Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites-La Grange,TX

Monument Hill

The remains of men who perished in the struggle for Texas independence are entombed in this granite crypt.  It is a memorial to the men who died in two separate events in the 1840’s:  the Dawson Massacre and the infamous Black Bean Death Lottery.

Kreische Complex (House and Brewery)

The Kreische Complex commemorates the life’s work of Heinrich L Kreische (1849 German immigrant) and the ingenuity of those early European immigrants who laid the foundations of modern Texas.  

 

Kreische House

Heinrich married Josepha Appelt in 1855 and they had six children.  By 1857, Kreische had become a prominent member of the community and was recognized as a master stonemason.

 



 

Kreische Brewery

In 1860, Kreische began building a brewery in the ravine below his house so that he could utilize the spring water.   By 1879, Kreische Brewery was the third largest brewing operation in the state.  Kreische died after he fell from his wagon in 1882.  Modernization of the brewing industry and Kreische’s death spelled the doom of the brewery by 1884.

 

 

 

 

San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site

San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site has a monument that stands as a memorial to the men who fought for Texas' independence, sites of various "camps" during the battle, and the Battleship TEXAS.

By the fall of 1835 many Anglo-Americans and Tejanos in Texas had despaired of receiving just and equitable treatment from the regime of President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.  Santa Anna had abolished the liberal Constitution of 1824 and established a dictatorship.  Texans resisted.  In 1836 a volunteer army of Anglo-American settlers and Tejanos decisively defeated a larger Mexican army and won Texas' independence at the Battle of San Jacinto and Texas became the 28th state.  The battle is considered to be one of the decisive battles in American history.  The monument to these brave men rises 570 feet about the battleground. Built to commemorate the centennial of the battle, it is the tallest masonry structure in the world.

The Battleship TEXAS is the only surviving battleship to have fought in both world wars.  At the time she was commissioned in 1914, TEXAS was lauded as the most powerful weapon in the world.  In 1948 TEXAS was commissioned as the flagship of the Texas Navy and is permanently moored at San Jacinto which is on the Houston Ship Channel.

 

 

Barrington Living History Farm-Labor of Thine Hands

At the "Labor of Thine Hands" event, several tradesmen were at the Barrington Living History Farm demonstrating various skills. While often viewed as self-sufficient, early Texas farmers relied on the work of others for many items.  For example, blacksmiths forged their tools, wheelwrights made their wagons, potters turned their vessels and cordwainers made their boots.  Communities, both urban and rural, were linked together by the goods and services each offered. 

 

Alaska Inside Passage Cruise

We left Seattle on September 7 for our 7-day Alaska Cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl.  We went to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchican and Victoria, BC.  The scenery was spectacular, the weather was almost perfect and the seas calm. 

Norwegian Pearl

 

It was a warm the day we left Seattle.  The pool area was very popular.

 

Views of Seattle as we departed

  

The first day we enjoyed a beautiful day at sea on our way to Juneau.

 

  Approaching Juneau

 

Juneau

 

Our next port was Skagway.   

 

From Skagway we took an excursion to the beautiful Yukon Territory.  The excursion took us from Alaska to British Columbia to the Yukon Territory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glacier Bay was next on our agenda.  Rangers from Glacier Bay National Park boarded our ship from their boat.  While both vessels were moving, the national park boat came along side our moving ship and docked so the rangers could board our ship.  They disembarked our ship the same way.  It was very interesting to watch. The views of Glacier Bay were awesome.

 

 

 

 Our next port was Ketchikan.  It is famous for totem poles and the Creek Street district.

 

 

 

 

Our last port was Victoria, British Columbia.

 

 

 

All the food  on the ship was very delicious and the presentation was very attractive.  The "food art" was always interesting.

When we returned to our cabin at the end of the day, we were greeted with "towel art" that our steward created.