Back in the USA
Bangor/Winterport
Modern Bangor was established in the mid-19th century with the lumber and shipbuilding industries. Lying on the Penobscot River, logs could be floated downstream from the Maine North Woods and processed at the city's water-powered sawmills, then shipped from Bangor's port to the Atlantic Ocean 30 miles downstream, and from there to any port in the world. Evidence of this is still visible in the lumber barons' elaborate Greek Revival and Victorian mansions and the 31-foot-high statue of Paul Bunyan. Today, Bangor's economy is based on services and retail, healthcare, and education.
We did not see much of Bangor, but really liked what we saw. One of the fun facts about Bangor is that this is home to Stephen King. Evidently he is a very active member of the community.
Old Winterport Commercial House
Portland, Maine
On our first trip to Portland, Maine from Winterport, we travelled down the coastal highway. We ate dinner at this fun restaurant.
This statue of a lobster ended up at this restaurant as a result of a break down of a car. The artist had car trouble and had to leave his sculpture in front of the restaurant. It attracted so much attention, the restaurant bought the sculpture and it never had to leave the spot!!
Portland, Maine has a wonderful walking path along the coast. The boulder above is placed there as a memorial to the Jewish veterans of WWI.
WWII Action
The USS Portland returned to base at Pearl Harbor from a training mission just days after Japan’s 1941 surprise attack. With many of the Navy’s biggest gun ships destroyed, the Portland was entering battle outnumbered and outgunned,
Engaged in almost every naval battle: The heavy cruiser Portland fought in the battles of Guadalcanal. Gilbert and Marshall Islands, Luzon, Manila Bay, and Okinawa. She was the only US ship in all the three major battles. Coral Sea, Midway, and Leyte Gulf. Once, the Portland remained at sea for a stunning 20 weeks without re-supply. Ultimately, she earned 16 battle stars, more than all but handful of ships. Called “Sweet Pea” by her crew, she endures.
Damaged yet dangerous: At Guadalcanal in 1942, a torpedo nearly rips off her stern, killing 18. With a crippled rudder and steaming in circles, her gunners still sink a destroyer from six miles out and severely damage an enemy battleship.
Survival skills: During the battle of Okinawa, kamikazes filled the sky from dawn to dusk. From March to June, 1945, the Portland avoided an estimated 1500 attacks. How? By maneuvering like a PT boat, using lights to blind pilots, and aiming at aircraft wings. But mostly, as Ted Walker recalls, “just shoot as fast as you can, and hope you hit the damn thing before it hits us.”
USS Portland is singled out for surrender ceremonies: Among all the famous ships of the Pacific Fleet. Admiral Chester Nimitz selected her to accept the surrender at Truk, the great Japanese naval base. The signing on September 2, 1945, took place at the very same hour as more widely-known ceremonies on the battleship Missouri.
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Fort Gorges is a former United States military fort built on Hog Island Ledge in Casco Bay, Maine. Built from 1858 to 1864, no battles were fought there and no troops were stationed there. Advancing military technology, including iron clad ships and long range guns, made the fort obsolete before it could be used. The fort is now a park, accessible only by boat.
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Portland native Longfellow (1807-1882) often walked up Munjoy Hill to this park from his home nearby on Congress Street. The poet, like countless others over the centuries, stood here relishing the timeless- and to him0 inspiring view.
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We especially enjoyed Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, just outside of Portland.
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Portland Head Light, is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.
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Fort Williams Park
From the 1750’s, Portland Harbor was of economic importance as the closest American harbor to Europe and of strategic importance as a protected anchorage for the navy. As part of an upgrading of the harbor defenses in 1873, construction began on a battery at Portland Head to replace the outmoded granite forts in the inner harbor. This location ultimately contained six modern batteries mounting twelve guns and became headquarters for the harbor defenses.
One of FDR’s New Deal programs, the Civilian Conservation Corps hired unemployed young men during the Great Depression. The CCC provided training to men between the ages of 18 and 25 for work on conservation projects including tree planting, fighting forest fires, and construction. Fort Williams was the state headquarters and induction center for all new enrollees before their assignment to one of Maine’s 28 camps. Throughout the nation, more than 2,000,000 men served in the CCC.
