Welcome to Henry's Travel Blog!
Although he kept detailed business papers, Missouri Botanical Garden founder Henry Shaw left little personal material for biographers to consider in analyzing his life. One of the few items which remain is a series of five journals. Following his retirement from the hardware business in 1840, Shaw traveled abroad and made notes, recollections, and even sketches in these small bound books. Join us as we chart Henry's journey to Europe and beyond.
 
Shaw's variable spellings, punctuation, and grammar, preserved throughout, are typical even for well-educated gentlemen in the 19th Century. Important note (4/14/09): The entries from March 11, 2009 through April 8, 2009, correspond to recently discovered text from Henry Shaw's journal. They will be posted online under the correct dates to preserve chronological accuracy.
 
   
   

Posted Online Monday, March 2, 2009

July 30, 1840: Solitary Walk

Early this morning (and before the ladies arose) took a solitary walk to regain the rising ground and obtain another extensive view of the surrounding country on both sides of the river - and opposite to the monument erected on Queenstown Heights in memory of the British General Brock, who fell in the engagement on the same spot in the War of 1812 -

Returned by rail road to Lockport -thence by the water and alluvial turnpike called the Ridge Road to Rochester - passing Brockport to the right and thro a fruitfull and highly cultivated country - a country rich in the productions of Pomona and Ceres -

Arrived at my Father's house late in the evening - after a day's journey of nearly a hundred miles.

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