A Tale of Two Houses

Day 2: Cincinnati, OH to Louisville, KY
National Parks Visited: William H. Taft NHS
Other Historic Sites Visited: Mary Todd House, Underground Railroad Talk


by Kelsea

Today was day two of our Spring break trip. Waking up at 6 a.m. we eagerly but sleepily got ready for the day’s events. First on our list, visit William Howard Taft’s boyhood home. It was here that we learned that Taft was the only person to be both an American president who later served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The home has been restored and isn’t the exactly the same as it was when he lived there. However, it’s been modeled after the house’s original designs.

After a lunch break, we visited Mary Todd Lincoln’s home. Our tour guide was Gwen. We called her Ms. Gwen. Just like Taft’s boyhood home, this house has been restored. Regardless, it has a great history. Todd’s dad lived here with his second wife and children. At one point, Mary hadn’t even visited the house in eight years! The tour guide didn’t only give us facts on the home, she provided us with information on Mary, her life, and family. The Lincolns, Mary and Abraham, stopped by the house for three weeks when they were traveling to D.C. so Lincoln could serve in Congress. We also learned that Robert was the only surviving Lincoln when Mary died. All of the children died at early ages, except for Robert. And, as we all know, Abe was shot and killed. However, Mary and Robert weren’t on good terms. Having lost so many family members deeply upset Mary, and Robert had her ruled insane because he didn’t feel she was stable enough to handle her money and property. This made Mary bitter. In retaliation, Mary left nothing to her son in her will. However, right before she died, she burned her will knowing very well that everything would be left to Robert. Some believe this was her way of making amends.

This day was super fun, and I absolutely can’t wait for tomorrow! ☺

Kelsea had recently been accepted to School Without Walls, and looks forward to attending next year. She’s really enjoyed her time as a STAMPER and thanks Ms. Trenkle, Ms. Jen, and Ms. Bethany for this lovely opportunity.



by Liz

Today we went to Mary Todd Lincoln’s childhood home. Gwen, our docent, told us that only a few of the things that were furnishing the house were actually in the house while she lived there, because they had been sold when her father died due to his lack of a will. All of the furniture was from the time period, though. There was a ton of parlors: the parlor, the men’s parlor, and the woman’s parlor! All the doorways were low (because the house was built that way) except for the ones on the first floor. Mary’s father had raised them because it was the current fashion. On the second floor, there were two bedrooms that had belonged to two sisters, and a guest bedroom. Mary’s father had six children with his first marriage, and even more in his second. On the second floor there is a bedroom, presumably for the boys. There’s also a nursery with a room attached for the servant who tended it. In the back there is a gift shop (which is obviously not original) and a garden. And, although it’s not a National Park Sight, there was a stamp at the house, so of course we all got it. ☺

Liz is an eighth grader at Stuart who is still undecided about high school!


by Candace

Whew! What a day! It all started at 6:00 am when we woke up. We left the hotel at 8:00 am and headed for the William H. Taft boyhood home. When we arrived, we watched a short video on his life. Did you know he is the only president to be both President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? I know, pretty amazing! We toured his boyhood home and then departed for Lexington, KY for a look at the Mar Todd home. We toured each room, and got a detailed description by a very nice curator named Gwen, who came to work just for us. I bet you didn’t know Mary Todd was one of 16 children! That’s just about our entire group! Ms. Gwen even named them all for us! At the house we got see the first lady’s actually china. We learned all about her various “mental issues” and how she handled herself after Abraham Lincoln’s death. After a good nap on the ride to the hotel, we had dinner at the Olive Garden, and then met a cheery NPS ranger named Steve at Barnes and Nobles bookstore. He told us about Lincoln’s childhood history and his involvement in the Underground Railroad. After the program, we spent sometime in the bookstore, and arrived safely at the hotel.

Candace is a Class of ’07 alum and current School Without Walls student.



by Monea

Today was a lot different! 6 AM wake up calls were unnoticeable to me until my roommate said “who is that knocking on the door?” Then I got up and started to roam. We boarded the bus for Taft home and when we got there we watched a film about our once “plump but loveable” president. Then we listened to a robot replica of his son.

Lunch today was at Chipotle. It wasn’t anything special. Then we drove to Kentucky and I was napping (I didn’t feel well). Once we got there we toured the home of Mary Todd Lincoln. It was long but interesting to hear the accent on some words by our tour guide (Ms. Gwen). Back on the bus we went to our hotel to check in, unload bags and settle in—all in 20 minutes. For down time I did nothing except wait to go to dinner. After dinner we went to Barnes and Noble to hear our guide for tomorrow Steve talk about Lincoln and the Underground Railroad. I write to you from my room watching “House” thinking about the farms of tomorrow. Two days down six day to go!



by Devin

Today we went to William Taft’s home that he grew up in. I learned that he had many jobs involving the government. The other half of the day, we went to Mary Todd Lincoln’s house. We learned a lot about what she did as a first lady. The thin I liked about this tour is that we learned a lot about her instead of Abraham Lincoln.

And the last part of the day we saw a preview of what we are going to do tomorrow.


by James

Wow! Today was so cool. I mean besides waking up at 6:00 a.m. But after that it was really fascinating. We learned more about two presidents: William Taft and Abraham Lincoln. Also we learned about Lincoln’s wife Mary and the Underground Railroad. For lunch we had my favorite ever (Chipotle) and for dinner we had a nice sit down dinner at the Olive Garden. Man, today I learned a lot and had an exciting day. I can’t wait for tomorrow when we go to Indiana! (PS This is a picture of Devin and me with the key to the city of Manila in the Philipines. Taft received it for the work he did there over the course of three years prior to becoming Secretary of War.)


by Alexus

Taking a trip to these historical sites were very fun! During the tour of the William H. Taft house we learned a lot—it was very fun and educational. The Mary Todd Lincoln house was very different and fun. Here are some fun facts about the places we visited:

• William Howard Taft served as the Secretary of War for Theodore Roosevelt.
• William H. Taft is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
• The Mary Todd Lincoln House was building from 1803-1806.

