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Mississippi

Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument

May 22, 2024 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument

Mississippi, Illinois

Managed by National Park Service

Established 2023

5.7 acres

Website: nps.gov/till

Overview

In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett “Bo” Till left Chicago to visit family in Mississippi, where he whistled at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman who ran the Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market in the town of Money. A few nights later on August 28, Carolyn’s husband (Roy Bryant) and his half-brother (John William “J.W.” Milam) abducted Emmett Till from his relatives’ house. They took Emmett to Milam’s farm where he was tortured and killed according to their admission in Look magazine a year later. After Till’s body was recovered at Graball Landing and sent back to Chicago for a funeral, a five-day trial took place in Sumner’s Tallahatchie County Courthouse where Bryant and Milam were acquitted of the crime. It is probably not a coincidence that the National Monument was proclaimed by President Joe Biden following the release of the 2022 film Till. Not open to the public but also part of the National Monument in Illinois, the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in the Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville is where Mamie Till-Mobley insisted on an open-casket funeral service so the public could see the terrible results of the murder. Historians believe the outcry over this lynching of a 14-year-old boy helped lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Highlights

Emmett Till Interpretive Center, Tallahatchie County Courthouse, Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center (ETHIC), Black Bayou Bridge, Graball Landing, Greenwood statue, Bryant’s Grocery site

Must-Do Activity

Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center (ETHIC) is located in a former cotton gin near the site of Emmett Till’s torture and murder on the farm of “J.W.” Milam in Glendora, Mississippi. Established in 2005, there is an atmosphere to the museum that bears the full weight of history, heightened by the short introductory video showing Emmett Till’s family members’ recollections of the events of 1955. Inside, there is a recreation of the Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market storefront, as well as a coffin with the prop used in the film Till depicting Emmett’s shockingly disfigured head. The museum also has artifacts highlighting the Mississippi Delta’s history with slavery, indigenous people, and blues music (specifically Sonny Boy Williamson II). Although not part of the National Monument, we recommend a half-hour drive south to Money to see the ruins of Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market with a restored gas station next door, part of the Mississippi Freedom Trail.

Best Trail

From ETHIC, drive or walk to the Black Bayou Bridge where Emmett “Bo” Till’s body was dumped into the Black Bayou tied to a heavy fan from the cotton gin. We were grateful to get a personal tour from Tamita Davis who helps run ETHIC. It is also a short drive down a dirt road to Graball Landing on the Tallahatchie River where there is a small interpretive sign explaining it as the site Till’s body was recovered.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The National Park Service operates out of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, located in a strip mall opposite the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi. It has limited hours, but the courtroom where the September 1955 trial was held was unlocked when we visited on a Tuesday morning.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

In Sumner, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 12-5, while the Tallahatchie County Courthouse is open to the public on Mondays when the center is closed. In Glendora, Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center (ETHIC) is open Monday through Saturday 10-5.

Fees

$12 per adult at ETHIC, $5 donation recommended at Emmett Till Interpretive Center

Road Conditions

Paved roads lead to the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner and Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center (ETHIC) in Glendora, where a gravel road in good shape leads to Graball Landing.

Camping

To the south, Delta National Forest offers online reservations for campsites (September through March when the forest is not seasonally flooded).

Related Sites

Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument (Mississippi)

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (Alabama)

Freedom Riders National Monument (Alabama)

Pullman National Historical Park (Illinois)

Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center (ETHIC) in Glendora, MS

Explore More – A statue of Emmett Till was added in 2022 to Greenwood, Mississippi’s Rail Spike Park, but what city in Colorado has his statue alongside one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Montana

Helena National Forest

January 24, 2024 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Helena National Forest

Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

1,175,125 acres (984,558 federal/ 190,567 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/hlcnf

Overview

Helena National Forest surrounds Montana’s capital city of Helena, encompassing several mountain ranges. The Big Belt Mountains were the site of the of the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire, which killed 13 smokejumpers who were immortalized in Norman Maclean’s classic book Young Men and Fire (see our Top 10 Non-Fiction Books on National Forests). There is a Mann Gulch Memorial located in Meriwether Campground. Much of the National Forest is grassland and sagebrush, with conifer trees dominating the canyons and mountain slopes. In the winter, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing are popular pastimes.

