People – Jacksonville Blogger

Gravely Hill: A Cemetery on Florida Flat Land

As would be expected when I heard that the 5th President of the United State’s son, Jame Monroe had once lived in Jacksonville, I had to find some evidence. It has always been of interest to me to know famous people who have graced our city. Elvis Presley never lived in Jacksonville, but he stayed often in a home in the Murray Hill area. The esteemed preacher and evangelist, Billy Graham spent many occasions in Jacksonville as he preached the Gospel of Christ and even had his doctors here at the Mayo hospital. I photographed him in the once-called “Gator Bowl” and saw him on our Jacksonville newscasts visiting places in our city. Rosa Parks came to Jacksonville on at least two occasions where I met her and she invited me to sit beside her and tell how I broke my arm which was in a cast at that time. There have been many well known visitors who have spent time in our fair city and so to read that a former president’s son had actually spent most of his life here, it was certainly worth detailing.

After reading through a number of stories online, I set out first to find his grave which was found in a cemetery on the westside of the city. Sandy Strickland, a former writer of the Florida Times Union newspaper had written an article “Gravely Hill is a Cemetery within a Cemetery”. Using that as the basic information, “Maps”, provided the address and a trip to the old cemetery dating back to at least the 1830’s was found literally inside the fence of Riverside Memorial Cemetery’s chainlink fence. The sign reads “Gravely Hill Cemetery Historical Landmark, NOTICE Any alterations or work performed on these premises must have authorization by M. Weeks 904-268-1934”. Another sign indicated the property was being maintained by the City of Jacksonville. I learned that the 200 acres of Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery had built its cemetery around the Gravely Hill cemetery. Sandy Strickland named her article precisely that.

Walking through the lawn-cut grounds, I read the names on the stones such as Price, Hogan, Bramlitt, Pacetti, Lauramore, Hills, and of course, there was the grave of a James Monroe flanked by an American flag. On the tomb stone there is no birthdate but only his day of passing.

According to online information from Ann Parkinson, the Concordia Sentinel, October 30, 2009 has him listed as the “oldest Confederate veteran of the American Civil War” at 133 years, 11 months, 24 days at death”. , Monroe says he was born on the 4th of July in 1925. That would have made him 133 years upon his death in June of 1949. Tim Gilmore, a Jacksonville enthusiast wrote in his article “If James Edward Monroe were 133 years old when he died, then he was 22 when, in 1837, Steven Eubanks stated in his will that he wished to be buried beside “the grave of my departed mother in the burial ground on my plantation called Gravely Hill.”

According to sources such as Gilmore, James Edward Monroe was a wanderer and could have been found removed by the police for squatting in the Riverside area during his time in this city.

After reading and researching for a time, there is no real evidence to indicate that J. E. Monroe lived from 1815-1949 except that its on actual official records and on a stone in Gravely Hill. According to a 1926 Associated Press article, he was a major in the military, fought under the command of General Robert E. Lee and there is a post card with the words “Major Edward Monroe youngest son of President James Monroe, 110 years old July 4, 1925. Jacksonville, Florida. ( Find a Grave, James Monroe photos)

Photos from the Find a Grave site: Jacksonville Journal photo, a post card, Pres. James Monroe, Elizabeth, the President’s mother (which is said the Jacksonville Monroe has among his belongings.)

Monroe, The 5th President of the United States is listed as being born April 28, 1758 and died July 4, 1831. He was known as a statesman, lawyer, diplomat, President from 1817-1825, and the last of the Founding Fathers. According to White House records, he and Elizabeth Kortright had three children: Eliza(1786), James (1799) and Maria ( 1802). There is no mention of a James Edward. So, did he live to be 133? Was he the youngest son of the 5th President of the United States?

See you tomorrow,

Nan

Sources: Sandy Strickland , “Gravely Hill is a Cemetery within a Cemetery, The Florida Times UnionMarch 12, 2018,). Tim Gilmore,Gravely Hill Plantation and Graveyard, , December 7, 2018., Find a Grave photos, Find a Grave. Com, James Monroe, White House . Gov.

Category: Cemeteries, Government, Neighborhoods, People | LEAVE A COMMENT

July 19

The Homeless in Jacksonville. The Church Their Only Hope

The situation is bad; really bad. At this time in the city of Jacksonville, dating back to a rule that went in effect February of 2023, people are banned from panhandling on street corners and drivers can be fined up to $250 for handing out even a bottle of water to a homeless person. Those who voted for this ordinance say it is a safety issue but to those without a home, food and drink, it is a nightmare, as if they already don’t have one day-in and day-out in their lives. They each one live that nightmare. Daily. YES, it is their fault. YES, they have gotten themselves in this horrible condition but now what?

