The Luccombe Valley below Salisbury Plain and Bratton Camp, just visible in the upper right. In the foreground are two of the four barrows in the … [Read more...] about Folk horror from Wiltshire: The Blood Stone at Luccombe Spring, starving out the Vikings at Bratton Camp, the White Horse of Westbury and the nature of folklore
historic sites
As a kid, nothing made a long drive complete like a stop at a historic site. From the battlefields of the Civil War, to time traveling back to early Plymouth at Plimoth Plantation, there’s more to American history than we realize, and it’s all around us. Just ahead at the next exit even.
On the mystery of a white horse carved into the slopes of Bratton Downs … the White Horse of Westbury
Looking down on the White Horse of Westbury from atop Salisbury Plain Nobody really knows when or why a chalk horse was carved onto the side of … [Read more...] about On the mystery of a white horse carved into the slopes of Bratton Downs … the White Horse of Westbury
Old Wardour Castle … a splendidly haunted ruin in the British countryside
Top: Old Wardour Castle, Tisbury, Wiltshire “On the south western border of Wiltshire about half between Salisbury and Shaftesbury and in the … [Read more...] about Old Wardour Castle … a splendidly haunted ruin in the British countryside
Is it really the House of the Seven Gables? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way the Turner-Ingersoll mansion in Salem breathes New England history
"Halfway down a by-street of one of our New England towns stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables, facing towards various points … [Read more...] about Is it really the House of the Seven Gables? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way the Turner-Ingersoll mansion in Salem breathes New England history
Hiking Rockefeller State Park Preserve: Looking for Spook Rock, Hulda the witch and the non-headless horseman origins of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow
At last she came to a little house, and an old woman was peeping out of it, but she had such great teeth that the girl was terrified and about to run … [Read more...] about Hiking Rockefeller State Park Preserve: Looking for Spook Rock, Hulda the witch and the non-headless horseman origins of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Old Westbury Gardens: An English estate on Long Island’s Gold Coast
Above: Westbury House, Old Westbury, New York. In a case of mistaken identity, Roger Thornhill was taken at gunpoint from a posh Manhattan eatery and … [Read more...] about Old Westbury Gardens: An English estate on Long Island’s Gold Coast
Daily Life of the 19th Century: Patent Medications and Homeopathic cures at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside
Top: Medicine box beside Washington Irving's deathbed When you're touring a historic home museum, keep an eye out for the little details which speak … [Read more...] about Daily Life of the 19th Century: Patent Medications and Homeopathic cures at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside
Exploring ancient Greece in Nashville, TN: The Parthenon
Nashville, Tennessee has been called the Athens of the South since the mid 19th century. In a part of the country which at the time, wasn't renowned … [Read more...] about Exploring ancient Greece in Nashville, TN: The Parthenon
Revolutionary War Battlefields: Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts
The Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, was the site of the first real skirmish of the American Revolution. Earlier on the morning of April … [Read more...] about Revolutionary War Battlefields: Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts
Old Sheldon Church ruins: A quiet retreat in the South Carolina lowcountry
The old Sheldon Church, in northern Beaufort County, South Carolina doesn't have much luck when it comes war. The proper name for this venerable set … [Read more...] about Old Sheldon Church ruins: A quiet retreat in the South Carolina lowcountry
Cry Innocent: Salem witch attraction brings the witch hunts and trials to life
Bridget Bishop. I know nothing of it. I am innocent to a Witch. I know not what a Witch is. Examiner: How do you know then that you are not a witch … [Read more...] about Cry Innocent: Salem witch attraction brings the witch hunts and trials to life
Piracy in Charleston S.C, The Pirate House
Sometimes it's not the truth, but the story which makes for a historical attraction. A case-in-point: The Pirate House in Charleston, South … [Read more...] about Piracy in Charleston S.C, The Pirate House
Yorktown Battlefield Historic Site: Vive la Yorktown!
It's a cliche of course, but no less true, the statement by George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I'm … [Read more...] about Yorktown Battlefield Historic Site: Vive la Yorktown!
Living history in America’s most historic attraction: Plimoth Plantation brings the seventeenth century to life
Of the living history sites I've visited, none capture the imagination like Plimoth Plantation. Plimoth Plantation feels real, for aside from the … [Read more...] about Living history in America’s most historic attraction: Plimoth Plantation brings the seventeenth century to life
Ancient America comes alive at Angel Mounds State Historic Site
I've always been a fan of crackpot science. There's something about the unknown and the unknowable that spurs the imagination. I love ley lines, … [Read more...] about Ancient America comes alive at Angel Mounds State Historic Site
Stepping back in time and into the muck at Cache River State Natural Area
Tucked away in the southern tip of Illinois you can find places which don't seem to belong there. When you think of Illinois - aside from Chicago, or … [Read more...] about Stepping back in time and into the muck at Cache River State Natural Area