Highlights

Gates of the Mountains, Mann Gulch Memorial, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, Gypsy Lake, Crow Creek Falls, Elkhorn Mountains, Blackfoot Canyon, Red Mountain, Refrigerator Canyon, Hanging Valley National Recreation Trail, Meriwether Canyon Trail

Must-Do Activity

Meriwether Lewis named the Gates of the Mountains on July 19, 1805, and today a two-hour jet boat tour on the Missouri River details the history of the Corps of Discovery, American Indian pictographs, the Mann Gulch Fire, and the collapse of Hauser Dam. North of Helena on Interstate 15 in Great Falls is the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, which is run by the U.S. Forest Service.

Best Trail

Refrigerator Canyon is less than ten feet wide at its narrowest point, where towering 200-foot limestone cliffs keep it cool and breezy throughout the summer. The trailhead is accessed by driving 12 miles of washboard road that turns left off paved York Road just after crossing near the dam that forms Hauser Lake on the Missouri River. It is a short quarter-mile hike to reach the canyon’s pinch point that was full of rock climbers during our visit. The route then gets steeper, gaining 1,100 feet in two miles and providing excellent mountain views. The trail eventually levels out and continues for another seven miles past Bear Prairie in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness. It can be connected to the Meriwether Canyon Trail, which dead ends at the Missouri River 18 miles from the Refrigerator Canyon Trailhead.

Watchable Wildlife

Grizzly bears can be found in the Scapegoat Wilderness in the northwest part of Helena National Forest where it borders Lewis and Clark National Forest (considered part of the massive Bob Marshall Wilderness complex connecting to Glacier National Park). Other predators include black bears, gray wolves, wolverines, ermine, mountain lions, bobcats, and Canada lynx. River otters and beavers can be found on the Missouri River. Grazing ungulates commonly seen are elk, moose, mule deer, and pronghorn, in addition to bighorn sheep and mountain goats at higher elevations. Trout streams and lakes provide fishing opportunities for humans, as well as bald eagles and ospreys.

Instagram-worthy Photo

You might see rock climbers blocking narrow Refrigerator Canyon, but be sure to continue through on the steep trail for beautiful views of the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The washboard road back to Refrigerator Canyon was in good enough shape for our passenger vehicle.

Camping

A Mann Gulch Memorial is located in Meriwether Campground, plus there are numerous other campgrounds and dispersed campsites located throughout the National Forest’s network of unpaved roads.

Wilderness Areas

Gates of the Mountains Wilderness

Scapegoat Wilderness (also in Lewis and Clark National Forest)

Related Sites

Beaverhead National Forest (Montana)

Deerlodge National Forest (Montana)

Flathead National Forest (Montana)

Nearest National Park

Glacier

Conifer Tree Species

lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, limber pine, whitebark pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, Douglas-fir, alpine larch, subalpine fir

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, balsam poplar, narrowleaf cottonwood, Rocky Mountain maple, paper birch, willow, red-osier dogwood, choke cherry

Explore More – Before it changed its name to Helena in 1864, what was the name of the gold mining camp that became Montana’s state capital?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our guidebook Out in the Woods

New York

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

January 3, 2024 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

New York

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1966

1 acre

Website: nps.gov/thri

Overview

On September 6, 1901, while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt came by the house (now demolished) where McKinley was recovering and left after being assured he would survive. Roosevelt was hiking the highest peak in the Adirondacks when he was informed that he needed to rush back to Buffalo because the President was dying. Rather than take the oath of office in the house where McKinley died 11 hours before Roosevelt’s arrival, he chose the residence of his friend Ansley Wilcox, which has been preserved as a National Historic Site. Oddly, no photographs were taken at the historic event.

Highlights

Wilcox house, museum, films

Must-Do Activity

The Wilcox house dates back to 1837, when it was built as an officers’ quarters at the U.S. Army’s Poinsett Barracks. The only way inside is on a ranger-guided tour, which you can reserve online in advance (see Fees below). The downstairs has a small, nice museum featuring interactive exhibits, where you will watch the second of three video presentations during your 45-minute tour. It was good enough that we added it to our Top 10 Museums Run by the National Park Service. There is an annual reenactment of the 1901 Inauguration held every September 14.

Best Trail

No trails, but you can walk the sidewalks of Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo and stop by the Bank of America ATM conveniently located next door. Maybe you will find a four-leaf clover like Tiff did (see photo below).

Instagram-worthy Photo

The third video is presented in a small theater upstairs about halfway through the tour and features dramatic lighting and videos highlighting the challenges facing the U.S. in the early 1900s.

Peak Season

Fall

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/thri/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$12 per adult for tour (or America the Beautiful pass and $1 online registration fee for up to 4 adults)

Road Conditions

All roads are paved and a free parking lot is located behind the house on one-way Franklin Street.