Here, Kelsea explains the STAMPS program to our Taft ranger, Ms. Paula and an NPS volunteer.

by Linstrum

Today was so fun we went to two places that were great. We went to Mary Todd Lincoln’s house and William Taft’s House. It was great. I learned so much. We went to Taft’s house first then we went south to Kentucky (the Bluegrass State) to Mary Todd Lincoln’s House in Lexington, KY. A lady came in just for STAMPS! She talked about her life and what she did to become what she was in her day. It was not a NPS site but they had stamps—COOL! We also went to Taft’s home. That was so great—we watched a 15 minute video on his life. Then we went and viewed his house. That was cool and it had a lot of cool things that interested me.

Westward Bound!

Our departure from school a little after 7:00 a.m., March 21, 2009!
We are donning our Lincoln hats and ready for our adventure!

Day 1: Washington, DC to Cincinnati, OH
National Parks Visited: Fort Necessity NB in Uniontown, PA


By Liz

The most interesting part of Fort Necessity was the Indians. We were walking down the path to the fort (which was really small!) when these Indians came out of the woods that were surrounding us. It was really scary, because for a crazy second, we thought they were real Indians coming to kill us! (Part of this reaction was having just seen the movie about the French and Indian War.) Then we were relieved, because of course they were just actors. However, when they came closer to us, and they started talking to the park ranger, she told us that they were real Native Americans! One of them was from the Huron tribe and one was from the Delaware tribe. They said that they were descendants, although not direct. They both had nose piercings, and one of them had black face paint all along his lower face. He said it was his “Death Face”, and he would wear it when going into battle. The other had tattoos everywhere- his arms, hands, fingers, chest, and face. At one point they had been black, but they had faded to a light navy color. They told us all kinds of stuff about what they used for greeting others, stretching their ears, and how he didn’t vote, but only because he didn’t want to. This was so cool, and I think it was a great start to the trip!

Liz is an eighth grade STAMPer, who loves marshmallows and hates spaghetti!


By James

Today was our first day of our going-to-be spring break trip with STAMPS. On the bus I sat next to my good ol’ plan Devin. Devin and I both had a bacon and egg sandwich. Boy, was I full. Our first stop of the day was Fort Necessity. I really enjoyed the nature trail, especially as I was assigned the part of Half King. But my favorite part of the stop was asking questions to the Indians and how they were pointing out animal footsteps (such as deer tracks and bear prints). The hotel we are staying in today is the Marriott Courtyard.


By Kelsea

And we’re off! It’s our first day on the road. And we just left Fort Necessity. One of the best parts of this stop was meeting two Indians—a Huron and a Delaware. They taught us about their culture and told us the history of the French and Indian War. We learned some pretty awesome facts. For example, during the war George Washington was targeted many times. However, he never actually got shot. So far this trip has gotten off to a great start! I can’t wait for what’s to come!

By Candace

Our day began at 6:45 am at Stuart-Hobson Middle School. We then departed for Fort Necessity and arrived around 11:50 am. We watched a movie about the start of the French and Indian War, then proceeded outside to Fort Necessity (a reconstructed model of course), and were greeted by some friends along the way. Two Native Americans, Bob, and John. They both had on tradition clothing and accessories. We then walked to a short trail where General Washington once stood. After stamping our passports (this is STAMPS after all!), we boarded the bus for a nice 4 ½ hour drive to Blue Ash, Ohio. We had dinner that was provided courtesy of Wendy’s, and enjoyed some time by the pool. Whew! What a day! Seven more days left! Woohoo!




By Monea

Today was fun. We went to Fort Necessity and watched a film and we walked down to the replica of the fort and then we noticed that we were being followed by men with face paint and muskets. HONESTLY, I was TERRIFIED and I walked faster to get away. Then I realized Ms. T wouldn’t let us get hurt (I hope) and then I felt comfortable about it. We spent time with them asking questions and then we went in the wood and read writing on trees. We went back and made wampanoag. After stamping our passports, we got back on the bus and ate lunch. I fell asleep and when I woke we were in Blue Ash, Ohio, outside of Cincinnati. We went to dinner and spent time at the pool. Now, we await our second day. One day down, seven days to go.

Did we mention that Ms. Jen was able to get our very own NPS stamp for STAMPS?
It was christened at Fort Necessity today!

by Linstrum

Today was so great…we did a lot. Today the first thing we did when we pulled off from Stuart was we drove three hours or a little more to Fort Necessity in Pennsylvania. We stayed there for about three hours. When we were there we saw two real Indians and I got to pull the trigger on one of the guns (but nothing happened—they’re real old guns. Next we went to Ohio. It felt like a long time to get there. After that we went o to the hotel and settled in. Then we went to dinner.

Shopping for the Trip

Stocking up for the big trip, with a shopping experience at Target! What all is in the basket? We prefer to say, "What's NOT in the basket?" Water, cheez-its, white popcorn, granola bars (several different varieties), pop tarts, juice boxes...and much, much more! Everything needed for a successful bus trip!

What are we looking forward to?

by Kelsea and Katie

We are looking forward to many, many things!
Including, but not limited to: Meeting new people, traveling, learning more about Lincoln. Going to many National Park Sites, hanging with friends! And of course......Katie's Birthday!!