Quantcast
Channel: The Historical Marker Database - New Entries
Viewing all 103121 articles
Browse latest View live

Wreck of the David W. Mills

0
0
New York, Oswego County, Oswego
Grounded!
The David W. Mills, a cargo vessel that was part of a vast commercial shipping industry on the Great Lakes, played an important role in the industrial development of the north American interior. The Mills ran aground on Ford Shoals in dense smog created by forest fires in Canada. Attempts to free the boat failed and it broke apart during a violent October storm.

Wreck of the David W. Mills
The David W. Mills was a typical Great Lakes cargo vessel of the late 19th century. Measuring 202' by 34,' weighing 925 tons, this wooden "steambarge" could carry over one million board feet of lumber, though at the time of the wreck it was carrying coal. The wreck site was mapped by the Oswego Maritime Foundation. On May 3, 2000, the Mills was designated as New York State's first Submerged Cultural Preserve and Dive Site in Lake Ontario.

Great Lakes Cargo Vessel
The pilot house on steambarges was placed well forward, and the machinery was set in the stern, allowing cargo to be piled high on deck. This design initiated the distinctive look of the Great Lakes "lakeboat," which continued through the 20th century.

Masts - Early steam powered vessels still used wind power as a backup.

Dive Site Information
Location: Four and one-half miles west of the Oswego Harbor Lighthouse, one-half mile offshore, halfway between shore and the Ford Shoals buoy (G"7").
GPS: N43.26.555 W076.35.094
Access: Boat Only.
Depth: 12-25 feet.
Visibility: 20 to 100 feet. Average 45 feet.
Temperature: 40 to 73 degrees F.
Skill Level: Basic open water diver.
Bottom: Flat and rocky.
Hazards: Lake Ontario weather is unpredictable and can change very rapidly from good to severe. Weather conditions and unexpected weather changes should be a constant consideration. Strong currents may be present if seas are running 3 feet or higher.

(Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Springhouse

0
0
West Virginia, Greenbrier County, White Sulphur Springs


- symbol of The Greenbrier since 1835 because it sits atop the White Sulphur Spring. "Taking the waters" - either by bathing or by drinking for medicinal purposes - was the foundation of this resort. Earliest recorded use of the mineral water was in 1778. Atop the dome is Hebe, the Greek Goddess of Youth.

(Environment • Man-Made Features • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Springhouse

0
0
West Virginia, Greenbrier County, White Sulphur Springs


Early European settlers in this Allegheny Mountain valley learned from Shawnee Indian hunters about this sulphur water spring. Health-seekers soon started arriving to bathe in the waters to relieve the aches of rheumatism. By the 1830's the resort flourished when reliable stagecoach roads improved access. This Springhouse was built in that decade to honor the resort's central attraction and designed to reflect the Greek and Roman ancestry of "taking the waters" to restore health. Visitors gathered every morning at the Springhouse to drink the water, considered beneficial for internal organs. The first Bathhosue stood where the Tennis Building sits today. The sulphur water issues from the ground at 62 degrees and is heated for comfortable bathing. To this day it is pumped to The Greenbrier Spa. The statue on the Springhouse dome is Hebe, the Greek Goddess of youth.

(Environment • Man-Made Features • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Emancipation in Maryland

0
0
Maryland, Prince George's County, Oxon Hill
On November 1, 1864, new provisions of the Maryland State Constitution brought freedom to the enslaved people of Maryland after 200 years of bondage. Article 24 stated,

“That hereafter, in this State, there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except in punishment of crime … and all persons held to service or labor as slaves, are hereby free.”

Though enslaved people in the states that seceded from the Union had been freed in 1863, the Lincoln Emancipation Proclamation allowed loyal states like Maryland to continue slavery. While many opposed emancipation in Maryland, when put to a public vote it passed. Most slaveholders would not be compensated, as they had demanded, for the resulting loss of their slaves. The first actions of the newly freed as they began to build lives in freedom were to find and reunite with lost family members who had been sold or who had escaped from slavery.