More views of this spectacular lighthouse and its surrounds
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow often walked from Portland to visit this Lighthouse. The Keepers were his friends and it is believed he sat here for inspiration for his poem, ‘The Lighthouse;’
“Sail on: Sail on ye stately ships,
And with your floating bridge the ocean span.
Be mine to guard this light from all eclipse
be yours to bring man near unto man.”
Fort Williams
Portland Headlight began to transform into a fort in 1896 with the installation of the first battery. By 1898, the first 3 batteries were installed and by 1899, the title was officially Fort Williams. Following the acquisition of additional acreage by the Army in 1900, major expansions took place including a barracks, officers’ quarters, hospital, and more.
With the United States’ involvement in the Great War beginning in 1917, Fort Williams was placed on alert. Prior to the war, each battery, such as Battery Blair, was manned by 3 companies consisting of 80-100 soldiers. Due to catching the tail-end of the war, the German Navy was no longer considered a threat, and many of the soldiers stationed would be sent to Europe.
In 1939 and through much of World War 2, the fort was heavily manned once more by members of the 240th Coastal Artillery Regiment. When test-firing the old batteries the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Battery Blair destroyed surrounding property due to the shock blast. By 1944, all of the original batteries and cannons had been removed as the fort was transitioning into an administrative headquarters. Fort Williams remained as an administrative headquarters until 1964, when the town of Cape Elizabeth purchased the property.
Goddard Mansion
Goddard Mansion, a prominent ruin inside Fort Williams Park, was built in 1853-59 for Colonel John Goddard. Colonel Goddard was a businessman who commanded the 1st Maine Volunteer Cavalry Regiment for three months during the American Civil War. The mansion was purchased in 1898 by Judge Joseph W. Symond. In 1900, it was acquired by the federal government during the expansion of Fort Williams. The mansion was converted to quarters for non-commissioned officers and the basement was used as a non-commissioned officer's club. The mansion's remaining walls still stand on the hill overlooking Fort Williams.
Longfellow's house
Deering Oaks Park
Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Boston is one of the oldest municipalities in the United States, founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon gaining U.S. independence from Great Britain, it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a center for education and culture.
Then we got off of the boat and got onto the hop on/hop off bus. Our first hop off of the bus was Faniel Hall. It was supposed to look like this, but it was draped in blue cloth because of construction.
Faneuil Hall was built as a market and still functions as one today. On the second floor, ceremonies, meetings, lectures and protests have enlivened and sometimes disrupted the Great Hall for over 250 years. On the fourth floor is an exhibit of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, the country’s oldest chartered military organization.
This is a statue of Samuel Adams, one of the first leaders of the rebellion against Great Britain.
Samuel Adams (September 27 [O.S. September 16] 1722 – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and one of the architects of the principles of American republicanism that shaped the political culture of the United States. He was a second cousin to his fellow Founding Father, President John Adams.
Adams was born in Boston, brought up in a religious and politically active family. A graduate of Harvard College, he was an unsuccessful businessman and tax collector before concentrating on politics. He was an influential official of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Boston Town Meeting in the 1760s, and he became a part of a movement opposed to the British Parliament's efforts to tax the British American colonies without their consent. His 1768 Massachusetts Circular Letter calling for colonial non-cooperation prompted the occupation of Boston by British soldiers, eventually resulting in the Boston Massacre of 1770. Adams and his colleagues devised a committee of correspondence system in 1772 to help coordinate resistance to what he saw as the British government's attempts to violate the British Constitution at the expense of the colonies, which linked like-minded Patriots throughout the Thirteen Colonies. Continued resistance to British policy resulted in the 1773 Boston Tea Party and the coming of the American Revolution.
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Quincy Market is a historic complex near Faneuil Hall. It was constructed in 1824-26 and
named in honor of Mayor Josiah Quincy, who organized its construction without any tax or debt.
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State House
As the center of Boston’s civic life in the 18th century, the Old State House served as a government building where the colonists debated the future of British rule. The Bostonian Society has operated the Old State House since 1882 as a museum. The Old State House balcony was the site from which the Declaration of Independence was first read to the Bostonians in 1776.
