also served as capital cities.
The Capitol was built for $118.43 under the $1 MM budget between 1883 - 89.

A female figure of freedom sets on top of the gold leafed dome, statue is 22.5 ft tall.

Georgia marble is used throughout the interior

Rotunda reaches 237.25 ft in height and is 75 ft in dia.   

House Chambers houses 180 members

Chandelier in house 

House Chamber Desk

Senate Chamber houses 56 members

Stone Mountain Park is located about 14 miles from downtown Atlanta where we camped during our stay in the area.  Park has lakes, amusement park, hotels, meeting facilities 36 holes of golf, hiking, etc.  Granite was quarried on the mountain 1850's - 1970's.  Georgia Railroad puts tracks to the mountain from Atlanta in 1833 and charged $.50 round trip so people could enjoy the great outdoors and picnic.  There was no direct Civil War fighting at Stone Mountain, Confederate forces used some of the buildings as hospitals.

Park is internationally known for the carving (76 x 160 ft making it the largest high re-lift sculpture in the world) on the north side of the mountain.   Confederate President Jefferson Davis with Generals Robert E. Lee & Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.
In 1909 the United Daughters of the Confederacy felt they needed to have a memorial to the Confederacy especially Robert E Lee.  The project took over 66 years & 3 sculptors to complete. Gutzon Borglum (Mt Rushmore) started the carving in 1915 but he abandoned the project in 1925 over a funding dispute.
The park had an excellent laser & fireworks show.

Atlanta skyline in the background with the park below.  Taken from top the mountain with an elevation of 1686 ft above sea level & 825 ft its surroundings.

We hiked up the mountain 

The Grand Lawn

Wooden Bridge crosses King's Island

Granite in the "rough".   

A small chunk!  In the early days these pieces were all split & handled by hand.  The Granite has been used all over the world, a few places in the US - US Capitol Steps, Pottsville Safe Deposit Bank, Ft Wayne Post Office.  7,645,700 cubic feet of granite was mined over its operation, that's enough to lay 1 foot long paving stones from North to South Poles - 12,444 miles.

We took several hikes and this was some of the scenery 

Busy "Bees"

Montgomery, AL

Montgomery, AL  - May 21 - May 24
Montgomery was the Capitol of the Confederacy during the 1st 3 months of the Civil War. The Confederate Constitution was drafted in the Capitol Senate Chamber,  Jefferson Davis took his oath of office on the north lawn.
March 1965, the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March, lead by Martin Luther King Jr., ended in front of the Capitol.

Memorial to Martin Luther King

Alabama State Capitol - original capitol built 1850 - 51 era.  The tour of this capitol took you back in time through a restored 1860 - 80's era.  The front 2 floors depict the era.  This is the 1st state Capitol where we didn't get to see today's actual working parts of the building.  The state built an east wing addition (1989 - 92) plus additional building surrounding this building to house the current legislation . The newer facilities were not open for tours.  

Rotunda was updated in 1906 with neoclassical plaster-work and stained glass

A pair of three story spiral stairways dominates the Entrance Hall.  It is believed Horace King, bridge builder, engineer, and freed slave may have designed and built these stairs.  King later became one of the first African American to serve in the AL legislature. 

House Chambers restored to 1869 - 70 era

In this Senate Chamber AL elected to secede from the US, Jan 11, 1861 and join the Confederacy. 

Chandelier in the Senate Chamber is a reproduction of the original oil-burning fixture 

Beautiful painted ceiling, it looks 3-D

First White House of the Confederacy.  President Jefferson Davis & family lived here (~ 3 months) until the Confederacy Capitol was moved to Richmond.  House was built 1832 - 35 and located about 10 blocks from its current location.

Parlor 

Jackson, MS

Jackson, MS  -  May 18 - May 21

Governor's Mansion - built in 1841 for $50,000.  This is the second oldest continuously occupied governor's residence in the US.  The front portion of the house, both 1st and 2nd floors, has been restored to the original time period furnishings.  Governor & family actually live in a built on annex attached to the rear of the house.
 Virginia has the oldest dating back to 1813.

Jackson City Hall

Capitol was completed in 1903, it's dome stands 180 feet.  

Interior dome view

8 colossal columns of Pavanazzo scagliola, marble faced steel, support the rotunda. 

Check the spelling!  The Latin alphabet chosen by the architect does not contain a "U".

Senate Chamber

Stepped consoles are used to create a wavy balustrade

House Chambers

Skylight in House Chambers

The gold Coat of Arms is located at the midpoint of the 4 arches within the House Chamber

Stained glass leading into the Senate Public gallery area

Old State Capitol - served as Capitol 1839 - 1903.  Secession convention of 1861 was held here with speakers such as Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay & Jefferson Davis.  It housed state offices 1917 - 1959 and opened as a state historical museum in 1961  

Rotunda, all decor was painted and it looks 3 dimensional. 

Senate Chamber where the Secession Convention was held.

Just a friendly fellow camper in our campground!