Illustration captions:
lower left: “Twenty-eight Fugitives Escaping from the Eastern Shore of Maryland” – Courtesy of the Library of Congress

lower middle: "Reproduction of an ad in the Washington, DC, newspaper, National Intelligencer - Courtesy of the Archives of Someplacesic

MARYLAND FREE!
Slavery Forever Abolished … Proclamation of Gov. Bradford … The New Constitution Adopted … The Soldiers’ Votes … Opinion of the Governor.”
right: “Emancipation” by Thomas Nast, ca. 1865. Wood engraving printed in black and rose. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

(Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Great Craighead Cave

0
0
Tennessee, Monroe County, Sweetwater
Saltpeter, or niter, is a key ingredient of gunpowder found in many limestone caves in East Tennessee. In June 1861, Randolph Ross, Jr., and J. Marshall McCue contracted with the Confederate Ordinance Bureau to produce niter here at the “Milk Sick Knobs,” a place where the white snakeroot thrived. Beneath the sandy shale that nurtured this deadly herb was the Great Craighead Cave, which contained significant deposits of saltpeter.

The war effort required immense quantities of saltpeter and the Confederate government soon advanced $2,000 to the partnership to increase the capacity of the facility. By the following January, McCue, now in business by himself, had contracted to deliver 250,000 pounds of the vital substance to the Confederate powder works in Augusta, Georgia, during 1862. Although production here never came close to that amount, the facility shipped several hundred pounds of niter every two weeks.

Abraham Stakely oversaw the saltpeter operations at Craighead Cave and conscripted men such as Charles W. Hicks to mine the mineral and heat it in large iron kettles. Almost 60 years later, attorney Hicks recalled in his Civil War Veterans Questionnaire that he and ten others “camped there and worked faithfully two years and a half until Federal soldiers came to Sweetwater, four miles distant in Sept. 1863, when we tore down our works and scattered to our homes to prevent capture.”

“Enough Saltpetre can be obtained to supply the demand of the State for making powder, even if Old Abe False Pretense and his Northern successors shall continue a wicked war against the South for forty years.” — John Grant, Athens Post, June 21, 1861

(captions)
(upper center) Tennessee Saltpeter Cave, Harper’s Weekly, Feb. 6, 1864
(lower right) Great Craighead Cave interior - Courtesy The Lost Sea

(Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 8 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Tennis and the Outdoor Swimming Pool

0
0
West Virginia, Greenbrier County, White Sulphur Springs


When the Golf Clubhouse was built in 1915 clay tennis courts were added in front of the building. The most famous tennis tournaments at The Greenbrier were the Mason and Dixon Championships held each April from 1921 to 1937. One of the final rounds in the Davis Cup selection, the matches received national attention. Winners included Bill Tilden, Francis Hunter, Donald Budge, Francis X. Shields, George Lott and Bryan "Bitsy" Grant.

The Indoor Tennis center opened in 1975 and was the home of World Seniors Tournaments for five years. Today's infinity-edge Outdoor Pool, built in 2004, is sited where an earlier outdoor pool opened in 1956. A gymnasium stood at this location during World War II where recuperating soldiers played basketball when The Greenbrier was an Army hospital. Before that, the resort's first Golf Clubhouse, built in 1910, stood on this site.

(Entertainment • Man-Made Features • Sports) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Town of Potsdam

0
0
New York, Saint Lawrence County, Potsdam
One of ten towns of 1787. Bought by Clarkson family with others, 1802. Settled by Benj. Raymond, land agent, 1803. Town established 1806.

(Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 1 photo, GPS coordinates, map.

