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Indianapolis, Indiana (Part 3 of 3)

2011-12-03T23:46:00.001-06:00

1. Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery is the largest refuge for animals in the city, including an estimated 300+ white-tailed deer. There are also numerous species of trees, each of which is marked with a number that corresponds to its scientific and common names.

Prior to the establishment of Crown Hill Cemetery, the primary cemetery in Indianapolis was the 25-acre (10 ha) Greenlawn Cemetery on the southwest side of the city. The demand placed on it by the normal demands of a growing city, along with the burials of both Union soldiers and Confederate prisoners of war resulting from the American Civil War prompted the creation of a private board in 1863 to develop a new and larger cemetery. The board bought a farm outside the city limits and hired John Chislett, who was a landscape architect and cemetery superintendent of Pittsburgh, to design the grounds. Chislett retained many of the natural features and laid out winding roads to create a landscape in the Victorian Romantic style.

Previously a private farm outside the city limits, Crown Hill Cemetery is a popular picnic location and today is well known for the stunning view of downtown Indianapolis from "The Crown."

2. Alexander Ralston (1771 – January 5, 1827)
Alexander Ralston was born in Scotland in 1771. In Britain he was engineer working for the Baron of Roslin on his estate before immigrating to the United States after the American Revolution. An assistant to the French architect Pierre L'Enfant in 1791, Ralston helped L'Enfant layout the city plan for Washington, DC. Ralston came to Indiana sometime before 1815, leaving the east partly because of his involvement with Aaron Burr and the Burr conspiracy. He settled on a homestead in southern Indiana.

He was first hired in 1820 by Christopher Harrison, the state commissioner overseeing the survey of Indianapolis, and charged with helping to survey the city. His original plan called for a city of only 1-square-mile (2.6 km2), with a Governor's Circle, a large circular commons, the original site of the Governor's mansion, at the very center of the city. The Governor's mansion was demolished in 1857. In its place stands a 284-foot-tall (86.5-meter-tall) neoclassical limestone and bronze monument, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. Ralston's design borrows heavily from the city plan of Washington D.C.

Construction on Indianapolis began in earnest, with most of his plan being implemented by 1850. The city has subsequently expanded far beyond his original conception, but the downtown area remained nearly unaltered from Ralston's original city plan. Ralston died in his Indianapolis home on January 5, 1827, and was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery. In 1874 his remains were moved and reburied in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. His gravestone is engraved with an image of his plat of the city's initial design.

3. The Athenæum/Das Deutsche Haus (The Rathskeller)
The strucure was built for the Indianapolis Socialer Turnverein (1893-1898) as a "house of culture" for the mind and body. Many liberal minded Germans, who immigrated to the United States after the failed revolution of 1848, believed in the philosophy of Friedrich Jahn - "a sound mind in a sound body."

4. The Murat Temple
In 1882 five Freemasons decided they wished to see a Shrine organization in Indianapolis. They joined the Shrine Temple at Cincinnati, Ohio, and had that temple's help in establishing an Indianapolis temple. The local organization of the Shrine, called the Indianapolis Shriners, was given its charter on June 4, 1884. The first potentate was John T. Brush, who served as such from 1884 to 1897. Lew Wallace and Thomas Taggart were among their first Ceremonial Class, held in 1885. By the end of the first year there were 105 members. The Indianapolis Valley of Scottish Rite gave them the "Pork House" of Townsley and Wiggans to hold meeting in.

The Murat Temple was built in 1909 by the William P. Jungclaus Company using the designs of Murat Shriner Oscar D. Bohlen, with Middle-eastern and Egyptian stylings that were fitting for a building intended for Shriners. Its namesake is the Nubian Desert oasis Bir Murat, which was named for the Frenchman Joachim Murat, who was one of Napoleon's general in his Egyptian campaign.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Indianapolis, Indiana (Part 2 of 3)

2011-11-28T23:33:00.001-06:00

1. The Indiana State Capitol
The State House, also known as the State Capitol, stands on land called the Indianapolis Donation, granted by the U.S. Congress on 11 December 1816, when Indiana became the 19th State admitted to the Union. The present State House is the fifth location to serve as the capitol of Indiana. In 1877, a Board of State House Commissioners was created to complete construction of a new capitol at a cost not to exceed $2 million.
The Board selected architect Edwin May's plan for a new capitol, dubbed "Lucidus Ordo" (Latin for "a clear arrangement"), from among more than two dozen other proposals. Construction began in October 1878. The exterior of the building was completed on 3 July 1886. The General Assembly held its first Session in the new State House on 6 January 1887. (From Indiana Department of Administration 'The Indiana State Capitol', 1998).

2. The Ruins at Holliday Park
In 1916 at the centennial celebration of Indiana statehood, John and Evaline Holliday donated their beautiful country estate to the City of Indianapolis for a park. The land at the time it was given to the city was 80 acres located on what is now Spring Mill Road. It was Holliday’s intention that the land be used for recreation and the
study of nature and the grounds, as a public park and playground.”
Eighteen years earlier, in 1898, New York’s first skyscraper, the St. Paul building had been built. It was located at 220 Broadway. One of the outstanding architectural sculptors of the day, Karl Bitter, designed the façade of this building as well as that of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On this façade were three massive statues made of Indiana limestone. The statues, called “the Races of Man” represented the African-American, Asian and Caucasian races laboring together as they appeared to hold the skyscraper on their backs.

3. Oldfields, Lilly House and Gardens
Oldfields, a National Historic Landmark, is part of the Gardens of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It features the Lilly Mansion, a restored museum that was once the home of Josiah K. Lilly Jr, who was the fourth President of Eli Lilly and Company and brother of Eli Lilly. The Lilly House is the only remaining building from the set of wealthy estates that used to be in that part of Indianapolis.

4. Indianapolis 9/11 Memorial
Artist intent: The focus of the site are the two 22’ upright beams (each weighing over 11,000 lbs.) harvested from Ground Zero. To the left and right stand two 18” thick, 6’ tall, 8’ wide, faceted black granite walls in a polished finish. The polished areas of the walls will receive a subtle image of a waving American flag in a velvet honed finish with chosen text carved over the image of the flag.
The areas of the granite walls facing the beams will have a rough, rock pitched finish with the time each tower fell (9:59 AM and 10:28AM) carved into the rough surface, symbolizing the heart break Americans felt the morning of September 11, 2001. The thermal granite walking surface will be constructed of oversized tile displaying a dual finish, showing the reflection of the World Trade Center in their pre-911 state. Sitting atop one of the steel beams, will be a bronze life sized American Bald Eagle, with its wings outstretched, looking back towards New York City.

