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Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad

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Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia
One of America's earliest railroads, authorized by the state legislature in 1828 and completed in 1834. Stretching 82 miles west to the Susquehanna, it was powered first by horses, later by steam. Part of a state-owned transportation system, including the Pennsylvania canal, built in response to intense competition from adjacent states. Acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. in 1857. Stone blocks placed for the original track have remained visible here.

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

Nathan Teall

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New York, Onondaga County, Liverpool

Nathan Teall
First Postmaster
West Cicero 1825
changed to
Clay 1828

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

African American Baseball in Philadelphia

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Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia
For 85 years, starting with the Pythians and Excelsiors in 1867, Black ball clubs were a significant part of the Philadelphia scene. The Giants, formed 1902, were soon "World's Colored Champions." The Hilldales, Eastern Colored League Champions, 1923-25, won the Colored World Series, 1925. The Philadelphia Stars from 1933-52; they were in the Negro National League, 1933-48, & many of their games took place at this site.

(African Americans • Sports) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999)

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Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia
A legendary basketball player, born in Philadelphia. Earned national attention at Overbrook High School and at the University of Kansas. Played professionally for the Harlem Globetrotters, Philadelphia Warriors and 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers, 1958-73. A dominant center, he set records for both rebounding and scoring; scored 100 points in one game, 1962. Most Valuable Player four times. Member, Basketball Hall of Fame.

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

"Pat's King of Steaks"

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Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia
Using culinary influences from Abruzzi, Italy. Brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri created one of the nation's favorite fast foods. The steak sandwich, from a centuries-old recipe used in American homes, Pat's steaks originated here in 1930 and invented the prototype of beefsteak sandwiches that uses Italian-style roll and seasonings. Since 1930, Pat's Steaks has shown its hospitality to celebrities and politicians known world-wide, and has an important part in the City of Philadelphia's place in the history of American cuisine.

Text by Historian Celeste A. Morello, MS. MA.

(Industry & Commerce) Includes location, directions, 8 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Police Department Philadelphia

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Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia
This Walk of Honor is dedicated to the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department's South Police Division. The Passyunk Square neighbors recognize and thank the police officers who serve the South Philadelphia community every day. The trees ringing Capitolo Park are a living testament to their bravery and commitment.

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

Lancaster Post Office

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New York, Erie County, Lancaster

This property
has been placed on the
National Register of
Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

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

Lancaster Municipal Building

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New York, Erie County, Lancaster

This property
has been placed on the
National Register of
Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

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

Opera Hall

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New York, Niagara County, Lewiston
Built by Joseph T. Hewitt, about 1840, as a series of stores. Later became known as Moss Hall. At one time housed a Waterfrount mission. Was the center of social activity, known as the Opera Hall, at the turn of the century. The west section was built in 1926.

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

Hume and Hovell

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Australia, Victoria, near Moyhu
Hume and Hovell passed nearby Nov. 26 and on return Dec. 30 - 1824.

(Colonial Era • Exploration) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

3524 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.

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District of Columbia, Washington

1920-1930:
Apartments, Shops and Cars

“Connecticut Avenue is the principal approach to what is undoubtedly Washington's greatest suburban buying power” — The Washington Post, December 7, 1930

Early development of Cleveland Park was limited to country estates and single-family dwellings, but in the 1920s Cleveland Park began to see construction of apartment buildings and a commercial strip along Connecticut Avenue. Spurred in part by DC's first zoning laws of 1920, which identified Cleveland Park as one of four shopping areas along the avenue, new businesses sprang up in the area.

The firehouse was built in 1916, while the first commercial development on the 3500 block was the Monterey Pharmacy, which opened in 1923. It was followed in 1925 by the Sanitary Grocery Company at what is now 3524 Connecticut Avenue.

Designed by local architect George Nicholas Ray for W. N. Guthrie, the building was a one-story, stone and brick store with one display window and valued at $7,000. Its new tenant, Sanitary Grocery Company, operated around 300 stores in the region and was distinct in its self-service format, heralding the popularity of supermarkets in the 1930s.

