The History Book Club discussion
COFFEE, TEA AND CONVERSATION
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THE HISTORY OF WHERE YOU LIVE
We have more than our share of old buildings. If you are really interested in architecture, check out the cube houses in Rotterdam behind the public library.
thanks so much for the ideas! we don't usually drive when we travel overseas. it's too difficult to look at the scenery if you're driving! i'm a (amateur) photographer, too, and enjoy taking photos of architecture, among other things. i plan to do quite a bit of that in the Netherlands. Hi Naomi,
When you are in Holland and Belgium and want to photgraph some architecture there are some sites you might want to add:
Kinderdijk; two dozen windmills which try to keep the polder dry. People visiting Holland keep telling they think it is impressive.
Rotterdam has some fine modern architecture, as Thom already mentioned, since the entire center of the city was erazed off of the map in 1940.
Nice old cities are: Leiden, Gouda, Deventer (feels like you´re walking through a Charles Dickens story), and if you like it, Amsterdam. For Belgium you can add a bunch of others like Brugge, Damme, Mechelen and Spa.
If you are interested in history you might want to visit Amsterdam (VOC) and Arnhem (Market Garden).
André, Singleton,these are too much informations about the Netherlands, must say, this seems to me a really lovely place.
What a great thread! When I started dating my boyfriend last year he got me so hooked on local history. He and I have both lived in Seattle our whole lives, but I never knew it had such a complex, strange history. He's absolutely crazy about learning everything he can about it, and it's rubbed off on me somewhat. Between the two of us we've made quite a collection of old, obscure books on local history.One of the things I like the most about Seattle history is how dependent the city's founding was on vice...glorious vice! I think we associate a history heavy on prostitutes, gamblers, hucksters, and other sketchy types with cities like Chicago, New York, Las Vegas...but who knew Seattle's entire future depended on intrepid prostitutes, or that a guy in a glue factory burnt the entire city to the ground...and nobody was killed!
If you're ever in Seattle, I strongly recommend the Underground Tour, where you get to see what remains of Old Seattle, pre-fire. The whole downtown area has been rebuilt above the burnt-out remains, and the tour is absolutely fascinating, and full of incredible history!
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Very interesting, Lavender, thanks. It is surprising how vice propels a town and it sounds like Seattle is no exception. I didn't know!
Lavender I have lived in Seattle all my life and your description is terrific. The other thing I think about assocaited with the history of Seattle in modern times (it's not a terribly old city) is the history of the music industry. In the 1920's and 30's it became known as a big jazz town, and in later decades drew a young Ray Charles and other musicians because the club scene here was so vibrant. Fascinating stuff. When I think about the history of the region I think about its geological history which dates back to the ice age as well as the Native American presence all around the area. I don't know nearly as much detail about the Native American history as I would like and there is a lot more to it than Chief Sealth, but another very rich dimension to where we live.
Excellent idea for a thread!I have lived my whole life in the city of Sheffield in England. It is the only city in the county of South Yorkshire, in which it is on the SW border, with Derbyshire, into which some parts of its suburbs spill.
The city itself covers an area of more than 140 square miles and has a population of around 550,000 people, more than 40% of the county.
The area had been known as a producer of steel and iron ware since at least the time of its town charter in the 13th century, a process which accelerated during the industrial revolution due to the nearby rich deposits of coal and haematite. Many processes for the refining of the metallurgical process were invented or improved in the area, such as the production of stainless steel and the first industrial scale method for applying silver plate. Sheffield grew rapidly throughout the 18th and 19th century, and was awarded its city charter in 1893.
While the earliest written record of Sheffield is in the Domesday Book of 1086 (as a small village, near the larger settlement of Hallam, which is now a district of the city) the oldest archaeological evidence of human settlement in the area is in nearby north Nottingshire at Creswell Crags that have been dated to 12,800 years before the present.
The growing settlement was on the borders of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria, and in 829 instead of the planned battle Kind Eanred of Northumbria submitted to King Egbert of Wessex, forming a large part of what was to become England.
Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in Sheffield Castle and Sheffield Manor for 14 years before her execution.
