In 2005, our family moved back to seminary in June. It was summertime. So, right after we moved in, we took a trip. To Virginia. I was so excited. Our first real family vacation. Just the four of us. I researched it. I planned our trip. I purchased a package deal. It was the “Historical Triangle” tour. The triangle included: Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. We were set to go.

We drove all the way to Virginia. In July. It was hot. After several days in heat-laden Virginia at The Williamsburg Hotel, we were all tired, sunburned, and a little historically worn out. We had visited all the sites at Colonial Williamsburg, including the Governor’s Mansion, the Capitol, and all of the shops and colonial tours in between. We had eaten at the King’s Arms Tavern. We had even attended church at the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church. One day we walked around the beautiful campus of The College of William and Mary, and every day we hung out at the Barnes and Noble/Starbucks for a break from the heat.

We took the bus to Jamestown and saw an archeological dig, toured the ruins of the old church, and took pictures by the Pocahontas and Captain John Smith statues. We visited the gift shop, bought the playing cards, looked at all of the upcoming preparations for the big 400-year celebration, toured the Jamestown Settlement and climbed aboard the replica ships from 1607.

We had one more day for our stay in old Virginny. We debated taking a quick trip to DC, but decided to keep to our triangle trip. Triangle. Right. We still had a third site to visit on our historical triangle tour. Yorktown. Right, Yorktown. What was that anyway? Was it really that important?

Confession: I’ve never told anyone this outside of family, but, I didn’t know what it was, so we opted out. What? Opted out? Opted out of the place where America’s freedom was finally secured? Opted out of the place where the final battle of the American Revolution occurred? Opted out!? I did not realize the significance of this place. This place in history. It was so close, yet so far away.

When did I realize the importance of it? It was during my first year of teaching at a classical school in 2006. One of our history cards for the year was Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris. (1781, 1783) What?!

When I read about it, I was dumbfounded. (Insert intense cringe here.) How could I not know about such an important historical event?

Now, when I hear of Yorktown, I smile and I think: it’s my favorite Revolutionary War moment to teach, my favorite battle scene to picture, and even my favorite Hamilton song.

But, each year as I am preparing to teach about Yorktown in Fifth Grade, I always feel a little twinge down deep when I remember that only fifteen years ago, I did not even know what it was.

So, that’s a big part of what this site is all about.

It’s important to know history, so you don’t miss it!