The History Book Club discussion
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THE HISTORY OF WHERE YOU LIVE
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Terrence
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Feb 06, 2016 01:51PM
I have been living in Baltimore for ten years, teaching History in Baltimore Public Schools.
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Welcome Annegret - Jill is right - there are a lot of folks from Germany on the site.
And Terrence - teaching history - ,my favorite subject.
Born & raised in Aalst, Belgium. Our Carnaval was awarded the status of Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
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I am currently living in Landau in der Pfalz in Germany. It's in the middle of the biggest wine region in Germany and very close to the French border. To this day wine-making is one of the biggest industries in this area. Landau might sound familiar to some as it is the name of a four-wheeled, convertible carriage that was originally produced in this town.
And: Thomas Nast was born here who emigrated to the US and became a very successful caricaturist and cartoonist in the 19th Century. He created - among other things - the modern version of Santa Claus and the political symbol of the elephant for the Republican party.
Landau was occupied by the French during most of the 17th and 18th century (some of these barrack buildings are still standing and remodeled for other purposes) and again after World War II.
The past few years we had a huge construction site here in Landau and up to now they found 10 unexploded bombs from World War II. Every time lots of houses had to be evacuated whilst the bomb squad defused the bomb. So, that's a bit like history slapping you in the face! :))
I'm the county historian for Wyoming County, NY. I get to read and write about local history all day. My favorite local history topics are Native America and historical true crime. I live in a big dairy area and we are proud of the fact that our county has more cows than people. :)
I recently moved to the Washington DC area and wanted to learn more than just the big picture many of us have of the city's history. This recently published book seemed like a good place to start. And I definitely learned a lot that I wasn't aware of. I've read that much of the area was quite swampy and hardly seemed to be fit for the nation's capital. You forget that even swamps were owned by someone, and some of those original owners' names have been attached to neighborhoods, streets and suburbs in the area. Although poor Jenkins is pretty much forgotten. It was his land (Jenkins Hill) that became Capitol Hill.Lewis takes us from the compromise over slavery that led the Founding Fathers to locate the capital here, to the peaceful protests and violent riots of the 1960s, right up to the present day - though he spends much more time on the city's early history than on the last 50 years or so, and that was fine with me.
It's impossible to chronicle a city like this completely and stay under a thousand pages or so, but Lewis does a nice job introducing us to a mix of well known and lesser known figures and events. In addition to learning the history of some of the buildings and neighborhoods, we learn much about the politics of the city - and the fact that today's efforts to secure representation in Congress isn't new. It's a fight that goes back to not too long after the city's founding.
Summing up - it's an interesting, but by no means complete story. One big boost for it would have been inclusion of maps detailing the changes we were hearing about in the text.
by Tom Lewis (no photo)
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Eva what a fascinating account and isn't that interesting that Thomas Nast was a favorite son
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Lucky you Cindy
I've lived in Orlando, Florida for the past 45 years, and have enjoyed researching this region's fascinating history, but as I'm sure you can imagine, the real focus of attention now is on our most recent event. The Orlando Club Massacre will undoubtedly change this town in ways we've yet to imagine. Last night though, I attended our Open Mic session presented by Writers of Central Florida Association, and was deeply moved by such emotional readings. This monthly event is always interesting, but last nights session was extra-special, terribly moving. One presenter, a published writer, told of how difficult it had been for her to write over the past few days, that she forced herself to write anyway, and as she read a story last night, her words seemed to help her, and everyone else at that session, heal a little bit more. Orlando is indeed finding ways to heal, and at times that path is through the power and compassion of written words. I thought you all might like to know, Orlando is on the mend.
Richard wrote: "I've lived in Orlando, Florida for the past 45 years, and have enjoyed researching this region's fascinating history, but as I'm sure you can imagine, the real focus of attention now is on our most..."That is good to hear Richard! This tragedy has sparked intense feelings with the whole nation but Orlando seems to be particularly hit with a couple of events this week. Good thoughts for continued healing!
