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In Memory of Our Fallen Soldiers

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Quebec, Capitale-Nationale (region), Québec
English:
Unveiled on July 1, 1924, the Cross of Sacrifice originally honoured the memory of the Canadian soldiers killed during the Great War of 1914-1918. Over 66,000 lost their lives in the conflict. A handful of earth from Vimy, the site of Canada’s most decisive involvement in the war, was placed under the base of the monument.

As subsequent conflicts arose over the years, more inscriptions were added to the monument to commemorate the sacrifice of soldiers lost in the Second World War (1939-1945; over 42,000 killed) and the Korean War (1951-1953; 516 killed).

As a finishing touch, the National Battlefields Commission decorates the ground at the base of the Cross of Sacrifice with carpet bedding. This delicate task requires patience, since the horticulturalists must find the right variety of plants and arrange them just so in order to turn their colours into inscriptions or evocative images.

Symbolising soldiers killed in combat, the poppies planted at the foot of the cross will recall the Great Wars during this anniversary year. If weather conditions allow, a commemorative horticultural arrangement will honor the fallen until Remembrance Day on November 11.

French:
Inaugurée le 1er juilet 1924, la Croix du Sacrifice rappelait d’abord la mémoire des militaires canadiens morts pendant la Grande Guerre de 1914-1918. Ils sont plus de 66 000 à avoir perdu la vie pendant ce conflit. Une poignée de terre de Vimy, lieu de l’engagement canadien le plus déterminant de cette guerre, a été déposée sous le socle du monument.

Avec les années et les conflits, des inscriptions ont été ajoutées sur le monument pour commémorer le sacrifice de militaires disparus pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale (1939-1945; plus de 42 000 décès) et la guerre de Corée (1950-1952; 516 décès).

Pour compléter l’aménagement de la Croix du Sacrifice, la Commission des champs de bataille nationaux agrémente le parterre autour du monument d’une mosaïculture. Ce travail délicat demande de la patience aux horticulteurs pour trouver les bonnes variétés de plantes et les harmoniser pour que leurs couleurs créent des inscriptions ou des images évocatrices.

Symboles des militaires morts au combat, des coquelicots plantés au pied de la croix rappelleront les Grandes Guerres en cette année anniversaire. Si les conditions climatiques le permettent, un aménagement horticole commémoratif portera la mémoire des combattants jusqu’au 11 novembre, jour du Souvenir.

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

Prelude to Petersburg

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Virginia, Prince George County, Petersburg
On May 4, 1864, the Federal Army crossed the Rapidan River twenty miles west of Fredericksburg. The next day, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's forces struck the Union army in the Wilderness, opening a month-long campaign of nearly nonstop fighting and staggering casualty totals.

After the Wilderness, Lee attempted to block Union General Ulysses S. Grant's southward drive toward Richmond at Spotsylvania Court House, then along the North Anna River, again at Totopotomoy Creek, and finally at Cold Harbor, just eight miles from Richmond. At Cold Harbor Grant's headlong assaults into Lee's line on June 1 and June 3 failed. Undaunted, he matched his army south to Petersburg and began the long process of cutting Richmond's supply lines.

Wilderness
The fighting in the thick woods west of Fredericksburg produced nearly 30,000 casualties but no clear winner.

Spotsylvania Court House
Grant ignored the indecisive results of the Wilderness and pressed southward. Lee blocked him here and for two weeks close to 200,000 men fought for an advantage.

North Anna River and Totopotomoy Creek
These two engagements forced Grant to continue moving to Lee's right as the Union forces searched for a way to capture Richmond.

Cold Harbor
Major attacks on the Confederate line bring the total number of casualties to around 90,000 men in six weeks of fighting. Grant's failure here turns his attention to Petersburg, ending the "overland" portion of the 1864 campaign.

(Military • War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway

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Maryland, Queen Anne's County, Chester
Located along Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the byway links Chesapeake Bay’s communities, people, and life stores into a rich experience for visitors and locals alike. With its working farms and waterfronts, historic town centers, and pristine natural areas, Chesapeake Country is a landscape worth exploring.