As of 2023, they cannot get money, food or drink by a hand-out. You say, “Go to a shelter”. How to find them? How to get there? Are they open 24/7 or are the homeless to eat only once a week? If given food, how will they carry it? Where will they store it? The questions go on and on and on.

It is my guess that 99% of the homeless are on drugs. Their bodies rage with the need to satisfy a longing within. They are seriously dependent on drugs. They cannot control this rage thus they beg, borrow and yes, even steal to solve this horrible addiction. The city leaders’ response to this was to shut down their begging which leaves borrowing and stealing but the rage continues. A drug addict cannot control his or her body. This is a serious problem; a devastating dilemma. In truth, there is only one real answer: God, and they curse him day and night.

Then people say, “Well, they should not have gotten in this situation”. Well, they did. Now what? Another person may say, “Okay, get a job”. How? They are hungry, have no way to get clean, no clothes to look presentable for getting a job, no way to know where jobs might be, no transportation to get to the job interview if they could figure that out, no phone or communication, and the problems continue. And, most of their focus is on the basic needs that everyone has, to eat, and drink.

These thoughts shared here are not to give the homeless a pass. No, it is to hopefully wake up the church, the Body of Christ to see that there is a mission field out that that is almost untapped. The homeless are truly desperate not just for the necessities of life but for the God who created them and can change them. At this point, any homeless I’ve met curse God and so often blame Him for their wayward behaviours.

Now is the time for the Church to step up and make the difference. The situation is dire and the stakes are high. It is almost hopeless in truth. The Church knows it cannot align with the government without the government controlling the church so there is that problem. On the other hand, without the one true God, the homeless have no hope of true recovery.

The homeless don’t have jobs. No they aren’t clean or upstanding pillars of the community but in fact they are desperate and if every church in the city of Jacksonville had even one ministry to help the homeless, lives could be saved and changed.

Here are possible Church Ministries to be considered and, with every single one it should include a time of preaching and learning of God’s grace and glory.

Church Ministries

Bible Lessons, Church Services, Clothes Closets, Food Pantries, Job Opportunities, Shower Stations, Skill Training

There is so much the church could do to help the homeless. The time is now. The need is real. If you’re a true Christian and reading this, please pray that the churches in Jacksonville will step up and meet a serious need in our community. Talk to your church leaders and see what one thing each church could do. The body of Christ is God’s hands and feet and they are so needed at this time in our city.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.Proverbs 19:17

If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: Deut 15:7

He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor. Prof 14:31

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. Prov. 28:7

Sources: City of Jacksonville Ordinance, Personal experience with homeless, COSAC Foundation

Category: Churches, People | Comments Off

March 1

The First Protestant Prayer, Fort Caroline Monument and Lee Adams

Lee Adams, as he was known, was a botanical artist, painting birds, fruit, flora and fauna. He is known for his opportunity to paint four large murals for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. His home was in Jacksonville, Florida where he attended West Riverside Elementary and graduated from high school in Duval County. For a time he and family lived in Mandarin as indicated in the 1940 census.

Early Years

For much of his life he painted birds, flora and fauna. His work is colourful and rich with detail to the intricacy of body parts including the beak, wings, legs and more. His paintings can be found in the St Vincent’s hospital, West Riverside, elementary school auditorium, the Beaches library, and a remarkable refurbished 12’ x 30’ mural of Ribault’s Landing on the fourth floor of the downtown Jacksonville library.

Lee Adams was the youngest of three children with two elder brothers, Thomas Burton Adams, Jr. and Alexander Hamilton Adams. His elder brother was a real estate developer turned politician. He was a member of the Florida Senate from 1956-1960, Florida State Secretary from 1961-1971 and the 10th Lieutenant Governor of Florida from 1971-1975.

Adam’s father, Thomas Burton Adams and mother, Carolyn Sykes Hamilton Adams are buried in the same cemetery as he and Lee’s wife, Mimi.

Making the Past Come Alive

My grandson, Ramey and I spent a day following leads to the life of Lee Adams, as he was called. It was at Oaklawn Cemetery that we met Nicole Ruff, one of Oaklawn’s consultants. It was great discussing the life of Adams, his influence on Florida, life in Mandarin and artwork that is now world-wide. Her help in our finding his grave and realizing that his family also had a family plot.