5. USS Indianapolis Memorial
The world's first operational atomic bomb was delivered by the Indianapolis, (CA-35) to the island of Tinian on 26 July 1945. The Indianapolis then reported to CINCPAC (Commander-In-Chief, Pacific) Headquarters at Guam for further orders. She was directed to join the battleship USS Idaho (BB-42) at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines to prepare for the invasion of Japan. The Indianapolis, unescorted, departed Guam on a course of 262 degrees making about 17 knots.

At 14 minutes past midnight, on 30 July 1945, midway between Guam and Leyte Gulf, she was hit by two torpedoes out of six fired by the I-58, a Japanese submarine. The first blew away the bow, the second struck near midship on the starboard side adjacent to a fuel tank and a powder magazine. The resulting explosion split the ship to the keel, knocking out all electric power. Within minutes she went down rapidly by the bow, rolling to starboard.

Of the 1,196 aboard, about 900 made it into the water in the twelve minutes before she sank. Few life rafts were released. Most survivors wore the standard kapok life jacket. Shark attacks began with sunrise of the first day and continued until the men were physically removed from the water, almost five days later.

Indianapolis, Indiana (Part 1 of 3)

2011-11-25T21:10:00.000-06:00

1. Indiana World War Memorial Plaza
The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature located in Indianapolis, Indiana, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. The five-city-block plaza was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and nation's veterans. At the north end of the plaza is the American Legion Mall, which is the site of the administration buildings of the Legion, as well as a memorial cenotaph. South of that is the Veterans Memorial Plaza with its obelisk.

The centerpiece of the plaza is the Indiana World War Memorial, modeled after the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Within is a military museum, the Shrine Room, and an auditorium. At the south end is University Park, the oldest part of the plaza, filled with statues and a fountain. On October 11, 1994, the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza was designated a National Historic Landmark District.

Cenotaph SquareCenotaph Square is located between the two auxiliary buildings used by the American Legion. It is in a sunken garden with the rectangular black granite cenotaph centered in it resting upon a base of red and dark green granite. Four shafts of black granite, with gold eagles surmounted on them, mark the corners of the square. The inscription on the north face of the cenotaph memorializes James Bethal Gresham, a Hoosier who was the first member of the American Expeditionary Force to be killed in action in World War I. A native of Evansville, he was a corporal in the 16th Infantry Regiment and was killed at Bathelemont, France on November 3, 1917. The inscription on the south side says "A tribute by Indiana to the hallowed memory of the glorious dead who served in the World War."

2. The Scottish Rite Cathedral
The Scottish Rite Cathedral is a historic building designed by architect George F. Schreiber, located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is owned by the Valley of Indianapolis Scottish Rite, an affiliated body of Freemasonry. It was built between 1927 and 1929 at the cost of $2.5 million. It was built with every dimension (in feet) being evenly divisible by three (reflecting the three degrees in Freemasonry), with many being divisible by 33 (reflecting the degrees a member of the Scottish Rite can achieve).

The Cathedral is the largest Masonic building, and considered by many as the finest example of Neo-Gothic architecture, in the United States. The main tower features a 54-bell carillon and rises 212 feet (65 m) above Indianapolis. It also has a floating ballroom. Other features are patterned ceilings, ornate carved woodwork, and stained-glass windows. The auditorium has 1200 seats, and has been commended for the craftsmanship with which its fittings and decorations were made It also has a large pipe organ.

3. Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
The monument was erected to honor Hoosiers who were veterans of the American Revolution, territorial conflicts that partially led up to the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the US Civil War, and the Spanish American War. In addition to its external commemorative statuary and fountains (made primarily of oolitic limestone and bronze) the basement of the monument is the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum, a museum of Indiana history during the American Civil War.

4. Indianapolis Central Library
The Central Library is housed in the Cret Building on St. Clair Street in downtown Indianapolis, which was built in 1917. It is a beautiful example of Greek Doric architecture, and is one of the most stunning library buildings in the United States. It is built of sturdy Indiana limestone.

Signal Mountain, Chattanooga, TN

2011-11-21T22:31:00.001-06:00

Signal Mountain's history dates back years before settlement of the mountain itself. Centuries prior to the Civil War, Native Americans used a location on the mountain known as Signal Point to send fire and smoke signals across the Tennessee Valley. Later, the Union Army used Signal Point as a communications station during the American Civil War.

At the outbreak of the war, only a few families lived on the mountain. However, when various health epidemics struck Chattanooga in 1873 and 1878, several wealthy families relocated to the mountain where they could find clear air and pure water.

In the early 20th century, Charles E. James purchased 4,400 acres (18 km2) of land in the Signal Point area and developed the mountain.

In 1913, construction was completed of twelve miles (19 km) of streetcar track, which linked Chattanooga to Signal Mountain. While the streetcars are no longer used, the tracks remain in the streets of Signal Mountain's historic district named after Velma. On April 4, 1919, the Tennessee Legislature passed the bill that chartered the Town of Signal Mountain. During the 1970s, the town experienced significant growth.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Pikeville, Tennessee

2011-11-20T19:07:00.001-06:00

The Sequatchie Valley was part of Cherokee lands until 1805, when the Cherokee ceded it to the U.S. as part of the Treaty of Tellico. The valley was probably named after a Cherokee Chief, but the name has also been rumored to mean "beautiful valley" in the Cherokee language. By the late 18th century, the valley had been identified by long hunters, one of whom, Anthony Bledsoe, became the county's namesake. Bledsoe County was formed in 1807, with the small town of Madison as its county seat.

Pikeville was established in 1816 on lands donated by Charles Love, an early Sequatchie settler. The origin of the town's name is unknown, although some have suggested that it was named for explorer General Zebulon Pike (1779–1813). By 1818, the Bledsoe County seat had been moved from Madison to Pikeville. The town was incorporated in 1830.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Dunlap, Tennessee

2011-11-20T17:43:00.001-06:00

In 1899, a coal mine was opened on Fredonia Mountain overlooking Dunlap, Tennessee. For the next quarter century, the mining operations grew into an industrial complex that contributed greatly to the thriving economy and evolving social structure of a small town.

Constructed at the base of the mountain were a series of "beehive" ovens, designed to turn coal into coke for use in the iron and steel foundries of nearby Chattanooga. The first 24 ovens and the company store were built in 1902. Then, in 1906, 144 ovens and a steam powered coal washer were constructed. In 1916 a new railroad up Little Brush Creek created the demand for more coke production.

The coke ovens lay dormant for more than 50 years, exposed to the ravages of nature, garbage dumpers and rock thieves who dismantled stone from the ovens. In the mid 1980's local citizens formed a historical group and began efforts to clear away the debris; soon a historical Today the ruins of the once thriving complex cover most of the 62-acre park.The park has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is maintained by the Coke Ovens Museum Association and The Sequatchie Valley Historical Association volunteers.