Well, I'm from Brazil, the large piece of land in South America. We're just 516 years old, what, from my point of view, is a short time in terms of history. By the way I think that's the reason for some problems we still have today, we're still "growing up". We've founded by the portuguese in April 22nd 1500. Frrom then we lived as a Portugal Colony until 1822 when, in September 7th, D. Pedro I, King of Portugal's son, declared Brazil was independent. That's why September 7th is our national day. So started our first reign, with D. Pedro I as our first Emperor. In April 7, 1831 D. Pedro I abdicated the throne in favour of his 5 years old son, D. Pedro II, our second Emperor. In November 15th 1889 a group lead by an Army Marshall proclaimed that Brazil was a Republic, as we are until now. We had slavery in our Colonial and Imperial times. That's why our people was formed primarly from native indians who lived here before the portuguese arrival, the African people who were brought as slaves, and the white portuguese who found us. The portuguese were more used to miscegenation than the spanish who found the other south american countries. Well, in very summary that's it.
Paulo wrote: "Well, I'm from Brazil, the large piece of land in South America. We're just 516 years old, what, from my point of view, is a short time in terms of history. By the way I think that's the reason for..."Fascinating, Paulo. Thank you for sharing. I visited your wonderful country about 10 years or so ago and had a fabulous time. We did a cruise from São Paulo to Salvador and back. I think Ilhéus, Rio, and Buzios were my favorite cities to visit.
That's great Teri, you chose some of the most beautiful Brazilian cities to visit. Besides that you visited the two first capitals of our country. Salvador was the Brazil's first capital and Rio, the second one. That's why one can find great historical sites and buildings in those two cities. In 1960 our capital was moved from Rio to Brasilia, which was built just for being the country capital and it is so until now.
I live on the outskirts of London, England, and there are quite a few places of historic interest nearby - enough to make me ashamed that I haven't visited more of them!Just down the road is Kenley aerodrome, formerly RAF Kenley, which was active in the first and second world wars, including the Battle of Britain. These days, part of the site is covered by a housing development, but the runways (or at least parts of them) are still there. Some bunkers remain, and there is a memorial to the men & women who served there. Part of the site is actively used by a glider club, and the rest is open to the public.
At weekends, if the weather is good, it's quite busy with people enjoying their freedom - sitting in the sun, walking their dogs, cycling, etc. - which is very appropriate!
Tony wrote: "I live on the outskirts of London, England, and there are quite a few places of historic interest nearby - enough to make me ashamed that I haven't visited more of them!."Tony, that sounds wonderful! I have not yet been to the UK but it is a destination high on my list of places to go. I know what you mean about not visiting the historical places around you. As I get older, I try and make the time to see more and more but I think a lot of people would agree that we tend to take the local places for granted as you can "always go at any time", but will make great plans to travel afar to visit other great places.
Thanks for the post, I will have to add Kenley to the must see list. I would not have thought to look into it.
Tony, I knew you were from the UK from our discussions on car racing but didn't know that you lived on the outskirts of one of my favorite cities.....London. I love it there, in fact I love all of England and have been there several times. I am what one would call an Anglophile!!!!!
My pleasure Teri. Yes, Kenley is worth a visit, there's even a local pub where the WW2 pilots (supposedly) drank. However I wouldn't want to mislead you... when you get to London, there are probably other sites that deserve to be higher up your "must see" list!!Hello again Jill! Yes, I've lived in and around London all of my life, so most of the time I take it for granted. What is it about England/London that you like?
Tony, like Jill, I too would consider myself an Anglophile. I would so love to visit your wonderful country someday. I hope that I can make it happen. Have you ever been to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford? I've heard that they have a wonderful collection of old warplanes.
As for the history of where I live, I moved to the Portland, Oregon area 8 years ago and enjoy learning about its history. Last weekend I took my family to the Lewis and Clark historical site and saw a reconstruction of Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark and company spent the winter of 1805-1806. We also went to Fort Stevens, which was a U.S. Army fort at the mouth of the Columbia River from the Civil War until it was decommissioned in 1947. Fort Clatsop was especially interesting to me. It was made out of logs and very tiny. I can't imagine spending a cold and rainy winter on the North Oregon coast in a hovel like that.