Adam’s wife, Mimi, was known for her environmental passion and headed up the Jacksonville Air Pollution Control Board. She was the first chairperson of the board formed in 1968. The two of them were interested in environmental issues. The Avondale park in Duval County is named in their honor and there are some plaques in various parts of the city given for their work on the environment.

This entire week, time was spent visiting each place where his work can be seen and it was found highly insightful. At the Beaches library, the mural work is colorful and beachy. At West Riverside Elementary School, Data entry clerk, Jeanine Mann, a seeming authority on the history of the school, gave the tour of the auditorium where three large paintings sponsored by large corporations hung high and grandeur. One painting was themed of NASA and space, another of Florida and transportation, including airplanes, trains, with communication ties, and the third of the cowboy and cattle segment of the Sunshine State. In that auditorium is also where the music class with Mr. Warren is held. While we were viewing paintings, he could be heard literally, singing to the children’s they entered the class. He also has stories to tell of the history of the school built in 1911.

Researching this artist, the most favourite in our minds was finding that of the 12 x 30 colourful mural of “Ribault’s Landing”, celebrating Christian Huguenots landing along the St. John’s River and the first Protestant prayer “within the limits of the present-day United States”. This painting, now hangs on the South wall of the 4th floor in the downtown Jacksonville library. In May of 2021 the city of Jacksonville announced the mural would be “installed in the Florida Collection” area after having been revived from years of neglect.

The scene, painted by Lee Adams and refurbished by artist Jim Draper, represents the story of Huguenot, Jean Ribault, his crew and Timuquan Indians at the landing in Fort Caroline in 1562. It was the place where the French “knelt in prayer, beseeching God’s guidance and commending the natives to His care”. The marker on Fort George Island says, “This was the first protestant prayer in North America.”

First Protestant Prayer Marker, Fort George Island, Jacksonville, Fl. This marker was erected by the Jacksonville Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, on March 11, 1938. The text on the marker reads as : ” Jean Ribaut and a party of Huguenots landed the morning of May1, 1562 on this island. Here they knelt in prayer, beseeching God’s guidance and commending the natives to his care. This was the first Protestant Prayer in North America.”

Incredible Surprises

According to the Florida Times Union story by John Carter, the large mural was found rolled up in the basement at Robert E. Lee High School. It was originally created in 1959 and hung at the downtown 2nd floor dining area in the Sears building on Bay Street, not too far from the Main street bridge. In 1981, the store relocated moving to Regency Square and the building was demolished making way for the Omni hotel. The art piece was rolled up and taken to Lee High school. Although it has been said the artwork was stored in a box which was even nailed shut, the rolled up artwork was nested by rats, roaches and took a toll on the beautiful oil work. It would need a full restoration.

In the newspaper article, Jim Draper, Pedestrian Gallery owner helped with the restoration promoted by City Council President Jim Overton. Through a turn of events, and special project of the school principal, Jane Condon, the painting was displayed at the LaVilla School of the Arts for a time.

According to The Daily Record, the Fort Caroline refurbished painting was “officially unveiled on the fourth floor of the library” on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in celebration of the 450th landing.

Lee Adams and his wife were killed in a tragic automobile accident on Roosevelt Blvd in 1971. We looked on Findagrave.com for the location of his internment but we had to search further. Soon, we found that he was buried at Oaklawn Cemetery along with family members.

Regarding Adams’ work

Finding Adams’ artwork is sketchy and quite expensive in most venues. On eBay, his art is going for $450. and up. On the “Invaluable” auction site, his “Parrots” piece is estimated between $800- $1,500. On Facebook Marketplace, there are two prints going for $50. I have purchased them along with World’s Fair tickets and the official guide. The paintings now hang on my wall. Pleasure.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

Sources:

Wikipedia, The Daily Record, Family Search, Jacksonville Library, Oaklawn Cemetery, Florida Times Union, Oaklawn Cemetery, Personal visits. 2-29-24

Photos: Wikipedia, US. Senate .gov, Ramey

Category: Animals, Art, History, Mandarin, Parks, People, Visit This | Comments Off

February 13

Harriet Beecher Stowe

If you visit the Community First Credit Union on State Road 13 in Mandarin, Florida, south of downtown Jacksonville, you will see a full wall dedicated to the life of abolitionist and author, Harriet Beecher Stowe. There is a photograph of her home and likeness and of the trees along the road on which she once lived in Florida.

