The Mystery of Lincoln’s Watch

Posted on March 10, 2009
Filed Under Museums, Mysteries | Leave a Comment

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln
Image via Wikipedia

Here’s a great little story from the National Museum of American History blog about President Lincoln‘s gold plated watch. It seems a watch repairman had a family secret that’s lasted since 1861. It was unknown if his story was true or not and the museum indulged an investigation. Did they find a secret message inside of Lincoln’s watch that even the president didn’t know about? Check out their post!

Also, if you’re planning a trip to the museum in DC, check out their listing on Pastigo.com.

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Galveston Historic Foundation Temporarily Relocates

Posted on September 26, 2008
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A historical marker on the Strand's old Mallor...

Image via Wikipedia

The Galveston Historic Foundation (GHF) has temporarily relocated to the Preservation Texas offices at Preservation Texas is located at 1204 San Antonio Drive in Austin, Texas. According to the GHF:

Galveston Historical Foundation is one of the largest local preservation organizations in the country. It is the steward of 13 historic properties in Galveston and employs more than 70 full and part-time staff members.

Galveston’s downtown Strand National Historic Landmark District and the residential East End Historic Landmark District comprise the largest federally recognized historic landmark district area in the state of Texas.

The Balinese Room on the seawall in Galveston, Texas. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Image via Wikipedia

Currently, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has contributed money and is working with GHF to mobilize architects and engineers to determine how much damage Galveston’s historic structures have suffered. Some are already know to be lost, such as the nearly 80-year-old Balinese Room, a historic nightclub where the likes of Howard Hughes used to go to listen to Frank Sinatra, which was completely demolished by Hurricane Ike.

You can learn more about the GHF at http://www.galvestonhistory.org/.

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Testing a WordPress Install

Posted on June 18, 2008
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I’ve been looking for a good multi-user blogging software since I started Pastigo. I’ve tried 2 or 3 and the current option is OK, but I’ve been spoiled by WordPress. I have another blog there and… well… it simply rocks.

The current blogging software I use is cool in that it integrates with the existing site content. It’s all stored in the same place, so it simplifies the database structure and allows for simple cross posting of content. It also allows for easily feeding blog content back to the main site. But despite that bonus, it’s missing a lot. WordPresses dashboard is easier to use. WordPress has great plugins. WordPress separates each blog better. (The current blog software uses community pools for things like images & tags. I don’t necessarily want other users stuck with my tags and I sure don’t want to have to wade through 1,000 tags that aren’t mine. This seems to me to be a securty hazard as well.)  WordPress easily pings Technorati and other feed aggregators and search engines that the current install doesn’t. Feedburner allows trackbacks… current software doesn’t, though it’s being developed.

So, I’m going to try out a special WordPress install in development and see how it works. If it’s good, I’ll roll it out for general use. Till then, I’ll see you somewhere in the past.

New History Social Network Started

Posted on June 17, 2008
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Passport to History logo We have created a new social network named Passport to History on the Ning.com platform. The new social network focuses on US history and will help us push forward in our mission to promote an interest in and understanding of US history. It will also foster more of a community among history fans. The new site is at http://passporttohistory.ning.com. Registered users can add photos, videos, connect with "friends" to discuss various aspects of US history and start & join subject-specific groups. The site is new, so those joining now will have a great impact on shaping the future of this community. We look forward to seeing you in the community. When you join, be sure to friend me, Darrin Dickey. Till then remember, history is too important to leave in the past!

Alexander Hamilton’s House Moved

Posted on June 13, 2008
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Alexander Hamilton Home

I was really fortunate to find Heidi Glatfelter’s blog Market Early America’s Weblog. Heidi and I share a strong passion for both history & marketing. In fact, a few months ago, I started a blog to talk about marketing history sites, but I quickly realized that I just didn’t have the time to keep up with it what with working on Pastigo.com, the new Passport to History social network and the slow revival of the Passport to History wiki (and about three blogs that go with these projects).

With that long introduction, I thought I would share a story I saw on Heidi’s blog. It seems the National Park Service (NPS) has moved Alexander Hamilton’s Harlem home two blocks to enable them to fully restore the exterior of the house to it’s original condition. I’m not a huge fan of moving houses from their original location, if it can be helped. But sometimes it’s necessary in order to save a house or make it a better tool for educating people about history. Bravo to the NPS for making an effort to give people a better look into the life (and home) of this (sometimes controversial) American patriot, artilleryman, Founding Father and US Secretary of the Treasury, whose life was cut short by a duel with Aaron Burr.

Twain House Faces Budget Woes

Posted on June 11, 2008
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Mark Twain House Museum "The lack of money is the root of all evil." – Mark Twain

Ah, if only the Twain House Museum had only paid a bit more attention to Mr. Twain’s wisdom.

It seems the museum is facing a $350,000 financial shortfall. And in this tough economy, that’s a bitter pill to swallow. Thankfully, they’ve received a $50,000 grant from United Technologies Corporation and another $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanitities, but that still leaves a large chasm for the museum to cover before reaching safety.