Paper Clips Holocaust Memorial in Whitwell, Tennessee

2011-11-14T21:18:00.001-06:00

The Paper Clips Project is a project by middle school students from the small southeastern Tennessee city of Whitwell who created a monument for the Holocaust victims in Nazi Germany. It started in 1998 as a simple 8th-grade project and evolved into one gaining worldwide attention. At last count, over 30 million paper clips had been received. Paper Clips, an award-winning documentary film about the project, was released in 2004 by Miramax Films.

Paper clips were chosen in part because some people from Norway wore them on their lapels as a symbol of resistance against Nazi occupation during World War II (Norwegian Johan Vaaler is often credited with the invention of the paper clip; while he did indeed invent a paper clip, it was not the type used today.)

The paper clips were sent by various people by mail; the letters came from about 20 different countries. Some celebrities, like George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Steven Spielberg, Tom Bosley and Tom Hanks were among those mailing in the clips. As of the summer of 2004, the school had collected about 24 million paper clips. As of 2005, more were still coming in. Most letters contain a story or a dedication of the attached paper clips to a certain person. Some of these stories are shared in the film.

Jasper, Tennessee

2011-11-14T20:47:00.001-06:00

Jasper, Tennessee is named for William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero from South Carolina.

William Jasper (c. 1750 – October 9, 1779) was a noted American soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a sergeant in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment.
Jasper distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776. When a shell from a British warship shot away the flagstaff, he recovered the South Carolina flag in the Battle of Sullivan's Island, raised it on a temporary staff, and held it under fire until a new staff was installed . Governor Rutledge gave a golden sword to Jasper in recognition of his bravery. The golden sword is now in the possession of his great great great grandson Jeremy Jasper.
In 1779, Sergeant Jasper participated in the Siege of Savannah, led by General Lincoln, which failed to recapture Savannah, Georgia, from the British. He was mortally wounded during an assault on the British forces there.

Trenton, Georgia

2011-11-14T20:22:00.001-06:00

Cloudland Canyon State Park
The park is located on the Cumberland Plateau, atop Lookout Mountain. On the summit of Lookout Mountain the waters of Daniel Creek and Bear Creek cut gorges through the rock, converging to form Sitton Gulch Creek.
The canyon is more than 1,000 feet (300 m) deep, ranging in elevation from 800 feet (240 m) to over 1,800 feet (550 m); the park's peak elevation is 1,980 feet (600 m). The bottom of Cloudland canyon contains a slope of rock talus, which are sandstone and shale fragments. The valley floor is also rich in fossil-bearing limestone.

Birmingham (Magik City), Alabama

2011-11-12T23:30:00.001-06:00

Jackson County, Alabama

2011-11-06T19:28:00.001-06:00

Jackson County is located in Northeast Alabama, and borders Tennessee to the north and Georgia to the east. It has an abundance of woods, lakes, caves, and wildlife in approximately 1,069 square miles of land area. It also has 48 square miles of water, made up primarily of the Tennessee River.

Scottsboro is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 14,770. Named for its founder Robert Scott, the city is the county seat of Jackson County.
It is located 30 miles each from the state boundaries of Georgia to the east (Dade County) and Tennessee to the north, about 45 miles from Huntsville, Alabama to the west and about 55 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee to the northeast.

TN-111 Sequatchie County, Tennessee

2011-10-31T21:02:00.000-05:00

Tennessee State Route 111, which intersects US-127 in Dunlap, connects the city of Dunlap to Chattanooga to the southeast and the Eastern Highland Rim area opposite the plateau to the northwest.

Falls Mill, Belvidere, Tennessee

2011-10-31T20:47:00.001-05:00

Historic Falls Mill is a working, water-powered grain mill and museum, built as a textile factory in 1873 on the banks of Factory Creek and later used as a cotton gin and woodworking shop. The water wheel stands in a beautiful green cove and still grinds cornmeal, flour, and grits for sale in the shop. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Crossville, TN and Cumberland County Homestead Project

2011-10-29T21:27:00.001-05:00

By 1933, the Great Depression had left the mountain people of the Cumberland Plateau without jobs, hungry, desperate and despairing. To overcome the devastating economic effects of the times, U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, began a series of programs across the country to help stimulate jobs, provide opportunities for affordable housing and restore hope. The Cumberland Homesteads is one of the planned New Deal Communities built by the Division of Subsistence Homesteads between 1934 and 1938.

Thousands of unemployed miners, textile mill workers, and hardscrabble farmers applied for one of the proposed 250 Homesteads to be constructed and purchased by the selected Homesteaders who had to meet rigid requirements of “high character, ability, honesty, and willingness to work and cooperate with the government in this planned community.”

The project began with the clearing of ten thousand acres of timberland. Architect, William Macy Stanton designed the community and structures. The wood and stone used in the construction were taken from the land around the homesteads. The homes were paneled in pine and heated with fireplaces. Fifteen different house designs were used, only eleven of which were repeated. The houses had indoor plumbing at the request of Eleanor Roosevelt who had a special interest in these projects. The homes were wired in anticipation of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which provided electricity by 1937.

(Source: http://cumberlandhomesteads.org/history.html)

Wytheville, Virginia

2011-10-28T23:53:00.001-05:00

Big Walker Lookout is a 100-foot observation tower located in the Blue Ridge Highlands Region at the top of Big Walker Mountain in Wythe County, Virginia on US Route 52 about 12 miles from Wytheville.

The tower was originally built in 1947 and has been run continuously by the Kime family. According to the Virginia Department of Tourism, the tower is located at a mountain pass used by Molly Tynes, a woman who warned the town of Wytheville of impending raids by John Toland during the Civil War. The tower is the beginning of a Virginia Civil War Trails driving tour detailing the Battle of Wytheville, which occurred on July 18, 1863 when "a Federal raiding party marched to the Wytheville area intending to destroy the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad tracks and bridges". Troops also hoped to destroy key telegraph lines and damage nearby salt mines and lead mines.

Thanks in part to the warnings brought by Tynes, the battle was largely unsuccessful for the Union forces. "After some skirmishing and confusion on the advance, Union Col. John Toland ordered his men into Wytheville. Hastily organized Confederate resistance succeeded in killing Toland in the street and limiting the damage to the railroad track and stock. The raid did not succeed in its mission as the track was quickly repaired".

Located at an elevation of 3405 feet, the view from the top of the tower encompasses mountain peaks in five different states.

Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia

2011-10-28T18:25:00.001-05:00

A visit to The Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia is like stepping one hundred years into the past. The main building houses the exhibition titled "The Migration Story" which explains the story of the Ulster-Scots and German Palatinates migration down the Wilderness Road. Visit this 67 acre open air museum and learn the story of the people who settled the area. Visit the restored 19th-century living history farm complete with farmhouse and 8 original outbuildings, and tour the restored 1894 one-room Lindamood schoolhouse. The 1890 farm lane has been in the same place from the day when the first trees were felled. It continued past the farmhouse and over the hill to the neighbors home. It was fenced with a snaked rail fence of chestnut like the one along it now.

Middle Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau

2011-10-27T20:52:00.001-05:00

Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee
A paradise of more than 20,000 acres sprawled across the eastern top of the rugged Cumberland Plateau, Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of the most scenic and spectacular outdoor recreation areas in America. Laced with cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams, and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber, the park beckons those who enjoy nature at her finest. While Fall Creek Falls, at 256 feet, is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States, other waterfalls in the park are Piney and Cane Creek Falls and Cane Creek Cascades.

The oak and hickory forest that covers most of the park gives way to tulip poplar and hemlock forest in the gorges. The plants and animals of the moist, protected gorges are not unlike the species found in southern Canada. Mountain laurel and rhododendron are abundant throughout the park, as are other plants and animals.

With its many amenities and panoramic natural setting, it is little wonder that Southern Living magazine readers voted Fall Creek Falls the best state park in the Southeastern United States.

The park is located in Bledsoe and Van Buren counties.

Jefferson Davis's Beauvoir (Biloxi, Mississippi)

2011-10-26T23:04:00.001-05:00

Beauvoir was the location of the retirement home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The compound consisted of approximately 608 acres (2.46 km2) when Davis lived there (today, the site is approximately 52 acres (210,000 m2) in size). Beauvoir is located in Biloxi, Mississippi across US Highway 90 from Biloxi Beach. The name "Beauvoir" means "beautiful to view".

Beauvoir was built by James Brown, a planter and entrepreneur, in 1848 and was completed in 1852. In 1873 the home was sold to Frank Johnston and soon thereafter to Sarah Anne Ellis Dorsey. Dorsey was a novelist and intellectual from Natchez, Mississippi, who was a staunch southern partisan. Dorsey lived in the home with her half-brother Mortimer Dahlgren. Dorsey invited Jefferson Davis to stay at Beauvoir and to write his memoir The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.

Decatur, Alabama

2011-10-26T22:07:00.001-05:00

Decatur was a very important point in North Alabama during its earliest days. Decatur was the eastern terminus of the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad (in the early 1830s), the first railway built west of the Appalachian Mountains. In 1850 the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad was incorporated into the Memphis & Charleston Railroad.

Because of its location on the Tennessee River at the strategically important crossing of two major railroads, Decatur was the site of several encounters during the American Civil War. When the Union army occupied the city early in the war, the commanding general ordered all but four buildings in the town destroyed. Bricks from some of the churches in town were used to build stoves and chimneys for the buildings that housed soldiers. The four buildings that remained (and are still standing) are the Old State Bank, the Dancy-Polk House, the Todd House, and the Burleson-Hinds-McEntire House.

After the Union victory in the Battle of Atlanta, a Confederate army under the command of Gen. John Bell Hood briefly sparred with a vastly outmanned garrison during the 1864 Battle of Decatur, when Decatur was referred to as A Tough Nut To Crack.

Mansker's Station, Goodlettsville, Tennessee

2011-10-25T23:25:00.001-05:00

Captain William Bowen built the Bowen Plantation House in 1787. The Virginia native came to this area to live on land grants he earned for his services in the military during the Revolutionary War. Captain Bowen and his wife, Mary, brought four young children with them to the frontier, and eventually the family grew to ten members.

The Bowen family was very prominent in the area. Captain Bowen was a veteran of three wars, and his grandson was the 15th governor of Tennessee from 1851-
1853. After restoration, the Bowen Plantation House was placed on the National Register of Historic Homes in 1977.

Sam Watkins's Mount Pleasant, Tennessee

2011-10-24T21:00:00.001-05:00

Samuel “Sam” Rush Watkins (June 26, 1839 – July 20, 1901) was a noted Confederate soldier during the American Civil War. He is known today for his memoir Company Aytch: Or, a Side Show of the Big Show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources about the common soldier's Civil War experience.

Watkins was born on June 26, 1839 near Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee, and received his formal education at Jackson College in Columbia. He originally enlisted in the “Bigby Greys” of the 3rd Tennessee Infantry in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, but transferred shortly thereafter to the First Tennessee Infantry, Company H (the “Maury Greys”) in the spring of 1861.

Watkins faithfully served throughout the duration of the War, participating in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville, Murfreesboro (Stones River), Shelbyville, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, Adairsville, Kennesaw Mountain (Cheatham Hill), New Hope Church, Zion Church, Kingston, Cassville, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin, and Nashville. Of the 120 men who enlisted in “Company H” in 1861, Sam Watkins was one of only seven alive when General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee surrendered to General William Tecumseh Sherman in North Carolina April, 1865. Of the 1,200 men who fought in the First Tennessee, only 65 were left to be paroled on that day.

Soon after the war ended, Watkins began writing his memoir, entitled "Company Aytch: Or, a Side Show of the Big Show". It was originally serialized in the Columbia, Tennessee Herald newspaper. “Co. Aytch” was published in a first edition of 2,000 in book form in 1882. “Co. Aytch” is heralded by many historians as one of the best war memoirs written by a common soldier of the field. Sam’s writing style is quite engaging and skillfully captures the pride, misery, glory, and horror experienced by the common foot soldier. Watkins is often featured and quoted in Ken Burns’ 1990 documentary titled The Civil War.

Watkins died on July 20, 1901 at the age of sixty-two in his home in the Ashwood Community. He was buried with full military honors by the members of the Leonidas Polk Bivouac, United Confederate Veterans, in the cemetery of the Zion Presbyterian Church near Mount Pleasant, Tennessee.

New Market, Alabama

2011-10-22T21:17:00.002-05:00

New Market is locate in the northeast side of Madison County, Alabama. Mississippi Territory governor Robert Williams created Madison County by executive order on December 13, 1808. The county was named for President James Madison, who was then serving as secretary of state under President Thomas Jefferson. Originally inhabited by Chickasaw and Cherokee Indians, the first white settlers arrived between 1802 and 1804 at Ditto's Landing on the Tennessee River and in the area of present-day New Market.

Downtown Huntsville at Night

2011-10-22T01:16:00.001-05:00

Roanoke, Virginia

2011-10-20T22:30:00.001-05:00

The first pioneers explored the Roanoke Valley region as early as the 17th century. An exploration party's report in 1671 told of the "blue mountains and a snug flat valley beside the upper Roanoke River." For the next seventy years, after this initial exploration, the region remained undisturbed by settlers.

