Two Weeks of Homeschooling Through Field Trips

My Dad came to visit from California and we planned over two weeks full of fun and visiting the sights in Virginia. After a driving tour of some of the old homes in Radford, we stopped to tour the Glencoe Museum.
Built by Confederate Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton, the house and grounds provide an intimate view of a lost way of life.

Gabriel C. Wharton was a native of Culpeper County and graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. Wharton spent several years working in civil engineering before entering military service for Virginia and the Confederacy in 1861. While stationed in southwest Virginia during the early years of the Civil War, he met the family of Dr. John Blair Radford, for whom the City of Radford is named. In 1863, Wharton was made brigadier general and married Anne Rebecca Radford, Blair’s eldest daughter.

After the Civil War ended, Wharton returned to civilian life and to his original interests of mining and the railroad. In 1869 Wharton and his wife were deeded 554 acres of land by Anne’s father, and by 1875 the couple had completed the home that now houses the museum. Wharton chose the name Glencoe for his home because of his wife’s Scottish heritage.

We finished off the day with a trip out to nearby Claytor Lake to see the Fall colors and enjoy the peacefulness of life in Southwest Virginia. The kids learned that little fish like the granola in granola bars, but don't prefer the chocolate chips.