Stowe and her husband, Calvin, owned property on a once dirt road, now called Mandarin Road in Mandarin, Florida for some 17 years beginning in 1867. It was complete with orange groves, large oak trees and sweeping moss. There, she and her family wintered from 1867-1884.

When talking to long-time folks in Mandarin you hear that she was an abolitionist who helped Black families, worked with children in the schools and advanced the Freedman’s Bureau. She was well-known in the area for having written the runaway best-seller, Uncle Tom’s Cabin in two volumes in 1852.

The book was such a hit that she was invited to Washington, DC to meet with President, Abraham Lincoln in 1862 where he is known to have said, “Why, Mrs. Stowe, right glad to see you. So, you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war”. In Stowe’s book, Men of Our Times, she wrote of Lincoln, “Lincoln was a strong man, but his strength was of a peculiar kind; it was not aggressive so much as passive, and among passive things it was like the strength not so much of a stone buttress as of a wire cable. It was strength swaying to every influence, yielding on this side and on that to popular needs, yet tenaciously and inflexibly bound to carry its great end. Probably by no other kind of strength could our national ship have been drawn safely through so dreadful a channel.”

It is said that she was at first critical of the President but after meeting and talking with him, she softened and found common ground. President Abraham Lincoln is best known for “preserving the Union, ending slavery and creating the possibility of civil and social freedom” for Blacks.

“Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in 1811 and died in 1896. Her anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an immediate bestseller and rumour has it that she was paid by the paddle boats of the time to sit on her Mandarin home on the St. Johns River and write so folks could see her from their excursion.

Stowe and her family helped organize Church of Our Savior Episcopal in Mandarin. She was raised by Calvinist, Lyman Beecher who spent his time as a preacher. She was married to Calvin Stowe, a professor and Biblical scholar who sought to enhance the public education in the United States. He became Stowe’s literary agent when her book became a world-wide success and was very involved with the Church or Our Savior growth.

In a letter to her brother, Charles Stowe wrote of her plans mentioning her reasoning for finding a place in Florida and her involvement with the church.

“My plan of going to Florida, as it lies in my mind, is not in any sense a mere worldly enterprise. I have for many years had a longing to be more immediately doing Christ’s work on earth. My heart is with that poor people whose cause in words I have tried to plead, and who now, ignorant and docile, are just in that formative stage in which whoever seizes has them.”

“Corrupt politicians are already beginning to speculate on them as possible capital for their schemes, and to fill their poor heads with all sorts of vagaries. Florida is the State into which they have, more than anywhere else, been pouring. Emigration is positively and decidedly setting that way; but as yet it is mere worldly emigration, with the hope of making money, nothing more.”

“The Episcopal Church is, however, undertaking, under direction of the future Bishop of Florida, a wide-embracing scheme of Christian activity for the whole State. In this work I desire to be associated, and my plan is to locate at some salient point on the St. John’s River, where I can form the nucleus of a Christian neighborhood, whose influence shall be felt far beyond its own limits.”

It was well-known Stowe also wanted to help her 4th son, Frederick who was troubled with drinking problems. She felt he could find worth and value working the grove of Mandarin. There, she felt he could find a place he could work and escape his worries. He managed the citrus farm for a while but after a time, he left going to San Francisco. She never saw him again.

Stowe and her family spent some 17 years in Mandarin and became well-known in the community. Even today, people are celebrating her life at the Museum and in remembering a life well lived.

See you Tomorrow,

Nan

Sources: Mr. Lincolnswhitehouse . Org, Mandarin Museum, Google Search Q and A, Emmett Looman article, Exploring Florida, Wikipedia, Personal visits to Mandarin.

Category: History, Mandarin, Neighborhoods, People | Comments Off

August 3

Lem Turner of Duval County

The Find a Grave website indicates that Lemuel Turner was born on an “old family homestead just east of Capper Road” in Jacksonville, Florida. Yesterday, I trekked over to find this area and to weed through the cemetery where he and his family are buried. Not knowing where I was going, I met Kenneth Rodgers who lived along the cemetery road. When asked about a long-lost cemetery in the area, he was quick to point me toward its direction saying it may be so overgrown I wouldn’t be able to get in. I told him I’d take my chances and I did.