Another fascinating local historical site is Fort Vancouver just across the Columbia River from Portland. It was established by the Hudson's Bay Company and was instrumental in the fur trade and the settling of the Oregon country.
I recently picked up a used copy of this book by one of my favorite authors. It is a history of the settling of the Pacific Northwest. It's on my short list of books to read.
by David Lavender (no photo)
Hi John. No, I haven't been to Duxford. And I'm ashamed to say that despite living here, it's over 30 years since I last went to the Imperial War Museum in London! I can see I'll have to make more of an effort...What kind of war planes do you like? I was lucky to be at Goodwood last year (yes, at another motor race!) when they commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, with a host of Spitfires & Hurricanes taking off and flying over the circuit. I think the race circuit is on the site of the old RAF base. It was actually quite moving.
I don't really know very much about Oregon, or about American history in general, which is something that I hope to address soon.
Tony, I like all types of warbirds but have a special affinity for U.S. Navy planes of WWII, most notably the F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat, both of which were planes my dad work on during the war. I also like the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-38 Lightning and the P-40 Warhawk/Tomahawk. I'll bet seeing those Spitfires and Hurricanes was something special. Great planes, both.
I'm the county historian of Wyoming County, NY and I share my local history on a daily basis. :) My office of county historian has published a quarterly publication since 1947.
We took our children to the Tower of London yesterday. It's a fantastic place with loads to see and do, although unfortunately I didn't have much opportunity to linger. As well as lots of medieval history, there's the Fusilier's museum, with displays tracing their history from their formation to the present day. If you're in the area its well worth a visit.
Did you see the ravens at the Tower? The first time I went, I wanted to be sure they were still there!!!!! What wonderful (and tragic) history surrounds the Tower and it always thrills me to think that I have walked the ground that so many famous/infamous people have walked.
Yes Jill..... although I only counted three, and if I remember correctly there need to be six or the tower (and the monarchy) will fall!
I found all six but it took me a few minutes. That is such a great historical/mythical aspect of the the Tower.
I live in North Carolina in the United States. Born, raised, and still living in Smithfield, Johnston County. And I really do love it, and am proud of it. And the history of the town, the county, and the state is just so fascinating to me. I volunteered at the county Heritage Center just to learn more. Now, I don't know it all, but I can share some things with y'all. Our county is known for a couple things. First off, we have a museum dedicated to the Hollywood actress Ava Gardner because she was born in our little ol' county. She's still here, buried in the same cemetery as my grandpa, and I like to go to the grave every once in a while to pay my respects to her.
Also, our county saw the Battle of Bentonville during the Civil War. March 19-21 of 1965 saw the largest battle ever fought in North Carolina, as the Confederate army gave a last attempt to stop General Sherman and his army during their historic march on the South.
Farming and it's history is also important not just to my county, but to most of NC. My own father is a farmer, and my family have been farmers for generations. Tobacco is huge for us, and I'd say sweet potatoes are too (yams if you know them by that).
A couple more things I want to mention:
- Ever use Vick's VapoRub? Well it was created in Selma, NC by a man named Lunsford Richardson.
- On the shores of North Carolina, on the island of Roanoke, British colonists came to try to set up a second colony. However, they disappeared and are known as the Lost Colony of Roanoke.
- The Wright Brothers completed their first manned flight at Kitty Hawk, NC
- Through 1711-1713, the NC native Tuscarora people fought against European settlers in the Tuscarora War.
- Our waters and shores were visited by several different pirates, mainly Edward Teach (Blackbeard), but also Stede Bonnet (The Gentleman Pirate), William Kidd, Jack Rackham (Calico Jack), and Charles Vane.