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Beneath the Old State House balcony, a cobblestone circle marks the site of the
Boston Massacre, where on March 5, 1770, an unruly group of colonists
taunted British soldiers by throwing snowballs and rocks. Firing upon the crowd, the British
killed five colonists including Crisps Attucks. Boston lawyer and future American
President John Adams successfully defended the soldiers in court against murder charges.
This incident was like a spark to the powder keg of dissent that was happening at this time.
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The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the New State House, is the state capitol and seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. The building houses the Massachusetts General Court (state legislature) and the offices of the Governor of Massachusetts.
Roger and I found it quite interesting that a country based on religious freedom would hang a woman because of being a Quaker. We were too tired to get a good picture of the statue so I downloaded it. To the left, my picture with her a black dot off center. Downloaded picture below, much clearer!
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Mary Dyer (born Marie Barrett; c. 1611 – 1 June 1660) was an English and colonial American Puritan turned Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony. She is one of the four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrs.
While the place of her birth is not known, she was married in London in 1633 to the milliner William Dyer. Mary and William were Puritans who were interested in reforming the Anglican Church from within, without separating from it. As the English king increased pressure on the Puritans, they left England by the thousands to go to New England in the early 1630s. Mary and William arrived in Boston by 1635, joining the Boston Church in December of that year. Like most members of Boston's church, they soon became involved in the Antinomian Controversy, a theological crisis lasting from 1636 to 1638. Mary and William were strong advocates of Anne Hutchinson and John Wheelwright in the controversy, and as a result, Mary's husband was disenfranchised and disarmed for supporting these "heretics" and also for harboring his own heretical views. Subsequently, they left Massachusetts with many others to establish a new colony on Aquidneck Island (later Rhode Island) in Narraganset Bay.
Before leaving Boston, Mary had given birth to a severely deformed infant that was stillborn. Because of the theological implications of such a birth, the baby was buried secretly. When the Massachusetts authorities learned of this birth, the ordeal became public, and in the minds of the colony's ministers and magistrates, the monstrous birth was clearly a result of Mary's "monstrous" religious opinions. More than a decade later, in late 1651, Mary Dyer boarded a ship for England, and stayed there for over five years, becoming an avid adherent of the Quaker religion that had been established by George Fox several years earlier. Because Quakers were considered among the most heinous of heretics by the Puritans, Massachusetts enacted several laws against them. When Dyer returned to Boston from England, she was immediately imprisoned and then banished. Defying her order of banishment, she was again banished, this time upon pain of death. Deciding that she would die as a martyr if the anti-Quaker laws were not repealed, Dyer once again returned to Boston and was sent to the gallows in 1659, having the rope around her neck when a reprieve was announced. Not accepting the reprieve, she again returned to Boston the following year and was then hanged to become the third of four Quaker martyrs
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Granary Burying Ground, a historic cemetery established in 1660, is the final resting place of many notable figures of the American Revolution. This graveyard was started by Boston’s town officials in 1660 because of overcrowding in the “old burying ground” (King’s Chapel). Granary is Boston’s third graveyard and was referred to as the “New Burying Ground” or South Burying Ground.” Later it was called “Middle” or “Central” Burying Ground until it was named “Granary” after 1800. This name referred to the 12,000-bushel grain storage warehouse built in 1729 to provide food for the poor.
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| Five victims of the Boston Massacre |
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| Samuel Adam's graveston |
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| Benjamin Franklin's Family Burial Plot
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1707, son of Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), tallow chandler, and his second wife, Abiah (Folger) (1667-1752). After his parent’s deaths, Franklin erected a modest memorial to them with an inscription which said:
Josiah franklin and Abiah his wife lie interred. They lived lovingly together in wedlock fifty-five
years and without an estate or any gainful employment, by constant labor and honest industry
maintained a large family comfortably and brought up thirteen children and seven grandchildren.
Reputably from this instance reader be encouraged to diligence in thy calling and distrust not
providence. He was a pious and prudent man, she a discreet and virtuous woman. Their
youngest son in filial regard to their memory, places this stone.
