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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Simon Cameron Estate, Donegal PA Simon Cameron was Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of War. The estate has been much altered but the red brick main house is still visible. Today, it serves as a wedding venue and event space -- the beautiful, spacious grounds can accommodate large gatherings.

Simon Cameron had five summer homes and this one, in Donegal PA, was one of them! The original building is red brick.

The gateway to the estate opens to a charming vista

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Historic train station, Marietta PA Built in the 1820s, it has been neglected for many years but the Railroad Inn across the street plans to restore it and make it an event space. Marietta is a great example of the old River-Rail-Industrial towns of the 1800s.

The old railroad station sits across the street from the Railroad House Inn. Owned by the Inn, it is slated for renovation into an event space.
Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks are on the left behind the trees.

The Railroad House Inn in Marietta PA. Built in the early 1800s, it is part of the historic town that still looks like a place out of the early 1900s. The town is a prime example of the way a River-Rail-Industrial town looked back at the turn of the 20th century. The Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks are directly across the street and just beyond the tracks is the Susquehnnah River

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Dove Chocolate Factory, Elizabethtown PA Amtrak is just behind the factory and last time I got off the train, around 10 PM, the whole area smelled like baking brownies!

The Dove Chocolate Factory is part of the Mars Chocolates complex in Elizabethtown PA. You definitely don't mind being near THIS factory when they're making chocolate!

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868), Shreiner-Concord Cemetery, Lancaster PA Stevens was a staunch abolitionist and, as a member of the US House of Representatives, he served first as a Whig in the late 1840s then as one of the Radical Republicans from 1859 until his death in 1868.

On a recent visit to Lancaster, I thought I'd stop by the small but dignified Shreiner-Concord Cemetery to pay respects to the great Thaddeus Stevens.

Stevens' memorial is a poignant reminder of his life. It states:
I repose in this quiet and secluded spot
Not from any natural preference for solitude
But finding other cemeteries limited as to race by Charter Rules
I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death
The principles which I advocated through a long life
Equality of Man Before His Creator

In the US House of Representatives, Stevens served as Chairman of the Ways and Means and the Appropriations Committees, and in 1868 he was appointed by the House as one of the managers to conduct the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. When he died in Washington DC on 11 August, 1868, he lay in state in the US Capitol Rotunda.
(Source: History.House.gov)

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

The Mummy Fence, Richmond VA VA Commonwealth University, Egyptian Building The unique fence that surrounds the Egyptian building is ornamented with fanciful mummies. Forged by the Barnes company of Richmond, the fence was installed c1846.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Dove Chocolate Factory Elizabethtown PA Near my home. When they're making chocolate, the neighborhood smells like someone is baking brownies!

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

The Reist Popcorn Factory -- over 100 years old! Mount Joy, PA Right near my home. When I got out of the car to take pictures, the whole street smelled like popcorn!

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

President's Pew, St John's Church - Church of the Presidents, Washington DC James Madison was the first president offered a pew in St John's. Rather than a pew at the front, he chose one 7 rows back. Every president since then has attended service here, (but sits at the front for formal services).

The President's Pew is marked with a plaque on the armrest

The President's Pew, pictured here at bottom right, is not an the front of the church. James Madison, the first president offered a pew, chose instead to sit farther back. For formal services today, however, the President usually sits at the front.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Curtis Publishing Co, Philadelphia PA Mural by Maxfield Parrish, Tiffany Favrile glass. Parrish was on the committee to select an artist but the first three artists chosen all died! Cyrus Curtis asked Parrish to create the piece. Parrish's mosaic, The Dream Garden, 15' x 49', was unveiled in 1916.

