Quite an Adventure

1959

Notice name of hotel in London, the stop in Oxford, the train journey from Moscow to Kiev. It was quite an adventure for my grandfather, Major Espy, who would have been 52 at the time.

Major W. Espy, Back in the U.S.S.R.

The Dothan Eagle

June 15, 1959

The Montgomery Advertiser (1959)

Wiregrass Farmer

June 18, 1959

Moran Baxter, Major Watt Espy, Sr., George Grimsley, July 1959

My daddy, George H. Grimsley, Sr. represented education.  My future father-in- law, Moran Baxter, represented agriculture.  And Mr. Major Espy represented the business and banking sides of American culture on that trip.  - Karen Grimsley Baxter

I remember when they went. I started working with Mr. Espy Oct. 1959 and he talked about the trip constantly.  - Edna Whitehead

My mother and I met Uncle Major at the Atlanta airport when he was catching his flight to Russia.  He had me take a photo of him at the airport.  - Beverly Espy Dayries

Major, George Grimsley and ?

Walking towards Red Square and St. Basil's, State Historical Museum ahead.

Red Square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The words 'Red Square' in Russian are Красная площадь or Krasnaya Ploshchad. The word Krasnaya actually has two meanings in Russian: Beautiful (the archaic meaning) and Red. And, the square itself was actually named using the archaic meaning, thus actually making it Beautiful Square. However, over time, it was switched to Red, although there's no link between the name and Communism. The square was established in 1493 but given the name Krasnaya Ploshchad in the 17th Century. St. Basil's was constructed in the mid-16th Century.

That must have been a new camera they were using!

Kremlin walls, towers and government offices. The word "kremlin" means fortress. Kremlins are actually found in many towns and cities in Russia. These fortified complexes were built to keep out enemies and provide a symbol of power. The Moscow Kremlin "embankment" was first inhabited by Slavs in 1090.

Grand Kremlin Palace & Cathedrals

The Bolshoi Theater

Grand Duke Yury Dolgoruky, founder of Moscow (1156)

 Hotel Ukraina

Lenin Stadium (today called the Luzhniki Stadium)

Moscow State University

train station

dacha (country home)

Watty Espy

Mark Espy

letter that Marilyn sent to Major, No. 1 Gorky is now No. 1 Tverskaya, and it's the address of the National Hotel in Moscow.

that's the hotel, in the center down there, with the red awnings

again, over to the right

Found this 1959 photo on Tumblr.  It's the view from hotel facing Red Square.

Wiregrass Farmer
July 16, 1959

Wiregrass Farmer
July 23, 1959

The Dothan Eagle

August 9, 1959

The Dothan Eagle

August 16, 1959

The Dothan Eagle

September 10, 1959

The Dothan Eagle 

September 16, 1959

The Dothan Eagle

September 18, 1959

The Dothan Eagle

October 15, 1959

Wiregrass Farmer

November 12, 1959

The monument Bridget is walking by, then standing in front of, is the Monument to the Conquerors of Space, part of the All-Russian Exhibition Center (formerly VDNKh).   In 2007, my wife and I took the monorail out to the exhibition center, went inside Hotel Cosmos (seen near space monument) and later wandered around the exhibition center grounds.  It was a very hot day!  After Bridget walks underneath the entrance archway, you will see Hotel Cosmos once more.   Back in 1959, my grandfather toured the exhibition with a delegation from Alabama.

For some fun, here's Paul McCartney singing Back in the U.S.S.R. in Red Square.

For more perspective of the politics of the time, you might enjoy researching Vice-President Nixon's trip to Moscow in July 1959.

Bridget's Life in Russia

The monument Bridget is walking by, then standing in front of, is the Monument to the Conquerors of Space, which is part of the All-Russian Exhibition Center (formerly VDNKh).   In 2007, on our trip to Russia, my wife and I took the monorail out to the park and went inside Hotel Cosmos, which is seen in the video, near the monument, and in the background after Bridget walks underneath the entrance archway at VDNKh.  Although we did enjoy walking the grounds, the space monument was closed for renovations, which was a little disappointing.

Back in 1959, my grandfather toured the VDNKh with a delegation from Alabama.  Look for Russia Major W. Espy 1959 Trip in sidebar categories.