Delaware Facts and Trivia

1. Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States constitution. It did so on December 7, 1787.
2. Delaware shares a semi-circular border with Pennsylvania. The border was drawn at the time of the original land grants to William Penn from King Charles II and the Duke of York.
3. The nation's first scheduled steam railroad began in New Castle in 1831.
4. Delaware is the only state without any National Park System units such as national parks, seashores, historic sites, battlefields, memorials, and monuments.
5. The log cabin originated in Finland. Finnish settlers arrived in Delaware in the mid-1600s and brought with them plans for the log cabin, one of the enduring symbols of the American pioneer. One of the cabins has been preserved and is on display at the Delaware Agricultural Museum in Dover.
6. Tradition holds the first time Betsy Ross's famous flag was flown was at the Battle of Cooch's Bridge. This historic site is located on route 4 in Newark.
7. The Blue Hen chicken is the official state bird. The hens were noted for their fighting ability. Delaware is sometimes referred to as the Blue Hen State.
8. The Lady Bug is Delaware's official state bug.
9. "Our Delaware" is the official state song. The words are by George Hynson, music by William Brown.
10. In total area, Delaware ranks 49th in the nation. It contains 1,982 square miles. It is 96 miles long and varies from 9 to 35 miles in width.
11. Ebright Road in New Castle County is the highest state elevation at 442 feet above sea level. The lowest elevation is along the coast at sea level.
12. Thomas Garret lost his entire fortune in his battle against slavery. He was sued by a Maryland slave owner and fined for aiding a black family in flight. Over his lifetime, Garrett reportedly helped more than 2,000 fugitive slaves move through Delaware, an important stop on the Underground Railroad.
13. Rehoboth Beach is the state's largest coastal resort town. Methodists who purchase the land for a summer camp and meeting place originally constructed it.
14. The 87-foot Fenwick Island Lighthouse was painted in 1880 for a total cost of about $5.00.
15. Twelve concrete observation towers along the coast were constructed during World War II to protect the state's coastal towns from German u-boat attacks.
16. Fisher's popcorn is a famous coastal caramel corn. It has been ordered from as far away as Vietnam and Indonesia.
17. The American holly is the official state tree. The tree can reach a maximum of 60 feet in height and a trunk diameter of 20 inches.
18. The peach blossom is Delaware's official state flower and has prompted Delaware's nickname as the peach state.
19. New Sweden was founded as a colony in 1638 and is recognized as the first permanent colony on Delaware soil.
20. Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, six miles northwest of Wilmington features one of the world's finest naturalistic gardens.
21. Barratt's Chapel is known as the Cradle of Methodism. It was built in 1780 and is the oldest surviving church built by and for Methodists in the United States.
22. The 80-food Great Dune is the state's highest. It is located at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes.
23. The Maryland/Delaware boundary and the Mason-Dixon Line divide Delmar. A double crown stone marker was erected in 1768 as the southern end of the only North-South portion of the Mason-Dixon line.
24. Horseshoe crabs may be viewed in large numbers up and down the Delaware shore in May. The crabs endure extremes of temperature and salinity. They can also go for a year without eating and have remained basically the same since the days of the dinosaur.
25. The Du Pont Laboratories first produced nylon at its plant in Seaford. This earned the town the distinction of being the Nylon Capital of the World.
26. In recognition of sportfishing's overall recreational and economic contributions to the state of Delaware and of the specific values of the weakfish (Cynoscion genus) as a game and food fish, the state Legislature adopted the weakfish as Delaware's State fish in 1981. This fish is also known as sea trout, gray trout, yellow mouth, yellow fin trout, squeteague, and tiderunner.
27. Colonial blue and buff are Delaware's official state colors.
28. Delaware was named for Lord de la Warr. He was the first governor of Virginia.
29. The sheaf of wheat, ear of corn, and the ox on the state seal symbolize the farming activities of early Delaware.
30. The Delaware Indians were one of the most advanced tribes of the eastern United States.
31. New Castle County includes the largest population and smallest area of Delaware's three counties.
32. The frying pan built in 1950 for use at the Delmarva Chicken Festival is 10 feet in diameter and holds 180 gallons of oil and 800 chicken quarters.
33. The Delaware Breakwater at Cape Henlopen State Park was the first structure of its kind in the western hemisphere.

and then onto Conneticut

Willimantic - Frog Bridge

All four "corner" posts have a different frog.  It was a fun bridge; unfortunately, it was under repair and it was impossible to get pictures of the four frogs.