- The Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian Mountains run through the western part NC, and includes places like the Biltmore Estate (a beautiful large mansion built by a member of the famous Vanderbilt family), Fort Defiance (home to American Revolution War hero General William Lenoir), and Mount Mitchell (highest point east of the Mississippi River).
And there are so many other places I love here, such as Fort Macon, Fort Fisher, Pisgah National Forest, and the U.S.S. North Carolina.
And I love just talking about local family history, like how I had two great-great-great uncles and a great-great-great-great grandfather who served in the Civil War. And my great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather served in the American revolution.
But I think I have rambled on enough (though I'm sure y'all don't mind). Oh, and yes, I do have the legendary JoCo southern accent.
Bailey wrote: "I live in North Carolina in the United States. Born, raised, and still living in Smithfield, Johnston County. And I really do love it, and am proud of it. And the history of the town, the county, a..."Hi Bailey -
I love the Carolinas and have fond memories of visiting Charlotte on a family road trip to my Aunt and Uncle's as a young girl. I fell in love with the Blue Ridge mountains and visited the Biltmore Estate and the cutest theme park "The Land of Oz" in Banner Elk near Boone, NC at the top of Beech Mountain. Also Carowinds. Is that place still open?
Thanks for your wonderful post. You should check out our North Carolina thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Bailey.........wonderful information about North Carolina. Much of my family lives in the Asheville area and I visit often. My nephew is right on the edge of the forest fire catastrophe and we are keeping constant communication since the fire was 15 miles from his home. All is well now, thank heavens. It is a beautiful state full of friendly people and lots to see.
Teri- No it's not. It officially closed in the 80s I believe. But it has like reopened for certain events or times. Jill- I hope everyone stays safe with the fires going on. I'm keeping in contact with my friends who go to Western Carolina University.
Great post, Bailey. I love North Carolina. I have a sister living near Pinehurst and a niece in the Raleigh area. Many of us from southwestern PA make an annual summer trek to the Outer Banks.
I've lived in several different locations, but am currently living in Lakewood, CA. Lakewood is sometimes called "an instant city" because of its origins—going from lima bean fields in 1950 to a well-developed city by 1960. Lakewood is a planned, post-World War II community, for WWII veterans who could get home loans with no down payment and a 30-year mortgage at only 4 percent interest.
Lakewood was the first city in the nation to contract for all of its municipal services when it incorporated as a municipality in 1954, making it the nation's first "contract city."
Additionally, Lakewood is the home of the first Denny's Restaurant, which opened in 1953.
Lakewood: The Most Important Community in the Modern WORLD?!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT1C2...
I live in Florida, born and raised in Pensacola. City of Five Flags. My mothers side of the family has been here for six generations. My fathers side of the family lived here for over four, though my father grew up in San Diego, CA. His father grew up in Pensacola and joined the Navy and met my grandmother in San Diego and settled down there with her. My father grew up in San Diego and joined the air force and was transferred to a town near Pensacola where he met my mom and married her and settled down here. My brother broke the chain. :)
Having family live in this same area for so many generations has resulted in a multitude of fascinating stories about the history of our city. Like the stories of my mothers teenage cousins following a tunnel that ran under the bay between three civil war era forts, only to have the tunnel collapse on them. All three of her cousins died, and the tunnels were closed to public access shortly after.
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I did not know that about Lakewood, California
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That is horrible about your cousins.
Michele wrote: "I've lived in several different locations, but am currently living in Lakewood, CA. Lakewood is sometimes called "an instant city" because of its origins—going from lima bean fields in 1950 to a we..."I grew up not too far from Lakewood and spent some time at the Lakewood mall as a kid...back in the late 70s it was the only mall in the area. Is the mall still there? Anyway, thanks for bringing back all those great memories of a place where I and my friends spent so much time hanging out back in the day!
Hi Li!Yeah, Lakewood Mall is still there, though I bet the stores have changed. When I was a teen, I lived in Torrance, CA and hung out a lot at the Del Amo Mall. Memories...