By the 1820’s the inscription was so worn that in 1827 the City of Boston replaced the memorial with the current obelisk made of Quincy granite.
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This memorial erected by the commonwealth of Massachusetts to mark
the grave of John Hancock
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Paul Revere
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Sybil Ludington (April 5, 1761 – February 26, 1839) is celebrated as a heroine of the American
Revolutionary War. She reportedly rode to alert militia forces in the towns of Putnam County, New York and Danbury, Connecticut on the night of April 26, 1777 at age 16, warning of the approach of the British regular forces. The ride was similar to those performed by William Dawes, Paul Revere (Massachusetts, April 1775), and Jack Jouett (Virginia, 1781).
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| Mary Goose "Mother Goose" |
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| King's Chapel
Around 1750, the present stone version of King’s Chapel replaced the wooden structure of 1688. King James II had ordered the wooden chapel built. It was the first Anglican church in Boston, erected on the old burying ground over strong Puritan objections. Puritan power had weakened and James had appointed a royal governor to administer the colonies of Massachusetts. Behind the wooden chapel was the Boston Latin School is the oldest American public school still operating though at another Boston location. The school trained many of American’s founders, including Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock.
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Built in 1927, the Omni Parker House is a historic hotel in Boston,
Massachusetts. The original Parker House Hotel opened on the
site on October 8, 1855, making it the longest continuously
operating hotel in the United States.
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| Statue of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department, and the University of Pennsylvania.
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Images on the pillar of the Franklin statue.
The Irish Famine
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Arriving in Boston
In 1847 alone, 17000 Irish refugees landed in Boston, on the edge of
death and despair, impoverished and sick. Native Bostonians might
have been willing to send money and food to aid the starving Irish
as long as they remained in Ireland, wrote historian Thomas H
O’Connor, “but they certainly didn’t want them coming to America.”
The newcomers moved in along Boston’s waterfront, packed together
in damp cellars and overcrowded hovels. ‘Children in the Irish district,”
wrote Bostonian Lemuel Shattuck, “seemed literally born to die.”
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Crossing the Bowl of Tears
In a frantic attempt to outwit death, nearly two million fled Ireland.
“Many thousands of peasants who could still scrape up the
means fled to the sea, as if pursued by wild beasts, and betook
themselves to America,” wrote Irish patriot John Mitchel.
The emigrants boarded vessels so unseaworthy they were
called Coffin Ships. So many passengers died at sea that
poet John Boyle O’Reilly called the Atlantic Ocean upon
which they journeyed, “a bowl of tears.”
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The American Dream
Despite hostility from some Bostonians and signs of
No Irish Need Apply (NINA), the famine Irish eventually
transformed themselves from impoverished refugees to
hard-working successful Americans. The leadership of
Boston Irish like John Boyle O’Reilly, Patrick Collins, and
Richard Cardinal Cushing culminated in a descendent of
the famine generation, John F Kennedy, becoming the
nation’s first Irish Catholic President in 1960. Today 44
million Americans claim Irish ancestry, leading the nation
in Medal of Honor winners, and excelling in literature, sports,
business, medicine and entertainment.
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Lest We Forget
The commemoration of The Great Hunger allows people
everywhere to reflect upon a terrible episode that forever
changed Ireland. The conditions that produced the Irish
famine- crop failure, absentee landlordism, colonialism,
and weak political leadership- still exists around the world
today. Famines continue to decimate suffering populations.
The lessons of the Irish famine need to be constantly learned
and applied until history finally ceases to repeat itself.
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Dying of Hunger
Starting in 1845, a virulent fungus devastated the potato crop,
depriving poor Irish families of their main source of food and
subsistence. Ironically, as thousands of Irish starved to death,
the British government then ruling Ireland callously allowed tons
of grain to be exported from Ireland to pay absentee landlords
their rents. “The stranger reaps our harvest, the alien owns our
soil,” wrote Irish poet Lady Jane Wilde.