Camping

Outside Buffalo, camping is available at Darien Lake, Four Mile Creek, Joseph Davis, and Letchworth State Parks.

Related Sites

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site (New York)

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (New York)

Check out our Top 10 Roosevelt Family NPS Sites

Explore More – When was the Wilcox house turned into a restaurant?

Massachusetts

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

August 2, 2023 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

Massachusetts

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1969

8.5 acres

Website: nps.gov/sair

Overview

Situated in the middle of the town of Saugus, this interesting little park preserves North America’s first integrated iron works dating back to 1646. The site was chosen because of access to local bog iron, gabbro, ample trees for making charcoal, and the Saugus River for providing power and shipping. Molten iron was poured into long sow bars that were forged into wrought iron, some of which went into a rolling and slitting mill that provided material for easily producing nails. In addition to cast products like pots, other items made include hinges, hoes, shovels, kettle hooks, and tongs. In the 1660s, bankruptcy led skilled iron workers (mostly indentured servants) from here to start mills throughout New England. Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site is part of Essex Saugus National Heritage Area, along with Salem Maritime National Historic Site in northeast Massachusetts.

Highlights

Saugus River, blast furnace, forge, Iron Works House, free mushed penny machine

Must-Do Activity

Start your visit in the National Park Service (NPS) museum located in the former chicken coop and blacksmith shop, where a 12-minute video is played. Do not forget to crush your own penny in the only free coin-smashing machine we have encountered at a NPS site. Rangers offer tours throughout the day or a self-guided tour takes you to a blast furnace, forge, rolling mill, warehouse, and dock area on the Saugus River. The Iron Works House is a 1680s mansion containing period furnishings and is the only original building left standing. Other structures were rebuilt in the 1950s by the First Iron Works Association funded by the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Best Trail

A half-mile nature trail follows along the banks of the Saugus River.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Huge bellows made of wood and leather provided a steady blast of air to maintain the high temperature required to smelt ore into molten iron.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/sair/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads are paved to the small parking lot.

Camping

Harold Parker State Forest offers 130 campsites about 13 miles to the northwest.

Salem Maritime National Historic Site (Massachusetts)

Springfield Armory National Historic Site (Massachusetts)

Explore More – How heavy was the cast iron hammer head used in the forge and lifted by the waterwheel?

New York

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site

June 14, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site

New York

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1944

645 acres

Website: nps.gov/hofr

Overview

In 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was born at Springwood, his family’s estate on the Hudson River in Hyde Park, New York. In 1905, FDR married his distant cousin Eleanor and moved into the mansion with his mother. FDR contracted polio in 1921 and was paralyzed from the waist down, so some changes were made to Springwood to make it more wheelchair accessible. After FDR became President, noteworthy visitors to the house included England’s King George VI and Winston Churchill. FDR was buried on the property in 1945 and Eleanor in 1962, in the rose garden alongside Fala, their famous Scottish terrier. Exactly one year after his death, the mansion opened to the public.

Highlights

Springwood, FDR Presidential Library and Museum, Top Cottage, Hyde Park Trail

Must-Do Activity

Start your visit at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center where you can purchase tickets for the tour inside the mansion (reservations recommended), the 22-minute film A Rendezvous With History, the Presidential Library and Museum (not managed by the National Park Service), and Top Cottage, which is located behind the nearby Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Tours meet inside the visitor center then walk a quarter-mile to the mansion. Top Cottage was built in 1938 and is only accessible on a guided tour in the summer, which a park ranger discouraged us from going on saying it was mostly a seminar-style discussion of world politics (Top Cottage tours were closed through at least 2022).

Best Trail

Hyde Park Trail connects Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site with Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site following the Hudson River. The trail then heads two miles east towards Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site and Top Cottage.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Freedom From Fear is a sculpture of a man and woman made from a section of the Berlin Wall, installed here in 1994 with a companion piece at the Winston Churchill Memorial in Fulton, Missouri. Both were created by Edwina Sandys, Churchill’s granddaughter.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/hofr/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$10 per person for mansion tour or free with America the Beautiful pass; $10 per person for Top Cottage tour with $5 off for America the Beautiful pass; separate entry fee for FDR Presidential Library and Museum

Road Conditions

All roads are paved with ample parking.

Camping

Mills-Norrie State Park has 45 campsites about five miles north of Hyde Park on Highway 9.

Related Sites

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (District of Columbia)

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (New York)