During colonial times the site of Roanoke was an important hub of trails and roads. The Great Wagon Road, one of the most heavily travelled roads of eighteenth century America, ran from Philadelphia through the Shenandoah Valley to the future site of the City of Roanoke, where the Roanoke River passed through the Blue Ridge. The Roanoke Gap proved a useful route for immigrants to settle the Carolina Piedmont region. At Roanoke Gap, another branch of the Great Wagon Road, the Wilderness Road, continued southwest to Tennessee.

As the land to the east of the mountains became developed, pioneers began moving into the western regions of Virginia. These early settlers from eastern Virginia were joined by people from Pennsylvania seeking new lands in the rich Shenandoah Valley. The newcomers began farming in the Roanoke Valley by 1740.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Columbus, Mississippi

2011-10-01T23:15:00.000-05:00

1. Waverley (West Point, Mississippi)
Waverley is a mansion in Clay County, Mississippi, 10 miles east of West Point.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973. statement at that time by the National Park Service read:
"Begun in the 1840s and completed in 1852, Waverley is distinguished by the immense octagonal rotunda which projects through the roof as a cupola. This structure combines ornament and technology in the tradition of Jefferson: the varied decorative treatment of each room is artistic and the lighting system, using gas manufactured on the site, was scientific."
The antebellum home was originally owned by George Hampton Young, a colonel from Georgia. At one point, the Waverley plantation was independent, providing its own produce and meat, textiles, and energy. The mansion fell into disrepair following the end of the Young family line in 1913, but was restored by the Robert Snow family beginning in 1962.

2. Columbus, Mississippi
In 1866, a group of Columbus women met in the home Twelve Gables to decide on a way to honor the Confederate war dead in the local Oddfellows Cemetery. They decided on a date to meet, walk to the cemetery and decorate the graves with flowers from their gardens. Once they arrived, one of the women began placing flowers on the graves of the few Union soldiers, too, for they also had given their lives for their beliefs. Other women followed suit, and soon, all the graves -- Confederate and Union -- had flowers. This generous gesture was told and re-told, and finally made its way to the New York Tribune, where the short article was seen by young attorney Francis Miles Finch. He was so moved by the generosity of the Southern ladies and their Decoration Day, he wrote the poem, "The Blue and the Gray," and it was published in the Atlantic Monthly in September 1867.

Double Springs and Hartselle, Alabama

2011-09-24T23:34:00.000-05:00

Battle of Chickamauga

2011-09-11T20:57:00.000-05:00

Wetumpka, Alabama

2011-04-02T23:47:00.000-05:00

1. Alabama Confederate Soldiers Home
This was the official home for former soldiers of the Confederate States of America by the state of Alabama, located in what is now Confederate Memorial Park in Mountain Creek in Chilton County, Alabama. The grounds include two cemeteries, with 313 graves.

2. Jasmine Hill Gardens
This outdoor museum was built in the 1930s on the estate of the Fitzpatrick family, who spent many years in Greece collecting replicas of ancient statuary to adorn their formal gardens at Jasmine Hill. Today the gardens are run as a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting the arts and Greek culture. The site includes a full-sized replica of the Temple of Hera at Olympia.

Natchez, Mississippi

2010-12-25T11:22:00.000-06:00

Established by French colonists in 1716, Natchez is one of the oldest and most important European settlements in the lower Mississippi River Valley, and served as the capital of the Mississippi Territory and then the state of Mississippi.

Prattville, Alabama

2010-11-28T22:07:00.000-06:00

Prattville, Alabama is a charming New England-style village nestled in the heart of the Deep South. As the "birthplace of industry" in Alabama, Prattville's rich history spans the life and accomplishments of its founder Daniel Pratt, the great industrialist. Prattville features the Daniel Pratt Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, where some of the sites date back to the Civil War era. Prattville is also the seat of government in Autauga County, founded in 1818, thus making it "a county older than the state."

Also called the "Fountain City" (named for the abundance of artesian wells that once flowed through our town) Prattville boasts a wide variety of natural and recreational attractions, including golfing, canoeing, hiking, fishing and other means of entertainment. Prattville's cultural and retail attractions, numerous antique and specialty stores, and excellent dining establishments are sure to please almost any taste.

Talladega, Alabama

2010-10-01T23:15:00.000-05:00

Located in the northeast central part of Alabama, approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, the city of Talladega was incorporated in 1835, just two years after the creation of Talladega County. The Creek village Talatigi was located near the site before white settlement. As settlers began to move into the area, the name gradually evolved into Talladega.

Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track also has a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

2010-09-05T23:02:00.000-05:00

Columbus, Ohio

2010-07-04T21:05:00.000-05:00

Hills & Dales Estate in LaGrange, Georgia

2010-06-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

An Italian-style Villa, with Palladian elements, Hills & Dales is situated on a hillside overlooking the historic Ferrell Gardens. Although the home was built from 1914 to 1916, more than seven decades after the Ferrell Gardens were begun, the home and gardens blend beautifully together.

Gadsden, Alabama

2010-06-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

1) Noccalula Falls
The Legend of Noccalula came from the early times. Originally known as the Black Creek Falls, the legend as written by Mathilde Bilbro says that "long ago, on a mountain summit within sight and sound of a rushing waterfall, lived a great Indian Chief whose young daughter, Noccalula, was famed far and wide for her beauty and lovliness of character." Many gallant braves sought the old chief for the hand of Noccalula, but only one was favored by the girl's father, a rich chief of a powerful neighboring tribe, who had much to offer in exchange: wampum, horses, and blankets. Vainly Noccalula pleaded that her heart was already given to a young brave of her own tribe.

But this young warrior, though noted for his skill and valor, possessed little in wordly goods.
The old chief refused to listen and ordered his daughter to make ready for the marriage he had arranged. What was a maiden's silly fancy against many horses, much wampum and union with another strong tribe? The girl's lover was driven from the tribe, and a marrige agreement was made with the neighboring chief.

The wedding day came and a great feast was prepared. In silence Noccalula allowed herself to be arrayed in festive wedding robes. It was incredible!...To be sold to a stranger by the father she loved! Her chosen lover forever banished! Overcome with grief, she quietly slipped away from the merrymakers during the festivities..the soft rhythmical rush of waters called her...a moment she stood poised upon the brink of the yawning chasm. One leap - and her troubles were over.
Heartbroken, the remorseful father gave the great cataract his daughter's name. Since that day the waterfall has been called Noccalula.

2) Cathedral Caverns
Cathedral Caverns holds six world records:
Cathedral Caverns has the widest entrance of any commercial cave in the world. It is 25 feet tall and 128 feet wide.
Cathedral Caverns is home to "Goliath"--the largest stalagmite in the world. It measures 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumstance.
Cathedral Caverns has the largest flow stone wall, which is 32 feet tall and 135 feet long.
Cathedral Caverns is known for the largest "frozen" waterfall.
Cathedral Caverns has the largest stalagmite forest of any cave in the world.
Cathedral Caverns has the most improbable formation in the world which is a stalagmite that is 35 feet tall and 3 inches wide!

