New Hampshire State Library

While visiting the New Hampshire State Capitol, our unofficial tour guide highly recommended walking across the street to see the state library. He said it was a beautiful building, and that also there is a portrait of Daniel Webster that is the scariest painting he had ever seen and belongs in a haunted house. He was right on both counts. The state library building was originally built for the state supreme court to be on one side and the state library to be on the other. Eventually the supreme court got its own building. The building has gorgeous marble fireplaces and other lovely touches like skylights.

New Hampshire State Library

Room formerly used by the New Hampshire State Supreme Court

Skylight over room formerly used by the New Hampshire State Supreme Court

Fireplace on first floor

Second floor hallway with fireplace on left

Stacks room on second floor with skylight

Giant relief map of New Hampshire. One inch equals one mile of distance. One inch equals one thousand feet of height.

Famous scary Daniel Webster portrait that everyone agrees belongs in a haunted house

New Hampshire State Capitol

Today I visited the last New England state capitol that I hadn’t seen yet. [Sort of, as I still will need to go back to Connecticut when I can see the Senate chamber.] I toured the New Hampshire state capitol. Unfortunately, they did not have guided tours, but they had a nice pamphlet explaining what to see. Then while visiting the Governor’s Reception Room, we met a couple of very friendly, informative employees, including a man, whom I think worked in facilities, who took us to see a couple of sites not printed in the official guide.

New Hampshire’s state house is the oldest state house in which the legislature still occupies its original chambers. I almost feel like some praise should be given to the original builders and designers for building a capitol that has fulfilled its original use for so long and also not managed to burn down like so many other capitols. Similar to other New England state capitols, it is not overly ornate, but it still has some nice touches. It is fairly small. The House representatives don’t even get a desk. Their chamber is essentially an auditorium. New Hampshire has the largest number of state representatives with 400 elected, yet is in the bottom fifth of states by population. However, New Hampshire has the fourth smallest Senate with 24 elected members. The printed guide did not give any explanation for why there is that dichotomy.

New Hampshire State Capitol

New Hampshire House chambers

New Hampshire senate chambers

Artwork in New Hampshire senate chambers

New Hampshire Governor Reception room

Hall of flags at entrance to the capitol

Our unofficial tour guide who works in facilities, took us to see this painting of Daniel Healy. The reason he took us to see the painting, is it appears he has six fingers on his right hand. Our unofficial guide had no insight if the man actually had six fingers or if the artist just painted the hand weird or what. I can’t find any information on this man. Thus, I am sharing this mystery with anyone who reads my blog.

Portrait of Daniel J. Healy, longest serving state representative

Vermont State Capitol

Today while on a New England trip, I continued on my quest to see all the state capitols and visited Vermont’s state capitol in Montpelier. The Vermont state capitol reminded me of the Alaska state capitol solely on its somewhat casualness and friendliness of people there. However, the Vermont state capitol is much prettier and ornate. Our tour guide was a now-retired state representative (because he didn’t run for reelection). I don’t know why I find it so funny that a state representative would be a tour guide when not representing, but I do. He was a wonderful tour guide though. The capitol is small really, but the rooms are lovely. The current capitol is the third state house. Probably by coincidence, the senate chamber is predominately green, and the house chamber is predominantly red. I noticed this because this is the exact opposite of a couple of state capitols such as California and Colorado, where the house is green based on the UK House of Commons, and the senate is red based on the UK House of Lords.

There are some neat details in the building. For example, the law dictates that the Vermont coat of arms must have five elements: a deer head, a cow, haystacks, pine tree, and mountains. However, the rest of the details are evidently up to interpretation, so our guide pointed out at least five different versions on the tour. A “bonus” detail we got to see because it not part of a the tour was a gorgeous fireplace in a lounge area that has all these different stones mined in Vermont. We got to see it simply because he was leading us to the elevator as a member of the group needed to use it. Something that I also found amusing is that the capitol does have a dome, but you can’t look into the interior as it is unfinished wood. Our guide pointed to the part of the ceiling that is below the dome at my request because I am weird.

Vermont State Capitol

Vermont House Chambers

Vermont Senate Chambers

Vermont Governor’s formal office

Ceiling in Vermont Governor’s formal office

Cedar Creek Reception Room

Vermont coat of arms on wall of House Chambers

Stairwell

Ceiling on first floor which blocks view of dome (also I think second floor also blocks view)

Connecticut State Capitol

I am once again traveling on my quest to see all the state capitols. Today I visited Connecticut’s state capitol. The visit was somewhat disappointing because they would not let visitors see the Senate chamber. I understand some people may find my disappointment silly, and some woman on the tour did. However I traveled all this way to see the capitol, and the chambers are the most important parts of the capitol in my opinion. I have seen enough capitols to say confidently that seeing one chamber does not mean you have seen them both, as they are always different in rather interesting and important ways. So there is my criticism of the tour. If the website said you couldn’t visit that chamber, it was not clear because I certainly did not see that warning on the website. This adds to my annoyance.

