...............The Hellwig Family

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Life of Washington Tour - Day 3

Posted by Gabrielle

This was where Washington crossed in the middle of the night to attack the Hessians camped at Trenton before they could attack him. The troops crossed the Delaware River with Henry Knox in charge of the crossing and successfully surprised the Hessians as they were not expecting him to attack. This was the victory that the young officer Washington needed to establish his military renown.

 
Washington's Crossing

 Young men at one of the canons at Washington's Crossing

Our next stop of the day was at Trenton Battlefield, the site of the attack on the Hessians after Washington crossed the Delaware. We had lunch at the monument.

Examining more closely the entrance to the monument
It was a long ways up!!!

Our next stop was Princeton Battlefield.
This was a crucial battle in the war; one, which if Washington had not fought it, we would not have won the war.

Mr. Horn brought out several crucial points that Washington accomplished in winning this battle:
  • The British were not allowed to capture Philadelphia. In spite of this, they later captured it in 1777.
  • The ragtag continental army gained more experience and prowess in fighting.
  • This improved Washington's military reputation as he had won three battles by now.
  • This improved the general morale of the soldiers and made them more willing to fight.
Playing frisbee on Princeton Battlefield

From Princeton Battlefield, we went on to Princeton University where Mr. Horn gave a talk about how this college was founded.

Princeton University was a split from Christ Presbyterian Church during the Great Awakening. At this point, pastors who did not have a degree, namely pastors of the Great Awakening called New Lights, such as George Whitefield, were not allowed to preach in the pulpit. Princeton University, which had a predecessor called Low College, was founded as a conservative university to give New Light pastors a degree so they could preach from the pulpit again.

Timothy reading the plaque before one of the two great lions guarding the entrance to the university hall.

From Princeton University, we walked to Princeton Chapel and visited two highlights:

A statue of John Witherspoon in the chapel courtyard, and


The Princeton chapel. It had gorgeous stained glass windows on all three walls as you walked in. The dimly-lighted interior enhanced the solemnly majestic effect as the organ-player played.


Some of the quaint shops along the streets of Princeton

From Princeton Chapel, we walked to Princeton Cemetery where Mr. Brown gave a brief talk on the Jonathan and Sarah Edwards, whose graves we stopped at.

As our last stop of the day, we headed to the Spaghetti Warehouse in Philadelphia. There, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and time of singing and reading the Declaration of Independence with Charlie Zahm.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

They're Here!!!

Posted by Gabrielle

After much anticipation and preparation, Pepe and Meme arrived home in North Carolina this afternoon. They are adjusting to life here right now, but we hope things will soon even out. Here are some pictures of the house I took this morning as we cleaned and arranged for their arrival.


A picture on the fridge, drawn by their grandchildren, to make it feel more like home. ;)


Thursday, September 16, 2010

Life of Washington Tour - Day 2

Posted by Gabrielle

The second day of the Washington tour was a full day, but not as full as the first. The buses dropped us off at the one stop in our area and we walked from place to place that day.

Incidentally, it happened we were dropped off right across from the United States Mint.

Walking along the cobble-stoned streets of Philadelphia to Christ Church

The steeple of Christ Church. This is the church that many of our country's founding fathers attended, and George Washington visited. Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush, contemporaries of Washington, are buried in Christ Church Burying Ground which we visited afterward.

At the Christ Church Burying Ground, Mr. Horn gave a short talk on Benjamin Franklin's life and how he impacted us today, although he was what we would call a secular puritan. Surprisingly, I also learned that he was raised a calvanist and most likely died an unbeliever.
Franklin was responsible for:
  • First battery
  • Almanac
  • Founding the first fire station, library and philosophical society
  • Mile Markers
  • Weekly Postal Delivery
  • Franklin Stove
  • Lightning Rod
Though he was not a believer, we can still learn from his character and life. Franklin was a successful writer and a successful printer because he printed his own writings. Being successful and following our calling in God go hand in hand.
Our next stop was Carpenter's Hall, the location of the first Continental Congress. Washington was a delegate at this convention.
Before we toured the building, Mr. Horn gave a short talk on Washington as a Politician.
(Thank you, Bekah, for the picture!)
Timothy and Benaiah outside Independence Hall

After touring Independence Hall, we visited the Liberty Bell

After visiting the Liberty Bell, we walked to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington's Court.
Joshua Horn gave a talk on the hardships that the soldiers endured during the Revolutionary War. It made me appreciate even more the simpler of our luxuries here.

