My mom’s dad, Pop-Pop to me, was born in 1898. He died when I was 7 so I don’t remember him very well, although I was extremely close to my nana until her own death, 25 years after her husband’s passing. When she died, her memorabilia, including photos, was handed down…
On Thursday, December 4, 1783, General George Washington received the officers of the victorious Continental Army to say farewell in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern in New York City. Major Benjamin Tallmadge recounts that day in his memoir, as well as General Washington’s words. “With a heart full of…
I first learned of the Culper Spy Ring via the AMC TV series, “TURN: Washington’s Spies.” Based on the book, “Washington’s Spies“, by Alexander Rose, it tells the true story of a group of Long Island childhood friends who became a network of spies during the American Revolutionary War. The…
The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial is a memorial to the 184 victims who died in the building and on American Airlines Flight 77 on 9/11. It is made up of 184 illuminated benches, arranged according to the victims’ ages, starting with a 3-year-old and ending with a 71-year-old. Also, a…
On September 11, 2001, four commercial airliners were hijacked in a planned attack against the United States. Two airliners were flown into the World Trade Center Twin Towers and a third aircraft into the Pentagon. A fourth aircraft, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into an open field near the small…
I have been to Gettysburg National Military Park several times, it’s less than three hours from my home. In recent years it has become personal. My great-great-grandfather was a Union soldier as was his brother. My great-great-grandfather was not at Gettysburg, his brother was. On a previous trip we located his…
I love to visit where history has occurred, to be in the room where it happened. But what if you were able to actually bear witness to the moments that birthed this nation, to be present when the United States received a proverbial smack on its bottom and let out…
While we waited for our ferry to Nantucket, we drove around Hyannis Port, parking our car when we could go no further then walking down to the Kennedy compound. No one was around, the driveways were all uninhabited by cars. “The Big House” looked the same as when seen on…
