Category: History
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The Free State of Winston
It’s not possible to be more truly Southern culturally than the residents of the state of Alabama. That’s why it’s surprising to realize that one Alabama county did not support secession. Its residents refused to join the Confederacy willingly. Winston County is located in a hilly area in the northwestern part of the state. As…
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Grotian Traditions, Thalwegs and Winner Take All
Rivers are a natural boundaries and a pretty obvious way to determine who controls land on either bank. Well, not withstanding occasional riverbed shifts. However rivers are also natural resources in their own right. They provide drinking water, irrigation, food and transportation. Those who control territory abutting a river naturally want to own and control…
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Carter Lake, Iowa
Strange Maps recently featured “Shifting Like A Snake: Ancient Mississippi Courses” [link no longer works] with a beautiful rendition of its meandering riverbanks over time. The relatively flat middle portion of the United States seems particularly susceptible to these types of changes along its grand watersheds, whether the Mississippi, Missouri, Platte or others. I believe…
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7 Flags Over Texas?
In a recent entry I provided a listing of the six flags that make up the famous “Six Flags Over Texas.” What is less known — and what many Texans along the southeastern border with Mexico believe — is that there were actually SEVEN flags over Texas. Had history gone a little differently another flag…
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6 Flags Over Texas
Conventional wisdom notes that six national flags flew over the State of Texas at one time or another. It’s colloquial to the point of the Six Flags amusement parks taking their name from it. But what are the six flags? Spain France Mexico Republic of Texas Confederate States of America United States of America
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Reelfoot Lake
There is only one large natural lake in Tennessee. It straddles the Lake Co. / Obion Co. border just a few miles from the Mississippi River. Some scientists speculate that Reelfoot Lake formed as a result of the massive New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 – 1812. Their theory does fall within the realm of possibility.…
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Library of Congress’ Waldseemüller Map
Reuters reports that the only remaining copy of the map that first used the label “America” will go on permanent display at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC (map). Martin Waldseemüller created the map in 1507 and it displayed unusual accuracy for its time. However, experts haven’t figured out exactly how Waldseemüller may have…
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Virginia, West of West Virginia
West Virginia split from Virginia in 1863 during the height of the Civil War. It elected to remain with the Union while the rest of the Commonwealth remained firmly entrenched within the Confederacy. Tensions based on divergent economies, cultures and geography simmered between the western and eastern portions of Virginia for decades leading up to…
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Howder Street, Hillsdale, Michigan
This website is howderfamily.com. Therefore, anything related to the Howder family is fair game. So I’m going to take an opportunity to feature something that crosses a couple of my interests, geography and genealogy. In Hillsdale Michigan I found a three-block road named Howder Street. Those of you with common surnames are probably saying “so…