Maxfield Parrish's, The Dream Garden, sits at the entrance to Curis Publishing Co in Philadelphia

Detail of Tiffany's Favrile Glass techniques

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia PA — “1776” Seeing “1776” here was such a unique experience — the theatre is just a couple blocks away from Independence Hall. At the end of the show, as each Signer steps into place, the scene becomes the Trumbull painting, The Signing of the Declaration.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

John Chavis Memorial Park, Raleigh NC "Glimpses of the Promised Land" by Mike Roig John Chavis was a Virginia-born well-educated free man, preacher and educator in Raleigh in the early 1800s. The sculpture depicts a flock of birds and includes airplanes, a nod to the Tuskegee Airmen.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Red Cross Memorial, Washington DC, 1959 Dedicated to Red Cross workers killed in the line of duty. Sculptor Felix de Weldon said members of the Red Cross were "always ready to serve with strong arms and with warmth and sympathy."

Felix de Weldon also created the large Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington VA, just across the Potomac River from Washington DC and like that memorial, this work also depicts humanity in war.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

DAR Continental Hall, Washington DC. There are over 30 Period Rooms in the DAR building, each dedicated to a particular state and designed on a specific theme. The Michigan Room is a well-appointed library. The New Hampshire Room is a delightful collection of childrens' toys.

Sofa and Chairs in the Michigan Library Room / Home Office

New Hampshire Room -- circus tent, children's toys

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Hollywood Cemetery, Est 1847, Richmond VA One of the first of the Rural or Garden Cemeteries in the US, Hollywood has many magnificent trees and plantings. Here is what's left of one of the great oaks, a tree that witnessed the founding of America.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

President James Monroe Burial, 1858 Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond VA Our 5th President, James Monroe, died on July 4th, 1831, the third of the Founding Fathers to die on July 4th -- Adams & Jefferson died on the 4th, just 5 years earlier. The "Birdcage" Memorial was designed by Albert Lybrock

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Lewis Ginter, Jefferson Hotel, Richmond VA Lewis Ginter opened "the finest hotel in America" in 1895. The hotel benefitted from the north-south seasonal migration of the very wealthy during the era known as the Gilded Age. Ginter's imposing mausoleum sits in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

The Revere Bell, King's Chapel Bell Tower, Boston MA. The 2nd bell installed in the tower (1816), most likely cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph Warren Revere. It weighs over 2400 pounds and is about 5 inches thick. This was Paul Revere's favorite bell -- and it is still rung today.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Stewart Mausoleum, Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn NY This is the burial place of the parents of Isabella Stewart Gardner, the wealthy Bostonian who travelled the world collecting treasures that are now housed in the Gardner Museum in Boston. Augustus Saint Gaudens created the lovely bas reliefs

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

St Mary's Basilica, Wilmington NC The renowned Spanish architect, Raphael Guastavino, brought his unique tiling method to America in the late 1800s. His work can be found in many places, but the Basilica is a tour-de-force -- a spectacular display of vaulting, brickwork, and tiling.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Robert Gould Shaw / 54th MA Memorial, Boston MA Augustus Saint Guadens Of all Saint Gaudens' works, this Memorial took the longest to complete -- almost 15 years (instead of the expected two years!) Many of the 54th MA, including Shaw, were killed in the attack on Battery Wagner, SC, 18 July 1863

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Bigelow Chapel, Mount Auburn Cemetery Cambridge, MA Designed by Jacob Bigelow, one of the founders of the cemetery The building is Quincy Granite; the large rose window over the entrance is from Edinburgh, Scotland, and is one of the earliest examples of stained glass in America

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Trinity Church, Boston Window over the West entrance Christ in Majesty -- John LaFarge, 1883

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Memorial to Irish Sculptors, Joseph and Martin Milmore "Death Stays the Hand of the Sculptor," Daniel Chester French Forget the Lincoln Memorial in DC, IMO, this is French's masterpiece. The bronze is the original at Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston. The marble version is in the Met Museum of Art, NYC

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Entry Gate to Forest Hills Cemetery Jamaica Plain, Boston MA

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

George Robert White Memorial Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, Boston MA Another of sculptor Daniel Chester French's superb angels, this stately, imposing figure resides just on the edge of the forest and marks the grave of the well-known, well-respected Boston businessman/philanthropist

