The very first blog I opened in 2008 was entitled InSearchOfAmerica or ISOA. It was about my portfolio of pictures I had taken on my travels around the country documenting historical sites. In those days the Internet was in its … Continue reading Seeking US History Buffs
I had the privilege of touring a Great Lakes Freighter a few weeks ago. It is permanently docked at the National Museum of the Great Lakes near Toledo Ohio. I think I saw my first one in the late 1960s. Since that was when steel and autos were king of that region. There were hundreds of them on the Great Lakes bringing ore from Minnesota to the mills on Lake Michigan and Erie. They are still around but just not in the numbers they once were.
Continue reading “In Search Of America – The Great Lakes Freighters”
I ran across a rather startling picture at the Andrew Johnson Historic site in northern Tennessee this year. Before I talk about that, I was thoroughly amazed at how Johnson’s hometown managed to spin the story of him to make him appear to be a heroic figure which is very contrary to most public opinion. I guess I have not come across too many photos showing how intrinsic slavery was to the southern States. This picture, according to the legend below it, was taken in Atlanta in 1864 just after the Emancipation Proclamation. The “Auction & Negro Sales” store … Continue reading Slavery..
I have always admired Henry Clay for being a statesmen during some tumultuous times in America and was looking forward to visiting his home during my last micro-RV trip through Kentucky and Tennessee. I don’t like giving negative reports here on RJsCorner especially when it come to important historical site but this one deserves it. I got there at 1:05pm to tour the home and small grounds and was told I would have to wait an hour as they only gave 15 minute guided tours on the hour., I explained that I was deaf and wouldn’t get anything from … Continue reading Henry Clay Historic Site… Sigh…
I thought for this mid-week post I would again visit the Museum of the Appalachia. This time I want to concentrate on Asa Jackson and his perpetual motion machine. It looks like Asa spent many hours working on his … Continue reading Perpetual Motion..
On my most recent trip InSearchOfAmerica I visited the Museum of Appalachia. I was not expecting too much but was blown away by what I found. It is a museum like no other I have visited. The totally unique thing about this place was that all the building and most of the antiques were identified by the person who owned them and included stories about their lives. It is almost as if you could picture them living in the buildings and using the instruments and such. I took literally a hundred photos of the place. Here are … Continue reading Museum of Appalachia
Last week I showed you some of the amazing art at the Green Bay Railroad Museum. This week I will focus on the mighty engines and such. Here are the pics for your browsing pleasure. As usual click on any image to see a larger slideshow view Continue reading Green Bay Railroad Museum – Part 2
Yes, I know that the heyday of the railroad is long past but I am one of those who believe they will return again in all their magnificence sometime in the future. They are just so much more eco friendly than the millions of interstate trucks that currently dominate our highway system. The point of this post is about a recent visit to the Green Bay Railroad Museum. It is a massive place displays dozens of the giant engines of the past. If you are in the area it is well worth a visit. Here are some pics for you. … Continue reading Green Bay Railroad Museum
We visited the Memphis Antique Archeology store in 2016 and a couple of months ago we managed to get to the original store in Le Clair Iowa. Having a DVR we watch this show when we are eating dinner. … Continue reading Le Clair – Antique Archeology
About a week ago I spent the day at the Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous near Chicago. It was a smallish event but maybe one of the most accurate ones I have been to. Here are some pictures of some the the recreators. It is sometimes difficult to think of Chicago as once being s fur trapping rendezvous. They certainly had a lot of enthusiasm for what they were doing. click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view Continue reading Rendezvous..
I know the topic of paperweights sounds very boring. A paperweight can be a rock or just about anything with enough weight to hold down a stack of paper. But when you see some of the glass paperweights from around … Continue reading Paperweights..
Waterford Virginia is perhaps the most iconic town I have been through. It is located in Loudoun County about 50 miles from DC. You won’t find any franchises or many other businesses for that matter. Nor will you find cars speeding by. Here is a little about Waterford from Wikipedia: After falling into disrepair in the early part of the 20th century, the Waterford Foundation was formed to help save and preserve Waterford and its history. In 1974, the Waterford Foundation helped create an innovative land preservation program in which the historic properties of Waterford are protected through open space … Continue reading Waterford VA
Nauvoo Village was one of several settlements established and then all but abandoned by Mormons due to battles with their neighbors. The first was in Ohio, the second in Missouri, and then came Nauvoo in Illinois. This was the site that it’s founder Joseph Smith was killed and Brigham Young took over the leadership. Mauvoo has recently been been called the “Williamsburg of the Midwest” and to some degree they deserve that title but in others they fall short. Many of the building have been restored to the 1840s but many are still in private hands. Unlike Williamsburg there … Continue reading Nauvoo IL – Mormon Settlement
Caterpillar Tractors and such are very much a part of my search of America. So, when I was near Peoria Illinois recently I had to stop in at their museum at the headquarters building. What I found amazed me. I never realized the size of much of their equipment. Peoria is a wonderful city to tour and this exhibit is one of the prime destinations. If you are ever in the area stop by the city and this museum. Continue reading Caterpillar Tractors..
I will admit up front here that I didn’t spend as much time in Quincy IL as I planned. There are about a thousand historical homes in this small town but I will only feature one of them in … Continue reading Quincy Illinois – Villa Kathrine
On my most recent uRV trip I visited the RV Museum in Elkhart Indiana. Being that I have spent the last three years converting my twenty-five year old pickup truck with a six foot cap into a rat-rod micro-RV I wanted to learn a little more about the beginnings of that idea. John Steinbeck, who as one of my favorite authors when I was growing, up wrote a book entitled “Travels with Charley” about when he custom built a pickup truck into an RV he named Rocinante (Don Quixote’s horse) and traveled around the country with it. I have read that … Continue reading RV Museum..
I will start off this series of religion in America with the latest place I visited and that is Zoar Village in central Ohio. I visited here last summer on one of my frequent micro-RV trips. As is … Continue reading Religion In America – Zoar Village Ohio
Let’s celebrate South Dakota in this post. I don’t know why there is a North and South Dakota, even together they make a very small State population wise. I’m sure it had something to do with politics. Yankton is one of my favorite small towns but I have also included a couple of others in this gallery. Continue reading South Dakota… Gallery
Ft. Wayne Indiana is an interesting town in the northeast corner of the State. I go there on an annual basis to pick up my supply of Sechler’s Pickle products. I am simply addicted to their kosher dill green tomatoes. During a visit a few years ago we discovered a local museum that had a large section to do with Prohibition. That is what I am offering for ISOA Saturday today. Take the time to read the mural included to see some pretty quirky things about my home State. I will leave the more historical report for a future post. Continue reading Ft. Wayne, Indiana
I thought I would use this week’s ISOA post to show you some pictures of old buildings and such I have found during my travels in Indiana. Continue reading Places Around Indiana
Antonito Colorado is without a doubt one of the strangest towns I have ever been in. We went through the town on our way back from Mesa Verde two years ago.According to the statistics, it has a population of about 800 people, we didn’t see more than a handful while we were there. Continue reading Antonito Colorado
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 