I wasn’t totally unfocused, I kind of had a plan.

I woke up just outside Richmond, Virginia the other morning. That was intentional: I stayed in the area after an event hosted by my YouTube sensation friend Lauren Z. Ray (her Vegan Club tasting) and had also dedicated several hours to visiting and researching The Marshall House. Bonus: met up with an old high school friend and she gave me a folder she's been filling up for me with Virginia history- thank you Jenni!

(more to come on the historic home built by our third Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Marshall and on my host: Preservation Virginia!)

I stayed overnight in Richmond’s Midlothian area to dive into blog stuff and have the morning to explore a little. Truth be told, no structure to the day-- just doing history ‘on the fly.' A perk to having my ExploreHere app downloaded-- the Pro version of course.

Whether I have ideas about what I'm looking for or just want to wing it totally, it's priceless. So I drank coffee and looked for three historical markers to drop into my GPS.

Necessary disclaimer: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share; it does not change your price but sometimes you might get a discount.

RELATED: Click here to learn more about ExploreHere and here if you want to know more about Lauren Z. Ray and the Vegan Club!

Historical Marker Number 1: Salisbury

Richard Schumann told me to keep Mark Couvillon’s Patrick Henry’s Virginia in my car- and I do. Before heading to Richmond, I had already saved the ExploreHere marker and coordinates for Salisbury.

Why Salisbury? Let's be honest, I have almost every site in the book tagged. I knew from searching ExploreHere the marker was accessible, so I added it to the day's list.

And OMG Salisbury is a bit of a crossover: Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson (by extension). If I head west of Williamsburg, I'm looking for anything connected to both these men.

What I found when I got there: an historical marker at the front of an elementary school parking lot, where a county sheriff's vehicle was parked. But I parked, no questions asked. It was clear I meant to head right to the marker and get photos.

Notes about Salisbury:

• Governor Patrick Henry moved out of the Governor's mansion during his 4th term and brought his family to what was a 1200+ acre property, Salisbury- away from "bustle of the city" and "cloistered among splendid oaks" per Couvillon's Exploring Patrick Henry, page 77
• also mentioned on page 77, the house description suggests architectural design similar to that of the Huguenot settlers' homes in the area- including transoms above the windows
• Henry's 2nd wife, Dorothea (who was a cousin of Martha Washington) gave birth to their 5th child together, Fayette (named for - you guessed it: the Marquis de Lafayette)
• Salisbury was owned during Henry's time there by Thomas Mann Randolph, Thomas Jefferson's son-in-law (via Martha Jefferson Randolph)
• the house burned in the 1920's but the marker is there for you to stand in front of and be near history tied to these two men who shaped our nation

Serendipitously, a guy walking his dog passed by as I was pulling out of the parking lot- wearing a "liberty or death" shirt.

RELATED: Open my review of Couvillon’s book here and download the ExploreHere app using my code through this link!

Historical Marker Number 2: Trabue’s Tavern

Opposite to Salisbury, I'd never heard of this one! The Richmond area is filled with history, often focused on 19th century. I'm always seeking out connections to the 17th and 18th centuries- and ExploreHere found me one!

Throughout the 17th and into the 18th century, Huguenots seeking refuge from religious persecution in France were settling in Virginia. A journey generally stemming from initial emigration to London.

The Trabue family began their life in what's currently Chesterfield County as part of the Huguenot pilgrimage into America. And the structure which served as a tavern is now a private residence.

The oldest part of Trabue's Tavern is believed to date back to 1730, remodeled and expanded in the very early 19th century.

Quick bullets on the property and it's historical significance:

• the Trabues owned and operated several coal pits in the area
• as a tavern, the house was a family home opened to travelers as well as coal mine workers
• home of Lt. John Trabue, Revolutionary War soldier (Continental Army!) who witnessed the surrender at Yorktown
• Lt. Trabue was an original member of the Cincinnati Society founded in 1783
• in the 19th century, the property was known as Pleasant View plantation with ties to the region's rich coal-mining heritage
• significant that the home and several outbuildings still stand and an historical marker in the national database, accessible on ExploreHere, can add color to the gray bits of Revolutionary era history around Richmond Virginia (I'm not posting a photo of this private home)

RELATED: Click here for a deeper dive into the Huguenot emigration to the region.

Historical Marker Number 3: Bellona Arsenal

The marker was missing! So I asked Wes, co-founder of ExploreHere about it and yes, sometimes the main database doesn't account for things like a car knocking it over or locals removing it- but that's ok, he's solid on keeping the app updating continuously.

Here's the cool thing: the coordinates listed the marker on Apple maps... and I found other locations for Bellona Arsenal stuff. I selected one, and I'm pretty sure I chose correctly. The downside, private land! My pictures how how close I got.

Fenced in site of Bellona Arsenal

Why did I want to see it? Not because it was an arsenal. When I found it on ExploreHere, I read that it was another property owned by Thomas Mann Randolph, with the goal of becoming a silkworm farm.

You may know I was gifted Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book by the man in my life last December and I'm fascinated with the experimental agriculture tied to the success of American independence.

Notes on Bellona Arsenal:

• the site was an iron foundry built by Major John Clarke in 1814 according to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (click here for reference)
• it was used by the War Department both around that time, then later during the Civil War (confederacy) to build and store munitions
• Bellona Arsenal was named after the Roman Goddess of War: Bellona
• Thomas Mann Randolph leased the land (which was not being used) for the purpose of a silkworm farm (reference here - however I need to dig deeper on this - find a primary source!)

Bonus: I drove on Old Gun Road in Chesterfield County (not shocking, they were pretty literal back in the day) and it was simply stunning. Beautiful homes, lots of trees, total peace on a bit of a winding road.

Entrance to the Bellona Arsenal property

I'm dropping 2 calls to action before our closing words.

1. Download the ExploreHere app
2. Use it to find historical markers about the history you're interested in, but also to discover hidden gems you may not know are around you... right now!

Explore Here app and logo

Closing words from history.

Jefferson was working on doing something with silkworms in the 1780s- he needed mulberry. It was almost a throwaway request at the end of a paragraph detailing how to carefully send some trees.

Click here to read the letter in full, which goes beyond agriculture, and into detailed instructions and explanations of other topics.

Thomas Jefferson to Stephen Cathalan, Jr., 25 November 1788

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There is a huge practical disclaimer to the content on this blog, which is my way of sharing my excitement and basically journaling online.

1) I am not a historian nor an expert. I will let you know I’m relaying the information as I understand and interpret it. The employees of Colonial Williamsburg base their presentations, work, and responses on historical documents and mainly primary sources.

2) I will update for accuracy as history is constant learning. If you have a question about accuracy, please ask me! I will get the answer from the best source I can find.

3) Photo credit to me, Daphne Reznik, for all photos in this post, unless otherwise credited! All photos are personal photos taken in public access locations or with specific permission.