The Civilian Conservaton Corps

0
0
Tennessee, Coffee County, Manchester
The Civilian Conservation Corps was launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt April 5, 1933 as a lifeline for undernourished sons of the great depression. Each company consisted of about 200 men who were housed in Tennessee barracks under the management of army personnel. They were paid $30 per month of which $25 was sent home. They did conservation work and the corps lasted until America entered World War II. The full story of the CCC participation is this war will never be fully known. We hope this monument here in Coffee County will promote among Tennesseans and the nation an understanding and appreciation for what the CCC did for our state and nation. If you and future generations see fit to raise voices in song of praise for us we will consider this our reward. Dedicated by Coffee County to honor the hundreds of boys who served from this county and surrounding areas

(Charity & Public Work) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Corporal Brian James Schoff

0
0
Tennessee, Coffee County, Manchester
Nov. 27, 1983 to Jan. 28, 2006, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division "Operation Iraqi Freedom." "Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ, and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, and the other for your freedom. What we do for our ourselves dies with us--what we do for others lives on forever."

(War, 1st Iraq & Desert Storm) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

British Forces Landed at Mouth of 4 Mile Creek

0
0
New York, Niagara County, Porter
British forces under Brig. Gen John Prideaux and Sir William Johnson landed at mouth of 4 mile creek, July 6, 1759. Besieged Fort Niagara.

(War, French and Indian) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Niagara's Industrial Beginnings and the Establishment of the State Reservation

0
0
New York, Niagara County, Niagara Falls
In 1805, New York State sold the land around the falls, and mills and other businesses that used the Niagara river for power were established. These industries provided the local community with needed services, helping the area to prosper. When the Erie Canal opened in 1825, it provided a direct route across the state and greater access to goods and services. As a result, the community around the falls grew, and the area adjacent to the falls became plagued by industrial and commercial blight.

The development around the falls angered many people. Between 1869 and 1885, the "Free Niagara Movement" worked to rid the falls and adjacent areas of excessive industry and commercialism and create a park that would allow visitors to view the falls in their natural splendor. On July 15, 1885, the "State Reservation at Niagara" was dedicated. Over 75,000 people gathered to celebrate with marching bands, military units, orations, and fireworks. Thomas V. Welch, who led a citizen writing campaign to save the falls, became the park's first superintendent.

Niagara Reservation, the oldest state park in the United States, is now known as Niagara Falls State Park. Although the park has evolved over time to meet visitor needs, the public's desire to maintain the park's natural beauty has not changed. Nowhere in the country, perhaps in the world, can visitors enjoy so diverse an array of experiences in so accessible a space - spectacular scenic views, thunderous cataracts, mesmerizing rapids, micro-climates, geological processes, distinctive flora, and a designed landscape that is a celebrated work of American genius.

Industrial blight along the upper and lower American rapids.

Marching unit at park opening.

Thomas V. Welsh.

The Waterfalls of Niagara by R. Hancock. Published on May 17, 1794, by Laurie & Whittle, London.

During his 1869 visit to Niagara Falls, Frederick Law Olmsted became aware of the industrial threat to Niagara's natural beauty. He developed a plan to preserve this scenic wonder for the public that culminated in the establishment of the State Reservation at Niagara.

(Environment) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Niagara County Medal of Honor Monument

0
0
New York, Niagara County, Niagara Falls
In memory of all Americans in the armed forces who sacrificed their lives in a time of need to preserve the freedom of this great nation.

The American Legion, Department of New York, Niagara County Committee, October 11, 1986.

Korean Conflict 1950-1953.
In honor of Private First Class William Thompson, United States Army, Congressional Medal of Honor, Bronx, NY and the other 33,646 Americans who died, the 103,259 Americans who were wounded, and all those Americans who participated in this noble cause.

Haman, Yongsan, Inchon, Hagaru-Ri, Kumhwa, Heartbreak Ridge, North Korean Prison Camps.

Vietnamese Conflict 1961-1975.
In honor of Second Lieutenant John Paul Bobo, United States Marine Corps, Congressional Medal of Honor, Niagara Falls, NY and the other 56,554 Americans who died, the 303,654 Americans who were wounded, and all those Americans who participated in this noble cause.

Quang Tri Provence, Kontum Provence, Khesanh, Kien Tuong Provence, Binh Tuy Provence, Hau Nghia Provence, Vietnamese Prison Camps.

