Author: Ms. R.

It was spring in England, and Sir Robert Cecil—Secretary of State for King James VI and I—was not happy. “I have also sent you a piece of paper folded as gentlemen use to write their letters,” he wrote to his teenage son, William, “whereas yours are like those that come out of a grammar school.” The scolding tone is timeless; William’s offense, however, is a bit dated. In the early 17th century, mass-produced envelopes had yet to be invented…….

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On November 5th, 2013, Mayor Scott Avedisan revealed a stone plaque on the sidewalk of the newly restored bridge. It reads “Danger Bridge,” but this particular bridge could not be any less dangerous. It was City Council President Donna Travis who fought to convince the Mayor to keep the name as she campaigned for its restoration. You won’t find Danger Bridge on most maps. Constructed in 1885, it served as a link between Horse Neck and the rest of……

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Arriving to Daroca from the north, just before entering the old town, on your left you will see a mysterious tunnel. It’s called La Mina (the Mine). But don’t let the name fool you. It wasn’t built for mining or exploratory purposes.  It dates back almost five centuries, to 1560. The town’s main street, Calle Mayor de Daroca, follows along the bottom of a ravine. During heavy rains, torrential floods of water flowed through Daroca, causing serious damage along the way…….

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The U.S. Life-Saving Service was a coastal rescue system established by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for the purpose of saving distressed vessels and their occupants at sea. The first installation in Maryland was located in the dunes near the northern end of Ocean City, Maryland some time around 1881. By 1891, activity had increased to the point where a larger space was required to house the growing agency, and the present museum building was constructed to meet……

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Site W-64 was one of three Nike Missile sites in Fairfax County, Virginia in the late 1950s, and one of 13 such sites that encircled the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, poised to respond to any attack on the country and capital during the height of the Cold War.  The Lorton site was designated as the “National NIKE Site” by then-Secretary of the Army Charles C. Finucane and hosted foreign dignitaries, along with local and national politicians. Initially, the site……

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Spectators catching a little league baseball game in Sydney Mines may not suspect they are watching the game on the site of the old Princess Colliery. Sunk in 1876, Princess Pit was the first in the Sydney coalfield to mine under the ocean. It descended to a depth of 2,000 feet (600 meters) and reached more than five miles (nine kilometers) under the Atlantic. The men who worked the seam would be lowered in a cage, then climb onto……

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Placer mining is a method of digging up rocks and soil from old stream deposits, using water to separate rocks from gold nuggets and flakes. Prospectors used flat pans to find enough gold to establish a claim. Sluice, riffle, and rocker boxes were used to work claims that showed promise. Deposits around Breckenridge were particularly rich with gold and lent themselves to more mechanized methods of placer mining. The sluice, riffle, and rocker boxes were built into boats that……

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Stubbert’s Point on the north side of Sydney Harbour has a commanding view of the harbor and stood as a natural location for a defensive fortification. A gun was placed here during World War I, and an anti-submarine net also ran from the location to the South Bar. The current ruins are the remains of a gun emplacement constructed in the lead-up to World War II. The site was one of seven gun batteries that encircled the Sydney Harbour……

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While admiring the old city hall on the Boston Freedom Trail, vistors may notice children climbing on a bronze donkey statue. Somewhat less popular with the kids is a cast of footprints with the motto “Stand In Opposition” emblazoned behind the heels. When Boston preservationist Roger Webb visited Florence, Italy, he became enamored with a statue of a donkey he found in a shop. He envisioned gifting this statue to the city of Boston and placing it on the……

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Standing adjacent to the town square in historic Port Tobacco, Maryland, this gambrel-roofed building is one of only three 18th-century buildings still standing in Port Tobacco. Constructed in the mid-1700s for tobacco merchant John Parnham, the house has an interesting past, including one entire room being disassembled and reassembled at The Art Institute Of Chicago in 1930. However, the building was eventually purchased back and painstakingly reassembled in its original location. Stagg Hall was added to the National Register……

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