The grocery business in the Washington, DC area was highly competitive, with rival chains opening stores close to one another, so it was hardly surprising that in 1928, a new grocery store, the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A & P), appeared next to Sanitary. The grocery chains were fierce competitors. At that time, A & P was enjoying success as a cash and carry store — meaning it didn’t make deliveries of offer charge accounts — ; it was aggressive in pricing and operated on shoestring margins.

The second half of the structure that eventually became 3524 Connecticut Avenue dates to 1928, when Charles H. Thompkins purchased an empty lot from Sanitary that stood between it and the firehouse. He sold the property to the firm of Sabin & Kass. This was the first project for Garfield I. Kass, who went on to be a highly successful commercial developer; in a 1957 interview he recalls:

“My first job was a little place on Connecticut Avenue at Ordway — a store built for the A & P Tea Co. It was a $4,500 job.”

Sabin & Kass hired architect Harvery Warwick to design a one-story brick store, which was valued at $8,000. Warwick was a noted Washington architect known for his apartment buildings in a variety of styles, including the Westchester Apartments on Cathedral Avenue.

By the time the decade drew to a close, Cleveland Park had established itself as an upscale shopping district, and had already encountered the ancillary problems of traffic congestion and parking. Even the stock crash of 1929 didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of commercial investors, and in December 1930, Shannon & Luchs opened the new Park & Shop between Porter and Ordway streets. Among its first tenants: Piggly Wiggly — then owned by Sanitary — and A & P.

1945:
Modernizing Cleveland Park

The next significant development in the history of 3524 Connecticut came in 1945 when R.C. Archer Jr., and African American architect practicing in Washington DC, renovated the property for Anna Sabin and Henry Crossen. As part of the renovation the two 1920s structures were joined as one. Archer designed a new glass and metal façade with a central doorway to unite the existing buildings, and it is this version of the property exterior that the 2009 restoration most closely resembles.

As part of the 1945 construction, pigmented structural glass (often referred to as Vitrolite or another trade name) was applied to the front walls, and additional support beam was added, and a boiler room enclosed. In the dining area, the restaurant's distinctive booths were installed, and stood in place until the 2009 renovation.

The new occupant was a restaurant called the Seafare Restaurant, a waitress and tray service restaurant and cocktail lounge that occupied the site until 1954.

“We don't need any more shooting galleries and hot-dog stands along the avenue.” — Bernard Elman, Secretary, Cleveland Park Business Men's Association, 1940

(sidebar): Main Street and Structural Glass

One of the distinctive features of the building's façade is its black pigmented glass border. Pigmented structural glass — known by the trade names of Vitrolite, Carrara or Sani-Onyx — appeared in the early years of the twentieth century, and was promoted as an affordable substitute for marble. It was championed as a sanitary, versatile, and easy-to-install material.

With its smooth, reflective surface, structural glass embodies Art Deco and Moderne styles. Originally available in black or white, in the 1930s structural glass was produced in variety of vivid colors and could be decorated with inlaid designs or illuminated.

During the Depression years, commercial areas had become run down; the solution was to modernize. In 1935, Libby-Owens-Ford Glass, manufacturer of Vitrolite, sponsored a competition “Modernize Main Street” in Architectural Record that awarded $11,000 in prizes to designs that would “provide space, convenience, and light.”

Vitrolite was touted as the ideal solution for sprucing up main street and invigorating sales. A company marketing brochure form c. 1935 declared. “Vitrolite has been responsible for renting and selling properties that had been vacant for months, because they were antiquated.” In addition, financing was available through the newly created FHA Modernization Credit Plan.

Washington had its own program to modernize: in 1938 the Washington Building Congress launced its “Renovize Washington Campaign” that asked business owners to invest in upgrades because “they profit directly from installing modern up-to-date fixtures, fronts and interiors.” The Seafare Restaurant is a perfect example of how structural glass could be used as a veneer in updating a older storefront, uniting two separate establishments into a single, streamlined façade. It is worth noting, however, that this instance is a late example. The heyday of structural glass was the 1930s, and a decade later, it was falling out of fashion and becoming expensive.

: R. C. Archer, Jr.
1890-1968

The architect who created the look of the Seafare Restaurant with its signature glass exterior and interior booths, was African American architect Romulus Cornelius Archer, Jr. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, the son of a plastering contractor, he came to the Washington, DC area during the years of the First World War. Archer studied architecture through the International Correspondence School of Scranton Pennsylvania, finishing his architectural training at Columbia University in 1913.