With that gripe out of the way, the Connecticut state capitol is quite beautiful. It looks like a capitol. It has intricate decorations, and the design clearly has symbolism. There is a reoccurring theme of compasses and flowers that resemble compasses to represent that what happens in the capitol affects the entire state. Dark red, black, and browns are used throughout, which gives the building a very cohesive look. There are not that many statues, but the ones present are rather meaningful. There is also a whole lot of stenciling, which is gorgeous, but I can only imagine the time it took.

Connecticut state capitol

Connecticut state capitol

Connecticut state capitol dome

The Genius of Connecticut

Rotunda

Looking up the rotunda into the dome

Nathan Hale statue in atrium

Stenciling on balcony

Fountain that used to provide water for people to fill in buckets for their horses outside

House chambers

House chamber viewing gallery

House well and speaker’s desk

Ceiling of House chamber

Exhibition Coal Mine

While visiting New River Gorge National Park, I am in the Beckley area, so I decided to visit the Exhibition Coal Mine. It is a museum dedicated to coal mining including structures that show how people used to live. The main attraction though is an actual coal mine that shut down decades ago that you can tour while on a mine car. It was quite interesting. Our guide was a retired coal miner, and he was able to explain how things worked. You cannot stand up straight in the coal mine. We were seated on a car the whole time, but our guide got out several times, and he had to stoop over. He further explained that with most area, they did not remove the rock above the coal seam. The coal seam was generally only 24 inches high, so miners worked on the ground in a 24 inch high area. The work was obviously grueling.

Entrance to mine

Signs near entrance to mine. They still have a fire boss check the mine everyday even though they are not mining.

Rock bolts were in all the walls and ceiling to strength them

View from the car down the mine

Example of a car that held one ton of coal that a miner would fill. A 24 inch high or so coal seam can be seen in wall.

Wall of mine with coal seam at the bottom

Nuttallburg

I started exploring New River Gorge National Park today. It is second on my list of things to see in West Virginia after the capitol. The park is really spread out, and there are lots of areas to explore. I did some hiking in the Nuttallburg area today because it features the remains of a coal mining operation, and I love ruins. I hiked from the top to the headhouse. I was originally going to hike down along the trail that somewhat follows the conveyor, but I met some people at the headhouse, who had just hiked up the that trail, and they said do not do it. It is a really difficult trail, and while the park material said as much, somehow their exhausted faces persuaded me more. I then drove to area near the river where the lower part of the mining operation was and hiked around there a little. The area trails are really neat because you can essentially follow the mining operation from the mine entrance to where the coal would have been loaded onto trains.

While the mining operation started in the mine, obviously, the first part you can see is the mine entrance. As I stood in front of the mine, I could feel the air coming out was probably 10 or 20 degrees colder.

Mine Entrance

The coal cars then went to the headhouse where the coal was dumped and loaded onto the conveyor, which brought the coal all the way down the slope to be transferred to trains.

Headhouse where coal was dumped out of the cars from the mine and onto the conveyor. In the lower right, you can see the start of the conveyor.

Inside the headhouse where the coal cars came in

The conveyor was essentially a really long conveyor belt, and it was kind of awesome to stand beneath it.

Conveyor that brought coal from headhouse to tipple

The conveyor ended at the tipple. The tall structure seen on the right was a storage silo for the coal.

Conveyor entering the tipple

Conveyor entering the tipple

The tipple sat on top of train tracks, and the coal was transferred to the trains there.

Tipple where coal was transferred to trains

Under the tipple, standing on the old train tracks where coal was transferred

There are also some remains of coke ovens. These are considered to be the earliest remains of coal operations. Originally the coal converted to coke there.

Coke Ovens

West Virginia State Capitol

I continue in my quest to see all the state capitols. Today, I checked off West Virginia. The current, sixth, and final state capitol is gorgeous but not overly ornate. As just stated, it is the sixth capitol, and the short history of why West Virginia has had that many is one of the reasons why guided tours of capitols are so worth it. The original capitol was in Wheeling from 1858-1870. The Legislature decided to move it to Charleston. According to my guide, Wheeling then stated they would build a wonderful new building and pay for it if they moved the capital back to Wheeling, which they did in 1875. [This sounds like cities competing for sports franchises.] People evidently complained about how far away Wheeling was from the rest of state, and most wanted one more centrally located. Then there was a state wide vote, and Charleston won, and the capital moved back there in 1885. [At this point, you have to wonder if there was niche market for move the capital by steamer business.] Now, I get to the best part of this story, which is about the fourth capitol (and second Charleston capitol). The state had confiscated a whole lot of ammunition, gunpowder, and other material from protestors and/or strikers in coalfields. At least one version of the story I found says the ammunition belonged to police. The capitol was rather large, and evidently they had a bunch of storage space, so with what was thought a good idea at the time, they stored it in the capitol. It caught fire somehow, and the building burned for three days. The fifth capitol was then built really quickly after that, and then they built the current building.