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An Gorta Mor
The great famine which ravaged Ireland between 1845-50
was the major catastrophe of the 19th century. It brought
horrific suffering and loss to Ireland’s 815 million people,
over one million died of starvation and disease. Another two
million emigrated, seeking sanctuary in Boston and other
North American cities. This remaining in Ireland suffered
poverty, eviction, and the decimation of their culture. This
memorial remembers the famine, known in Irish as An Gorta
Mor (The Great Hunger). It depicts the Irish exodus from
their homeland, their arrival in Boston and ultimate triumph
over adversity in America. It was dedicated on June 28,
1998, as part of the 150th anniversary of the Great Hunger.
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The People were Gaunt
Starvation and disease spread across the Irish landscape,
claiming one million lives. Half a million people were ruthlessly
evicted from their homes. Many died on the side of the road,
their mouths stained by grass in a desperate attempt to survive.
“The features of the people were gaunt, their eyes wild and hollow,
and their gait feeble and tottering. Pass through the fields, and you
were met by little groups bearing home on their shoulders a coffin,”
wrote Irish novelist William Carleton.
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Boston Sends Help
Citizens of Boston, of all faiths, responded to the desperate
plight of the starving Irish. On March 27, 1847, the USS
Jamestown, commanded by captain Robert Bennet Forbes,
sailed from Boston Harbor with 800 tons of food, supplies
and clothing. Fifteen days later it put into Cork Harbor, Ireland.
“Deeply are we indebted to the good citizens of Massachusetts,” Robert
Hare of Cork told the ship’s crew. “We will ever cherish their generous
solicitude for Ireland in her hour of trial and suffering.”
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| Pretty fountain we spotted on our way to the boat to meet Jan! |
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| Map of Ye Olde Boston |
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| Permanently opened bridge because too expensive to repair. |
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| Lunch with Jan Kowalczyk, previous resident of Marietta, choir member, and friend whom we miss very much!! Come visit us in the South soon!!! |
Scenes of the square outside the Revere house.
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| Statue of Paul Revere |
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| Never forget the Fire Department!! |
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Built ca 1712-1715, this sturdy brick house became home to its builder,
Ebenezer Clough, the master mason who helped construct the Old
North Church. He built several similar houses on this street, including
one owned by Benjamin Franklin and occupied by his sister, Jane Franklin
Mecum. Only the Clough House still stands. It is one of the oldest domestic
structures in Boston.
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The Old North Church
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| The plaque read: Theodore Roosevelt sat in this pew December 29, 1912 |
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| I would love to hear our beloved organist, Dr. Calvert Johnson, from FPC Marietta play on this beautiful organ!! |
Copp's Burying Ground
Copp’s Hill Burying Ground is the second oldest cemetery in Boston. In 1659, town officials became concerned about overcrowding at the Central Burying Ground (now called King’s Chapel Burying Ground on Tremont Street). Buried at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground are Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Edmund Hartt, builder of the USS Constitution, Robert Newman, who hung the lanterns in the steeple of Old North Church signaling patriots in Charlestown how British troops were moving on Lexington and Concord, and black activist Prince Hall Also thought to be buried here are many colonial-era free African Americans.
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| Sign on gate outside of the grounds. |
Here lies buried in a stone grave, 10 feet deep Cap Daniel Malcolm who departed this life October 23, 1769. Aged 44 years, a true son of Liberty a friend to the Publick, an enemy to oppression and one of the foremost in opposing the Revenue Acts on America.
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| Holocaust Memorial, one tower for each concentration camp. |
Charlestown Navy Yard
Home of the USS Constitution (Old Ironside), a place of shipbuilding repair and outfitting for over 200 years.
A Navy is BornAs a fledgling nation dependent on maritime trade, the US soon recognized the need to build a navy. USS Constitution is one of the first six frigates launched in 1797 to defend American freedom. Victorious in the War of 1812, USS Constitution earned the nickname “Old Ironsides.”
Serving the Fleet
The Charlestown Navy Yard played an important role in the birth, growth and success of the US Navy. The men and women who worked here built more than 200 warships and maintained and repaired thousands.
Why it was called Old Ironsides...