The nearby Derwent Reservoir, one of several that supply water to Sheffield as well as towns and cities further afield, was used by the RAFs 617 Squadron The Dam Busters to practice their low-level assaults on the Ruhr Valley during WWII.
Largely due to the area's reliance on heavy industry South Yorkshire has a long tradition of socialism and radicalism. In 1848 a large barracks was built in the Hillsborough district to house several hundred cavalry, infantry and light artillery troops, ostensibly because of the central location but in fact because of an establishment of the perceived likelihood of Sheffield being the breeding ground of revolution. The barracks was occupied until 1930 and has since been redeveloped as a supermarket.
In the 1980s the area was one of the main focal points for the miner's strike, when the Conservative government announced the closure of most of Britain's coal mines with the loss of thousands of jobs. The county was referred to as the People's (or Socialist or Soviet) Republic of South Yorkshire, initially as an insult in the right-wing press, but many locals embraced the term.
The area took some year to recover from the aftermath of the strikes, but is now thriving. The two universities bring around 60,000 students to the city each year, and Sheffield consistently has the highest retention rate (that is students who stay here after graduation) outside of London.
Finally, Sheffield has also been called the greenest city in Europe, with more trees per person than any other, many fine parks and a long border with the Peak District National Park and countryside on almost all sides. Much of the countryside is high moorland with poor soil embedded with broken rock so it has never been economically viable for anything other than sheep grazing so retains a sense of uncultivated wilderness.
This is one of my favourite things about Sheffield, so please allow me to post a link to some photos. I hope that isn't bad form.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pezter/s...
A great post, Paul. Everyone knows of Sheffield steel!!! I have never visited the city or the Peak District, but hope to get that way on my next trip. Thanks for the information.
Mod
Sounds like a great place to live Paul, lots of old second hand and antiquarian book shops about?
Mod
Paul 'Pezter' wrote: "Excellent idea for a thread!I have lived my whole life in the city of Sheffield in England. It is the only city in the county of South Yorkshire, in which it is on the SW border, with Derbyshire,..."
Paul a really fabulous potted history of Sheffield. Sad to say my only visit has been to the Don Valley Stadium for a gig. Who would you consider the city's most important/influential sons and daughters?
It's a great post, Paul, thanks for the informations - I never thought Sheffield has such interesting story.
Not necessarily a well-known city in the U.S., Jacksonville has an interesting history.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_...
I have only lived here 8 years, but it is a nice town. Our usual "mental health" destination is St. Augustine, about 30 minutes south of here. It is the oldest city in the U.S. Especially entertaining and educational are the many ghost tours. It's a fun way to learn the history, I think! (Same goes for Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC if you go.)
I also lived in Houston, TX for 22 years, but that is another thread...;-)
Robyn wrote: "Not necessarily a well-known city in the U.S., Jacksonville has an interesting history.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_...
I have only lived here 8 years, but it is a n..."
Hi Robyn,
I visited Jacksonville a few years ago, but hadn't realised it had such an interesting history so thanks for the post and the link.
there will be too many cities and countries I need to visit, after I read your posts...;)
Bentley wrote: "I have a great affinity to Maine. I love that state and was born there. I do not live there now but wish I could and my family does have property still there.It is quite beautiful for folks wh..."
My wife and I have taken twoo schooner cruises around the 100's of islands off the coast of Maine. The people that we met were great people. The highlight was an all-you-could eat lobster feast. The captain bought the lobsters fresh from the the fishermen for a dollar a pound! My wife, who grew up between Boston and Providence had four. I just filled up on hot dogs and went bird watching with another passenger.
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Zeljka wrote: "Bentley wrote: "That looks like a fabulous book."Yes, I definitely recommend it for every US and non-US citizen ever interested to take such a road trip. Of course, the author offers many variati..."
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Zeljka, My family took a trip in 1957 on Rt. 66 from Chicago to California. We did not have air conditioning, just a big thing hanging on the passenger window, which looked like a jet engine and circulated air through the car. In the Rocky Mountains, we were 1000's of feet up with no guard rail !
Jill wrote: "The only state wholly located in Appalachia, West Virginia is truly the Mountain State. The people, separated by the War Between The States, are still Southern in manner and speech. The beauty of t..."
