Andersonville and Plains

We went to visit the Andersonville National Historic Site today. I had read MacKinlay Kantor's historical novel when I was in high school and wanted to see the place where such inhuman treatment of fellow humans had occurred. The National Historic Site now encompasses not only the site of Andersonville Prison and cemetery but also a museum opened in 1998 dedicated to American prisoners of war of all eras.

The museum contains many artifacts and displays that explore what it means to be a POW and how POW's have been treated and how they have survived. It is deliberately not organized chronologically or by war. Two brief films explore these themes. The resilience and ingenuity of POWs are highlighted. The lengths to which people would go to communicate and support one another are remarkable.

Behind the museum is the site of the Confederate prison at Andersonville, where nearly 13,000 of the 45,000 prisoners who passed through here died, and all endured horrific conditions.

The cemetery at Andersonville includes row on row of markers shoulder width apart. The prisoners were dying so fast that they had to be interred in trenches. The cemetery is a currently operating national cemetery, so these historical graves are joined by more recent single grave sites.

Both the prison site and the cemetery are dominated by large monuments erected by the Union states whose soldiers suffered and died here.

Next we drove to Americus, GA, where we first went to Gladys Kitchen for lunch, but at 2:30 her buffet was pretty much cleaned out, more's the pity. We were looking forward to some down home southern cooking. We ended up at Pat's Place, a local icon known for the pizza and draft beer, so that's what we had. Annisa's Chicken Alfredo Pizza and a half pitcher of Blue Moon draft. The good was good and the atmosphere friendly. Pat himself came out to chat with us after we ate. I'd have preferred a bit less cheese (did I say that?)--it was so hot it burned our tongues, and it overwhelmed all the other flavors.

Next we drove to Plains, GA, birthplace and current residence of our 39th president, Jimmy Carter. Here's the depot where his presidential campaign was run by local hometown folks.

We drove out to the Carter boyhood farm and walked around. It was closed, but we were still greeted by one of the two resident cats, a very friendly blue eyed Siamese who followed us about rubbing up against my legs.

I was most impressed by the work of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter and the Carter Center to promote peace and democracy and eradicate preventable diseases like river blindness.


Ken drove home, of course, so I got to rest my eyes....