Around 2 p.m. on the afternoon of August 19, 1812, a lookout aboard USS Constitution spied a sail against the cloudy southern horizon. The newsflash brought the frigate’s commanding officer, Captain Isaac Hull, and his charges “flocking up like pigeons from a net bed,” according to one crewman.
It was HMS Guerriere again. The same frigate that Hull had skillfully eluded a month earlier near New York by taking evasive actions that included dumping 10 tons of drinking water overboard. The same warship that had been notorious for stopping American merchant vessels at sea and impressing their sailors, a practice that partly led to the declaration of war against Great Britain on June 18, 1812.
Now, two months later, Constitution and Guerriere, a French ship that had been captured by the Royal Navy in 1806, closed in on each other 400 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia. Constitution was the larger frigate, boasting a larger crew, a thicker hull and six more guns. What’s more, it had an unblemished combat record since being launched in 1797. Even if the commander of Guerriere, Captain James Dacres, knew he was outgunned and outmanned, he was still eager for a fight, telling others on board that if he became the first British captain to capture an American vessel, he would “be made for life.” The Royal Navy, after all, had a sterling record in ship-to-ship combat against more formidable opponents than the Americans.
Considering it unjust to compel Americans to fire on their countrymen, Dacres granted the 10 impressed sailors aboard Guerriere permission to stay below deck during the battle. Then, around 5 p.m., he ordered the crew to hoist two English ensigns and a Union Jack. In turn, Hull ordered four American ensigns, including the Stars and Stripes, raised on Constitution.
Guerriere opened fire but missed wildly. Constitution launched occasional shots, but Hull, to the unease of his crew, ordered them to hold most of their fire until they engaged the enemy in extremely close action. Around 6 p.m., the two ships drew alongside about 25 yards apart. Constitution rocked Guerriere with a full broadside. Hull, eager to get a better view of the action, split his dress breeches as he leapt atop an arms chest.
To the amazement of Dacres and his crew, the 18-pound iron cannonballs launched by Guerriere bounced harmlessly off the American frigate’s 24-inch triple-layered hull, which was made of white oak and live oak sheathed in copper forged by Paul Revere. One British sailor supposedly yelled out, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!” Thus, Constitution was christened “Old Ironsides.”
After 15 minutes of intense bombardment, the mizzenmast fell over the starboard side of the staggered Guerriere and impaired its ability to maneuver. Within minutes, Guerriere’s bowsprit became entangled with Constitution’s mizzen rigging, and the two interlocked ships rotated clockwise. As both ships prepared boarding parties, sharpshooters in the mast tops rained down musket fire on their enemies. Dacres was wounded in the back, and on the deck of Constitution a musket ball fatally felled Lieutenant William Bush, who became the first U.S. Marine Corps officer to die in combat.
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| Behind the door, inside the cabin room. |
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| And of course, I must take a picture of the bell!! Ring on, Old Ironsides!! |
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| Cool clouds gathering while we wait for the bus! |
We did not have the energy or time to go to the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill.
The Bunker Hill Monument is a major commemorative monument, memorializing a key battle in the Revolutionary War.
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in the battle. It was the original objective of both the colonial and British troops, though the majority of combat took place on the adjacent hill which later became known as Breed's Hill.
On June 13, 1775, the leaders of the colonial forces besieging Boston learned that the British were planning to send troops out from the city to fortify the unoccupied hills surrounding the city, which would give them control of Boston Harbor. In response, 1,200 colonial troops under the command of William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill. During the night, the colonists constructed a strong redoubt on Breed's Hill, as well as smaller fortified lines across the Charlestown Peninsula.
By daybreak of June 17, the British became aware of the presence of colonial forces on the Peninsula and mounted an attack against them that day. Two assaults on the colonial positions were repulsed with significant British casualties; the third and final attack carried the redoubt after the defenders ran out of ammunition. The colonists retreated to Cambridge over Bunker Hill, leaving the British in control of the Peninsula.