Check out These Byway Adventures! *Stroll historic main streets *Take in the scenery *Visit a restaurant for locally caught seafood *Pick up fresh produce at a farm stand *Fish from a nearby pier *Hike through upland woods *Bike along flat, rural roads *Paddle along a quiet stretch of the Chesapeake Bay or its rivers

(Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Byway Destinations

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Maryland, Queen Anne's County, Chester

Water

The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries weave the tapestry that is Chesapeake Country.

Land
Agriculture and pristine natural resource areas accentuate our rural character.

History
Historic buildings, churches, and landscapes are evidence of our rich colonial history.

Galena
In 1608, Captain John Smith explored the Sassafras River and was welcomed by the tribal chief of a palisaded Native American village called Tockwogh, located just a few miles from present-day Galena. Formerly known as Georgetown Cross Roads, Galena today is a quaint crossroads community. Considered the “Antiques Capital” of Kent County, it’s known for its attractive, dogwood-lined streets and scrumptious community dinners.

Cecilton
The crossroads community of Cecilton is nestled in a diverse farming region, where much of the land has been placed in agricultural preserves, ensuring its future rural character. Visitors can view fields of grain, horse farms, nurseries and greenhouse operations along the byway. The occasional horse and buggy on the road and Amish farmers working the land with horse-drawn plows hark back to earlier times.

Chesapeake City
Step back in time and visit to Historic Chesapeake City, where a wonderful collection of distinct 19th century historic homes and shops overlook the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. Antiques, collectibles, clothing, and crafts are among its shopping delights. Visitors also enjoy Chesapeake City’s many art galleries, summer concerts, and boat tours on the canal, and tours of nearby horse country.

Local Places of Interest
Ferry Point Park
This 40-acre park is named for the ferry boats that once traversed these waters, and features interpretive walking trails and access to marshland via 530 feet of boardwalk. Located just a few hundred feet from where you stand, Ferry Point Park is located on a peninsula bordered by Kent Narrows, the Chester River, and Piney Creek.
The Cross Island Trail
this 6-mile paved trail spans Kent Island from west to east, from Terrapin Nature Park to Kent Narrows. Access for pedestrians, runners and cyclists.
The Maryland Waterman’ Monument
This bronze sculpture honors one of the state’s oldest professions, that of the fishermen who made their living hauling in the daily catch from the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Located in Kent Narrows.
Wells Cove
This state-of-the-art marina provides easy access to many restaurants, lodging choices and other activities.
The Waterman’ Heritage Boat Basin
This historic boat basin was recently restored, and is used by both commercial watermen and recreational boaters.
The Kent Narrows Pubic Landing and Ramp
This 1-acre landing features a pair of 34-foot boat launching ramps. Parking and portable toilets available April through October. Pets not allowed. Daily fee or annual Public Landings Permit required. Located on Little Creek Road.
The Waterman’s Memorial Bridge
Also known as the Old Kent Narrow Drawbridge, this bridge is part of the Maryland Route 18 and provides access for both pedestrians and auts. It once served as the main bridge for US 50.

(Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Fiery Destruction

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District of Columbia, Washington
“[The British] put a slow match to the [Sewall] house … and those rockets burst until … they made the rafters fly East and West.” — Eslaved African American diarist and eyewitness Michael Shiner.

As the British marched along B Street (today's Constitution Avenue) on August 24, 1814, to burn the U.S. Capitol, they passed this house, owned by Robert Sewall. Suddenly shots rang out. Two British soldiers were dead, several were wounded, and Major General Ross's horse was shot out from under him. the British rushed into Sewall's house but found no snipers. In retaliation, they set fire to the house, one of the city's finest. When the invasion ended, Sewall's was one of the few private structures destroyed by the British. The family rebuilt here after peace returned.

Torching the Capitol

After burning Sewall's house, the British resumed their march to the Capitol. There they planted the Union Jack and set fire to the not-yet-complete structure.

In the summer of 1814 the United States had been at war with Great Britain for two years. Battlefronts had erupted from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. On August 24, following their victory over the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland, British troops marched on Washington with devastating results.

The Star-Spangled Banner Historic Trail reveals sites of the War of 1812 in Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland. Visit ChesapeakeExplorerApp.com or download the Chesapeake Explorer App.

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

Byway Destinations

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Maryland, Queen Anne's County, Chester
Few places portray the intimate connections between land and water better than Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Each place has different stories to tell—present in the wetlands, wharves, fields, homes, shops and churches.

