 Nashville, Tennessee I took this picture with my small Canon S410 so I could use the famous Bill Dance Sunglasses Filter, available at Walmart fishing department for $9.99. I sharpened it a bit, converted to B&W with slight rose color with Optikverve, then did some selective curve adjustments in PSP. Thanks for visiting. Feel free to leave a comment on this much un-Leica treatment of a scene. President Andrew Jackson helped establish this church by donating a few acres in 1823. It's now part of the grounds of The Hermitage, Jackson's home. I like to visit the homes of the presidents, whenever possible, and learn some history. Jackson's story is a quandary, of sorts, as it appears to common folks like myself that even historians can't always decide on his merits. He was known for the battle in New Orleans where he opposed the British while being out-manned 2 to 1 and gave them a good whippin'. (sorry guys) According to Paul Johnson's 'A History of the American People', General Jackson (as a private citizen) was also in many fights and dual-like confrontations with even one ending up in a melee of sword fighting and rolling in the streets of Nashville. On the other hand according to the folks at the Hermitage, he was only involved in one dual. So, take your pick. In the book, a very interesting part of General Jackson's history is Johnson's account of the inauguration. A crowd of 10,000 people that Johnson characterizes as 'the poor, the outlandish, the needy, above all the hopeful' gathered in Washington and drank the city dry of whiskey. It was the first election in which the voters, themselves, elected the president and they had taken it seriously. Johnson states that Daniel Webster wrote 'I never saw such a crowd here before. Persons have come 500 miles to see the General Jackson and they really seem to think the country has been rescued from some general disaster.' The inaugural was held on a sunny, warm, muddy day and by noon there was a crowd of 30,000 people surrounding the capitol. After reading words that nobody could hear, Jackson mounted a white horse and headed to the White House with the whole crowd in tow. It was alarmingly apparent to the snooty Washington folks who were watching the spectacle that this entire back-woodsy crowd was planning to enter the mansion and celebrate. Soon, the ground floor of the White House was filled to capacity and folks in muddy boots were jumping onto fine furniture to get a look at the affair. The White House staff, in an attempt to get the situation under control, took huge stocks of liquor out onto the lawn. Johnson says that Jackson become sick of it all and climbed out a rear window to return to his hotel and eat a steak. Johnson writes a great book, sort of like having someone over for dinner who lived through it all. You can also read a concise history of President Jackson at Wikipedia. Comment (3) | Permalink |
4x6photo.com | The Hermitage Church | 16 November, 2005
