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Trail Trials: Cathedral Ledge
The White Mountains of New Hampshire possess some of the most spectacular scenery in the eastern United States—their natural splendor the inspiration for famed, nineteenth-century landscape painters like Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, and Benjamin Champney. This picturesque American wilderness continues to garner contemporaneous appreciation from the vantages of Cathedral Ledge. Located within Echo Lake State Park, this seven-hundred-foot granite prominence provides unparalleled, panoramic views
The Salem Witch Trials
In January 1692, a mysterious affliction tormented the parsonage of Samuel Parris, the reverend of Salem Village parish. The minister’s daughter, nine-year-old Elizabeth (Betty), and niece, twelve-year-old Abigail Williams, exhibited uncontrollable and erratic behavioral episodes—uttering strange noises, throwing hysterics, contorting their bodies—followed by hours of stupefaction and paralysis. According to Reverend John Hale, a minister from the neighboring town of Beverly, these fits were “be
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens consistently ranks among the top tourist attractions in Charleston, South Carolina. It is a preservationist’s paradise—a 464-acre ecological conservatory home to thousands of plant and animal species—and an archetype for horticultural innovation in America. Its status as a former plantation provides historical context fundamental to understanding the cultural dynamics of southern society and harsh realities of race relations in the United States. Magnolia Plantat
Fort Moultrie
Between 1776 and 1947, Fort Moultrie served as the guardian of Charleston Harbor. The defensive work endured a baptism by fire during the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, where Patriot militia successfully fended off the predominant British Navy—an emboldened victory that helped legitimize the American Revolution.Fort Moultrie is located on the southwestern tip of Sullivan’s Island, which is named after Captain Florence O’Sullivan, one of South Carolina’s first settlers and a Deputy to the Lords Pro
Colonial Dorchester
On December 5, 1695, Reverend Joseph Lord—a Puritan minister from Massachusetts—and several dozen members of his congregation boarded the sloop Friendship bound for South Carolina. Labeled “religious dissenters” by the Anglican Church, Lord’s sectarians sought to “settle the Gospel” in the acceptive southern colony. After a two-week voyage, the Congregationalists docked in Charlestown (present-day Charleston) and spent nearly a month exploring the Lowcountry terrain. On January 26, 1696, Lord’s
Fort Sumter
On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired upon the Federal garrison at Fort Sumter—an island fortress centered in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This hostility did not develop in isolation, rather the culmination of decades-long sectionalism and progressively-divergent partisan politics, specifically the interwoven issues of slavery and state sovereignty. The object of instigative action, Fort Sumter became a springboard for the American Civil War—its beleaguered embattlements symbolic of
The Battle of Bentonville
On December 21, 1864, the port city of Savannah, Georgia, unconditionally surrendered to Major General William Tecumseh Sherman and his Military Division of the Mississippi. It was the coup de grace of Sherman’s “March to the Sea”—an attritional campaign that carved a swath of destruction through Georgia’s economic heartland. Sixty thousand Federal troops employed a scorched-earth policy, as described in Special Field Order No. 120, that crippled Confederate industrial capacity, destroyed infras
Old Sheldon Church Ruins
The esthetic ruins of Old Sheldon Church—situated serendipitously beneath moss-covered canopies in Beaufort County, South Carolina—emulate celestial intrigue and retrospective melancholy analogous with the annals of Antebellum society. According to the National Register of Historic Places, Sheldon Church (c. 1745 – 1753) was America’s earliest example of “temple-form” Neoclassicism, prototypical of Greek Revival architecture popularized during the early to mid-nineteenth century. When religious
Drayton Hall
Maintained in an exceptional state of preservation, Drayton Hall encapsulates early American history with irreplicable authenticity. This magnificent estate—part of the Ashley River Historic District in Charleston, South Carolina—is recognized as the nation’s oldest unrestored plantation home and North America’s earliest example of complete Palladian design. These attributes distinguish Drayton Hall’s unique architectural landscape and help contextualize the stratified interdependent relationshi
Mammoth Cave
An ethereal environment lies beneath the hills of Kentucky; a gargantuan natural phenomenon unrivaled in magnitude and sublimity. Mammoth Cave—the world’s longest cave system—has tantalized mankind’s visceral interests for centuries with its mystic permanence and renowned biodiversity. It is a truly remarkable specimen of geophysical agency that holds incredible significance in human history. Mammoth Cave’s subterranean labyrinth emerged approximately ten million years ago when mildly-acidic gro
The Tennessee Riverwalk
