We started the day with a walk to McQueens Coffee shop. It is connected with the Rustic Pie cafe, but the cafe is only open Tuesday through Saturday, while the coffee shop is also open on Sunday from 9 - 2. While the Rustic Pie is not open, their kitchen still makes the huge and delicious cinnamon rolls for the coffee shop. So that was our breakfast, out on the patio shared by the coffee shop and cafe.
After breakfast, we decided to visit Fort Verde State Historic Park in the town of Camp Verde, about an hour northeast from our rental in Prescott. The Fort was operational from 1871 to 1891. After the fort closed, all of the wooden buildings were bought by local residents for the lumber - they were all dismantled and the lumber was used in other local homes and businesses. Only the four buildings built of adobe bricks were left, and those have been rehabilitated; they now house exhibits from the 1880s.
The Visitor Center and Museum are in the former Administration Building. We were greeted by a volunteer in 1880s military uniform, portraying Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper, a former slave who was the first black man to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Flipper graduated from West Point in 1877. I was familiar with the story of Lt Flipper and his court-martial. I am not sure where I saw it, but I remember seeing a video about him and his court-martial conviction. I think I may have watched the PBS video Held in Trust: The Story of Lt. Henry O Flipper at some point in time. The volunteer was from Boston, but now lives in Camp Verde. He shared a lot of info about the Buffalo Soldiers. The museum also had an interesting 15 minute video about the Indian Scouts that were enlisted into the Army.
After leaving the museum, we headed across the street to the parade ground to see the three remaining buildings.
The first building was the commanding officers quarters. Although now covered with wood and stucco, there was a section of wall inside that was covered only with glass so that we could see the adobe bricks in the wall. Downstairs had several large rooms; upstairs were rooms for the commandant's children, plus a room for the Striker, the enlisted man assigned to help run the commandant's house - this included cooking, helping the wife and taking care of the children.
Behind the commandant's quarters was a replica of the Post Garden, using the three sisters method of farming - corn surrounded by beans surrounded by squash.
This is the back side of the Commandant's quarters, taken from next to the Post Garden.
Then it was on to the Bachelor Officers Quarters.
And then the Post Surgeon's quarters, with interesting info about an 'ambulance" and "the hospital cow" (provided to get good nutrition to recuperating soldiers).
Just beyond the parade grounds and outside the fence of the historical park, I could see the local Camp Verde Historical Society (it was closed).
After our visit, the thermometer in the car read 114 degrees, while Accuweather was reporting a mere 99 degrees in Camp Verde at about 30 minutes past noon. We decided to take a different route and go through Cottonwood to Jerome and visit one of our favorite restaurants The Asylum - it is located in what is now the Jerome Hotel and which at one time was an actual asylum, the United Verde Hospital. It sits high upon the hill looking over the town of Jerome and out to the Verde Valley. It was cool enough at that altitude to sit outside on the porch for our lunch.
After a pleasant lunch and drinks, we prepared to return to Prescott. The asylum is known for their wine selection and I saw this picture before we left.
And then it was a leisurely drive back over Mingus Mountain to Prescott. A pleasant Sunday in the high country.
After breakfast, we decided to visit Fort Verde State Historic Park in the town of Camp Verde, about an hour northeast from our rental in Prescott. The Fort was operational from 1871 to 1891. After the fort closed, all of the wooden buildings were bought by local residents for the lumber - they were all dismantled and the lumber was used in other local homes and businesses. Only the four buildings built of adobe bricks were left, and those have been rehabilitated; they now house exhibits from the 1880s.
The Visitor Center and Museum are in the former Administration Building. We were greeted by a volunteer in 1880s military uniform, portraying Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper, a former slave who was the first black man to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Flipper graduated from West Point in 1877. I was familiar with the story of Lt Flipper and his court-martial. I am not sure where I saw it, but I remember seeing a video about him and his court-martial conviction. I think I may have watched the PBS video Held in Trust: The Story of Lt. Henry O Flipper at some point in time. The volunteer was from Boston, but now lives in Camp Verde. He shared a lot of info about the Buffalo Soldiers. The museum also had an interesting 15 minute video about the Indian Scouts that were enlisted into the Army.
After leaving the museum, we headed across the street to the parade ground to see the three remaining buildings.
The first building was the commanding officers quarters. Although now covered with wood and stucco, there was a section of wall inside that was covered only with glass so that we could see the adobe bricks in the wall. Downstairs had several large rooms; upstairs were rooms for the commandant's children, plus a room for the Striker, the enlisted man assigned to help run the commandant's house - this included cooking, helping the wife and taking care of the children.
Behind the commandant's quarters was a replica of the Post Garden, using the three sisters method of farming - corn surrounded by beans surrounded by squash.
This is the back side of the Commandant's quarters, taken from next to the Post Garden.
Then it was on to the Bachelor Officers Quarters.
Just beyond the parade grounds and outside the fence of the historical park, I could see the local Camp Verde Historical Society (it was closed).
After our visit, the thermometer in the car read 114 degrees, while Accuweather was reporting a mere 99 degrees in Camp Verde at about 30 minutes past noon. We decided to take a different route and go through Cottonwood to Jerome and visit one of our favorite restaurants The Asylum - it is located in what is now the Jerome Hotel and which at one time was an actual asylum, the United Verde Hospital. It sits high upon the hill looking over the town of Jerome and out to the Verde Valley. It was cool enough at that altitude to sit outside on the porch for our lunch.
After a pleasant lunch and drinks, we prepared to return to Prescott. The asylum is known for their wine selection and I saw this picture before we left.
And then it was a leisurely drive back over Mingus Mountain to Prescott. A pleasant Sunday in the high country.
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