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Heritage SitesNov 11, 2008
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I spent my first months as an adoptee in Oak Ridge -...
The Peace Bell - Oak Ridge (Side 1)
The Peace Bell - Side 2
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Part of my heritage. After Mom and Dad adopted me they brought me up to Oak Ridge where Dad was working as a foreman at Y-12, the plant that produced the uranium used in the Hiroshima A-bomb. This was truly an amazing (if morally debatable) achievement. Within a year of its selection the farmland of the Black Oak Ridge became the 5th largest city in Tennessee with the 2nd largest public transportation system in the US. A few scientists, but mostly returning soldiers and sailors along with a lot of farm kids from the surrounding states achieved one of the technological marvels of the 20th century.
Cartagena, Colombia
The old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which, readers of the Geezer know is a beacon for him. Cartagena is a walled city (9 kilometers around) and has a number of churches that date back to the 17th century and even earlier. There are houses with balconies over narrow streets, bougainvillea spilling down over brilliantly colored walls in dark blues, greens, and mustards. I'd return in a minute to see more. The locals were particularly interested in how I felt about the recent election. Hey, was there an election? Why didn't anyone tell me? Did Ike get a third term?
Christiansted, St Croix
A well-preserved Danish settlement is now a US National Park. I was struck by the use of ballast bricks here and at various other sites throughout the Caribbean. (See the walls and walkways section).The Danes, Swedes and Dutch aren't who I used to think of when I thought of the Caribbean but now I'll recall their efforts fondly. And the English who created Nelson's dockyard and who, on the negative side, left behind a tradition of mindless bureaucracy on several islands.
And, of course, there are the old churches, forts, pirate retreats, ancient warehouses, and plantation homes that make wandering around a delight. Plus, there were some of the most interesting libraries I've ever see. One, in Fort-de-France, Martinique, was originally constructed for the Exhibition in Paris when the Eiffel Tower was built. Later it was dismantled, shipped to the Caribbean, then rebuilt. Another library, in Roseau, Dominica, turned out to be one of the Free Libraries funded by Andrew Carnegie around the turn of the 20th Century.
Martinique
Here I visited the plantation birthplace (La Pagerie) of Napoleon's Empress, Josephine. It was interesting to find how many famous people have their origins in the Caribbean, among them Josephine and Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasurer of the United States. More poignant were the many reminders of slavery. Interestingly, many of the islands freed their slaves prior to the Civil War in the US. People still celebrate their national independence days as well as the dates when slavery was abolished. Finally, whenever I'd ask about the results of the US elections the reaction was universal - a real sense of pride and hope and connection with the US.
Other places yielded monuments to the Indian Mutiny, pirates,the sugar cane economy and much more. And a number of individuals and governments are making a concerted effort to preserve their heritage.