In memory of America's bravest men and women whose duties resulted in the ultimate sacrifice for their nation, that will forever grieve their loss.

Berlin Air Lift, Iran, Beirut, Grenada, Libya.

(War, Korean • War, Vietnam) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Alarming Sight

0
0
Maryland, Prince Georges County, Aquasco
Amid rumors of a large British force on the Patuxent, Secretary of State James Monroe scouted the situation. From heights near Aquasco Mills August 20, 1814, he spotted the enemy vessels landing at Benedict.

Alarmed, Monroe positioned soldiers on horseback about 12 miles between Aquasco Mills and Washington to forward reports of enemy movements.

"I had a view of their ships but being at a distance of three miles, and having no glass, we could not count them... The general idea... is, that Washington is their objective."- Secretary of State James Monroe, Washington Daily National Intelligencer, August 22, 1814

(War of 1812) Includes location, directions, 8 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Enemy Bluff

0
0
Maryland, Prince Georges County, Croom
On August 22, 1814, American Brigadier General William Winder Spotted the enemy invasion force approaching this church, then called Page Chapel. The British marched west toward Bellefields, Woodyard, and Fort Washington, then doubled back before heading north to Upper Marlboro.

Uncertain of the enemy's intent, Winder held his troops overnight at Long Old Fields (now Forestville), two days later, the opposing armies battled at Bladensburg.

"I proceeded...to gain an observation of the enemy, and came with in view of the enemy's advance about two miles below the chapel."- American Brigadier General William H. Winder, September 26, 1814

(Churches, Etc. • War of 1812) Includes location, directions, 8 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

First Casualty In Cumberland County

0
0
Pennsylvania, Cumberland County, Mt. Holly Springs
Cumberland County resident Charles G. Beetam, a Civil War tragedy: "On April 23, 1861, my brother, William Luther Beetam, at the age of 20, was the first Carlisle man to give his life in [the] war on a tour of duty."

At one o’clock in the morning that day, the people of Carlisle were scared out of their beds by what turned out to be the first false rumor that 5,000 Rebel soldiers were marching to Carlisle by Mt. Holly Springs, known then as Papertown. The local company was formed and marched to Mt. Holly Springs; however, they found the rumor entirely false.

The day was hot, and William was assisting the men in laying their rifles into a wagon which had accompanied them. The cartridges were removed, and the rifles were laid in the wagon with their stocks towards the driver. Someone in the Company had failed to remove his cartridges. When the wagon rumbled over a rough part of the road, the rifle discharged. William was walking directly behind the wagon and the bullet pierced him in the heart. “I am shot”, he exclaimed, and dropped dead.

(captions)
(center) William Luther Beetem (age 20), first Carlisle man to give his life in the war when on tour of duty Courtesy of the Cumberland County Historical Society
(right) Mt. Holly Gap Courtesy of the Cumberland County Historical Society

(War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 1 photo, GPS coordinates, map.

Little Harlem Hotel

0
0
New York, Erie County, Buffalo
In 1934 Ann Montgomery converted her ice cream parlor and Oriental Billiard Parlor on this site into the Little Harlem Hotel. Cab Calloway, Billy Eckstine, Della Reese, Sarah Vaughn and many others performed and stayed here when downtown hotels were segregated. Many entertainers returned in later years to dine and mingle with regular patrons, and heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis stayed overnight when he was in Buffalo. Famous for its Chinese food and decor, the club was one of the oldest African American businesses in Buffalo and a favorite meeting place for African American political and business leaders. The building was destroyed by fire in 1993.

(African Americans • Entertainment • Notable Persons) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Tennessee Central Depot

0
0
Tennessee, Putnam County, Cookeville
A locomotive on the Nashville-Knoxville Railroad first steamed into Cookeville in 1890. The Tennessee Central brought the line in 1902 and built this depot with its distinctive pagoda design in 1909. Soon six trains daily brought visitors, shoppers, and salesmen to town and took natives to distant places. Also, freights loaded with lumber, hogs, corn, and tobacco rolled to faraway markets.

(Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Unicoi Turnpike Trail

0
0
Tennessee, Monroe County, Tellico Plains
The path now known as the Unicoi Turnpike Trail has existed for over 1,000 year. The earliest European maps of the area note the trail as a connector between Cherokee Territories and the coastal ports of Charleston and Savannah. In 1756 British soldiers hauled weapons and supplies across the trail to establish Fort Loudoun. In the early 1800’s the trail was converted into a roll road and turnpike. In 1838 over 3,000 Cherokees traveled over the Unicoi Turnpike during the Trail of Tears.

Exploring an Ancient Path
We invite you to travel through layers of history as you trace the Unicoi Turnpike Trail in Tennessee and North Carolina. Historic sites and museums along the way will illustrate the role this important transportation route played in our nation’s history. A two and one half mile section of the original roadbed at Coker Creek is open for hiking.

Map points
1. Fort Loundoun; 2. Tellico Blockhouse; 3. Sequoyah Birthplace Museum; 4. Chato and Tanasi Memorials; 5. Tellico Plains; 6. Charles Hall Museum; 7. Coker Creek; 8. Unicoi Gap; 9. Joe Brown Highway; 10. Murphy; 11. Cherokee County Historical Museum; 12. Belltown (Cane Creek) Massacre; 13. Trail of Tears; 14. Hiking Trail.

(Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Unicoi Turnpike Trail

0
0
Tennessee, Monroe County, Vonore
The path now known as the Unicoi Turnpike Trail has existed for over 1,000 year. The earliest European maps of the area note the trail as a connector between Cherokee Territories and the coastal ports of Charleston and Savannah. In 1756 British soldiers hauled weapons and supplies across the trail to establish Fort Loudoun. In the early 1800’s the trail was converted into a roll road and turnpike. In 1838 over 3,000 Cherokees traveled over the Unicoi Turnpike during the Trail of Tears.

Exploring an Ancient Path
We invite you to travel through layers of history as you trace the Unicoi Turnpike Trail in Tennessee and North Carolina. Historic sites and museums along the way will illustrate the role this important transportation route played in our nation’s history. A two and one half mile section of the original roadbed at Coker Creek is open for hiking.

Map points
1. Fort Loundoun; 2. Tellico Blockhouse; 3. Sequoyah Birthplace Museum; 4. Chato and Tanasi Memorials; 5. Tellico Plains; 6. Charles Hall Museum; 7. Coker Creek; 8. Unicoi Gap; 9. Joe Brown Highway; 10. Murphy; 11. Cherokee County Historical Museum; 12. Belltown (Cane Creek) Massacre; 13. Trail of Tears; 14. Hiking Trail.

(Native Americans • War, French and Indian) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Mt. Pleasant Fort

0
0
Utah, Sanpete County, Mount Pleasant
Mt. Pleasant, a small town nestled at the foot of the mountains in Sanpete County near the geographic center of Utah, was settled early in 1859. During June the men kept busy tending their crops and building a fort, twenty-six rods by twenty-six rods, enclosing about five and one-half acres of grounds between Main Street and First North and State Street and First East.
The wall was twelve feet high, four feet wide at the bottom tapering to two feet at the top, and constructed of native rock laid with lime mortar, according to specific instructions. Sixteen feet of the fort wall was allowed for each cabin built inside the fort; each had one porthole about seven feet from the ground. Water was obtained from Pleasant Creek, which passed almost parallel east and west through the center of the fort. Corrals for all the livestock were built to the north, just outside the fort, leaving a roadway between. Completed on July 18, 1859, the fort had the distinction of being the finest in Sanpete County.
The first break in the fort wall was made in 1878 to make room for the new, enlarged ZCMI store to be built in the southwest corner of the fort. The town had grown from about 800 to 1,200, but only a few families still lived inside the fort, then called the Tithing Yard.

(Forts, Castles) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Viewing all 103121 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images