Two more castles have been added to the Castle Travel Challenge. There are now 12 castles  in the challenge with more to come.

​The first castle added this week was Cité de Carcassonne. It is a castle town located in southern France. It makes for a great family destination. Explore the castle, take in the beautiful views, and enjoy learning about history of this area that dates back over 2000 years. Make sure you have time to checkout the town as well. Its medieval streets lined with shops and museums are fun to explore.

The second castle is Caerphilly Castle in Wales. It dates back to the 13th century. This medieval castle is the second largest in the United Kingdom. It is surrounded by artificial lakes built to protect the castle from attackers. It's unique concentric rings of walls inspired the designs of future castles including Edward I's castle in North Wales.

Caerphilly Castle is another kid friendly destination. It's large outdoor spaces, towers and reenactments make for a fun day out. The nearby town is a great place to stop and get something to eat.

More information:

• Cité de Carcassonne
• Caerphilly Castle

As we wrap-up this year's Black History Month celebration, take some time to go through the list of places you can explore using the Duckwyn Travel app to learn about Black History. Check their web sites as some of these places may not be open due to Covid. 

The last place I wanted to call attention to before the month ends is the Booker T. Washington National Monument. It was here that Washington was born into slavery. He would go on to become an author, orator, and adviser to multiple U.S. presidents. He worked tirelessly to promote black education and entrepreneurship. It was his life goal to build long-term economic strength and bring pride to the African-American community. If you're in Virginia, make sure to set some time aside to visit this national monument to learn more about Booker T. Washington's life.
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More information

• Booker T. Washington National Monument
• Wikipedia 

Frederick Douglass escaped slavery and went on to become a leader of the abolitionist movement. His work in the movement in Massachusetts and New York led to him becoming famous for his oratory and antislavery writings. Later in life he would join President Rutherford B. Hayes' administration as the marshal of the District of Columbia. It was the first time a black man successfully received a federal position which required Senate approval. He was also the first African American to receive a vote for president by a major political party.

The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site preserves Douglass' home and estate and pays tribute to this great African American leader.

More Information:

• Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
• Wikipedia
• ​Historical places to learn more about Black History

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was beaten and whipped as a child and even hit in the head with a metal weight (the weight was thrown at another slave but hit her instead). She would suffer from dizziness and pain for the rest of her life. None of this stopped her from bringing hundreds of slaves to freedom.

Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849 making her way to Philadelphia. Despite being free, she risked her freedom over and over, returning south to rescue her relatives and other enslaved people. During the Civil War, Tubman worked with the Union Army as a scout and spy. She became the first woman to lead an armed expedition in war when she helped liberate over 700 slaves at the raid at Combahee Ferry.

Today, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park in Maryland commemorates her life. If you're in southern Maryland then you should visit to learn more about this extraordinary woman.

Additional Information:

• Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park
• Harriet - the 2019 movie about the life of Harriet Tubman
• Wikipedia

Visit the George Washington Carver National Monument in Missouri to learn about the great scientist and inventor, George Washington Carver.

Carver was the most prominent black scientist of the early 20th century. His work promoting environmentalism helped improve the lives of the farming community. He developed techniques to improve the soil, including crop rotation. Carver's achievements and inventions led Time magazine to call him a "Black Leonardo", a reference to the great Leonardo da Vinci whose inventions also changed the world.

The national monument preserves Carver's boyhood home and the 240 acres of land around it. Check out the nature trail, museum, and exhibits to learn more about his life.

 More information:

• George Washington Carver National Monument
• Wikipedia

The Nicodemus National Historic Site preserves the last remaining western town established by African Americans following the Civil War. It was founded in 1877 by Reverend W.H. Smith, a black Minister, and W.R. Hill, a white land developer, along with five other black men. They traveled to churches encouraging people to move to Kansas. The town would grow to have two newspapers, three general stores, a small hotel, bank, and several churches. At its peak it reached 700 people. Eventually many members of the town moved away to be closer to the railway.

Descendants of the original settlers still live in the town today. The historic site provides an opportunity to learn about the town that brought the promise of being a place for "African Americans to establish a black self-government".

More information:

• Nicodemus National Historic Site
• Wikipedia

"Remember Fort Pillow" would become the battle cry among black Union soldiers after Confederate troops massacred 229 black soldiers. The event occurred after Union troops were defeated at the Battle of Fort Pillow in 1864. The Confederate States Army gunned down over 300 soldiers most of them black who had surrendered. Their refusal to treat the soldiers as traditional POW's infuriated the North. The political controversy would later lead to a federal investigation.

More information:

• Fort Pillow State Historic Park in Tennessee
• Wikipedia
• History.com

I'm not sure if it's my previous ignorance or a lack of promotion but I've lived in and around Boston for a very long time and wasn't aware of this site. The Boston African American National Historic Site is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, not far from Boston Common. The site is part of the Black Heritage Trail. It includes the 1806 African Meeting House which is the oldest standing black church in the United States. It also preserves several other original buildings from the 19th-century. 

This will make for a nice family adventure when the weather warms up and we can get back outside.

Resources:

• National Park Service: Boston African American National Historic Site
• Wikipedia: Black Heritage Trail