Guntersville and Ft. Payne, Alabama

2010-05-31T21:08:00.000-05:00

Tuscumbia & Courtland, Alabama

2010-05-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

Cherokee National Forest

2010-04-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

Located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of east Tennessee, the Cherokee National Forest is divided into northern and southern sections by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 650,000-acre forest is the largest tract of public land in Tennessee and adjoins other national forests in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.

Visitors come to explore the more than 600 miles of trails including 150 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, hundreds of miles of cold water streams, 7 whitewater rivers, 3 large lakes managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, 11 congressionally designated Wilderness areas, 30 developed campgrounds, 45 developed day-use sites and the abundant populations of wildlife. The national forest provides habitat for 43 species of mammals, 154 species of fish, 55 species of amphibians and 262 species of birds.

(Source: USDA Forest Service)

Battle of Shiloh

2010-04-15T00:12:00.000-05:00

Tannehill & Tuscaloosa, Alabama

2010-04-04T21:36:00.000-05:00

The Tannehill Ironworks is a state historic site in Tuscaloosa County near the unincorporated town of Bucksville. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was a major supplier of iron for Confederate ordinance.

A former capital of Alabama, Tuscaloosa is named after Tuskaloosa, the chieftain of a Muskogean-speaking people, who battled and was defeated by Hernando de Soto in 1540 in the Battle of Mabila. Tuscaloosa is the home of the University of Alabama.

Selma, Alabama

2010-03-26T23:53:00.000-05:00

Selma was first recorded on a map in 1732 as Ecor Bienville, in honor of the then-French provincial governor Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Seiuer de Bienville. Not until the early 1800s did European settlers begin to frequent the site, however, which by then they referred to as "High Soap Stone Bluff." The site became known as "Moore's Bluff" when Thomas Moore, a settler from Tennessee, built a cabin there in 1815. Two years later, a group of influential settlers in the area, including future vice president of the United States William Rufus King, formed the Selma Town Land Company to buy up land to establish a town above the river. On December 4, 1820, Selma was incorporated by the state legislature. (Source: Encyclopedia of Alabama)

Holly Springs and Oxford, Mississippi

2010-03-20T23:11:00.000-05:00

Mobile, Alabama

2010-03-14T23:42:00.000-05:00

Founded by the French in 1702, Mobile is Alabama's oldest city and a major port facility for the region. Spanish explorer Alonzo Álvarez Pineda first explored the area that would become Mobile in 1519 during a voyage on which he charted much of the Gulf of Mexico. Pineda met with local Indian groups in the interior along the Mobile River. Two decades later, Hernando de Soto, traveled to the area in search for gold.

Mobile is sister city of Constantza, Romania.

Lynchburg, Tennessee

2010-01-15T22:19:00.000-06:00

Lynchburg, TN is home to the Jack Daniels Distillery - which is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and averages over 250,000 visitors every year.

According to the Jack Daniel's website, founder Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel was born in September 1846, although seemingly no one knows the exact date because the birth records were destroyed in a courthouse fire. If the 1846 date is correct, he might have become a licensed distiller at the age of 20, as the distillery claims a founding date of 1866. Daniel was one of thirteen children to Calaway Daniel and Lucinda Cook. Jack Daniel's grandfather, Joseph "Job" Daniel emigrated from Wales as did his Scottish wife to the United States. He was of Welsh, Scottish, English, and Scots-Irish descent.
Jack died in 1911 from blood poisoning which started from an infection. The infection allegedly began in one of his toes, which Daniel injured one early morning at work by kicking his safe in anger when he could not get it open (he was said to always have had trouble remembering the combination).

Eufaula, Barbour County, Alabama

2009-09-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

Eufaula, Alabama, settled high upon a bluff overlooking the beautiful 45,000-acre Lake Eufaula, is located in southeastern Alabama along the Alabama-Georgia border, approximately 90 miles southeast of Montgomery, the state capital. The City of Eufaula was incorporated under its present name in 1843, but was first settled in 1816.

Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace in Kentucky

2009-07-26T21:13:00.000-05:00

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin in LaRue County, Kentucky in a town now known as Hodgenville. Lincoln was named after his dead grandfather, who died in 1786 when he was ambushed and shot by an Indian while clearing a field.

Winchester, Virginia

2009-07-06T02:57:00.000-05:00

Winchester and the surrounding area were the site of numerous battles during the American Civil War, as both the Confederate and Union armies strove to control that portion of the Shenandoah Valley. Seven major battlefields are within the original Frederick County:

Within the city of Winchester:
The First Battle of Kernstown, March 23, 1862
The First Battle of Winchester, May 25, 1862
The Second Battle of Winchester, June 13–15, 1863
The Second Battle of Kernstown, July 24, 1864
The Third Battle of Winchester, September 19, 1864

Near the city of Winchester:
The Battle of Berryville, September 3–4, 1864
The Battle of Belle Grove (or Cedar Creek), October 19, 1864

Winchester was a key strategic position for the Confederate States Army during the war. It was an important operational objective in Gen Joseph E. Johnston's and Col Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's defense of the Shenandoah Valley in 1861, Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862, the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863, and the Valley Campaigns of 1864. Including minor cavalry raids and patrols, and occasional reconnaissances, historians claim that Winchester changed hands as many as 72 times, and 13 times in one day. Battles raged along Main Street at different points in the war. Both Union General Sheridan and Stonewall Jackson located their headquarters just one block apart at various times.

At the north end of the upper Shenandoah Valley, Winchester was a base of operations for major Confederate invasions into the Northern United States. At times the attacks threatened the capital of Washington, D.C.. The town served as a central point for troops' conducting major raids against the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and turnpike and telegraph paths along those routes and the Potomac River Valley. For instance, in 1861, Stonewall Jackson removed 56 locomotives and over 300 railroad cars, along with miles of track, from the B&O Railroad. His attack closed down the B&O's main line for ten months. Much of the effort to transport this equipment by horse and carriage centered in Winchester.

During the war, Winchester was occupied by the Union Army for four major periods.

Source: Wikipedia

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

2009-07-05T00:52:00.000-05:00

Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe. It is situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers where the U.S. states of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet. The town is located on a low-lying flood plain created by the two rivers and surrounded by higher ground. Historically, Harpers Ferry is best known for John Brown's raid on the Armory in 1859 and its role in the American Civil War. As of the 2009 United States Census Bureau estimates, the town had a population of 313.