The battle was a tactical, though somewhat Pyrrhic victory for the British, as it proved to be a sobering experience for them, involving many more casualties than the Americans had incurred, including a large number of officers. The battle had demonstrated that inexperienced militia were able to stand up to regular army troops in battle. Subsequently, the battle discouraged the British from any further frontal attacks against well defended front lines. American casualties were comparatively much fewer, although their losses included General Joseph Warren and Major Andrew McClary, the final casualty of the battle.
The battle led the British to adopt a more cautious planning and maneuver execution in future engagements, which was evident in the subsequent New York and New Jersey campaign, and arguably helped rather than hindered the American forces. Their new approach to battle was actually giving the Americans greater opportunity to retreat if defeat was imminent. The costly engagement also convinced the British of the need to hire substantial numbers of Hessian auxiliaries to bolster their strength in the face of the new and formidable Continental Army.
Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst
This facility is an amalgamation of the United States Air Force's McGuire Air Force Base, the United States Army's Fort Dix and the United States Navy's Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst, which were merged on 1 October 2009.
It was established in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The legislation ordered the consolidation of the three facilities which were adjoining, but separate military installations, into a single joint base, one of 12 formed in the United States as a result of the law.
We are so proud of our nephew who is a Master Sergeant in the Air Force, who works on Aircraft Maintenance. Steven works on the C-17s. Here are pictures of Roger and Steven in the plane. We enjoyed our tour of the plane.
Philadelphia
This was our first view of Philadelphia. Last time we tried to visit Philadelphia, Hurricane Floyd hit the city and the streets were flooded. This time, Philadelphia was feeling the effects of Hurricane Dorian. We are started to feel that Philadelphia does not want us visiting.
The next morning we woke up and the sky was clear, the day glorious! So we walk down to the historical part of Philadelphia.
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Archeologists not only dig in remote places to uncover ancient civilizations, but they also
look for artifacts in urban areas. This is the President’s House foundation.
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Independence Hall
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| Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell bears a timeless message:
"Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof"
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The State House bell, now known as the Liberty Bell, rang in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House. Today, we call that building Independence Hall. Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris first ordered a bell for the bell tower in 1751 from the Whitechapel Foundry in London. That bell cracked on the first test ring. Local metalworkers John Pass and John Stow melted down that bell and cast a new one right here in Philadelphia. It's this bell that would ring to call lawmakers to their meetings and the townspeople together to hear the reading of the news. Benjamin Franklin wrote to Catherine Ray in 1755, "Adieu, the Bell rings, and I must go among the Grave ones and talk Politicks." It's not until the 1830's that the old State House bell would begin to take on significance as a symbol of liberty.
The Inscription
The Liberty Bell's inscription is from the Bible (King James version): "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof." This verse refers to the "Jubilee", or the instructions to the Israelites to return property and free slaves every 50 years. Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris chose this inscription for the State House bell in 1751, possibly to commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges which granted religious liberties and political self-government to the people of Pennsylvania. The inscription of liberty on the State House bell (now known as the Liberty Bell) went unnoticed during the Revolutionary War. After the war, abolitionists seeking to end slavery in America were inspired by the bell's message.
Independence Hall is the building where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted.
The building was completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House, and served as the capitol for the Province and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until the state capital moved to Lancaster in 1799. It became the principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783 and was the site of the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787.
A convention held in Independence Hall in 1915, presided over by former US president William Howard Taft, marked the formal announcement of the formation of the League to Enforce Peace, which led to the League of Nations and eventually the United Nations.
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| Quaker Meeting House Site |
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| Quaker School Site |
Carpenter's Hall
Built between 1770 and 1774 to showcase skilled craftsmen, this original building is still owned and operated by The Carpenters’ Company. The first floor exhibits feature 18th century building techniques and original chairs used by the Continental Congress
The City Tavern
The City Tavern
John Adams called it “the most genteel” tavern in America
Completed on the eve of the American Revolution to serve the elite of Philadelphia, the City tavern soon hosted the elite of an emerging American nation.
The City Tavern, like many other 18th Century taverns, was more than a “bar.” It was a center for political discussions, business transactions, and social events. Members of the Continental Congress lodged, dined, and celebrated here.
The building in the picture is a reconstruction of the original 1773 tavern.
