The Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery

Posted from Cedar Key, FL                       (Click on Pics to Enlarge)

Not all of our time in Montgomery, AL was spent on getting rabies shots.  We also managed to visit some of the sights.  This is our third visit to Montgomery, but the first time we've had a chance to visit the state capitol building downtown.

The Alabama Territory was admitted into the Union in 1819.  The capitol was first in Huntsville, then Tuscaloosa, before being permanently moved to Montgomery in 1846. The building was constructed between 1846-1847, but burned in 1849. From 1850-1851 the present-day building was finished in the Greek Revival Style of architecture. Several wings have been added through the years as the need for the legislative bodies grew in size.

In February of 1861 delegates of the succeeded Confederate States convened in Montgomery to organize the Confederate States of America (CSA) and to elect Jefferson Davis as the President of the CSA.   










In March of 1965 the steps of the Capitol served as the ending point for the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march led by Dr. Martin Luther King.

We enjoy taking tours of state capitols, but there was no tour available here unless you were part of a group of 15 or more.  We picked up a brochure from the Alabama State Trooper stationed at the entrance and set out on our own. 

This is the area which held the Supreme Court Library from 1885-1940.  

The old House Chamber is located on the 2nd floor and has been restored to its' 1870-1890 appearance.  

The Rotunda begins on the 2nd floor, as well, as is positioned between the old House and Senate Chambers.  It has been restored to look as it did in the 1930s.  

The Senate Chamber was used from 1851 to 1985, but has been restored to its' 1861 appearance.  This is the room in which the CSA was established and Jefferson Davis was elected as President. 





I will have to admit that the Alabama Capitol Building was not nearly as "impressive" as some of the state capitols we've visited, but the historical events surrounding this area certainly make for an interesting visit nonetheless. 

If interested, there are many more pictures not displayed in this blog in our Google+ Web Album.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

 

Visiting the Nebraska State Capital at Lincoln

Papillion, NE

On Friday we decided to visit the Nebraska state capital building in Lincoln.  It's about a 55 minute drive west of our present location and was an easy drive along Interstate 80.  Our recent experience with the visit to the Kansas capital building in Topeka has a thinking about visiting as many state capitals as possible when we are relatively close in our travels. (As an aside, I lived in Virginia for 54 years and NEVER once visited our state capital in Richmond, but now that we're free to travel I'm certain that we will put it on our list on one of our trips back east.)

North Side (and tourist entrance) of the Capital Building

The architecture both inside and out of the capital in Nebraska was very different from Kansas, but very pretty in a different way.  Lots of art work inside and beautiful mosaic tile work throughout.

The Sower

If you were able to see the building from directly above, the shape would look like a square connected by a cross.  The tall domed section in the center is adorned at the very top by "The Sower".  This is a 19 1/2 foot figure positioned on a 19 1/2 foot base which stands 400 feet above the ground. "The Sower" represents casting the seeds of life into the wind.

Door to old Senate Chamber

Nebraska's government is somewhat different from many states in that it is a unicameral system vs. a bicameral system (House and a Senate).  I'm not sure which system is better or more efficient. This building represents the third capital building for the state of Nebraska and was constructed between 1922-1932. At that time, Nebraska still used a bicameral system. This is a picture of the hand carved wooden door which led to the old Senate chamber.

Current Legislative Chamber

Here is a look at the current unicameral chamber which houses the entire legislative body.

Supreme Court Justice's Bench

The Judicial Branch (State Supreme Court) is also housed in the southern end of the Capital.  The public is invited to attend when the court is in session, but once the relatively small gallery is full the doors are closed. The proceedings are also televised.

Ceiling in the Supreme Court Chamber

The acoustics are so good in this chamber that microphones are not needed.  Part of the secret lies in the construction of the ceiling.  It is all walnut  and beautifully crafted. It's hard to see in the picture, but the recessed areas in the "boxes" of the ceiling are at least a foot in depth.

Ceiling and Chandelier

I realize that this blog is beginning to take on the length of a novel, so I'm going to just post some pictures with captions.

Mosaic Tile Work in Floor

A second dome with chandelier and 20k gold plating

There are many paintings and murals on the walls and floors which represent the history and ideals of the people of Nebraska.

After leaving the Capital building we traveled a few blocks looking for an area called the "Sunken Gardens".  We had the address, but for some reason couldn't find it initially. We did find this "neat" little area beside the Zoo named the Hamann Rose Garden at Antelope Park.  This place had a huge variety of roses, but we weren't there at the right time of the year to see them in bloom.

Finally, we stumbled onto "The Sunken Garden" which happened to be across the street. Literally! I guess we missed it because it was sunken. (Sorry, bad joke here.)


Thanks for reading this far on a rather lengthy blog post.

As always, thanks for dropping by to take a look!