The lower part of Harpers Ferry is located within Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Most of the remainder, which includes the more highly populated area, is included in the separate Harpers Ferry Historic District. Two other National Register of Historic Places properties adjoin the town: the B & O Railroad Potomac River Crossing and St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Antietam - Sharpsburg, Maryland

2009-07-04T00:46:00.000-05:00

New Market, Virginia

2009-07-03T00:41:00.000-05:00

On May 15, 1864, New Market was the site of the Battle of New Market - a battle in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War. Students from the Virginia Military Institute fought alongside the Confederate Army and forced Union General Franz Sigel and his army out of the Shenandoah Valley. Every year VMI cadets commemorate the 85-mile march from Lexington to New Market done by the cadets in 1864 which ended in their victorious charge at the Battle of New Market.

George Washington's Mount Vernon

2009-06-12T02:12:00.000-05:00

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Mount Vernon, located near Alexandria, Virginia, was the plantation home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. The mansion is built of wood in neoclassical Georgian architectural style, and the estate is located on the banks of the Potomac River.

Following his service in the war, Washington returned to Mount Vernon and in 1785-1786 spent a great deal of effort improving the landscaping of the estate. It is estimated that during his two terms as President of the United States (1789–1797) Washington spent 434 days in residence at Mount Vernon. After his presidency, Washington tended to repairs to the buildings, socializing, and further gardening.

The remains of George and Martha Washington, as well as other family members, are entombed on the grounds. In accordance with his will, Washington was entombed in a family crypt he had built upon first inheriting the estate.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Staunton, Virginia

2009-06-11T01:13:00.000-05:00

1) The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library houses Woodrow Wilson materials from during and immediately after his lifetime, as well as memoirs of those who worked with him, and governmental volumes concerning World War I.

The Woodrow Wilson Birthplace is referred to as The Manse, which is the name of a Presbyterian minister's home. The Manse was constructed in 1846 by the Staunton First Presbyterian Church. It has twelve rooms with twelve fireplaces, and cost about $4,000 (equal to $97,452 today). The Wilson family moved into the house in 1855. At that time the family only consisted of his two parents, Jessie Woodrow Wilson and Joseph Ruggles Wilson, and their two daughters Marion and Annie, who were about four and two years old, respectively. Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in what is now called the "birth room" on December 28, 1856. The Wilsons left The Manse in early 1858 when Joseph Wilson accepted a call from a congregation in Augusta, Georgia.

2) Staunton National Cemetery is located in the Shenandoah Valley approximately one mile east of downtown Staunton, Va.

The 1.15-acre plot of land was designated a national cemetery in September 1868. Original interments were the remains removed from the city cemetery at Staunton as well as Cross Keys, Port Republic, and the Waynesboro area. Of the original 749 interments, 518 were unknown.

Staunton National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Manassas, Virginia

2009-06-11T01:02:00.000-05:00

In July 1861, the First Battle of Manassas – also known as the First Battle of Bull Run – the first major land battle of the American Civil War, was fought near here.

Second Battle of Manassas (or the Second Battle of Bull Run) was fought near here on August 28–30, 1862. At that time, Manassas Junction was little more than a railroad crossing, but a strategic one, with rails leading to Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Shenandoah Valley. Despite these two Confederate victories, Manassas Junction was in Union hands for most of the war.

Fredricksburg Battlefield

2009-06-10T23:11:00.000-05:00

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside. The Union army's futile frontal assaults on December 13 against entrenched Confederate defenders on the heights behind the city is remembered as one of the most one-sided battles of the American Civil War, with Union casualties more than twice as heavy as those suffered by the Confederates.

The South erupted in jubilation over their great victory. The Richmond Examiner described it as a "stunning defeat to the invader, a splendid victory to the defender of the sacred soil." General Lee, normally reserved, was described by the Charleston Mercury as "jubilant, almost off-balance, and seemingly desirous of embracing everyone who calls on him." The newspaper also exclaimed that, "General Lee knows his business and the army has yet known no such word as fail."

The Battle of Fredericksburg was depicted in the 2003 film Gods and Generals, based on the novel of the same name.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Fredericksburg, Virginia

2009-06-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

Located near where the Rappahannock River crosses the Fall Line, Fredericksburg was a prominent port in Virginia during the colonial era. During the Civil War, the town, located halfway between the capitals of the opposing forces, was the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg and Second Battle of Fredericksburg, preserved in part as the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

The city has close associations with George Washington, whose family moved to Ferry Farm in Stafford County just off the Rappahannock River opposite Fredericksburg in 1738. Washington's mother Mary later moved to the city, and his sister Betty lived at Kenmore, a plantation house then outside the city. Other significant early residents include the Revolutionary War generals Hugh Mercer and George Weedon, naval war hero John Paul Jones, and future U.S. president James Monroe. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in Fredericksburg.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Abingdon, Virginia

2009-06-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

The land on which the town of Abingdon is situated was originally surveyed between the years 1748 and 1750 by Dr. Thomas Walker and was part of the Great Road that Colonel William Byrd III ordered cut through the wilderness on to Kingsport, Tennessee.

In 1760, famed frontiersman, Daniel Boone, named the area Wolf Hills, after his dogs were attacked by a pack of wolves during a hunting expedition. The original location of the attack is located on 'Courthouse Hill' and is also the location of The Cavehouse Craft Shop. For a time, 27 wolf sculptures are found around the city, most were sold at an auction to raise money for Advance Abingdon.

The town of Abingdon was possibly named after Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, the ancestral home of Martha Washington.

Barter Theatre, located in Abingdon, Virginia, opened on June 10, 1933. It is one of the longest running professional theatres in the nation. In 1933, when the country was in the middle of the Great Depression, most patrons were not able to pay the full ticket price. Robert Porterfield, founder of the theatre, offered admittance by letting the local people pay with food goods, hence the name "Barter". The original ticket price for a play was 40 cents, or the equivalent in goods. In 1946, Barter Theatre was designated the State Theatre of Virginia. Today, Barter is one of the last year-round professional resident repertory theatres remaining in the United States.

The Martha Washington Inn is a historic hotel located in Abingdon, Virginia. Originally built in 1832 by General Francis Preston, hero of the War of 1812, for his family of nine children, over the course of the last 174 years, the building has served as an upscale women's college, a Civil War hospital and barracks, and as a residence for visiting actors of the Barter Theatre.

Source: Wikipedia

Petersburg, Virginia

2009-05-22T02:06:00.000-05:00

The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a classic military siege, in which a city is usually surrounded and all supply lines are cut off, nor was it strictly limited to actions against Petersburg.

The campaign was nine months of trench warfare in which Union forces commanded by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Petersburg unsuccessfully and then constructed trench lines that eventually extended over 30 miles (48 km) from the eastern outskirts of Richmond, Virginia, to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg. Petersburg was crucial to the supply of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's army and the Confederate capital of Richmond. Numerous raids were conducted and battles fought in attempts to cut off the railroad supply lines through Petersburg to Richmond, and many of these caused the lengthening of the trench lines, overloading dwindling Confederate resources.