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Dr Edward & Paul Revere Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge MA Grandsons of Paul Revere, both served in the 20th MA Dr Edward Revere died at the battle of Antietam, 17 Sept 1862, while tending a wounded soldier Paul Joseph Revere, died at Gettysburg, 4 July 1863, from wounds received on 3 July.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Rueger Memorial Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond VA Sculptor: Julius Loester The bronze statue was cast by the great Roman Bronze Foundry (Corona Queens, NY). Roman Bronze worked with many well-known Gilded Age sculptors, including the two greatest, Augustus Saint Gaudens & Daniel Chester French

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Death Stays the Hand of the Sculptor Milmore Memorial Daniel Chester French Metropolitan Museum of Art French is known for his Lincoln Memorial in DC however, IMO, this is his masterpiece. Original is in bronze at Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston MA. The Met commissioned this in marble for the museum

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

From the Met Museum of Art in NYC, pulpit and choir rail from All Angels' Church (demolished 1978). Karl Bitter created this lively celebration of angels playing musical instruments and dancing as they make their way up to the pulpit. An angel above the sounding board announces the celebration.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Frank Lloyd Wright, Prairie School style Room from Francis Little's family summer home in Lake Minnetonka MN, moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing in 1972. The windows overlooked Lake Minnetonka

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

"Talking it Over" -- Enoch Wood Perry Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC The figures resemble George Washington & Abe Lincoln and recalls simpler times when people could sit and talk for awhile

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Gadsby's Tavern Ballroom In the 1920s, the Met Museum in NY literally moved the ballroom from its original location in Gadsby's Tavern, Alexandria VA, to the museum. George Washington's Birthnight Ball was held in the ballroom for many years. At the Met, the room displays American furniture.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

From the John Singer Sargent Exhibit, Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC John Singer Sargent, was an extraordinarily gifted painter and artist. The exhibit covers the first 10 years of his career, showcasing his abilities from a young age. This painting of Dr Pozzi was done when Sargent was just 25.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

The view from our hotel last weekend -- Empire Hotel, NYC Lincoln Center is on the left, Central Park was two blocks away -- so convenient!

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

The Entombment of Christ, Washington National Cathedral & The Descent From the Cross, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC The Entombment depicts the small burial party led by Nicodemus, followed by St Joseph of Arimathea (carrying the Holy Grail), who gave his tomb for Christ's burial

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Scenes of The Last Supper, Met Museum NYC & Anderson House, Washington DC. Today is Holy Thursday, the day of Christ's last supper with his disciples, before he was crucified. On the colorful polychrome piece (from Anderson House), notice the figure at the bottom right -- with the sack of coins.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Rock Creek Park, Washington DC Carved stonework from the US Capitol, dating to the early 1800s, was dumped into Rock Creek Park in the 1980s. The pieces were removed to Fort Meade a few years ago. Though scattered and covered in vines, the stones and their beautiful carvings were still visible

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

St Mary's Basilica, Wilmington NC The interior was designed & executed by the great Spanish architect and builder, Raphael Guastavino, who brought this particular tiling technique to America. The interior of St Mary's is a spectacular example of his work.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Susan Cerveny Colbert Memorial, "Woman Emerges" Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington DC Sculptor: Jay Hall Carpenter Colbert, who died at age 44, worked for IBM on the design of computer-guided air traffic control systems for the FAA. To me, the sculpture suggests, perhaps, an "unfinished" life

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Angel by Brenda Putnam, Simon Memorial Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington DC Putnam's rendering of Angel, one of the most elegant memorials in Rock Creek Cemetery, honors concert pianist, Anne Simon. Text: A Soul Whose Eyes Were Keener than the Sun, A Soul Whose Wings Were Wider than the World

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Opha May Jacob Johnson Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington DC Johnson, the first female member of the Marine Corps, enlisted in the Reserve at age 39 in August 1918, and earned the rank of Sergeant. A salute to the women who pave the way, open the gates, take the heat, and show how to lead!