Jill,West Virginia is beatiful now, as it was when I went to family reunions as a child near Sistersville. Five years ago, my wife and I went to visit my Aunt May, who my family would visit during the Reunion. Maybe your balanced budget is due to a spirit of 'having more with less'. On the way home, we stopped at a Krogers grocery store. I remember going to a small corner Krogers in the 1960's. The store in WV wasn't much bigger than that corner store, but it had everything grocery stores have in Chicago, even a deli.
Naomi wrote: "i'm from Chicago and have lived here all my life. unfortunately, i'm not really that conversant in the history. this thread has inspired me to buy a few books to improve my knowledge of the histo..."
Noami, You are living in a city which is beginning a new chapter in its history. Having seen 8 of our last 11 governors spend time in Federal prison, and lived under a political machine that so stifled creativity that most of my high school buddies left Chicago, never to return.Learn about the world outside. Chicago is no longer a city that can stifle ideals and hope.
What I'm trying to say is that this is a time for Chicagoans to look forward more than backwards.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I live in the Capital city of Australia - Canberra - that was selected as out nations capital due to the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne. Many of you may be surprised or interested to know tha..."
message 80:
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André, Honorary Contributor - EMERITUS - Music
(last edited Nov 11, 2011 09:52AM)
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Mod
Hi Scott, have you noticed you're always adding two posts as a reply to an older one?
It's quite confusing.
Please, when replying to an older post, press "reply", then add - in the same post - your comment.
It makes things much easier for everybody else to understand.
Hope this helps. If not, we're here to help - just ask.
Best,
André
Rick, After my wife retires, The Outback is on our short Bucket List. Is it now possible to go by train from Melbourne to Darwin, through Alice Springs ?
Scott wrote: "Jill,West Virginia is beatiful now, as it was when I went to family reunions as a child near Sistersville. Five years ago, my wife and I went to visit my Aunt May, who my family would visit durin..."
Thanks for the kind words about West Virginia, Scott. Indeed the spirit of "having more with less" helps keep finances on track.....as one of our Senators said "It pays to be poor".
Jill wrote: "smile, smile, smile....but don't forget good German beer!"
When we vacation, we head north to Milwaukee, the microbrewery and cheese capital of America. We don't need a book, we just turn on our GPS.--> I made another double post, how did I do that ?!
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Hi Scott, I just replied to your email. It's all in there.
Best,
André
André wrote: "Scott wrote: "--> I made another double post, how did I do that ?!"Hi Scott, I just replied to your email. It's all in there.
Best,
André"
Thanks for the help.
message 87:
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André, Honorary Contributor - EMERITUS - Music
(last edited Nov 15, 2011 12:31AM)
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Mod
Anytime, Scott. As to your posting - it's looking Good!
I live in Ottawa, which has only had permanent European residents for a little over 200 years (though Champlain came by well before that). Like a lot of Ontario it was settled by United Empire Loyalists who moved north after American Independence. It was a rowdy timber town that grew by leaps and bounds when it became the nation's capital.A book about its history that I enjoyed is
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John H. Taylor
It's a great place to live. All the cultural amenities and easy to get into the woods.
Sounds like a great place to live Jim.
Jim I am a fellow Canadian, born and raised in Nova Scotia and now living in New Brunswick. I can relate to the history of the UEL as I am the collections coordinator of a living history village which has alot of UEL. Here is the linkhttp://www.kingslanding.nb.ca/
I think the UEL were a group of people to be admired as they were definetly persecuted during the First American Civil War. i am descended from planters http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Engl...
and my family travelled over on the Mayflower to New England and settled the town of Chelsea Massachusettes. They tried to remain neutral during the First American Civil War as they had ties on both sides of the conflict.
What great information about the UEL! I need to read more about them and the persecution that they endured. It is a little known part of the history of both Canada and the United States.
Evelyn wrote: "Jim I am a fellow Canadian, born and raised in Nova Scotia and now living in New Brunswick. I can relate to the history of the UEL as I am the collections coordinator of a living history village w..."Evelyn: Very interesting! I'd love to visit King's Landing when I'm next in NB. We had a wonderful visit to Upper Canada Village last summer. There were a number of people in Union army uniforms. I thought there was some part of the US Civil War I wasn't familiar with, but apparently they were shooting a film that takes place in the U.S.
http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/ind...
