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Site of John Hinkel Livery Stable, 1900

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California, Alameda County, Berkeley
City of Berkeley Landmark
designated in 1998 By 1900, downtown Berkeley had developed around Shattuck Avenue, its main street. On this site, owned by John Hinkel, stood a brick livery stable run by John Fitzpatrick, the early operator of the Ocean View Trolley. In an era of horse-drawn transportation, the centrally located livery stable was advertised to Furnish at all hours Hack, Carriages and Coupes.” The stable had 16-foot-high brick walls and an arched entry.

A complex of shops and a warehouse were later built around the stable. In 1910, the Berkeley Farm Creamery (not to be confused with Berkeley Farms of south Berkeley) occupied the site. The creamery sold dairy products from nearby farms, including the Such Ranch in Strawberry Canyon. Berkeley’s Red Cross, the first on the West Coast (organized in 1898 to aid in the Spanish-American War), purchased the site in 1936 for its headquarters. Although most of the complex was demolished in 1998, segments of the 1910 brick warehouse remained on the adjacent site.

(Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 9 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

World War II Victory Garden

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook
Plant a Victory GardenAfter World War II began, nearly all of America’s industries converted to wartime production. Companies that built radios, cars and refrigerators began to manufacture jeeps, trucks and planes. This placed a great strain on the resources families needed. Rationing of gasoline, food and other goods was necessary to guarantee materials for factories and troops overseas. Americans were asked to conserve food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture distributed literature to citizens, teaching them to plant gardens. Victory Gardens were planted all across the country from backyards in California, to vacant lots in New York City and even in some public parks! Even Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden on White House grounds. At Fort Hancock, families planted Victory Gardens next to their homes, just like the one you see here.

(Forts, Castles • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

A Late Addition to Officers Row

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

When Officers Row was built, this site was left vacant to allow space for the West Beacon Range Light. Ships traveling across Raritan Bay would line up the lighthouse and beacon lights to mark their way. After the West Beacon was demolished in the 1930s, this home was built to fill the empty space.

Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Winchester's Camp #2 / Preston Island

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Ohio, Defiance County, Defiance
[Front Text on Marker] : "Winchester's Camp #2"

After completing Fort Winchester, Brigadier General James Winchester ordered his troops to cross to the north side of the Maumee River. The troops occupied the new site, Camp #2, from November 3-10, 1812. An earthen fortification was built for protection. Militia soldier Elias Darnell recorded on November 4th that “The weather is very rainy, which makes our situation extremely unpleasant…. Four of this army have gone to the silent tomb to-day never more to visit their friends in Kentucky; the fever is very prevalent in camp; nearly every day there is one or more buried.” Winchester referred to a burial place for the encampment in his General Orders for November 5th. Camp #2 proved to be too wet and marshy, Winchester ordered his army to move to six miles down river to a site called Camp #3.

[Back Text on Marker] : "Preston Island"

The island is named for William Preston, a veteran of the War of 1812 and settler in the area. During that war, General Winchester ordered that a strong pen be built on the island for the army’s cattle. After the Civil War, the island became a popular spot for reunions for veterans and their families. The island had a racetrack, grandstand, auditorium, and baseball diamond. The public could travel there by boat or by trolley on the Defiance Electric Railway. The Maumee Valley Chautauqua was held on the island annually during summers from 1901 to 1912 and featured prominent speakers of the era. The mighty flood of March 1913 swept away the island’s facilities.

(Forts, Castles • War of 1812) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Barracks Row

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

Enlisted men lived on Barracks Row facing the parade ground. The four identical buildings each held a full battery of 80 soldiers. The U-shaped double barracks on the far right, built in 1909, held two batteries. Each barracks had its own mess hall, latrine, and barber and tailor shops.

Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Bachelor Officers’ Quarters

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

The BOQ housed unmarried officers. Captains and majors lived on the second floor in their own suites with private baths and sitting rooms. Lieutenants occupied single bedrooms and shared a bathroom on the top floor. The first floor was the original Fort Hancock Officers’ Club with a dining room, billiard room, and bar.

Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Fort, Taft

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California, Kern County, Taft
Built of native adobe, The Fort is a replica of Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, originally it was built to accommodate county, state, and federal officers, as well as be utilized as a town hall. The Fort was dedicated on May 22, 1940.