Stevensville
Lovers of 19th-century history and architecture will find Stevensville a worthwhile stop along the byway. Christ Church (c.1880) is a fine example of Gothic architecture, while the Old Stevensville Post Office (c.1870), which served the community until 1952, is now home to the Kent Island Heritage Society. The Cray House (c. 1809) is a rare example of post and plank construction. The Walking Tour of Historic Stevensville will guide you to all 23 stops in this historic district. Pick up a copy of the guide in one of Stevensville’s restaurants or other local businesses.

Centreville
Names for its central and easily accessible location, Centreville was incorporated in 1794 and is the seat of Queen Anne’s County. Pre-Civil War and Victorian era styles decorate the town with vivid history. Notable examples of 18th-century architecture include Wright’s Chance, the Tucker House, and Providence Farm, which features one of the earliest surviving examples of a gambrel roof in the Tidewater area. The courthouse, located on the central green, is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the State of Maryland, with operations dating back to 1796. Visit the Centreville Landing for a look at homes built by the sea captains and maritime merchants who shaped the economy of the Corsica River area.

Church Hill
The town of Church Hill grew around a 1698 water mill, the foundation of which can be seen along Route 19. St. Luke’s Church (c.1732) is located on the hill that gave the town its name. The Church Hill Theatre, built in 1929 as a movie house, was saved from demolition in the 1980’s and now regularly hosts theatrical productions.

Chestertown
Chestertown has been a Royal Port of Entry, the scene of its own Revolutionary protest over imported tea (1774), and a hub of trade, farming and cultural life. Stroll back in time by visiting Kent County’s historic courthouse (c.1860), Emmanuel Church, Fountain Park, the Charles Sumner G.A.R. Hall, the Gaddes-Piper House (a Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network site), Washington College (founded 1782), and numerous 18th-century structures located throughout historic Chestertown. Visit the Kent County Visitor Center for a copy of the Walking Tour of Historic Chestertown Guide.

Rock Hall
Officially established in 1707, Rock Hall is an important port of call that offers visitors numerous opportunities to experience the Chesapeake Bay and the town’s working waterfront heritage. The Rock Hall Museum portrays a century of life in “The Pearl of the Chesapeake,” while the Waterman’s Museum presents the rich history of the maritime trades that helped build the town. A glimpse into the history of recreation on the Eastern Shore, the Tolchester Beach Revisited Museum preserves the bygone era of a once-popular bayside amusement park that operated here from 1877 to 1962.

(Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Capitol in Flames

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District of Columbia, Washington
The U.S. Capitol was the British troop's first target when they arrived in Washington on August 24, 1814, only hours after their afternoon victory at the Battle of Bladensburg. The invaders fired rockets through the Capitol's windows. When the building's iron-plated ceiling prevented the fires from spreading, the attackers burst inside, piled up the furniture, draperies, and other combustible, and fired a rocket into the mess. The result was a fire so intense that it melted glass light fixtures.

Temporary Quarters

The burning of the Capitol, where Congress had voted to declare war on Great Britain in June 1812, left the legislators homeless. So they reunited at the Patent Office, at seventh and F Streets, NW. On February 16, 1815, Congress ratified the Treaty of Ghent (and the war's end) at the Patent Office.

“I had no objection to burn[ing] arsenals, dockyards, frigates building, stores, barracks, etc.… but we were horrified at the order to burn the elegant houses of Parliament.” — British Captain Harry Smith

In the summer of 1814 the United States had been at war with Great Britain for two years. Battlefronts had erupted from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. On August 24, following their victory over the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland, British troops marched on Washington with devastating results.

The Star-Spangled Banner Historic Trail reveals sites of the War of 1812 in Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland. Visit ChesapeakeExplorerApp.com or download the Chesapeake Explorer App.

(War of 1812) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Destroying the Library

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District of Columbia, Washington
The original Library of Congress occupied a room in the U.S. Capitol. When British troops burned the Capitol in 1814, the collection was destroyed. After the war Thomas Jefferson helped re-establish the library by selling to Congress at a discount some 5,500 of his own books. President James Madison appointed local editor and writer George Watterston as his first full-time Librarian of Congress.

