Lincoln's Summer Cottage at Soldiers Home

This statue of Lincoln is life-sized:
6 ft., 4 inches

With another hot and humid day, my Grandma and I decided to take another outing to D.C. We rode the metro to Georgia Avenue-Petworth Station, and then walked almost a mile until we reached the Armed Forces Retirement Home. In the same estate was the cottage where President Lincoln and his family spent one quarter of his presidency to escape the summer heat of downtown Washington. Back then, D.C. would've only extended to halfway up the District, meaning that that whole area would've been woods and farms. Also, the estate lies over two-hundred feet higher than the swampy and humid downtown, meaning that you could look down on the capital city. However, because Lincoln had a job to do, he would regularly commute from the Soldiers Home (which was what they called the retirement home back then) to the White House. At the same time, Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth was seeking to kidnap the president and take him to Richmond. Lincoln didn't believe in secret service, because he thought that if somebody wanted to kill him, then he would kill him. So, one night, Booth and his friends waited by Lincoln's route to jump him while he was heading to the Soldiers Home to clear up some business. Little did they know that the president had sent someone else to cover up the business for him, someone who traveled with an armed cavalry. After this failure, Booth changed his plot to kill, not abduct, Abraham Lincoln.  

The cottage was well-restored and cool
on the inside

After reaching the visitor center, we purchased tickets for a one-hour tour. Our excellent guide showed us through the house, and told us about the "bucktails." They were a Pennsylvania regiment who camped in the backyard, and wore deer tails on their hats, hence the name. It was in his bedroom at this home where Honest Abe drafted the Emancipation Proclamation. Once the tour ended, it was another walk and metro ride to get back to Silver Spring, Maryland.

Woodrow Wilson House

In Wilson's library

Today, on a roasting-hot Washington D.C. day, my grandma and I took the metro to Dupont Circle and walked over to the Woodrow Wilson House. Wilson, who had been president during World War I, had lived there during the final years of his life. It was Wilson who created the League of Nations, which failed, but was replaced by the United Nations. Once in the air-conditioned house, we saw a fifteen-minute video on the Wilson presidency. Afterwards, we took a guided tour, which took us through the dining room, library, bedrooms, kitchen, and gift showroom. In the showroom were numerous paintings, portraits, and rugs that were gifted to Wilson during his presidency. Most of the household items that were present had been there when the Wilson family was there. We also learned about his second wife, Edith, who took care of Wilson after he suffered from a stroke in 1920. Because of his condition, he needed attention, which was why there was an intercom system that could call for help. Also, there was an old elevator that would've carried Wilson up to the dining room and bedrooms. We were alone on the tour for most of the time, until four more people joined us. The trip was a wonderful learning experience, and tomorrow we plan to visit a similar historic site.

The "Liberty Rug" in the library

In Wilson's bedroom

In the kitchen

Westland MS Graduation at BCC

After the graduation

Today, I had my eighth-grade promotion ceremony at the high school I will be attending next year. While my grandparents watched the event in the air-conditioned auditorium on a closed-circuit TV, my parents watched it live in the roasting-hot gym. While there, we enjoyed presentations from both students and staff, the chamber choir and the eighth-grade slideshow. The event was concluded by receiving certificates and much needed water bottles. 

My dad was able to make it just in time