(Notable Buildings • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 8 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Fort Hancock Officers’ Club

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

This stately structure was officers’ quarters for the Sandy Hook Proving Ground until it moved to Aberdeen, Maryland, in 1919. It housed Fort Hancock officers until 1936, then it became the Officers’ Club and its red brick exterior was painted yellow to match the rest of the post buildings.

Sandy Hook Proving Ground operated from 1874 to 1919. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Dobbins

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California, Yuba County, Dobbins
Founded by Dobbins brothers in 1849. Site of hotel and store that was a celebrated trading point in pioneer days. Site of many early day power companies that were a source of electric power for a wide area.

(Industry & Commerce • Notable Places • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The World War II Years

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

During World War II, Fort Hancock’s population swelled to over 10,000 and dozens of temporary wooden barracks and mess halls were built. More than 3,000 coast artillerymen were stationed here for New York Harbor defense, and thousands of others passed through for staging and training before shipping out to Europe.

Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Linking oceans, rivers and lakes

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Maine, Hancock County, Somesville

A Part of History
Both Native Americans and early settlers enjoyed abundant harvests along this coastal shore. Each spring, thousands of adult alewives made an upstream pilgrimage, moving from salt water into the Mill Pond and up Somes Brook to Somes Pond and Long Pond to spawn (reproduce) in fresh water. The large populations of diadromous (sea-run) fish were welcomed by all, and the catch was smoked or salted for year-round consumption or used as bait by fishermen. The Mill Pond Dam, located just across the road, traces its roots back to 1763, when Abraham Somes erected a sawmill to produce lumber for a growing local industry. It was the first of several dams constructed along this brook. A grist mill and a woolen mill operated a short distance upstream from here (see map for directions).

Bridging the Gap
Dams present obstacles for sea-run fish and destroy their natural habitat. Where dams are essential, fish passage can be enhanced for some species by providing fishways. In the early 20th century, fishways were constructed between Somes Sound and Long Pond. Over time, the fishways fell into disrepair, dramatically reducing the local sea-run fish populations. In 2006, fishway restoration work began in order to help rebuild the populations of native sea-run fish species such as alewife, sea lamprey and American eel.

Nature's Way
Imagine sea-run fish that swim in huge schools, back and forth, from the Gulf of Maine into Maine's inland lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. During this cyclic journey, both juveniles and adults are a food source for nearly everything, including striped bass, haddock, salmon, osprey, eagles, herons, cormorants, loons and otter. By restoring access to their habitat, we give sea-run fish a chance to flourish again. With more sea-run fish throughout the Gulf of Maine, our rivers, lakes, estuaries and ocean will reward us with more biological bounty than any of us have experienced in our lifetime.

How it works
Fishways, most commonly referred to as fish ladders, are structures placed on or around human-made barriers (such as dams) to assist the natural migration of diadromous fishes. A pool-and-weir (seen in this sketch) is one of the oldest styles of fish ladders. It uses a series of small dams and pools of regular length to create a sloping channel for fish to travel around the obstruction. Effectively, the channel acts as a fixed lock to gradually step down the water level; to head upstream, fish must pass from box to box in the ladder.

[Photo captions reads]
Old saw mill and wooden dam, extending from the shore near the present Library to beyond the present fishway.

Fishway at old Woolen Mill site (third dam) along Somes Brook. This fish ladder is a pool-and-weir type, hand built using local granite blocks held together by mortar.

(Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

90 MM Gun Tank M47 Patton

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North Carolina, Surry County, Mt. Airy
The M47 was essentially an M46 fitted with the turret from the T42 tank prototype. The front hull had a sharper slope, however, and the rotoclone blower place between the drivers on the M46 was deleted. The turret had a long bustle which housed the radio and a ventilator. The "eyes" of the gunner's stereoscopic rangefinder protruded from the top sides of the turret. Early tanks were armored with a 90mm gun featuring a single-baffle muzzle break, and late tanks had a T-shaped blast deflector. Most M47s, however, were produced with a cylindrical blast deflector. Later tanks also had a taller .50cal MG pintle placed farther forward on the roof compared to earlier vehicles.