Dead end street

Rodgers said that the field gets cut from time-to-time but generally speaking, the cemetery stays overgrown and uncared for. Such was the case when I drove to the dead-end of the road and parked. There was a partial fence around a wooded field and yard waste right where one might walk into the cemetery. At first glance, it just looked like a pretty, wooded field but upon a closer look, there was a wooden cross rotting from age in the middle of the overgrown field. To get in, I walked around the edges to find a break in the foliage and fencing and headed towards the cross.

Lem Turner ( Find a Grave photo).

The greenery was thigh-deep so I picked up a stick along the way to ward off any long and slivery animal. Thankfully, I did not see one but I was semi-prepared and did walk slowly and cautiously.

It is called the “Pickett Cemetery” . It has other grave names as well.

To the left of the cross were actual gravestones, one being that of Lemuel Turner. Turner was born June 6, 1834 and died March 24, 1912. The cemetery is called “Pickett Cemetery” and located on a dead-end street on the Northside of Jacksonville. Turner was known for owning and operating a ferry on the Trout River. Too, he operated a lumber yard. Once known as Turner Ferry Road, the now called “Lem Turner Road” is a busy area north of the city.

Find a Grave photo of Lemuel Turner’s stone.

Turner and his family before him lived on property some 650 acres now called the “Highlands” area. Turner had at least 6 brothers and sisters and 8 children. He is buried next to is wife, Sarah Ann Pickett Turner and at least 2 of his children. His other children are buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Edgewood Cemetery and Ogilvie Cemetery.

The cemetery had other grave stones in the center back with such names as Pickett and in one area an actual decorative gated section. I did not go in but looked over into the multiple grave stones inside the probably about 20 x 20 fenced area.

A fenced off area inside the cemetery completely over grown.

The things I loved about the cemetery was that the name of Jesus was on so many of the tombstones with some scriptures and crosses galore.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

Sources: Find a Grave, Kenneth Rodgers, Personal visit to the grave site.

Category: Cemeteries, People | Comments Off

July 17

Principal Blocker of Jacksonville

In the Basement of Bethel Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida classes were held in 1892. Sarah A. Blocker was the instructor with the Reverend Matthew Gilbert and others involved in the programs.

Sarah A. Blocker, Public Domain, Library of Congress

The school was effectively born in 1897 when members of the Bethlehem Baptist Association began the Florida Baptist Institute in Like Oak, Florida. At some point, the association under the leadership of Matthew Gilbert took a part of the group to Jacksonville developing the Normal the Florida Baptist Academy. Classes were held in the basement at Bethel in Jacksonville, Fl.

Bethel Baptist, Jacksonville, Fl (Ramey)

From 1896 until about 1940 Nathan Collier presided as President of the school. There is also a Collier-Blocker Junior College in Palatka.

Of the many teachers at the school over the years, Rosamond Johnson, a Jacksonville native and composer taught and during that time composed the music bearing the name “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”. From that poem his brother, James Weldon Johnson composed music and has been named by many the “Negro National Anthem”.

Rosamond Johnson, Public Domain, Library of Congress

There have been many students to come out of this school including Eartha White, Howard Thurman, Harry Moore, and more.

According to records, the school relocated to St. Augustine and occupied the “Old Hansen Plantation”, a 400 acre land area. In 1918, it was renamed the Florida Normal and Industrial Institute and in 1942, it merged with the Live Oak school which effectively closed its doors. Again, the name was reworked being named Florida Normal Industrial and Memorial College in St. Augustine and yet again, by 1968 a new campus opened with the name of Florida Memorial College moving to Dale County. In 2004, the name was amended to be Florida Memorial University.

Sarah A. Blocker was principal of Normal, Florida Baptist College in the 1900’s in Jacksonville, Florida.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

Sources: Wikipedia, Florida Women’s Hall of Fame, New York Public Library, UNF collections, Library of Congress.

Category: History, People, Schools | Comments Off

July 3

American Legion and Military Heroes

Serving two tours in the Middle East is no small feat. On a day that the first woman mayor was sworn in at the Jacoby Center in Jacksonville, Florida, I met and talked with another woman trailblazer, Commander, Toshiko Moultrie of Duval County who did just that. She was a part of two tours; Operation Enduring Freedom and the war with Iraq while serving in the Army.

