Day 3 – The Monitor (or how to make grown men giddy as schoolgirls!)

While I was putting in some needed office time, my guys went back down to Dinwiddie to finish their tour of Pamplin Park.  They were most interested in the fortifications, earthworks, redans and redoubts (what the heck are those??) and the soldiers’ encampment.  We met back up at noon and headed east toward Newport News and The Mariners’ Museum, where I had a special treat waiting for them (see Tip #5 – it pays to know people!).

After lunch at another famous Virginia eatery (Pierce’s BBQ by Williamsburg), we arrived and were ushered into the Monitor Center area by Dr. Anna Holloway, the Archer M. Huntington Chair for the Study of Maritime History at The Mariners’ Museum (prize awarded for the longest title ever).   She personally gave us a tour of the conservation lab where the Monitor is being carefully conserved – in pieces.

The Monitor lab is a huge facility – it has to be, because many of the pieces themselves are huge.  We were in luck because they had just drained the tank that held the Monitor’s engine (only done twice a year) so we were able to get a VERY up-close and personal look at this incredible machine.  Tip # 11:  Make sure you all have cameras – you never know when an opportunity for a unique shot will arise.  I’m so used to not being able to take pictures in museums, this was truly an opportunity not to be missed. 

Conservators Eric Nordgren and Will Hoffmann were very generous with their time and explained the various processes to us as we moved from tub to vat to tank.  Anna helped us to get a sense of what each piece was and where it had been placed on the Monitor.  This may seem strange to say about heavy metal, but many of the objects were works of art and it was just plain awesome to see them in various stages of coming back to life.

The highlight was when we were allowed to climb the side of the giant tank that holds the Monitor’s turret.  I was the last one up, and when I got to the small platform where Brad and Russ were standing agape they didn’t even notice or offer me a hand.  But when I saw the look on Russ’s face I was so tickled I didn’t bother giving him a hard time.  Talk about lit up like a kid at Christmas!  His hands were shaking so, I thought he would drop his camera in the water.  Tip #12:  If you can arrange a special experience, it will create memories for a lifetime.

On the second floor of the lab, we saw something truly unique – a coat that had been a wadded-up mess in the wreck that had been carefully reconstructed.  They are hoping to be able to put it on display soon, so look for it the next time you visit The Mariners’!

We finished our visit by touring the Monitor exhibits and other exhibits at The Mariners’.    Having seen the actual thing up close and personal, it was fascinating to see the recreation of the crew’s and captain’s quarters, the turret the way it was found and the way it would look new, and to walk out on the life-size model. 

We made it back to the security desk and out of the building literally as they were closing the doors.  All of the way back to Richmond my guys were chattering away and going over what they had seen.  Lots of “ooh, remember the….” and “holy cow did you see the…….” and “wasn’t the …..amazing?!!”.  Tip #13:  If you drive, your visitors can concentrate on the experience.  Half of the fun is recounting the adventure!

Our pick for dinner this evening was the new restaurant at Davis & Main Streets, “Mint”, owned and operated by the same folks that created one of my favorite restaurants in Richmond – Julep’s.  Locavore southern cuisine meets casual, it was the perfect spot to rehash the day’s highlights.

Tomorrow – on to Richmond!  Our intrepid group tours the Richmond area battlefields.