Working for clients predominantly in the Brookland area of the city, Archer first ran a solo practice from his home, and later in 1921, relocated to an office close to the U Street Corridor. In 1926, he became a licensed architect in the District, the second black architect in DC to be licensed. His projects include apartments, commercial buildings and churches in Washington, DC and Virginia.

1955-2007
Peking to Yenching: A Chinese Restaurant 1955 – 2007

On January 16, 1955, 3524 Connecticut Avenue opened for business as a new Chinese restaurant, the Peking Palace, serving 147 menu items and cocktails and billing itself as “The Best Northern Chinese Food in the Nation’s Capital.”

Almost Immediately it ran into legal issues with its name and menu; up the street, at 5522 Connecticut the Peking Restaurant claimed it had exclusive right to the name, along with two dishes that appeared on both menus.

As owner of the Palace, S. Van Lung, and its 23-year-old business manager Paul Dietrich, had previously been employed at the Peking Restaurant. In January 1956, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a 1955 ruling that the Peking Palace had to change its name, and the Peking Palace became the Yenching Palace. (Yenching is an older, alternative name for the city of Peking [Beijing].)

While the restaurant retained some of the interior features and the facade of the previous Seafare Restaurant, it became a local landmark in part because of its distinctive 1958 sign — a red 20-foot neon sign with a reversed “Y.”

The Yenching Palace’s long-time owner, S. Van Lung, played a visible role in the local Chinese-American circuit, and was described by the Washington Post as “host, activist, &helllip; one of Washington’s best known businessmen.” A second Yenching Palace operated in Alexandria from 1975 until 1987.

In 1991, Larry Lung, nephew of S. Van Lung, purchased 3524 Connecticut Avenue from his uncle’s estate. The Yenching Palace operated at the property until 2007 when it was leased to a Walgreens drugstore.

:More Diplomats Daily Than the White House

From its earliest days, the Yenching Palace was host to diplomats, stars and visiting dignitaries. The restaurant had a gift for self-promotion, and in its early years claimed it “entertained more diplomats daily than the White House.”

According to restaurant history, during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 emissaries of President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev held a series of meeting at the restaurant, at the last of which terms were agreed to end the situation. The hour-long ABC documentary “The Cuban Missile Crisis” was filmed a the Yenching Palace. It was narrated by ABC reporter John Scali , who acted as an intermediary in the crisis.

The Washington Post described the evening:
“Patrons found unfamiliar bright white tablecloths and a number of staff wearing tuxedos. But service went on as usual and in the kitchen, carry-out orders stood alongside festive platters of food prepared for the Chinese and their guests.

Three tables, each with 10 places, had been set up in a closed-off section ... The menu, printed in Chinese and English, listed 14 hot and cold dishes to be served in five separate courses.”

In its heyday, the Yenching Palace attracted an array of famous names from George Balanchine to Mick Jagger, Dionne Warwick and Walter Mondale, but it later faced increasing competition from other restaurants in the city. By the 1980s, it was perceived as a neighborhood hangout, rather than as a place to catch a glimpse of the powerful or famous.  

(Asian Americans • Industry & Commerce) Includes location, directions, 13 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Kelsey Tavern

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New York, Niagara County, Lewiston
Erected in 1820 by Thomas and Catherine Kelsey. In 1825 Marquis De Latayette spent the night in this inn and was reunited with Nicholas Cusick, a Tuscarora Chief, who was his scout during the Revolution and whom he credited with with saving his life.

(Native Americans • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Holy Grail

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United Kingdom, Scotland, Argyllsockshire, Stirling
Defeat at the castle seems to have utterly disheartened King Arthur ... The ferocity of the French taunting took him completely by surprise and Arthur became convinced that a new strategy was required if the quest for the Holy Grail were to be brought to a successful conclusion. Arthur, having consulted his closest knights, decided that they should separate, and search for the Grail individually. Now, this is what they did. No sooner....

{Blah-blah blah blah blah. Does anybody actually read these things?}

On so on April 9th, 1975, the Holy Grail (yes, the real one, not some cheap tarted-up imitation) was found in the vicinity of this here Castle.

