点评:
The list of accomplishments is impressive: college degree, law degree, successful legal practice, Georgia House of Representatives, Georgia Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Vice-Presidency of the Confederacy, and finally and briefly Governor of Georgia. Despite all of this Alexander H. Stephens is relatively unknown outside of local circles. He was equally diligent and intelligent, and unfortunately and unapologetically pro-slavery. He resided in a home on this premises from 1839 until his death in 1883, and after decades as a boarding house the structure was donated to the State of Georgia. The house was renovated to its 1875 appearance and became a National Historic Landmark on May 4, 1983.
This Georgia State Parks “historic-site-inside-a-park” is essentially divided into two experiences: a small static museum and the adjacent homestead. The museum is a simple affair, containing a statue of Mr. Stephens, a display of Confederate Flags, and a smattering of historical objects roughly arranged by category (daily life, hospitals, handicrafts, etc.). The homestead is an equally outdoor/indoor experience and only accessible by guided tour. Liberty Hall (the main residence) is obviously the focal point and contains about ten rooms on two levels; the majority of our time was spent here with detailed explanations of each room. A number of smaller buildings were visited around Liberty Hall including Eliza and Harry’s cabin, the gas house, the wood house, and the well. A memorial to the owner and his gravesite rounds out the experience, with a well curated gift shop providing the usual mementos. I spent maybe 90 minutes on site.
Overall, this was a worthwhile visit for me but admittedly not for the reasons I would have expected. First, the museum was unfortunately average at best. There was only one original artifact directly linked to Mr. Stephens (his wheelchair) and the rest of the collection was rudimentary with minimal or no explanations. With that slight misfire aside, the tour given by the onsite docent (Miss Melanie) was excellent. I not only learned about a personality of the war unknown to me, but the examples of daily life from the time period were fascinating: a dry earth commode, internal gas lighting, simple medications, etc. The relationship between Mr. Stephens and his African-American slaves (Harry and Eliza Stephens) was neither sugar-coated or hidden; furthermore, their contribution to the homesite and family life were presented in a respectful manner. A first tier Civil War historic site? Hardly. A decent detour for those with an interest? Definitely.
翻译:
他的成就令人印象深刻:大学学位、法律学位、成功的法律实践、佐治亚州众议院、佐治亚州参议院、美国众议院、联邦副总统,最后短暂担任佐治亚州州长。尽管如此,亚历山大·H·斯蒂芬斯在当地圈子之外还是相对不为人所知。他同样勤奋和聪明,但不幸的是,他毫无歉意地支持奴隶制。从 1839 年到 1883 年去世,他一直居住在这处住宅内,几十年后,这座建筑被捐赠给佐治亚州。该房屋经过翻修,恢复了 1875 年的面貌,并于 1983 年 5 月 4 日成为国家历史地标。
这个佐治亚州立公园的“公园内的历史遗址”本质上分为两种体验:一个小型静态博物馆和相邻的家园。博物馆很简单,里面有斯蒂芬斯先生的雕像、南方联盟旗帜的展示,以及一些大致按类别排列的历史物品(日常生活、医院、手工艺品等)。宅基地提供同样的室外/室内体验,并且只能通过导游进入。自由厅(主要住宅)显然是焦点,包含两层约十个房间;我们的大部分时间都花在这里对每个房间进行详细的解释。参观了自由厅周围的一些较小的建筑,包括伊丽莎和哈利的小屋、煤气房、木屋和水井。主人及其墓地的纪念馆让体验更加圆满,精心策划的礼品店提供常见的纪念品。我在现场呆了大约 90 分钟。
总的来说,这对我来说是一次值得的访问,但不可否认的是,原因并不像我预期的那样。首先,不幸的是,博物馆充其量只是一般水平。只有一件与斯蒂芬斯先生(他的轮椅)直接相关的原始文物,其余藏品都是简陋的,几乎没有解释。除了轻微的失误之外,现场讲解员(梅兰妮小姐)的游览非常出色。我不仅了解了一个我不知道的战争人物,而且那个时期的日常生活例子也很有趣:干土马桶、内部煤气灯、简单的药物等等。斯蒂芬斯先生和他的非洲人之间的关系-美国奴隶(哈利和伊丽莎·斯蒂芬斯)既不被糖衣包裹,也不被隐藏;此外,他们对家园和家庭生活的贡献也得到了尊重。一级内战历史遗址?几乎不。对于那些有兴趣的人来说,这是一个不错的绕道吗?确实。