Returned Souvenir

In 1940 a collector sent the Library of Congress a book titled, RECTs and EXPENDs [receipts and expenditures] U.S. FOR 1810. It survived the British burning of the library in 1814 because British Rear Admiral Cockburn took it for a souvenir. He inscribed it, “Taken in President's room in the Capitol of Washington 24th August 1814.”

In the summer of 1814 the United States had been at war with Great Britain for two years. Battlefronts had erupted from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. On August 24, following their victory over the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland, British troops marched on Washington with devastating results.

The Star-Spangled Banner Historic Trail reveals sites of the War of 1812 in Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland. Visit ChesapeakeExplorerApp.com or download the Chesapeake Explorer App.

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

Prized Property

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Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Edgewater
A victory off the coast of Brazil inspired John Contee to name this property “Java’s Farm.” Contee was a lieutenant on the USS Constitution when it captured and burned the British frigate HMS Java, December 29, 1812.

Contee purchased a plantation here called “Sparrow’s Rest” in 1819. Whether or not he used prize money from the battle with HMS Java, as legend claims, there is little doubt why he chose the new name.

“Mr. Contee took command of the Marines, and I have pleasure in saying that his conduct was that of a Brave good Officer, and the Marines behaved with great coolness and courage during the action, and annoyed the Enemy very much…”
Captain Isaac Hull to Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton, August 28, 1812.

Victories at Sea
Contee was also on USS Constitution on August 19, 1812 when it defeated HMS Guerriere and earned the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

(Inscription under the image of the ships)
Engraving of the capture of the British frigate Java by USS Constitution, created by Sarony & Major, ca. 1846

(Inscription beside the image of the coin)
Medal commemorating defeat of HMS Java. Image/Clements Library, University of Michigan.

(War of 1812) Includes location, directions, 9 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Clarence Center

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New York, Erie County, Clarence
Site of early grist mill constructed in 1842 by Robert Brown. Successively operated by Eli Herr, Abraham Gantz, Daniel Blocher, Alexander Burns and Oscar King. Destroyed by fire in 1888.
The residence of Daniel C. Fisher M.D. was constructed on this site in 1939.

Plaque erected by the Historical Society of the Town of Clarence in memory of Daniel C. Fisher M.D. in 1975

(Industry & Commerce) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Yuma Street

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Kansas, Riley County, Manhattan

One of Manhattan's early architects, Dr. John Walters, designed Douglass School in 1903. The school - designed for "colored" children is now the Douglass Center Annex.

Walters is best known for his buildings on the Kansas State University campus, including Fairchild Hall and Kedzie Hall. Dr. Walters was also instrumental in creating the architecture program at Kansas State Agricultural College, now K-State.

(Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Man-Made Features) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Java Plantation Life

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Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Edgewater
Since the 1700s there has been a road leading to Contee's Wharf. Deep water and the protection provided by Big Island made it a natural port. The river has served as a vital link between area residents and the outside world.

The wharf was the center for trade and commerce as well as the latest news and gossip. Sailing vessels brought imported goods such as china and fine cloth to exchange for tobacco grown on Java. The wharf also served other farms in the area. The steamboat Emma Giles called at Contee’s Wharf into the 20th century and ferried people, crops, and livestock.

Early settlers copied the dugout canoes of the Native Americans. The English punts had a sharper bow and stern which made them faster, but less stable than Indian canoes. One log punts gave way to two and three log canoes, and finally to a five log canoe known as a bugeye. All were used for fishing and oystering on the Rhode River.

(Inscription under the photo in the upper left)
“Steamboat Landing on Shady Side” by John Douglas. (Inscription under the photo in the center) Contee’s Wharf, circa 1900-Courtesy H. Graham Wood.

(Inscription under the photo in the bottom center)
The Punt: The colonist version of the native single log canoe.

(Inscription under the photo on the right)
The Bugeye: A final stage in development of the native log canoe.

(Agriculture • Colonial Era • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Java Plantation Life

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Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Edgewater
The increase in tobacco production was closely linked with the economic growth of America. Tobacco was so popular that it was used as money. Maryland had a suitable climate for its production, so the area thrived. The Java Plantation, like other area plantations grew tobacco as its major crop.

