Timely surrender saved Macon from burning and pretty much any damage during the civil war.  One house was hit by one shell – it is now a historical landmark known simply as Cannonball house.  We strolled the streets lined with grand antebellum mansions, retail storefronts with nearly every era architecture, and a magnificent old CatholicChurch with stained glass from Belgium and carved marble everywhere.  I got a broader historical perspective in the Harriet Tubman African American Museum that attempts to tell the story from African tribes through contributions in music and the ongoing struggles for civil rights.

It seemed so random; the clanging of the church bells just after the noon hour chime.  A mystery until we saw the news of white smoke at the Vatican.  It was pealing for the Pope.  I guess people have known for a lot of years that church bells are a really great way to spread the word.