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Arlington National Cemetery Display Room Medals given to the American WWI Unknown Soldier Such high honors given from European countries to a soldier "Known but to God"

Clockwise from top left:
Belgian Croix de Guerre
British Victoria Cross
French Croix de Guerre
Czechoslovakian War Cross

Left-to-Right:
French Legion d'Honneur
French Medaille Militaire
United States Medal of Honor

Clockwise from top left:
Polish Order of Military Virtue
Romanian Military Virtue Medal
United States Distinguished Service Cross
United States Purple Heart

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

Scilla & Dahlia -- One of my favorite color combinations in the garden -- or anywhere

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

Honoring the great 19th-century artist and sculptor, Augustus Saint Gaudens, born on 1 March 1848

From left, clockwise:
The Pilgrim -- Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Diana -- Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
William Tecumseh Sherman Memorial -- Central Park South @ 59th St NYC
Robert Gould Shaw Memorial -- Beacon Street, Boston MA
Adams Memorial -- Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington DC
Amor Caritas -- Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
Farragut Memorial -- Madison Square Park, NYC
Portrait of Augustus Saint Gaudens

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

The Corby Mausoleum Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington DC William & Charles Corby operated the Corby Baking Co in the 1890s. The company developed baking techniques that would produce the quintessential white loaf that we all loved with peanut butter and jelly, Wonder Bread #WonderBread

The Corby Mausoleum, Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington DC. Brothers William and Charles Corby owned the Corby Baking Company in Washington DC from the 1890s and during that time they developed the standardization and mechanization techniques that produced that ubiquitous loaf of bread -- Wonder Bread

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Victorian Funeral Carriage Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington DC, 2022 This carriage suddenly appeared, trundling up the path. My first thought was "Scroooooge." Then I thought it might be coming for me! Actually, it was probably there for a video shoot #victorianmourning

A Victorian-Era funeral carriage appears on the path at Rock Creek Cemetery

Plumed cream-colored draft horses pull the carriage

The empty glass carriage awaits -- something or someone!

The carriage base is decorated with blue floral garlands. The carriage was probably being used for a video shoot in the cemetery -- Rock Creek Cemetery, November, 2022

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

David Brinkley, Oakdale Cemetery NC Together with Chet Huntley -- the nightly Huntley-Brinkley Report, most-watched news show during the Vietnam Era. Bringing the war into living rooms around the country each night, reading a list of casualties. #graveyard

Gravesite of TV News Reporter, David Brinkley

Brinkley's burial site is beautifully landscaped and maintained

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Henry Bacon, Oakdale Cemetery Wilmington, NC Bacon was the architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. He and sculptor, Daniel Chester French worked together on the memorial -- their artistic partnership spanned 25+ years -- & many other well-known monuments, both public and private.

This very humble grave marker belies the importance of the person buried here: Henry Bacon, one of the great architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington NC is North Carolina's first Rural -- or Garden -- Cemetery. Rural cemeteries are characterized by expansive, densely-wooded areas, beautiful plantings, large trees, secluded pathways, and rolling hills. These peaceful places attracted families and friends of the deceased, who would often visit, socialize, and picnic together while visiting the gravesite. We can thank the Rural Cemetery Movement for the establishment of our public parks throughout America.

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BrightPathTours @brightpathtoursbpt.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Marble Lions – Boston Public Library Sculptor: Louis Saint-Gaudens The two lions, gifts from the men of the 2nd & 20th MA Infantry, are carved from Siena marble and flank the grand staircase. From the staircase, the lion on the right honors the 2nd MA, the lion on the left honors the 20th MA

The sculptor, Louis Saint-Gaudens (brother of Augustus), didn’t have time to polish the marble before the lions were delivered, and even though building architect Charles Follin McKim and the library trustees wanted finished, polished pieces, the veterans liked them rough-hewn so Saint-Gaudens left them unpolished.

Leaving the marble unpolished provides an interesting contrast. Even though the entire entry – walls, staircase, and pedestals – is Siena marble, the unpolished lions stand out.

Each lion memorializes the battles where each unit participated

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