The Java plantation flourished because of tobacco, but not without cost. This plant quickly depletes the nutrients in the soil. To solve this problem, early settlers simply cleared more land for planting. In the first two centuries of European settlement in Maryland, virtually all trees had been cut down.

Growing tobacco was hard work. Working with a hoe was tedious, but disturbed the soil to a minimal depth. The plow, invented in the 1790s made the process easier, but disturbed the soil to a greater degree. This disturbance, combined with the loss of trees which hold the soil, greatly increased the erosion of soil into creeks and rivers from precolonial times.

(Inscriptions under the images from left to right)
Hoe, Plow, Tractor, Rolling a hogshead filed with tobacco, Tobacco Stamp.

(Agriculture • Colonial Era) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Java Plantation Life

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Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Edgewater
While the plantation owner’s house was situated on a hill, African American slaves had to live in less desirable surroundings. Slave quarters were built in low, marshy area near the water. Mosquitoes and damp living conditions were a constant problem.

The quarters usually were one or two room houses built of wood and mud with dirt floors. Fireplaces and chimneys, if present, were also made from mud and sticks. Glass was expensive and difficult to get, so there were no windows.

Houses were crowded; space was at a premium. Children slept on boards that leaned against the wall or fireplace. Can you imagine sleeping like that? African Americans had to make their own furniture and utensils. Although the plantation owner supplied the slaves with a basic diet of corn and porK, most slaves added extra foods by gardening, fishing, or trapping.

(African Americans • Agriculture • Colonial Era) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Java Plantation Life

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Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Edgewater
By 1840 there were 84 African American slaves on the Java Plantation, a large number for the area. Almost half were children. On a typical day the slaves would rise before dawn, prepare and eat breakfast, feed the livestock, and be in the fields by sunrise. In the fields slaves might hoe, weed, clear new land, pick insects from the tobacco, or harvest the crop. Mothers took their babies into the fields with them, but young children were often left to take care of themselves. By the age of ten they were put to work.

Sunset signaled the end of work in the fields. Other chores had to be done before a slave had free time to spend with family. Music and dance helped form a distinct slave culture while maintaining ties to their African heritage.

“The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart”
Frederick Douglas.

(Inscription under the image in the bottom left)
Using native materials African American slaves made banjos and drums that were similar to those they had played in Africa. They also played homemade guitars, flutes, whistles, and horns.

(African Americans • Agriculture • Entertainment) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.


Java Plantation Life

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Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Edgewater
The needs of the English settlers were similar to those of the Piscataways. As farmers they wanted good soil, so they often settled near “old fields,” areas once used by Native Americans. Look across the field to the ruins of the Java mansion.

Notice that it is built high on a hill, yet close to a navigable waterway. This was a typical location for the 17th or 18th century houses in Maryland. The house was originally built around 1700 by Thomas Sparrow with successive owners adding to it. By the time John Contee named the property “Java” in 1828, the mansion had 2 ½ stories with hyphens and wings on each side.

For most of three centuries Java was farmed as a business venture. The owner lived elsewhere and an overseer was left in charge.

The mansion burned in 1890 and was rebuilt using fire damaged brick. This left it structurally unsound and it was eventually abandoned. All that remains are the ruins you see.

During the War of 1812, America naval officers were rewarded by Congress for capturing British ships. John Contee served as an officer on the USS Constitution when it captured the HMS Java. According to legend it was with this bounty money that Contee bought this property and named it “Java.”

(Agriculture • Colonial Era • War of 1812) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Java History Trail

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Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Edgewater

Native American Exhibit
250 yards, a 5 minute walk
Java Plantation Exhibit
.5 mile, a 25 minute walk
Java Dairy Exhibits
.75 mile, a 55 minute walk
Java’ Return to Nature Exhibits
1 mile, a 70 minute walk

Indians of the Chesapeake
For over 2,000 years the Mattaponi, the Piscataway, and the Choptank people shared this area. These Native American cousins hunted and fished in the Rhode River area. A Piscataway campsite, representative of all three groups, has been reconstructed to show how these people may have lived. Graphic displays provide additional information on their hunting and fishing methods.

Java Plantation
From the mid-1600s through the Civil War tobacco was the main crop grown in this area. Plantations developed along rivers and creeks for easy shipment of this essential crop. The Java History Trail explores life on a tobacco plantation from the viewpoint of both owner and African American slave. A small barn houses graphic displays and exhibits that revolve around the Java Plantation.

