I almost forgot...

I won't delve into all the historical details here, maybe because I am too tired this morning, but...

Thanksgiving has been around for a long while, and starting with George Washington, a handful of presidents made thanksgiving proclamations although it wasn't a national holiday. It was Abraham Lincoln at the end of the civil war that declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, although it was officially and permanantly changed to the fourth Thursday in November at a later time. Since that time every president has made a Thanksgiving proclamation. None of which I remember particularly, until now. One of my favorite things to find at Fort Clinch, besides a union soldier marching around, was in one room where they had some articles and advertisements from the past. They had a copy of Abraham Lincoln's hand written proclamation that encouraged everyone to have a "prayerful day of Thanksgiving." And then a copy from the next year when he made it a national holiday. I love how eloquent the writing is, and how much they found to be grateful for at a time when they were just finishing the civil war. Plus, it was much more interesting and personal to read the actual hand writing as opposed to reading a typed archived copy on the computer. The other paper that was a lot of fun, was an advertisement for Navy wives. Basically, it was an add looking for attractive women who enjoyed nice things and being treated well to join the Navy soldiers on their ship! Too funny!