Author: Ms. R.

Old Town Spring and the accompanying springhouse, which according to the earliest external inscription was constructed in 1816, were purchased by the city in 1840 as an early municipal water distribution system to enhance water service in Winchester, Virginia. Laid in Flemish blonde brick, the springhouse is in outstanding condition. It contains a door on the south side that allows access to the open spring. The brick porch and steps appear to have been a later addition. The interior……

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Along the side of the highway in rural south Gippsland stands the Toora Dog Tree. Keen-eyed explorers will spot it as they drive past, and it is well worth a brief stop. The creations on the tree gradually expand, with evidence of more to come. The old cypress tree sits outside a lone house, where the owners have taken it upon themselves to carve their beloved dogs into the tree.  The dogs were carved using a chainsaw and beautifully……

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Abner Doubleday was born in Ballston Spa, New York on June 26, 1819. He is widely credited with inventing the game of baseball. It is said that he devised the initial rules of play in a cow pasture on the farm of Elihu Phinney, and played the game there regularly. His other, perhaps lesser-known claim to fame, is that he fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter during the Civil War. Doubleday came from a long line……

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A 1985 article about the Grizzly House Restaurant in the Spokesman-Review made sure to make note of the telephones at each table, just in case diners “wanted to pick up somebody at another table.” The phones on the tables are just one of the tells at the Grizzly House, a peek into a Banff of an earlier time, a time where the restaurant’s first life was as the center of the area’s nightlife. Established in 1967, it began as……

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During the Edo Period, when the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled Japan, Edo, the capital and what is now modern-day Tokyo, grew to be the most populous metropolis on the planet, with an estimated 1 million inhabitants. When societies industrialize, food systems have to adapt. Enter the demae, or delivery men, who braved the streets of Edo balancing towers of dozens of piping hot meals on their shoulders to feed the hungry masses. “Basically, you had a lot of urban density……

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Bobby Sheldon’s vehicle is like the Mona Lisa. Just like the famous painting, the car sits in a room with grand masterpieces that are larger in scale, but arguably far less historically significant. The 116-year-old runabout is the first and only car manufactured in Alaska. Known simply as The Sheldon, the automobile is currently on display at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum in Fairbanks, thanks to a long-term loan from the University of Alaska’s Museum of the North. It’s……

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The Basilica of St. Louis King of France, the oldest Roman Catholic Cathedral still in use in the United States. A stunning three-spired brick and post building, a type of construction used in New Orleans until the mid-19th century, its bells can still be heard tolling the hour. The soaring center spire is flanked by two smaller spires on either side and a perfectly symmetrical façade opening up to a pedestrians-only plaza facing Jackson Square. The park, with a……

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The Ajuda Bridge (Nossa Senhora da Ajuda Bridge or Olivença Bridge) is a ruined bridge located on the right bank of the Guadiana River, in the municipality of Elvas. This structure is full of history and intrinsically linked to the Olivença dispute and the conflicts between Portugal and Spain.  The bridge’s construction dates back to 1510 and as early as 1597 two of the central arches collapsed due to heavy flooding of the river. In 1641, it was repaired……

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At the turn of the century, New Hampshire’s White Mountains were a marvelous attraction for city folk from Boston and New York City. Looking to escape their busy lives, rich city families would summer in the picturesque mountain range, most of which was serviced by an intricate series of railroads. Grand hotels would pop up all over northern New Hampshire during this time, but perhaps none were grander than the Mount Washington Hotel.  Completed in 1902, the hotel was……

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