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Tag: Sidney Lanier

February 3 in History: LEAP And Sidney Lanier

On this day in 1842, the poet Sidney Lanier was born.  Lanier was born in Macon, Georgia, and in addition to being a poet, he was an attorney, a teacher, and a musician.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Sidney Lanie, Macon Georgia

The LEAP Ambassadors visited his home in 2016….

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Sidney Lanie, Macon Georgia

…where they learned more about his life, career, and poetry.

But this was not all new to them, because Huntsville has one of the few replicas of “Thorwaldsen’s Christ” in its “Oakwood Cemetery.”  This replica, commissioned and paid for by the Powell Family, includes a verse from Lanier’s “Into the Woods My Master Went.”

The LEAP Ambassadors visit this sculpture every “heART of Huntsville,” and we also commissioned Mark Burns to photograph the sculpture.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Oakwood Cemetery, Huntsville Texas, Sidney Lanier, Thorwaldsen's Christ, Mark Burns, Into the Woods My Master Went

Happy birthday to Mr. Lanier!

Author mikeyawnPosted on February 3, 2019February 3, 2019Format AsideCategories Art, Civic Engagement, TravelTags Huntsville Texas, Into the Woods My Master Went, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center, Mark Burns, Oakwood Cemetery, SHSU, Sidney Lanier, Thorwaldsen's ChristLeave a comment on February 3 in History: LEAP And Sidney Lanier

Macon Out Alright: Day 3 of Deep South Tour

As we began our third day on a tour of the Deep South, we were thankful we had the opportunity to get a full-night’s rest.  Our day began with packing up, and heading out to Macon, GA, where we were scheduled to tour the historic cottage where Sidney Lanier was born in 1842.

Sidney_Lanier_House_1_Web

Our tour guide, Bernard, kindly led us throughout the historic home. An American musician, poet, linguist, lawyer, and mathematician, Lanier was a well-rounded man of the nineteenth century. In addition, Lanier enlisted to serve in the Confederate Military where he was as a signal scout until he was taken captive. During his captivity, he contracted tuberculosis, which ultimately led to his death years later in 1881. Lanier died at the young age of only thirty nine. However, he accomplished much more in his lifetime than most do. Lanier was extremely intelligent and graduated college when he was only eighteen years old. He spoke multiple languages and taught at John Hopkins University. When he was twenty five, he married Mary Day and later had three sons. We enjoyed learning about Lanier’s most famous works are the “Song of the Chattahooche” and “The Marshes of Glynn”. Of particular interest was his work, “A Ballad of the Trees and My Master,” which is inscribed on the Christus Statue in the Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville, Texas.  Just before departing on our Southern Tour, we visited Oakwood to see the statue of Christ and to read the poem.

Christus_Statue_2_WebThe home displayed many portraits of Lanier and his family, as well as various artifacts from his life. Among the favorites was Mary Day’s wedding dress. Very different than the average wedding dress today, the dress helped us to visualize life in the nineteenth century. Concluding the tour, we took the opportunity to take pictures in front of the beautiful home.

Sidney_Lanier_Steps_Girls_Web

Following the tour, Professor Yawn gave us the opportunity to choose today’s lunch destination. We were nervous about our googled choice, Tropical Flava, but we were excited to try Caribbean and Jamaican food. The tables were beautifully decorated with lavender flower arrangements and the waitress gave us a warm welcome. The selections varied and though I wanted to try everything, I settled with their famous Jerk Chicken. The plate included Jerk Chicken, with red beans and rice, stir-fried vegetables, and plantains. Delicious would be an underestimate to describe the food. The chicken was tender and had a great flavor. Others tried chicken patties, bar-b-que wings, oxtails, and much more! Each plate was unique and tasted great. Along with the authentic food we also sampled their natural cucumber, watermelon, and pineapple juices. In the end, we were relieved to learn that our spontaneity did not disappoint us.