Curiously enough, my wife's family were also early New England settlers -- I'm told descended from William Bradford. They eventually moved to New Brunswick.
Jill: Loyalist history is alive and well in and around Kingston, Ontario (where I used to live), something I think it shares with much of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Fort Henry and some Martello towers are a reminder of less amicable days along the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes.
Well, I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, which, when you look deeply, has a fascinating history. I actually wrote my thesis focusing on a small section of Omaha where my Army Reserve unit met. My Reserve unit met in these terribly old brick buildings next to traintracks (not uncommon in Omaha, it was a massive hub for transcontinental trains), and they were national landmarks though no one knew why. I started doing some digging and it turns out that in WWII America transported German POWs to Nebraska.This was done for a variety of reasons. For starters, there was no where they could run. If you haven't been to Nebraska, you may not understand. It is flat, you can see for miles, and there is no where to hide. You'd simply get lost in cornfields and probably die. Second, there was an agricultural worker crisis. All the midland boys were fighting overseas. My Reserve station was actually a collection center. I worked in cages that once held POWs while they were being processed for work, and then relocated out on to the farms.
At first, there were many Americans that were outraged. Nebraska and Missouri are mostly Germanic in heritage, and people were concerned that we would help them to escape (rarely happened, though many returned after the war to marry women they had met, and one POW who HAD escaped was eventually "arrested" in 1994 with charges dropped and citizenship granted because of his hlp in rescuing 12 skiiers in an avalanche in the 70's)In the end, when I was speaking with my husband's grandfather about it, he remembered some of the old Germans. It turned out to be fascinating.
Omaha is also the home of Offutt AFB, which berthed the Enola Gay.
If you are ever in Nebraska, I highly recommend the Heartland Military Museum in Western NE, its one of the best museums in the nation, and the SAS Air and Space museum in Eastern Nebraska. Both are on i-80 if your travelling through.
Now I live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I've every much enjoyed delving into the history out here. The Mordecai House was the first plantation house I've ever been to, it was easily the best 5 dollars I ever spent on a tour. Other than that, I'm working on getting up and down the East Coast to explore more :D
Fascinating history Becky, thanks for the post, very informative!
thanks Becky! someday I hope to visit Nebraska!
Jim Kings Landing and UCV are often compared by visitors, let me know if you do visit and I will give you a guided tour! what is going on in your neck of the woods for the 1812 celebrations?
Naomi wrote: "i'm from Chicago and have lived here all my life. unfortunately, i'm not really that conversant in the history. this thread has inspired me to buy a few books to improve my knowledge of the histo..." Hey Naomi, I've recently read a very interesting book on the history of Chicago, from it's earliest days to the industrial city we're more familiar with today.
Debby wrote: "Naomi wrote: "i'm from Chicago and have lived here all my life. unfortunately, i'm not really that conversant in the history. this thread has inspired me to buy a few books to improve my knowledge ..."sorry folks, still not great at the linking, there doesn't seem to be a photo for this author, is this better?
Debby, thanks for the effort, you got it! You'll get the hang of it. :-)
The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life (other topics)Land of Giants: Drive to the Pacific Northwest, 1750-1950 (other topics)
Washington: A History of Our National City (other topics)
Vienna: Art and Architecture (other topics)
Cold Blooded Murder - When Pearl Gamble Rejected Robert McGladdery, Lust Turned to Rage. This is the True Story of Her Cruel, Vicious Murder (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Radha Agrawal (other topics)David Lavender (other topics)
Tom Lewis (other topics)
Rolf Toman (other topics)
Patrick Greg (other topics)
More...
As Thom already stated you can get by with English - just like in most Scandinavian countries and Flanders in Belgium.
Thom a..."
thanks so much for the ideas! we don't usually drive when we travel overseas. it's too difficult to look at the scenery if you're driving! i'm a (amateur) photographer, too, and enjoy taking photos of architecture, among other things. i plan to do quite a bit of that in the Netherlands.