Erected this April the First, Two-Thousand-and-Fifteen
(Nisan 12, 5775)
By
The Knights Who Say Ni, Pre-eclampsia Chapter

Y Creo Que Necesito Una Cerveza!

(Arts, Letters, Music • Churches, Etc. • Entertainment • Forts, Castles) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Stagecoach Stop

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West Virginia, Gilmer County, near Coxs Mills
Finished in 1848, the Farnsworth House sits on a 300-acre farm with family cemetery. The house was built for James Farnsworth, brother of Daniel D.T. Farnsworth, second governor of West Virginia.

A tavern was built to feed and house travelers, and a toll house was located here to collect turnpike fees. There was also a cattle weighing Station for drovers moving animals for sale in Weston.

In addition to moving the stage safely across mountainous terrain, the driver also acted as baggage master, conductor and express man. Along the route, he was hailed and handed money with a request to purchase some article in the city.

Did you know? Proper handling of the horses and the coach was an art that required much practice, experiene, and not the least, courage.

(Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Cairo & Kanawha

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West Virginia, Ritchie County, Macfarlan
Frederick Lemon discovered a vein of natural asphalt near Macfarlan Creek in 1852. Shortly after the Civil War, the narrow-guage Calico Railroad was completed from Cairo to facilitate mining at the newly created boomtown of Ritchie Mines.

After an 1873 explosion, the mines closed. Two decades later, the track was rebuilt as the Cairo and Kanawha Railroad, the asphalt mines reopened, and the rails were extended to Macfarlan. Railroad operations were discontinued in 1929.

Ritchie County was named for Thomas Ritchie, a Virginia journalist. Ritchie was a great supporter of the western counties of Old Virginia and a promoter of public schools.

Did you know? The first railroad to Ritchie Mines became known as the Calico Railroad when a local merchant observed that the tracks were no wider than a bolt of calico.

(Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Chambly Canal

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Quebec, La-Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Chambly
English:
The Canal, connecting Lake Champlain with the St. Lawrence River, for navigation purposes, was proposed in 1785. Begun in 1831, it was excavated as far as Chambly, but the undertaking was suspended in 1835. Work was resumed in 1841; the locks at Chambly were completed, and, in 1843, the canal opened to navigation.

French:
Ce canal, reliant le lac Champlain au Saint-Laurent pour les fins de la navigation, fut projeté en 1785. Commencé en 1831, il était creusé jusqu'à Chambly quand l'entreprise fut suspendue en 1835. En 1841, les travaux furent repris; on construisit les écluses de Chambly et le canal fut ouvert en 1843.

(Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

500 Center Street Archaeological Site

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New York, Niagara County, Lewiston
Archaeological investigations at the First Niagara Bank at 500 Center Street in Lewiston, New York, yielded abundant information about how people utilized the site during historic and prehistoric times.

Prehistoric artifacts recovered from the site include a Brewerton Side Notched projectile point (arrowhead) made of Onondaga chert, dating to 4000-1700 BC, a chert scraper used for hide processing, and pieces of debris from stone tool manufacture. These items indicate that Native Americans visited this location as early as six thousand years ago.

The house located on this house dates to the mid 19th century. Records for the building and lot show that Dr. Ambrose Thomas built the dwelling before 1855, and it became owned and occupied by Dr. Edward Smith, son of pioneer doctor Willard Smith, who began the first Niagara County Medical society. It is assumed that Dr. Edward Smith probably obtained the house in 1855. Dr. Smith employed another smaller structure on the site (no longer standing) as his office. In the early 20th century, the smaller structure was used by a local cobbler as a shoemaker's shop. When Dr. Smith died, the practice was purchased by Dr. T.A. Kerr. The house was subsequently owned by Dr. C.A. Shepard in 1902, and occupied by the Silberg family whose store was across Center Street in the former Calvin Hotchkiss store, now a bakery. Dr. Hans Selzer was the last physician to practice in this building until his death in 1905. From that time until 2005, the building housed the Country Doctor Antiques store which has relocated east on Center Street.

The archaeological work on this site recovered many artifacts related to the activities of both the physicians and the cobbler. Among the items associated with medical activities are test tube fragments, pieces of a sphygmomanometer, medicine bottles, pill boxes, a pharmacist's mortar, and denture fragments. Artifacts used by the cobbler include shoe leather, shoe buckles, pieces of an ammonia bottle, a bottle for boot black and numerous metal containers. Other items - including fragments of tableware, glass beverage bottles, buttons, smoking pipies, perfume bottles, and cut bones from livestock - shed light on the everyday activities at this site.