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I live in Devon, England. It has a north coast and a south coast so has always had strong links to the sea. Raleigh and Francis Drake both came from here. There are two main cities, Exeter and Plymouth, both with strong historical backgrounds. Plymouth, of course, is where the Pilgrim Fathers in the Mayflower sailed from on their second attempt and has always been an important naval base. Drake played bowls on the Hoe as the Spanish Armada came up the English Channel intending to invade. Exeter was the site of the Roman city of Isca Dumnoniorum, and has been besieged several times, most notably in the Civil War, in 1643 by the Royalists and 1645 by the Parliamentarians.I live in Torquay, part of the conurbation of Torbay, composed of Paignton, Torquay and Brixham. Brixham is very famous for the landing of the Protestant ,William of Orange who was given the British throne in order to stop a Catholic from having it. He landed with his army at Brixham and then the soldiers had to trudge through the high-hedged lanes of Devon to the south east of England, a very long way for them.
Torquay used to be just a small hamlet, but is famous for having Napoleon on board a ship here in the bay when he was being taken to exile. During the Spanish Armada debacle, hundreds of Spanish prisoners were held in what is now called the Spanish Barn by Torre Abbey on Torquay seafront.
My particular area of interest in Devon is Ilfracombe in North Devon as I grew up there. It is the only good harbor on the north coast so was always important for fishing and for ships.The name originally comes from Aelfric's combe- (combe is the Celtic word for valley). It is a spectacular, ruggedly beautiful coast, which has seen many shipwrecks.
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I have been to Devon, England (the county) and enjoyed my visit about 8 years ago - have been to London much more recently. England has always had a special spot for me and my family.
What I did not know was the historical component which you shared with us. Do you have some photos of the places that you had detailed and do you know how to add them - Would love to see some of the photos of these historic spots for the members.
Here is a county map which shows Devon:
Where did you go to in Devon, Bentley?I think it will be difficult for me to add photos on to this site, but will have a try. Daughter will be visiting in a week and is rather more computer-literate than I am, and so I will ask her.
Thank you for your prayers and sympathy for the terrorist atrocity. The British public does not frighten easily and although surveillance will probably be heightened at prominent landmarks it seems unlikely that the police will be armed in the near future ( I think about 7 % are armed at the moment). It is almost impossible to provide for a lone attacker intent on killing or maiming children, women or men, but I gather that intelligence-gathering is very expert here and I think we have our faith in that and the security services.
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It is very easy to add images on this site - look at some html is ok in the upper right - right click and copy the address of the photo - it should be a jpg
To add an image or photo: < img src="add jpg address here between the quotes"/>
Just take out the space after the < and before the img
We traveled from West Sussex along the coast from what I remember through Dorset, Devon and then Cornwall. We also visited Clovelly another time but that was in North Devon.
Sandy wrote: "Carol, I want to echo Bentley's thoughts and prayers for the British people in the wake of recent horrific events. Such tragedy affects not only the UK but compassionate people around the world.M..."
Hello Sandy, Am delighted you are also interested in North Devon. It is both strikingly beautiful and historically very interesting. Can you give me the name of your fifth cousin? It is very possible I know her as I grew up in Ilfracombe many moons ago and although I now live in South Devon I have strong links with the area as my 95 year-old mother lives on the coast just outside Combe Martin on the edge of Exmoor. Another historical 'tid bit'- the silver mines at Combe Martin are thought to have funded the cost of Henry V's battle of Agincourt in France.
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Jeff wrote: "The area in North Carolina. USA, where I live is known for producing furniture, but over the last 15-20 years many of the factories have closed due to jobs going overseas. We have several factories..."Hi Jeff, I am very interested in Carolina (North and South) in the 18th century. I gather that the rivers and streams were black at that time from the tannic acid in the swamps. Are the rivers now clear water as I would imagine that the landscape has greatly changed?
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Bentley wrote: "You bring up an interesting point Carol about the environmental impact. How do you marry the two - have the factories and maintain a healthy environment."I believe the acid came from the swamps so I was wondering if they are now drained and therefore not causing the rivers to be black.
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)
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