Toshiko Moultrie served in the U.S. Army (Photo: Ramey)

According to the Navy Military site, Operation Enduring Freedom “officially began 7 October 2001 with American and British bombing strikes against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Initially, the Taliban was removed from power and al-Qaeda was seriously crippled, but forces continually dealt with a stubborn Taliban insurgency, infrastructure rebuilding and corruption among the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and Afghan Border Police.” This campaign was in “response to the September 11, 2002 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people” in New York City.

Not only did Moultrie serve in Afghanistan but she also served in Iraq. Based on information from several sources including Wikipedia, “The United States officially declared its combat role in Iraq over on 31 August 2010, although several thousand troops remained in the country until all American troops were withdrawn from Iraq by December 2011; meanwhile, American troops also engaged in combat with Iraqi insurgents. In June 2014, however, US forces returned to Iraq due to an escalation of instability in the region, and in June 2015, the number of American ground troops totaled 3,550. Between December 2011 and June 2014, Department of Defense officials estimated that there were 200 to 300 personnel based at the US embassy in Baghdad.

Moultrie was in the military from February 27, 1987 until her retirement on January 31, 2023.

Her service has not stopped even yet as she serves at her local American Legion post # 197. The American Legion is known for its service to veterans and their families. It provides assistance with rehabilitation, PTSD concerns, VA services, family relocations, housing and other military related needs. Post # 197 also partners with Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Mayo Clinic and other businesses willing to assist those in the military.

Honors to her and those who have been willing to serve.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

Sources: Navy. Mil, Wikipedia

Category: Government, Military, People | Comments Off

May 31

Donna Deegan To Serve as Jacksonville’s First Woman Mayor

Donna Deegan, according to wide-spread reports was born on Jacksonville’s Southside, graduating from Bishop Kenny High School. She went on to graduate from Florida State University in 1984. Her degree was in communications. She became an anchor at WTXL in Tallahassee, Florida, served at WTVX in Fort Pierce and upon returning to Jacksonville was an anchor at WTLV.

Donna Deegan ( Wikipedia photo)

In 1999 she began a long-term fight with cancer with it reoccurring three times. She is the founder of The Donna Foundation which serves a multitude of causes for helping with the care of women with cancer and the cause and cure of the disease.

In 2020, she ran for congress losing to Republican, John Rutherford and in 2023, she ran against Republican Daniel Davis to win the mayor’s race in Jacksonville, Florida. She is the first woman to win this position and will be sworn in on July 1, 2023.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

Category: Government, People | LEAVE A COMMENT

May 4

The Royal Coronation Coaches

According to the Royal Collection Trust, the Gold State Coach was “designed by William Chambers and made by coach maker Samuel Butler”. This carriage has been used for every coronation since William IV’s in 1831.

The Royal Coronation Coaches

While it looks like gold, it is actually giftwood, a thin layer of gold leaf as described by the Royal Trust Collection.

It has painted items on it including three cherubs on the roof representing England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Queen Elizabeth II rode in the coach in 1953 at her coronation and again it appeared as part of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in 2022 according to the Royal Trust site. It is said that Queen Victoria did not care for the coach even though it is the 3rd oldest UK coach behind the Speaker of the House of Common’s coach of 1698 and the Lord Mayor of London’s coach built in 1758.

This coach will carry King Charles and Queen Camilla to and from the ceremony.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

Category: History, People, Travel, World Wide | LEAVE A COMMENT

May 1

King Charles III Letter By Correspondent

Those able to enter the Abbey must have received this….

Well, no disappointment. I won’t be sitting in the Abbey during the coronation of King Charles Philip Arthur George’s ceremony. While I did do all I could to secure a magical seat, it has now been confirmed by the King’s correspondent T. Lundy from Buckingham Palace, that I am still invited to either watch the broadcast “live to a global audience” or go in-person to see “their Magesties” as they “return to Buckingham Palace in a larger ceremonial procession, known as the Coronation Procession, which will be viewable….along the route”.

My family and I have decided to take the latter and go there.( No pun on latter… Ha! I took a 6 foot ladder to see Prince William and Kate. And, yes… I’m trying to figure this out too…) Together, Daniel, Katie, Derrick, Kristie, Kathy, Ramey and I will get to see the golden carriage with our own eyes! Yes, they say it’s painted in real gold. How fun.

And, let me say. My hope for King Charles Philip Arthur George is that he reigns with Jesus as his Lord, Savior and King. There is no higher Majesty than Him. May He reign seeking God’s favour.

See you tomorrow,

Nan

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