The Tennessee Riverwalk is an 11.1-mile trail that meanders through the urban landscapes and diverse communities of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This recreational corridor explores the city’s intriguing social and industrial histories while appreciating the Tennessee River Valley’s delicate natural ecosystems. Mile 0 – Chickamauga Dam The Tennessee Riverwalk's northern terminus originates at Chickamauga Dam—an exemplar of New Deal innovation. Prior to the dam's conception, the Tennessee River was an
The Lizzie Borden House
On August 4, 1892, a horrific crime of seismic proportions sent shockwaves through the headlines. An elderly New England couple bludgeoned to death in their own home, a covert killer at large, a nation captivated by the unfolding investigation. At the center of it all was the victims’ 32-year-old daughter—implicated by presupposition and suspicious circumstance—whose inquest testimony and subsequent criminal trial transpired into one of the most prolific unsolved murders in American history. Liz
The Jim Beam Distillery
From humble beginnings as a family still in the Kentucky bluegrass, Jim Beam has evolved into the world’s best-selling bourbon—the product of an ancestral craftsmanship spanning seven storied generations. Jim Beam’s contemporary adoration may be understood through its history, one that encapsulates ambition, ingenuity, and perseverance. Johannes “Jacob” Boehm (later Anglicized to “Beam”) was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on February 9, 1760. When Jacob’s father, Nicholas, died suddenly in
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
After christening the new year with a hard-fought victory at Stones River, the Federal war effort in Middle Tennessee stalled during the first several months of 1863. The Union Army of the Cumberland—60,000 strong under Major General William S. Rosecrans—remained in winter quarters well through the spring thaw, while Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee (roughly 43,000 troops) strengthened their defenses along the Duck River. The War Department, impatient with Rosecrans’ inaction, urged
The Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga Trails
With a combined distance of nearly 95 miles, the Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga Trails follow the former Seaboard Railroad’s Atlanta-Birmingham extension, linking the suburban sprawls of northwest Georgia to the tranquil east Alabama countryside. Beloved by locals, this recreational greenway attracts more than two million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular trail networks in the southeast. The Seaboard rail system was originally chartered in 1832 as the Portsmouth & Roanoke (P&R)
The Battle of New Market
When Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant assumed command of all Federal armies in March 1864, he endeavored to strategize a cohesive war effort. While Grant’s main objective was defeating Robert E. Lee, he coordinated simultaneous campaigns across multiple fronts to exploit the Confederacy’s lack of manpower. General William Tecumseh Sherman levied his Military Division of the Mississippi against Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee in Georgia while three major Union forces operated in Virgini
Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
The socioeconomic programs of Reconstruction stimulated extensive infrastructural development within the former Confederate states. Sprawling new-construction railroad networks connected Tennessee’s once-remote coal mining regions to major industrial centers, rousing the demand for cheap labor. Like many of its destitute southern counterparts, Tennessee adopted the parsimonious convict leasing system—the exploitation of state-sanctioned punitive labor by private entities. Unfortunately, this con
The Dunlap Coke Ovens
The scientific innovations conceived during the Second Industrial Revolution stimulated technological advancements in transportation, communication, and manufacturing that radically transformed America’s socioeconomic landscape. The meteoric rise of steel was conducive to this change. Groundbreaking mass production techniques (such as the Bessemer Process) proliferated steel reserves with unprecedented convenience and efficiency. With its structural superiority and wholesale accessibility, steel
Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery
In February 1807, Virginia-born planter John Harding and his wife, Susannah Shute, purchased a 250-acre homestead seven miles south of Nashville, Tennessee. The property (originally named “Dunham’s Station”) was positioned along the Natchez Trace—an ancient Native American footpath utilized by settlers and frontiersmen traveling between Middle Tennessee and the Mississippi River. The highway’s proximity spurred Harding’s interest in commercial business ventures. By the mid-1810s, the Hardings op
Jack Daniel's Distillery
Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel was born in Lincoln County, Tennessee, between 1846 and 1850—period archival records were destroyed in an 1883 courthouse fire, leaving his precise birthdate permanently obscured. Jack was the youngest of ten children to Calaway and Lucinda Daniel, the latter of whom died shortly after his birth. Calaway later remarried to Matilda Vanzant, who fostered an abrasive relationship with the Daniel children, particularly Jack, which impelled him to leave home sometime durin