The tank was originally nicknamed Patton II, but the name was changed to Patton 47 a few weeks later. On 9 November 1950, the US Army changed the basis of its tank designation system from weight to the caliber of the vehicle's main gun. The M47, which would have been a medium tank previously, therefore became a 90mm gun tank.

An upgrade program for the M47 was started in the late 1960's and resulted in the M47M. M47M used the engine and fire control system from the 105mm gun tank M60A1. The engine, Continental’s AVDS-1790-2A supercharged diesel, had its exhaust vented through rear louvers like on the M60, replacing the M47's fender-mounted mufflers. The transmission used was the CD-850-6A. The assistant driver was eliminated in favor of a 22-round 90mm ammunition rack and the small track tension idler wheel was deleted as well. To compensate for the location of the new engine's oil pan, the read road wheel was moved 3.9" (9.7cm) to the rear. The tank's shock absorbers were also dropped in favor of friction snubbers. Five hundred forty-seven M47s were modified to M47M standard by Bowen-McLaughlin-York, Inc., in a factory built in Iran for M47M production. The improved tank was used by Iran and Pakistan.

(Military) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Site of Master Mechanic’s Quarters

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

Fort Hancock was home to both military personnel and a civilian population of contractors and specialists. The civilians who lived on post worked, shopped, and went to school alongside their military neighbors. The building that stood here was home of the civilian master mechanic at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground.

Sandy Hook Proving Ground operated from 1874 to 1919. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Chemical Laboratory

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

Cannon and artillery projectiles were not the only weapons tested at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. Rifles, machine guns, and new types of gun powder and explosive fuses were tested there. At the chemistry lab, explosive and propellant compounds were developed. In 1935, the building became the Fort Hancock School.

Sandy Hook Proving Ground operated from 1874 to 1919. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Mission of Death

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Maryland, Washington County, Sharpsburg
"I do not hesitate to affirm that the Confederate position was virtually impregnable to a direct attack over the bridge."
Gen. Jacob Cox, Union 9th Corps

Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, whose division did most of the fighting here at the bridge, wrote in his official report just five days after the battle that, "Orders arrived from General Burnside to carry the bridge at all hazards. I then selected the Fifty-first New York and the Fifty-first Pennsylvania from the Second [Ferrero's] Brigade, and directed them to charge with the bayonet. They started on their mission of death full of enthusiasm, and taking a route less exposed than the regiments which had made the effort before them, rushed at a double-quick over the slope leading to the bridge and over the bridge itself with an impetuosity which the enemy could not resist, and the Stars and Stripes were planted on the opposite bank at 1 o'clock p.m., amid the most enthusiastic cheering from every part of the field from where they could be seen."

(War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Locomotive Engineer’s House

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

The senior railroad engineer, who ran Sandy Hook’s locomotives, lived here. An extensive military railroad system carried guns and ammunition to the Sandy Hook Proving Ground and later supplied all of Fort Hancock. Today, the building is used as a residence for National Park staff. Please respect their privacy.

Sandy Hook Proving Ground operated from 1874 to 1919. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Proving Ground Foreman’s House

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

This was the home for one of the foremen at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. After the proving ground closed in 1919, it was used for housing noncommissioned officers and their families. Today, this building is a residence for National Park Service staff. Please respect their privacy.

Sandy Hook Proving Ground operated from 1874 to 1919. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Barracks, School Headquarters

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

This barracks was built for the enlisted men at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. After the proving ground moved to Aberdeen, Maryland, in 1919, it became the Fort Hancock School and later Headquarters for the 7th Coast Artillery Regiment.

Sandy Hook Proving Ground operated from 1874 to 1919. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Education • Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Hasty Additions in Wartime

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New Jersey, Monmouth County, Sandy Hook

When World War II began in Europe in 1939, the U.S. Army numbered 175,000 men. By the time of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the army had swelled to over 1.5 million. To accommodate this influx, temporary wooden “mobilization” building like these were built at forts across the nation. Today, these buildings are residences for National Park Service staff. Please respect their privacy.

Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974.

(Forts, Castles • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Civil War Memorial

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Maine, Hancock County, Ellsworth


In honor of the men
of
Ellsworth

who served and to the
memory of those who
fell on land and sea
in the war for the Union
their grateful townsmen
have raised this
Memorial
1861 - 1887

(Man-Made Features • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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