The building is like most capitols with lots of marble and other natural stone. The central dome is really pretty. I like the contrasting colors. The dome and each of the chambers have crystal chandeliers on which the state did not skimp. The senate chamber is red, but the house chamber is more pinkish red. The senate has a small dome with skylight, but the house has larger square skylight. It may have just been the time of day I was there, but the house chamber had more light from the skylight. The exterior of the central dome has lots of real gold, according to my guide, and I think the gold is contrasted nicely with the blue paint.

Capitol exterior

Capitol dome exterior

Capitol central dome

Capitol dome area

Upstairs hallway

Senate Chamber

Senate Chamber dome

House Chamber

House Chamber

Carrie Blast Furnaces

I’m in Pittsburgh for the long weekend. Today I took a tour with Rivers of Steel of the Carrie Blast Furnaces. The area is part of the former U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works. Blast Furnaces #6 and #7 and the accompanying equipment is all that remains of the site. The site is really interesting, and the tour was lead by a former iron worker who used to work at a similar type of facility. It was rather amazing to hear such first hand knowledge. I admit I did not catch everything, but the tour was fascinating. It was also incredibly interesting and fun to photograph. I’ve tried to name things in the captions of the photos below, but I may have gotten some of it wrong. I should have taken notes while on the tour. If you are in Pittsburgh, I highly recommend the tour. It is a wonderful tour of some incredible history.

Generator building

Blast furnace in foreground and supply crane in background

Supply train area

Supply train area

Supply train area

Crane

Carrie Blast Furnaces

Close up of stoves

Skip Bridge

Blast furnace

Near stoves

Near stoves

Near stoves

Bottom of blast furnance

Iron notch

Molten iron car

Ellis Island

I went to New York City for a quick trip and finally did one of those tourist things that are generally on the last of my list to do. On several occasions, I have traveled to tour a wastewater treatment plant or landfill or some other engineering work, but pure tourist locations are things I go to if I can fit them into my schedule. I visited the Statue of Liberty a couple of decades ago, and I would like to go again. However, for this trip, I visited Ellis Island, partly because they had spots on the hard hat tour of the work being done there available. An interesting historic site plus engineering work definitely fits the bill of my interests. The original Ellis Island immigration building is open including the restored Great Hall (i.e. Registry Room) with numerous interesting exhibits. The hard hat tour however allows you to tour parts of the hospital on the other side of the island that are being stabilized and restored. The buildings are fascinating, especially from a modern viewpoint. [This immediately makes me wonder how someone in 100 years will view our buildings such as hospitals.] I also find the work being done to restore the buildings fascinating. The hard hat tour is a great way for the National Park Service to highlight work that is being done and needs to be done when there is funding. The tour is very informative, but I have to admit the tour could be a lot better. The main problem with the tour is trying to hear the tour guide. There is no audio technology used. It was only how loud the guide talked, and the guide I was with did never bothered to find out if those at the back could hear what he was saying. He rarely waited for everyone to catch up before talking, and as I was generally in the back trying to get photos, I missed half of what he was saying. The audio problem is compounded by the fact that area being toured is an active worksite, so there were also lawnmowers, banging, and other equipment noise in the background. Still, touring the area was fascinating and informative.

Note with the photos below that most of the buildings being restored have had all their windows covered with plywood that has a small plastic window and a ventilation panel. The plywood prevents the elements from getting in and further degrading the structures, and the window and ventilation panel helps prevent mold from growing inside the buildings.

On hospital side of island looking at the original building where the Great Hall is

Ellis Island Great Hall (aka Reception Room)

Building on administrative side of island

Hospital buildings

Laundry room

Hospital buildings

Hallway in hospital

Incinerator

Morgue

Hospital room

Bathroom in hospital

Hospital kitchen

Fixtures in a hospital room

Bathroom in hospital

Hospital room looking towards Liberty Island

Room in contagious disease hospital

Alaska State Capitol

With this Alaska trip, I was able to accomplish one of the more difficult tasks in my quest to see all 50 state capitols, as Juneau is not the easiest capital to travel to. I also lucked out because it only opened less than a week ago before which it was closed because of COVID. The Alaska State Capitol is one of the, or perhaps the, least fancy state capitols. The building was formerly a courthouse, and then they turned it into the capitol. There is no dome or other fancy halls. It is an office building. It is lucky for the state, in a way, that they have so few residents because the senate and house chambers are small and used to be courtrooms. There are also quite a few old photos and lots of Alaska Native art, which are quite nice to see.

Alaska State Capitol exterior

House of Representatives Chamber

Senate Chamber

Senate Finance Committee Room

Alaska Natives carved door

Map of Alaska cut from piece of 48 inch pipe used to construct Trans-Alaska pipeline. Weld represents 800-mile route of the pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.

Phone booths (phones do not work, I checked)

Elevator bay