Java Dairy Farm
Robert L. Forrest operated a dairy on this land from 1915 to the mid-1940s. Many of the changes he made to the land are still visible in the landscape today. Graphic panels located along the trail tell about his dairy operations, the impact of grazing cattle on the land, and the way nature reclaims abandoned land. Forrest donated this land to the Smithsonian Institution when he died in 1962.

Java’s Return to Nature
A prime location on the Rhode River and its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay allow SERC scientist to conduct long-term research in a variety of ecosystems on air, land, and water. Some of the research is explained on graphic panels along this section of the trail. A raised walkway crosses Fox Creek marsh with displays giving information on the types of plants and animals living in a tidal marsh.

(Agriculture • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 10 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Daguerre Monument

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District of Columbia, Washington
This monument pays tribute to French Artist and inventor Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851), who revolutionized picture-making in 1839 by introducing the first practical form of photography to the world. Known as the daguerreotype, Daguerre's process used chemically sensitized plates of silver-clad copper to produce unique, direct-positive images that won international acclaim for their extraordinary clarity and detail.

In 1889 the Photographers' Association of America commissioned sculptor Jonathan Scott Hartley to create this work to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Daguerre's achievement. Hartley's design features a likeness of Daguerre based on an original 1848 daguerreotype by American photographer Charles R. Meade (1826–1858) of Meade Brothers Studio. The Sculpture includes the kneeling figure of fame, who frames Daguerre's head with a laurel wreath fashioned from the garland that encircles the globe—a symbol of the international impact of Daguerre's invention. Upon its completion in 1890, the Daguerre Monument was presented to the Smithsonian. It was placed in its current location in 1989, with sponsorship of the Professional Photographers of America, to mark the 150th anniversary of photography.

Jonathan Scott Hartley (1845–1912)
Bronze and granite, cast in 1890 by Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company
Lent to the National Portrait Gallery by the National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center

Conservation of the Daguerre Monument in 2014 was made possible with federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Advisory Committee.

(Arts, Letters, Music • Science & Medicine) Includes location, directions, 11 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Indians of the Chesapeake

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Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Edgewater
Have you wondered how we know so much about past cultures? Have you ever thought about future generation studying the present? What would they find?

Since no books or photographs were left behind by earlier civilizations to tell us how they lived, we depend on what archaeologists find to inform us. Small pieces of the past are uncovered by digging through the layers of the earth. Each layer has its own story to tell…if you know what to look for. Our story of the Piscataway people is based on interpretations of the objects found on the land.

On the left are drawings of what an archaeologist found on this property. These small pieces are from some larger object. Can you match the small pieces with the whole object on the right? Can you tell how the object was used?

The illustration on the left show a test pit dug by an archaeologist. You can see the plow zone, or area that has been mixed up by plowing. The subsoil below is where archaeologists look for artifacts, or things made by humans.

(Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

A County in Ruin

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Maryland, Calvert County, Owings
British raiding parties brought the war to Calvert County in 1814, destroying plantations and towns and carrying away the spoils. With the county’s tobacco-based economy and England as its primary market at the start of the war, Britain’s blockade of Chesapeake waters was devastating for local residents.

The Maryland Gazette reported “a retaliatory system of plunder and conflagration” by the British following the Battles of St. Leonard Creek. People fled their homes. The original towns of Huntington and St. Leonard were burned to the ground. Many residents left war-torn Maryland to start anew elsewhere. Recovery following the War of 1812 was especially difficult for Calvert and the rest of Southern Maryland.

Some places to learn more about the War of 1812 in Calvert County
*Prince Frederick
Site of British raid and burning of courthouse and jail
*Mount Calvert Historical and Archaeological Park
Plantation house; site where Royal Marines landed to join in the march to Washington
*Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum
Exhibits; site of largest naval engagement in Maryland history *Calvert Marine Museum-Exhibits depicting the British presence in Southern Maryland.

“In Calvert County absolute ruin has… overwhelmed its citizens…”
Maryland Gazette, June 30, 1814

(Inscription below the main image)
The British often targeted stores of tobacco in their efforts to damage local economies.

(War of 1812) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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