The sail-driven maritime freight trade was entering the autumn of its era when the Dirigo slid down the ways on February 10, 1894. Three hundred and fourteen feet long, built to carry four masts that reached 200 feet above her decks, weighing in at 3005 tons, she made a spectacular…
Edward Baker Lincoln (1846-1850) On February 2, 1850, Abraham and Mary Lincoln stood in Hutchinson Cemetery in Springfield, IL, and bade farewell to the younger of their “dear codgers,” 3-year-old Eddy, who had died the day before after a 52-day struggle with an illness. As the small coffin sank into…
White House, north face, 1901 Twelve babies have been born in the White House. Only one has been the child of a sitting president; all of the rest (except for one slave baby) have been either grandchildren or the children of sitting presidents’ nephews or nieces. In the early decades…
“Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion” – Nast, 1/15/1870 One hundred forty-two years ago today, Thomas Nast published a political cartoon in Harper’s Weekly, the first depiction of the Democratic Party as a donkey, kicking the stuffing out of a dead lion. The lion represented the recently deceased Edwin Stanton,…
Charles Sumner, 1865, by Matthew Brady Statesman Charles Sumner was one of the very few political men in Washington, DC, with whom First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln was friends. She believed that most of those who frequented her husband’s offices – office seekers, and men in Lincoln’s Cabinet, in the…
I can no longer use the following items as excuses for not posting any blogs recently: The old computer died, and I am still working to get used to the new one and get everything set up. I’m still missing some programs, and some email accounts still won’t send. There’s…
Sophie with Sophie May Ten days ago, my husband’s sister-in-law Sophie R. Chetwynd died after an extended illness. Her death has disrupted our lives, which are usually far from tranquil with everyday activities and events, but this sort of thing always prompts some thinking on our loved ones and on…
Tecumseh, from life, artist unknown One hundred and ninety-eight years ago this week, during the War of 1812, Tecumseh’s warriors and their British allies met defeat by American forces under William Henry Harrison (future president) at the frontier Battle of the Thames, north of Lake Erie near present-day Chatham, Ontario….
Daniel Boone, 1820 On September 26, 1820, intrepid frontiersman Daniel Boone died, a few weeks short of his 86thbirthday. He had spent a lifetime exploring the frontier west of the Appalachians. The myth and legend surrounding this American icon grew rampant even in his lifetime. The sixth of eleven children,…
This month in 19thCentury American history features many events of significance in the heritage of African Americans. On September 15, 1830, the first Negro Convention of Free Men convened in Philadelphia, PA, with a mission to identify problems to the black race in the United States and to establish practical…
