Mosaic Monday: Shepherdstown, West Virginia

On our recent trip to the east coast, Mr. AVO and I went to various places for ancentry/genealogy searches.  

This little town in the north eastern panhandle of West Virginia, was founded by Mr. AVO;s maternal 7th great grandfather in 1762...his name was Thomas Shepherd Sr.  

He originally named the town Mecklenburg, but it was renamed after he died to Shepardstown in his honor.

Thomas Shepherd and his 5 sons all fought in the Revolutionary War and there are records that he voted for George Washington as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army and was actually an acquaintance of George Washington.

(Please click on any of the photos to enlarge)

Shepherdstown is the oldest  incorporated town in West Virginia....incorporated in 1762.

Local citizens proposed this town for a possible site for our new nation's capitol, offering land on both sides of the Potomac for consideration.

In 1862, when the Civil War came to W. Virginia, virtually every building standing in town at the time was used as a makeshift hospital or morgue for the wounded and dead of the battle of Antietam.

 Some shots of the old Shepherd Burying Ground

Shepherdstown bridge over the Potomac

 Shepherd University founded in 1872....total enrollment about 4,200.

A look down German Street...population of this town is around 861.

A home just off German Street and across from the ancient cemetery.

This mill is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

This is a photocopy taken in 1972 from an original  photo from the early 1900's.
The mill was built prior to 1735 by Thomas Shepherd, Sr.

How the original grist mill looks today....it is under private ownership and it was all locked up.

They do take reservations for private tours several times a year.

The old cemetery where Thomas Shepherd and his wife and sons are buried.

Plaque on the outside of the cemetery wall honoring Thomas Shepherd.

Memorial headstone for Elizabeth VanMeter Shepherd, wife of Thomas....7th great grandmother to Mr. AVO.

Memorial headstone for Thomas Shepherd,Sr.

Thanks for spending a few moments with me today....I appreciate your interest and your comments are always welcome and appreciated.

Please join  Mary over at Little Red House for much more Mosaic Monday.

Show & Tell Friday: The Elusive "Perfect" Bird Photo

Some weeks ago I asked Mr AVO to purchase some bird seed for our feeder that hasn't been used in a couple of years.

Now I try to sit on our patio every day for lunch and relax and read a bit and now I get to view the birds too.

 

I've taken more than 3 dozen photos of the feeder trying in vain to get the "perfect" shot.  I wanted to show when 5 or 6 birds are holding on for dear life or when a bunch of huge pigeons scare away the smaller birds.....to no avail. 

I've also noticed that almost all the smaller birds are of the same species....and they come to feed in pairs.  There is a brownish gray bird and then the brightly colored red on the head and breast of the other bird, which I suppose is the male.

I hope you can see the bright red on the male bird, (you can click on the photos for a much larger view)....I really tried to get better photos than these but the birds alluded me.

Does anyone know what type of bird they are?.....I think I saw them pictured on someone's blog  and they called them some type of a Finch....but can't remember where.

Thanks for stopping by.....I always appreciate your comments.

Please visit Cindy over at My Romantic Home to see more great Show & Tell Friday.

Mosaic Monday: Amish Country

Well, okay, you may have noticed that I've not been blogging for quite a while.  In my defense, (do I really need one?....lol) Mr AVO and I have been out of town on a family vacation for almost 3 weeks, and then when we returned, LIFE got in the way....if you know what I mean.

Well, I'm here now and wanted to show you some of the places we traveled.

Hope you enjoy this little piece of Lancaster County, PA.

Remember you can click on the photos for a larger view.

Thank you for stopping by my little blog.....I always appreciate you taking the time to comment!

Please join Mary over at Little Red House to view many more  interesting bloggers for Mosaic Monday.