Trail Trials: Marietta Paper Mill Ruins
The Georgia Piedmont underwent significant geoeconomic transformations during the mid-19th century. Profound population growth, progressive transportation technologies, and agricultural prosperity stimulated capitalist enterprise. Commercial speculators surveyed the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries (such as Sope Creek) for their potential hydropower, transforming these latent waterways into burgeoning veins of industry. Constructed between 1853 and 1855, the Marietta Paper Mill epitomized
Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum
Mosquito Inlet—first charted in April 1513 by Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon—was a relatively uninhabited estuary during the first two centuries of American colonization. Its treacherous shoals, erratic tidal currents, and frequent storms provided substandard conditions for permanent settlement. While under British occupation (1763 – 1784), Florida’s commercial prospects improved with the development of indigo and cotton plantations between Matanzas Bay and Cape Canaveral. Mosquito Inle
Castillo de San Marcos
Located in St. Augustine, Florida, Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest surviving example of European masonry fortifications in America. Originally constructed between 1672 and 1695, the fortress emulated the colonial authority of Spain; however, ensuing decades of conflict drastically altered the power dynamics in North America, ultimately resulting in United States sovereignty. Castillo de San Marcos—with its long and embattled history, distinguished architecture, and cultural materiality—pers
Trail Trials: Cloudland Canyon
The high country of Northwest Georgia is home to many fascinating natural landmarks, but few can compare to the popularity and magnificence of Cloudland Canyon. The resultant of violent tectonic activity and sequential erosion, Cloudland Canyon emerged during the Late Paleozoic Era (approximately 325 – 250 million years ago) when supercontinents Gondwana and Laurasia collided to form Pangea. This momentous terrestrial event, known as the Alleghenian Orogeny, caused an uplifting of the Appalachia
Trail Trials: Crabtree Falls, VA
Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains are home to some spectacular waterfalls, but none quite compare to the scale of Crabtree Falls. At nearly twelve hundred feet in total drop, Crabtree Falls is the highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Though relatively isolated, hundreds of thousands of tourists from across the country visit this majestic landmark each year. The history of the falls can be traced back to their namesake, Reverend William Crabtree, who explored the region in the
The Battles of The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House
The American Civil War’s third full year of combat was its most vicious and destructive yet. The Battles of Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga produced costly Union victories, but failed to subvert the Southern rebellion. In March 1864, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Ulysses S. Grant—the accomplished commander of Union armies in the Western Theater—to General-in-Chief of all U.S. forces, hoping he could deliver a decisive blow against the Confederacy. Instead of overseeing operations fro
The Blue Ridge Tunnel
The emergence of locomotive engines during the early 19th century revolutionized the capabilities of commerce and transportation across America; however, these preliminary technologies lacked the necessary power and sophistication to navigate rugged terrain like the Blue Ridge Mountains, which obstructed direct conveyance between Virginia’s Piedmont region and the Shenandoah Valley. But as railway mechanics became more developed, opportunities arose to unite the divided Commonwealth. During the
The Battle of Fredericksburg
1862 was a calamitous year for the Union Army of the Potomac. George B. McClellan’s failed Peninsular Campaign and inability to vanquish General Robert E. Lee at Antietam drew the ire of congressional Republicans, who called for the general's immediate dismissal. President Abraham Lincoln—annoyed by McClellan’s lack of initiative and unwillingness to aggressively pursue Lee—finally conceded to the political pressure on November 7, when he named Major General Ambrose Burnside commander of the Arm
Franklin Delano Roosevelt National Historic Site
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) is widely recognized as one of the most influential politicians in American history. During his twelve-year tenure as president, Roosevelt expanded the authority of the federal government, revived the U.S. economy from the depths of the Great Depression, and executed steadfast diplomacy amidst the perils of global conflict. Through his revolutionary reforms and transformative socioeconomic policies, Roosevelt helped guide America out of the shadows and into an era
John Tyler's Sherwood Forest
On April 4, 1841, America’s tenuous political climate nearly reached its breaking point. William Henry Harrison, the nation’s ninth President, had died just one month after taking the oath of office. Never before had a sitting President failed to complete his term. The vague rules of succession outlined in the U.S. Constitution caused rampant confusion and heated debates on Capitol Hill. In the midst of this controversy entered Vice President John Tyler, whose actions would forever alter the cou
Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Tuberculosis (TB) was a well-established global affliction during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The disease—commonly referred to as consumption or the “White Plague”—was the leading cause of death in most industrialized nations. The pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, would typically affect the pulmonary tract during the early stages of infection, causing nondescript symptoms such as fever, malaise, and a phlegmy cough. However, as the disease proliferated within its host, bacterium
Berkeley Plantation
Berkeley Plantation is the Old Dominion’s beau ideal colonial homestead. It features the oldest three-story brick home in Virginia and has been the setting for several noteworthy events in American history—the birthplace of President William Henry Harrison and location of the first English Thanksgiving, among others. Given these attributes, Berkeley has earned the honorable distinction as “Virginia’s most historic plantation.” Berkeley Plantation was originally established as the ‘Berkeley Hundr
High Bridge Trail State Park
“There have been higher bridges not so long and longer bridges not so high, but taking the height and length together, this is, perhaps, the largest bridge in the world.” — C.O. Sanford, Southside Railroad Chief Engineer, 1852 From 1849 to 1854, the Southside Railroad constructed rail lines between Petersburg and Lynchburg, Virginia, directly connecting Piedmont farmlands to inland ports along the James River. In 1852, company investors from Farmville subsidized the construction of High Bri
Barboursville Ruins
The decrepit brick facades and Doric columns of Barboursville were once the epitome of Jeffersonian architecture in Orange County, Virginia. Designed by Thomas Jefferson himself, the mansion was built between 1814 and 1822 for namesake James Barbour—a lifelong politician who began his lawmaking career in the Virginia House of Delegates, serving three distinct terms between 1796 and 1812. He was an advocate for Democratic-Republican ideals and quickly became a prominent member of the delegation,
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum stands in commanding silence over the town of Weston, West Virginia—an imposing relic of America’s troubled mental health history. The brainchild of Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, the asylum was supposed to represent the best of psychiatric medicine. Instead, it evolved into a monolithic house of horrors whose corridors echoed with the screams and anguished cries of tormented souls—some of whom still reside within the hospital’s haunting desolation. After receivin
The Virginia Capital Trail Video
The Virginia Capital Trail (VCT) is a 51.7-mile bike path that runs from Jamestown to Richmond, Virginia. Though recently completed in 2015, the trail takes its travelers on an intriguing journey through American history spanning over four centuries. Check out the highlights of my trip in today's video, and don't forget to read my VCT travel log for more information about the historic attractions nearby! Thanks for watching!
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, his family’s 3,000-acre plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a well-respected surveyor and politician while his mother, Jane Randolph, hailed from the pretensions of Virginian aristocracy. The Jeffersons enjoyed an affluent lifestyle and endowed young Thomas with a formal education—a privilege he deeply cherished throughout his life. Inspired by the Age of Enlightenment, Jefferson gained an appreciati
The Virginia Capital Trail
The Virginia Capital Trail (VCT) is a 51.7-mile bike route that extends from Jamestown to Richmond, Virginia. Though recently completed in 2015, the VCT passes by several dozen historic landmarks and attractions, encompassing centuries of American history. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, over 1.2 million people visited the VCT last year, making it one of the most popular trails in Virginia. Mile 0 – Jamestown: I began my journey just after 7:00 a.m. at the VCT’s eastern terminus near J
The Roanoke Canal Trail and Museum
Inadequate infrastructure was a prevailing problem in 18th Century America, particularly in the Piedmont regions. While land and opportunity were certainly abundant, impassable waterways and poorly maintained roads made it nearly impossible for farmers to transport their goods to coastal markets. The green federal government did not possess much authority to fund infrastructural projects under the Articles of Confederation. Instead, the burden fell upon the often underfunded and Tidewater-biased
West Point Foundry Preserve
Prior to the Revolutionary War, the American colonies—rife with natural resources—were practically devoid of any large-scale industrial capabilities. This disparity stemmed from the economic reliance perpetuated by British colonialism. Protectorates of the Crown supplied raw materials to Britain, where they were processed into finished goods and shipped back to the colonies at marked-up prices. Oppressive, profit-oriented proclamations destabilized American manufacturing capacity and prevented t