Archaeological investigations were conducted by Panamerican Consultants, Inc. of Buffalo for First Niagara Bank.

First Niagara Bank also wishes to thank The Lewiston Museum for their assistance in developing information for this plaque.

(Native Americans • Science & Medicine) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Fort Ste. Therese

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Quebec, La-Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir
English:
Built in 1665, on the point south east beyond the canal, by M. de Salieres. One of the forts constructed on the Richelieu by the Carignan Regiment for defence against the Iroquois, starting point of the expedition of 1666. In June, 1760, Major Robert Rogers burned the fortified post.

French:
Bâti en 1665, sur la pointe sud-est, de l'autre côté du canal, par M. de Salières. L'un des forts construit sur le Richelieu, par le régiment de Carignan, pour arrêter les Iroquois. Point de départ de l'expédition de 1666. En juin 1760, le major Robert Rogers brule le magasin fortifié qui s'y trouvait.

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

Fort Sainte-Thérèse

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Quebec, La-Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir
English:
In 1665, not far from here on the shores of the Richelieu, the soldiers of the Carignan-Salieres regiment built a wooden stockade to protect the new colony and bring the war to Iroquois territory, southwest of Lake Champlain. The construction was completed on October 15, the day of celebration for Saint-Thérèse.

The fort was abandoned two years later when peace was made with the Iroquois, and then rebuilt in 1747. It was burned down by American Rangers on June 16, 1760, after which it was immediately rebuilt by the Chervalier de Lévis, who fired the fort at the end of August 1760 after the fall of the French fort at Île aux Noix. In September of the same year, the British occupied the fort site and proceeded to install entrenchments. Shortly afterwards, the fort was abandoned for good. It was resurrected from the past in 1923 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

French:
En 1665, tout près d’ici, sur les bords du Richelieu, les soldats du régiment de Carignan-Salières construisent un fort de pieux pour protéger la jeune colonie et pour conduire la guerre en territoire iroquois, au sud-ouest du lac Champlain. La construction est terminée le 15 octobre, jour de la fête de Sainte-Thérèse.

Deux ans plus tard, le fort est abandonné quand la paix est conclue avec les Iroquois. Il est reconstruit en 1747, Ensuite, il est brûlé par les Rangers américains le 16 juin 1760, mais immédiatement reconstruit par le chevalier de Lévis, qui l’incendie à la fin août 1760, après la chute du fort français de l’île aux Noix. En septembre de la même année, les Britanniques occupent le site du fort et mettent en place des retranchements. Mais peu de temps après, le fort est définitivement abandonné. Il surgira toutefois du passé en 1923, quand son importance historique nationale sera reconnue par la Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada.

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

Fort Lennox

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Quebec, Le Haut-Richelieu RCM, near Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix
English:
Fort Lennox was the third fortification built on Isle-aux-Noix as a barrier to invasion along the Richelieu River from the south. The island was first fortified by the French in 1759 but the British captured it the next year. In 1775 the Americans occupied the island as a base for their attack on Canada. After they retreated the British erected a new fort to deter further American invasion. During the War of 1812 it protected an important naval base. Later this fort was razed and a new masonry work, Fort Lennox, was built (1819-29) to guard the Canadian border. It was garrisoned until 1870.

French:
Ce fort fut le troisième construit dans l'île-aux-Noix pour prévenir les invasions par le Richelieu. L'île fut d'abord fortifiée par les Français en 1759, capturée par les Anglais l'année suivante, puis occupée en 1775 par les Américains qui projetaient d'attaquer le Canada. Lorsque les Britanniques reprirent l'île, ils y construisirent un nouveau fort, ce qui permit de protéger une importante base navale, au cours de la guerre de 1812. Plus tard, le vieux fort fut rasé et un nouvel ouvrage en pierre, le fort Lennox, fut construit (1819-1829) pour garder la frontière. Une garnison l'occupa jusqu'en 1870.

(Forts, Castles • War of 1812 • War, US Revolutionary) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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