First Bank of the United States
Secretary of the treasury Alexander hamilton was the force behind creation of the First Bank of the US. The Bank paid off the Revolutionary War debt and guided the new US through unstable financial times. The building was built in 1795.
The Second Bank of the United States
Established in 1816 to hold government deposits and regulate currency. It dominated American finance for more than a decade.
The temple-like bank had both priests and heretics. Bank President Nicholas Biddle preached the value of the bank, while US President Andrew Jackson decried it as a “hydra of corruption.” The “temple” was looted of its treasure when Jackson vetoed the recharter of the bank, distributing government deposits to smaller banks.
The architecture of this building is the real treasure- it has been called the finest example of Greek Revival architecture in the US
The course of history changed with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the signing of the Constitution of the United States in 1787. Both events took place at Independence Hall.
This sculpture commemorates the courage of those who affixed their names to these monumental documents.
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| It was too early in the morning for us to go into the cemetery, but those who buried Ben were obliging enough to put him at the fence! |
Benjamin Franklin had a rather impressive life. Just in case you are not able to read this list in the picture, I have transcribed it below.
1706 Born at Boston. January 17
1723 Removed to Philadelphia
1729 Editor of Pennsylvania Gazette
1730 Appointed Public Printer
1731 Founded the Philadelphia Library
1736 Organized the first Philadelphia Fire Company
1737 Appointed Postmaster of Philadelphia
1738 Member of the Provincial Assembly
1741 Established first American Magazine
1742 Invented the Franklin Open Stove
1743 Founded the American Philosophical Society
1749 Projected University of Pennsylvania
1751 Founded the Pennsylvania Hospital
1752 First to utilize electricity
1753 Deputy Postmaster General for the Colonies
1754 Delegate to Congress at Albany
1756 Colonel of Provincial Militia
1757-1770 Agent to Great Britain for Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts
1764 Speaker of Pennsylvania Assembly
1769 President of American Philosophical Society
1775 Delegate to the Continental Congress, Chairman of the Committee of Safety, Proposed “Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union,” Postmaster General of the Colonies
1776 Signed the Declaration of Independence, President of Constitutional Convention of Pennsylvania, Commissioner to the Court of France
1778 Negotiated Treaties of Amity and Commerce and of Alliance with France, Minister Plenipotentiary to France
1783 SignedTreaty of Amity and Commerce with Sweden, Signed Treaty of Peace with Great Britain
1785 Signed Treaty of Amity and Commerce with Prussia, President of the Provincial Council
1787 Member of Constitutional Convention of the United States
1790 Died at Philadelphia, April 17
Thomas Jefferson resided on this site while drafting the Declaration of Independence. In rented rooms on the second floor, Jefferson wrote his timeless defense of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and all the while attended by enslaved servant Bob Hemings. The house was demolished in 1883 and reconstructed in 1975.
WC Fields (1880-1946)
American comedian, raised in Philadelphia, noted for his irreverent wit. Starting out as a vaudeville juggler, he won enduring fame on screen and radio. He was in over 40 motion pictures, 1915-44. As a lad, he worked for a time at Strawbridge’s here.
Driving home we got to visit with friends and family. Mary Beth Lawrence, past associate minister of First Presbyterian Marietta, who now lives in Gaithersburg, MD, took time out to have lunch with us. We always so enjoy catching up with her.
We then drove to my cousin, Ann's house in Front Royal, VA, and had a wonderful time catching up with her and her daughter, Kristen. I love it when we get to spend time with those we love!
On the way back home, we stopped by Mount Rogers to see the wild horses. When we visited Mount Rogers about fifteen years ago, we did not know what to expect. We were told to be quiet and sneak up to them because they are so shy. We saw them at a distance, and took lots of pics of them thinking that would be all we saw of them. We continued to climb up the mountain, and all of a sudden we were surrounded by horses wanting to lick us and rub against us.
HOWEVER, just as we did NOT see Caribou, Elk, Moose, or Bear...we did not see any horses either. Of course we walked by others who have seen them recently, but, no, not us. Oh well..next time!
So we took pics of Mount Rogers, sans horse!!
We hope you are all happy, healthy, and blessed!