We got back to the hotel around eight and were able to get to bed on time and rest for the next day.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Life of Washington Tour - Day 1

Posted by Gabrielle

Here is the first of my posts about the Washington Tour! It's great review about what I learned just putting these posts together! :)

Our first stop was in Winchester, Virginia, at Washington's Office from which he worked as a young Colonel in the Militia.


This Marker from outside the office reads: While constructing Fort Loudoun, George Washington used the center room of this building as an office from the fall of 1755 until he moved into the fort in Dec. 1756. He was a Colonel in the Virginia Militia and responsible for protecting Virginia's 300 mile frontier from the French and Indians.

The statue of George Washington in front of the building. The marker reads: In March of 1748, George Washington, at age sixteen, arrived in Winchester, then called Frederick Town. During the next four years, he worked as a surveyor throughout the colonial Virginia frontier.

Mr. Horn giving a talk on Washington's early years. Specifically, he encouraged young men to follow in Washington's footsteps and spend their early years wisely by learning skills and character, not idling the years away.
He gave several points of character that Washington had as a young man that helped him to mature. Though directed towards young men, they are equally applicable for young ladies.
  • God uses hardships to prepare us for greater things. Washington's early years were full of hardships.
  • Cowardice is not fulfilling the Great Commission. To mature, boys must be in positions of danger, as was Washington on more than one occasion.
  • Leisure is wasting our time and Scripture says that time matters. Washington worked diligently to make himself presentable in the society to which he aspired. He was ambitious and faithful in every job he was given.
You can see a video of the office here.
And you can watch part of the talk here.

Jedidiah taking notes :)

Our next stop of the day was at Jumonville Glen in Pennsylvania.

This was where Washington began the French and Indian War by attacking a party of French "ambassadors" camped there. He was only 21 at this time.
I loved the glen enclosed by towering rock walls and could almost imagine what happened there.

Our last stop of the day was the site of Washington's first battle, first defeat, and only surrender:

Fort Necessity.

In his talk, Mr. Horn pointed out a couple mistakes of Washington's which caused him to be defeated. Still, we can learn from his example. Even though he was defeated, he continued the war and ended up winning it. If he had not fought this battle, we would have lost the war.
  • Washington should have waited for more reinforcements before attacking, and,
  • He should not have built this fort in a valley.
See a video of the fort here.

Mr. Horn talking at Fort Necessity

Elliot and a friend comparing notes

On the way back to the buses, we made a short stop in the Fort Necessity Visitor's Center Park...You look beautiful, Christianna! :)

We arrived at our hotel in Philadelphia after midnight, so it was a very long first day.

Monday, September 13, 2010

You Know It's Autumn When...

Posted by Gabrielle

You come home to this!!!
Here in North Carolina, the weather has become crisper and the leaves are beginning to turn colors and fall.

We're finally home from a wonderful tour of the life of George Washington. I have a lot of stories and pictures to share and will try to do so over the next few weeks, due to a busy schedule.

For now, we are well occupied getting the house next door ready for Pepe and Meme to move down on Saturday. It has come so fast, and our life will change having them next door, but I'm sure it will be a wonderful and sanctifying change.

Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Where the Hellwigs will be this next week...

Posted by Gabrielle

(Washington Monument ~ taken on our trip up to MA in May)

Early Monday morning, we are leaving with a number of families from our church for a tour of the life of George Washington, focusing mainly on the last year of the Revolutionary War. We'll be traveling through Virginia, up to Philadelphia, and many places in between, in two large touring buses.

Some of the places we'll be visiting are:
  • Christ Church and Burying Ground
  • Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell
  • Washington's Crossing
  • Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Yorktown, and Germantown Battlefields
  • Washington Monument
  • Mount Vernon
  • Fort Necessity
I will not be taking my computer, so this blog and everything else we participate in will be silent for a week. But we'll be back with lots of stories and pictures! So, stay tuned...!

Blessings on your week!
Gabrielle

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

More Tree-Felling

Posted by Gabrielle

The other day, Daddy finished chopping down a leaning tree in our woods that he and Timothy had started on. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the felling.