While a portion of their trouble is traceable to the slow economy, high gas prices and the shrinking number of visitors to historic sites, according to the Hartford Courant, a portion of the trouble is also of their own making. The museum built a $19 million visitor’s center about five years ago without having any funding lined up. They’ve paid off a big portion of that debt, but are still strapped with $5 million in debt – a portion of which is due this year.

On a happy note, GE and Northeast Utilities are working with the museum to help reduce some of it’s energy costs, including replacing existing lightbulbs with more efficient ones and consulting with them on how to more efficiently heat and cool the buildings. The museum’s utility bills have almost doubled since 2003.

I haven’t been, but the house looks beautiful and I’m a fan of Twain’s. So I hope the museum can work out it’s financial problems and bounce back. I’d hate to see yet another worthy historic site go under.

Obama Nomination Irony

Posted on June 6, 2008
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I have to give props to the Civil War Memory blog who noted that one of his readers pointed out that Barrack Obama secured the Democratic Party presidential nomination of Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s birthday.

Too funny, Kevin!

When Is It Time to Let Go of Historic Sites?

Posted on June 5, 2008
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Copley Square In a recent post, I noted that a historically significant part of the Murfreesboro battlefield had been destroyed in order to build a new road, shopping center, hospital and other things. That got me wondering, is there a time to let go of historical sites, let progress take it’s toll and move on?

One of the things about historical sites and items is that they are finite. If you destroy an 1835 antebellum home, you can’t get it back. It’s gone. And the older they are, the more scarce they become. I wouldn’t worry much about destroying a 1993 house. There are tons of them and it has little historical significance.

On the other hand, sometimes we think something is historically significant just because it’s old. In many cases, there has to be a worthy story to tell if you’re going to engage people to save and support a site. Sill’s Ridge definitely had a story to tell. It should have been a part of the battlefield park. Now it’s gone forever. But is there a forumula to determine if tearing up a historic site is of greater benefit to a community than saving it? Should it even be a consideration or should we just save everything?

What do you think?

Local City Cemetery is Endangered

Posted on June 4, 2008
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Old City Cemetery - Murfreesboro, TN The Murfreesboro Post had a really good story this last weekend on the Old City Cemetery in Murfreesboro, TN. The cemetery sits on Vine Street, just off of the Vine and Maney Streets intersection. The cemetery is behind a locked fence and gate, which is why I’ve never added it to Pastigo.com or even been inside of the cemetery. However, it holds some great history.

The cemetery was started in the 1820s and the property also was home to the First Presbyterian Church. Aside from being the first church in the town, it also entered the history books when the state legislature met there in 1822. For about 8 years Murfreesboro served as the state capitol and the legislature met in the county courthouse. However, the courthouse burned and the legislature had to meet in the church until a new courthouse was built. Serving in that legislature in the old church was future president James K. Polk, future general and Texas president Sam Houston and Alamo fighter Davy Crockett. It was during that legislature also that Andrew Jackson was nominated as a candidate for the presidency of the United States. The last service in the church was in October 1862. The town was heavily occupied by Confederate troops and it was becoming more clear that the Union troops were coming to give them a fight, which occured from December 31, 1862 till January 2, 1863. In the months after the battle, the church was utilized as a hospital for wounded soldiers.

Unfortunately, the old church was completely destroyed by the Union Army as it occupied the town in 1863. Desperate for firewood and building supplies, the Yankee army continually stole pieces from the church (including dismantling the actual building) until by 1864 the historic building had completely disappeared. Rather than remain on this site, the church congregation chose to rebuild in another location.

The cemetery was expanded by the town officials in 1837 and became the City Cemetery. However, when the church was destroyed and the congregation moved, the city started rethinking the small, space-confined cemetery. They established a new community cemetery in 1873 (Evergreen Cemetery). Fearing the old cemetery would begin to be neglected, families started removing loved ones to the new cemetery. Over the years, the fear became a reality as the cemetery was neglected, overlooked, improperly cared for and vandals began striking.

Today, the cemetery is locked up pretty tightly, but damage still occurs, though mostly through neglect. Sadly, being locked up also means those of us who appreciate the history of the people buried there, including some American Revolution vets (and the several historical markers on the property) are also locked out.

The cemetery is listed #4 on the Tennessee Preservation Trust’s 2008 list of Most Endangered Historic Places. Many of the monuments are crumbling and it is feared if something isn’t done soon to preserve the cemetery, it will be lost.

New Website Find – History Nexus

Posted on June 3, 2008
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History Nexus logoI ran across this today. I think it’s a cool idea. And I’m a bit mad that I didn’t think of it. :-)

History Nexus is a history-themed social networking site. I haven’t gotten to look around it much yet, but I’m definitely going to spend some time here.

keep looking »

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    Welcome to the blog for Pastigo.com, the site that lets you find, rate and review historic sites in the United States. Check back often to see what's going on with the website as well as news and opinion on matters dealing with history and historic sites in the U. S.

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