November 2010

Liberty, PTF-26, is the last of the Vietnam-Conflict "Fast Patrol Boats". The PTFs were directly derived from the World War II PT Boats. The first two PTFs built were post WW II PT Boats, the next twenty were 80 foot wood boats, known as the "Nasty" class, and the last four PTFs were 95 foot aluminum boats known as "Osprey" class. Today, of the four Osprey class boats, only 2 survive, PTF-23, and of course, Liberty, PTF-26. Liberty was designed with nine separate watertight compartments, and can withstand holes in two compartments below the waterline without sinking. Furthermore, all openings to the outside can be completely sealed to prevent water from entering. The stack houses the air intake for the engine room, so, even in very rough seas, the engines are protected from waves and spray. There were originally two l8-cylinder Napier Deltic diesel engines, each of 3100 Bhp, which, during a time trial in the 1970s, brought Liberty to a top speed of 51 knots. The two tall antennas are SSB (single-side band) antennas that are approximately 45 feet off of the water.

The Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia is a small tribe today, composed of about 1,400 people, located in the Amherst County area near Lynchburg and recognized as a tribe by the State of Virginia. The original territory of the Monacan tribe comprised roughly half of the state of Virginia, including most of the Piedmont region.

The Monacan community today centers around Bear Mountain in Amherst County. At this site, a log cabin was built in the late 1870s and used as a church for the Indian people. Later, it functioned as a school. Today, the log cabin is a recognized National Historic Landmark. The tribal museum is located at Indian Mission Episcopal Church, developed by the Monacan people with grants from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the Sweetgrass Foundation, and the Easley Foundation. Many historical and art artifacts are housed within the log cabin. The Monacan Ancestral Museum is staffed and operated by volunteers within the tribe.

From June 1864 to April 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant directed the 10-month siege of Petersburg from City Point. During this period, City Point served as a supply center for 100,000 Union soldiers and became one of the busiest seaports in the world. Tour includes a 15-minute video and a visit to the parlor, library, Grant's cabin, and outbuildings.

This 18th-century house, built in 1789 in the style of a Tidewater plantation, is furnished with period antiques and reproductions.

Weston Plantation includes an elegant 18th-century plantation home overlooking the Appomattox River plus new kitchen and laundry dependencies. The home is notable for preserving much of its original interior. Visitors can learn about the generations of Gilliams and Eppes who lived there, including a little girl whose journal tells of her Civil War adventures and the ghosts that ran rampant in the manor.

The USS Blueback, which features such postwar technological design innovations as the teardrop hull and the use of a single propeller, was the last in a long line of non-nuclear submarines. Though all subs manufactured afterwards were powered by nuclear energy, the Blueback was by no means outdated, as she served her country for 31 years before being decommissioned. Notable achievements in the sub’s history include traveling 5,340 miles underwater from Yokosuka, Japan to San Diego, California, thereby setting a world record.

This local museum documents the history of Hopewell, Virginia.

This museum features artifacts and exhibits depicting Hopewell's colonial, Civil War, and early 20th-century history. On display at the City Point Early History Museum is the new exhibit, Breaking the Mold: Hopewell China 1920-1945. The exhibition tells the story of the pottery factory that opened in Hopewell on 1920, shortly after the 1918 closure of the E.I. Du Pont de Numours Company guncotton plant. After Du Pont's departure from the city, Hopewell experienced an economic depression, but advertising campaigns by Du Pont and the city attracted new industries to Hopewell, including the Hopewell China Corporation. Breaking the Mold details Hopewell China Corporation's business ups and downs and the process of making china at the local factory. On display are nearly 100 pieces from Hopewell China, Ostrow China, and James River Potteries-- all made at the Hopewell production factory.

On this site in 1951 the student body walked out in protest of unequal educational facilities. The resulting school desegregation lawsuit was part of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board, which concluded that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.”

The Star of the Republic Museum is the only museum in the state of Texas created specifically to collect and interpret the material culture and history of the Republic of Texas period from 1836-1846. The first floor exhibits present a chronological history of early Texas, from the first Texans (the Native Americans) to European explorers, to settlers and colonists, to the soldiers and patriots who fought for Texan independence. Above the ramp leading to the second floor, a 140 foot-long, ten-foot tall mural illustrates the overland route from east Texas to the town of Washington in the mid 19th century. The second floor exhibits represent the social and multicultural history of the Republic of Texas which existed from 1836 to 1846.

The museum maintains a collection of over 9,000 objects in its permanent collection. The permanent collection galleries exhibit American and European painting and sculpture of the 15th to 19th centuries including art from the "Age of Thomas Jefferson" (1775- 1825); art from the ancient Mediterranean; Asian art; and 20th century art. In addition to its extensive permanent collection, the University of Virginia Art Museum presents an ongoing schedule of changing exhibitions, accompanied by related programs and publications.

PT658 was built at the Higgins Industries Boatworks in New Orleans. The keel was laid down 2-24-45, launched on 4-11-45 and completed on July 30, 1945. The boat was originally slated to be part of Squadron (RON) 45, which was never placed in commission. It was to consist of 11 Higgins PT's 649-660, and 11 Elco PT's 773-784 and assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Near the war's end in mid 1945, RON45 was scheduled to be "Lend-Leased" to the USSR. Several boats in the group (649 to 656) were already shipped to Russia when the transfer was halted; just before PT 657-660 were to be sent over. The Elco construction contract was also canceled at this time. PT657-660 had been moved from New Orleans to Seattle on an LST, where they would be piggybacked onto a transport ship bound for Russia. When the war ended in September 1945 the shipment was stopped and the boats returned to Port Hueneme, CA. All four boats were Reclassified as "Small Boat" C105342,3,4 and 5 (Crash Rescue Boat) in August 1946, and were then assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics as a "Remote Controlled Target" at Naval Air Facility, Pt Mugu, CA.