For just a few nights I had the chance to become a Southern Belle. It was a lot of fun! Every spring, Columbus has their 2 week long Spring Pilgrimage, where people can tour antebellum homes, listen to Tales from the Crypt (students from a local school research a person, and then dress up as them and tell their life history and accomplishments), take carriage rides around the historic downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, enjoy local entertainment, and take a peak into the past. The old antebellum houses
are absolutely gorgeous! The term antebellum simply means before the war, and in this case it was the Civil War. The architecture for most of the houses is Greek Revival, Gothic, and Italianade. They all had beautiful gardens and the flowers were all in bloom. The purple flowers in the first picture are called Chinese Wisteria. The smell like flowery gingerbread and it is heavenly! The azaleas also started to bloom. Quite a sight to see. I found out that there are still a lot of antebellum homes here because Columbus was used as a hospital town. Most of the towns and buildings in the South were all burned during "Sherman's March to the Sea". There are only a few towns left that has these types of homes.
are absolutely gorgeous! The term antebellum simply means before the war, and in this case it was the Civil War. The architecture for most of the houses is Greek Revival, Gothic, and Italianade. They all had beautiful gardens and the flowers were all in bloom. The purple flowers in the first picture are called Chinese Wisteria. The smell like flowery gingerbread and it is heavenly! The azaleas also started to bloom. Quite a sight to see. I found out that there are still a lot of antebellum homes here because Columbus was used as a hospital town. Most of the towns and buildings in the South were all burned during "Sherman's March to the Sea". There are only a few towns left that has these types of homes. The house that I helped hostess in was called Shadowlawn. There were tours during the day for some houses, but Shadowlawn was shown at night. We were each put in a room, and as people came though we told them about the room, what it was used for, and about the antiques in it. The owners of this home are both antique dealers so their house was FULL
of antiques.
The first night I was in the dining room, the next I was in the master bathroom, and the last night I was in the gentleman's parlor for just a bit and then moved to the back porch. 
I was also able to tour about 5 other homes. They were all incredible. I learned a lot about history! Here's a quick little tidbit. Memorial Day originated right here in Columbus. There is a cemetery here called Friendship Cemetery where several hundred Confederate soldiers and about 42 Union soldiers are buried . About a year after the war had ended, there was a group of ladies that met together and decided to decorate their Confederate soldier's graves. As they were about to leave, someone commented that the Union soldiers were someones father or son, so their graves should be decorated also. From this act of kindness, Memorial Day was born.
of antiques.
The first night I was in the dining room, the next I was in the master bathroom, and the last night I was in the gentleman's parlor for just a bit and then moved to the back porch. I was also able to tour about 5 other homes. They were all incredible. I learned a lot about history! Here's a quick little tidbit. Memorial Day originated right here in Columbus. There is a cemetery here called Friendship Cemetery where several hundred Confederate soldiers and about 42 Union soldiers are buried . About a year after the war had ended, there was a group of ladies that met together and decided to decorate their Confederate soldier's graves. As they were about to leave, someone commented that the Union soldiers were someones father or son, so their graves should be decorated also. From this act of kindness, Memorial Day was born. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of this. It was a lot of fun and I was able to learn more about the history and culture of Columbus and the South, and appreciate all it has to offer.
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