After lunch we headed over to the Hay house for a tour of its elegant interior and to admire its massive and beautiful exterior.

Hay_House_Girls_Web

The Hay House, unlike the Sidney Lanier cottage, did not have any air conditioning, which made us reflect upon how it must have been to actually live in the extravagant home when people resided in it. We had a fantastic tour guide who knew an immense amount about the Italian Renaissance Revival style of the home and all of the renovations made by the families that lived in the home. Our tour guide also revealed all of the tromp l’oeil illusions within the home, some of which included a faux pocket door and a disappearing staircase. The group was amazed by the intricate detail on every ceiling of the home along with the hidden passage that is rumored to have housed Confederate gold during the Civil War. As we moved from the first floor up to the third we began to feel the heat because the air system that the original owners of the home built into the home to keep certain rooms cooler during the hot Georgia summers. Various characteristics of the home conveyed details about everyday life in the nineteenth century–such as the importance of food in a world where even basic sustenance was difficult to come by.  As if to underscore that point, the pantry was guarded by burglar bars–the only room in the house protected in such manner. Another interesting aspect of the home was the speaker system within the home that was used to communicate with the servants, which made the home very technologically advanced for its time.

There were many interesting things about the home, but the most exciting part of the tour was our visit to the cupola past the fourth floor. A cupola is a small dome which adorns a building, and this one offered a particularly nice view!

Hay_House_Aerial_Panarama_Web

Leading up to the cupola, the thin spiral stair case took us to the top where we could exit through a small door and walk onto the widow’s walk and gaze upon Macon from the highest point of the Hay house.

Hay_House_Aerial_Selfie_Web

The group thoroughly enjoyed the tour, but was eager to load back into the car where we began our drive to Savannah!

Excited about finally arriving in Savannah, we admired the beauty of the historic district. After freshening up at the hotel, we headed to the Southern Legislative Conference’s Welcome Reception themed “A Taste of Savannah”. Enjoying numerous h’orderves of Southern delicacies, we listened to the live music and gazed at the Savannah skyline along the river.

Alex_City_Hall_Web

Locally owned restaurants catered the reception, so we were able to taste Leopoldo’s ice cream and the world famous pralines from Savannah’s Candy Kitchen for dessert. It was great to watch the pralines made right in front of us and taste them freshly made. They were a group favorite! Overall, the welcoming reception was nicely done, with good music, lots of refreshments, and great scenery.

SLC_Opening_Reception_Courthouse_Web

After enjoying the local food we walked over to the river to take many pictures, including many selfies.

Tyra_Galvan_Rosales_WebThe scenery was beautiful, and we could see the moon with Venus shining above…

Southern_Legislative_Conference_Reception_River_moon_Web…and City Hall across the river…

Savannah_City_Hall_2_WebAfter many great pictures, we were able to have some fun and join everyone on the dance floor where we joined some very outgoing dancers.

SLC_Opening_Reception_Dancing_Girls_Web

The last song literally ended in explosions with the fireworks that lit up the sky behind us.

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It was a colorful way to end the night as we departed back to our hotel to get some sleep.

 

 

Author mikeyawnPosted on July 19, 2015Categories Civic Engagement, Food, Law, Literature, Politics, TravelTags Fireworks, Hay House, LEAP Center, Leopold's Ice Cream, Macon Georgia, Savannah Georgia, SHSU, Sidney Lanier, Southern Legislative Conference, Tropical FlavaLeave a comment on Macon Out Alright: Day 3 of Deep South Tour

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  • Celebrating Presidents Day the LEAP Way February 15, 2019
  • LEAP Ambassadors Enjoy Jane Harper Books and Food “Outback” February 11, 2019
  • A Literary Night Out at Brazos Bookstore February 6, 2019
  • Training for the Future: The Austin Internship Program February 4, 2019
  • February 3 in History: LEAP And Sidney Lanier February 3, 2019

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