Lee finally yielded to the overwhelming pressure—the point at which supply lines were finally cut and a true siege would have begun—and abandoned both cities in April 1865, leading to his retreat and surrender at Appomattox Court House. The Siege of Petersburg foreshadowed the trench warfare that was common in World War I, earning it a prominent position in military history.

Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)

2009-05-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

Hollywood Cemetery is a large, sprawling cemetery located at 412 South Cherry Street in Richmond, Virginia. Characterized by rolling hills and winding paths overlooking the James River, it is the resting place of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis. It is also the resting place of 25 Confederate generals, more than any other cemetery in the country. Included are George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart.

Hollywood Cemetery was opened in 1849, constructed on land known as "Harvie's Woods" that was once owned by William Byrd II. It was designed in the rural garden style, with its name, "Hollywood," coming from the holly trees dotting the hills of the property.
In 1869, a 90-foot (27 m) high granite pyramid was built as a memorial to the more than 18,000 enlisted men of the Confederate Army buried in the cemetery.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Mount Rogers, Virginia

2009-05-20T00:17:00.000-05:00

Mount Rogers is the highest natural point in the state of Virginia, USA, with a summit elevation of 5,729 feet (1,746 m) above mean sea level. It lies in Grayson County and Smyth County, Virginia, about 6.45 miles (10.38 km) WSW of Troutdale, Virginia, within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and Jefferson National Forest.
The mountain is named for William Barton Rogers, a Virginian educated at the College of William & Mary, who taught at William & Mary and the University of Virginia, became Virginia's first State Geologist, and went on to found the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Phoenix, Arizona

2009-05-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

Fort Sumter, South Carolina

2009-04-12T00:37:00.000-05:00

Charleston, South Carolina

2009-04-12T00:11:00.000-05:00

Columbia, South Carolina

2009-04-10T21:28:00.000-05:00

Vicksburg, Mississippi

2009-03-22T23:04:00.000-05:00

Jackson, Mississippi

2009-03-21T22:54:00.000-05:00

The area that is now Jackson was initially referred to as Parkerville and was settled by Louis LeFleur, a French Canadian trader, along the historic Natchez Trace trade route. Jackson was named for General Andrew Jackson, later the seventh President of the United States, in recognition of his victory in the Battle of New Orleans.

Despite its small population, during the Civil War, Jackson became a strategic center of manufacturing for the Confederate States of America. In 1863, during the campaign which ended in the capture of Vicksburg, Union forces captured Jackson during two battles—once before the fall of Vicksburg and once after the fall of Vicksburg.

Jonesborough, Tennessee

2008-08-10T23:15:00.000-05:00

Jonesborough was founded in 1779, 17 years before Tennessee became a state. It was named after North Carolina legislator, Willie Jones, who supported North Carolina's westward expansion over the Appalachian Mountains.

The town was originally a part of North Carolina. In 1784, Jonesborough was one of the towns that attempted to create a new state called the State of Franklin, named after American founding father Benjamin Franklin. The State of Franklin, however, was never recognized by Congress, and was re-claimed by North Carolina by 1788.

Norton, Virginia

2008-08-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

Norton, in Wise County, was first known as Prince's Flats, probably for William Prince, who settled in the area about 1787. The present name honors Eckstein Norton, president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1891 when the Clinch Valley branch of the railroad was completed. Norton was incorporated as a town in 1894 and became a city by court order on January 18, 1954.

Greeneville, Tennessee

2008-08-09T23:29:00.000-05:00

Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there are numerous U.S. towns named Greenville. The town was the capital of the short-lived State of Franklin in the 18th-century history of the Tennessee region.

Greeneville is notable as the town where President Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) began his political career when elected from his trade as a tailor. He and his family lived there most of his adult years (except for his residency in political service in capitals). It was an area of strong abolitionist and Unionist views and yeomen farmers, an environment which influenced Johnson's outlook.

Alvin C. York's Livingston, Tennessee

2008-07-19T20:16:00.000-05:00

Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964) was one of the most decorated American soldiers in World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 32 machine guns, killing 28 German soldiers and capturing 132 others. This action occurred during the U.S.-led portion of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France, which was part of a broader Allied offensive masterminded by Marshal Ferdinand Foch to breach the Hindenburg line and ultimately force the opposing German forces to capitulate.

Brugge, Vlaanderen

2008-05-08T23:23:00.000-05:00

Knoxville, Tennessee

2007-10-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County.
It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city (behind Pittsburgh) in the Appalachia region.

Of Tennessee's four major cities, Knoxville is second oldest to Nashville, which was founded seven years earlier. After Tennessee's admission into the Union in 1796, Knoxville was the state's first capital, in which capacity it served until 1819, when the capital was moved to Murfreesboro, prior to Nashville receiving the designation. The city was named in honor of the first Secretary of War, Henry Knox.

One of Knoxville's nicknames is The Marble City.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Abraham Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois

2007-05-28T21:42:00.000-05:00

Abraham Lincoln's Southern Indiana

2006-12-23T23:16:00.000-06:00

1) Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
This is a United States Presidential Memorial, a National Historic Landmark District in present-day Lincoln City, Indiana. It preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830. During that time, he grew from a 7-year-old boy to a 21-year-old man. His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and at least 27 other settlers were buried here in the Pioneer Cemetery. His sister Sarah Lincoln Grigsby was buried in the nearby Little Pigeon Baptist Church cemetery, across the street at Lincoln State Park.

Abraham's father Thomas Lincoln had lost two previous homes in Kentucky, one at the Sinking Springs farm where Lincoln was born, in part through problems with land titles. Because Kentucky had not had proper land surveys in its early years, many residents were forced off their farms after surveys were completed and land titles were challenged. The Lincolns were one such family: after Thomas had built some economic and social success in Kentucky, he lost everything. In 1815 he went to Indiana to locate a new homestead for his family. He wanted to live in a free state rather than compete with farmers who used slave labor.
The family took two weeks in 1816 to move to Spencer County in southern Indiana, settling at what was known as Little Pigeon Creek.

2) Saint Meinrad Archabbey
Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Spencer County, Indiana, USA, was founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey (Switzerland) on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 98 monks. It is one of only two archabbeys in the United States and one of 11 in the world.

3) Chapel of Monte Cassino
The history of Monte Cassino Shrine tells how a novena to the Lady of Monte Cassino is credited for saving the village of St. Meinrad from a smallpox epidemic in 1871. Since the chapel's dedication in 1870, thousands of people have visited the sandstone chapel to offer their prayers and petitions.