East Granby - Old New Gate Prison

The mine, one of the earliest in the Americal colonies, was opened in 1706 and it continued in operation for more than 40 years.  In 1773 the Connecticut colony designated the mine as a prison, the state's first, naming it after the infamous Newgate Prison in London.  The prison held criminals as well as political prisoners during the Revolutionary War.  New Gate was closed in 1827,

Harriet Beecher Stowe House - Ms. Stowe's fame as the author of the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) overshadowed her skill as an interior decorator and other civil rights activities she pursued.  The Stowes lived here until Harriet's death in 1896.




 
Mark Twain House - next door to the Stowe Home, Mark Twain lived here from 1874 to 1891 and penned six novels.

Twain wrote some of his best-known works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in the tranquility of the Billiard Room.

Connecticut State Facts and Trivia

Connecticut Facts and Trivia

1. The first telephone book ever issued contained only fifty names. The New Haven District Telephone Company published it in New Haven in February 1878.
2. The USS Nautilus - the world's first nuclear-powered submarine was built in Groton in 1954.
3. Connecticut and Rhode Island never ratified the 18th Amendment (Prohibition).
4. In 1705, copper was discovered in Simsbury. Later, the copper mine became the infamous New-Gate Prison of the Revolutionary War. Doctor Samuel Higley of Simsbury started the first copper coinage in America in 1737.
5. The Scoville Memorial Library is the United States' oldest public library. The library collection began in 1771, when Richard Smith, the owner of a local blast furnace, used community contributions to buy 200 books in London. Patrons could borrow and return books on the third Monday of every third month. Fees were collected for damages, the most common being "greasing" by wax dripped from the candles by which the patrons read.
6. Cattle branding in the United States began in Connecticut when farmers were required by law to mark all of their pigs.
7. In Hartford, you may not, under any circumstances, cross the street walking on your hands!
8. Connecticut is home to the oldest U.S. newspaper still being published: The Hartford Courant, established in 1764.
9. Connecticut has approx. 144 newspapers published in the State (daily, Sunday, weekly and monthly).
10. Connecticut is home to the first hamburger (1895), Polaroid camera (1934), helicopter (1939), and color television (1948).
11. The first automobile law was passed by the state of CT in 1901. The speed limit was set at 12 miles per hour.
12. The first lollipop-making machine opened for business in New Haven in 1908. George Smith named the treat after a popular racehorse.
13. In 1937, Connecticut became the first state to issue permanent license plates for cars.
14. Bristol, CT is considered the "Mum City" of the USA because of the many Chrysanthemums are grown and sold to various states and Canada
15. Connecticut State insect is the Praying Mantis.
16. Connecticut's most important crops are dairy, poultry, forest and nursery, tobacco, vegetables, and fruit.
17. Connecticut's motto is Qui Transtulit Sustinet -- "He Who Transplanted Still Sustains".
18. In colonial New Haven cut pumpkins were used as guides for haircuts to ensure a round uniform style. Because of this fashion, these New Englanders were nicknamed "pumpkin-heads."
19. B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill is the only steam-powered Cider Mill in the United States and is located in Mystic.
20. In 1728, the first steel mill operating in America was located in Simsbury.
21. PEZ� Candy is made in the city of Orange.
22. Hartford has remained the capital city of Connecticut since 1875.

My Visit to Rhode Island

Newport - The Breakers

This 70-room summer cottage of Cornelius Vanderbilt II was built in 1895. Vanderbilt's great wealth was reflected in the extensive use of imported French and Italian stone, marble and alabaster as well as the mansion's wooden trim, ceiling paintings, mosaics, and gilded plaster.  The most spectacular room is the dining room, lavishly decorated with red alabaster, bronze, and gilt.

Roger Williams - no, not the singer

Through word and act Roger Williams fought for the idea that religion must not be subject to regulation by the state; that it should be a matter of individual conscience.  Americans take this for granted today, but most people of his time condemned such thoughts as naive and dangerous, believing that religious freedom and civil order could not coexist.  Williams extended his defense of the individual conscience to American Indians, respecting their rights and condemning imposed Christianity.  As the founder of Rhode Island, he put his beliefs into practice.

Touro Synagogue National Historic Site - Built in 1763, the oldest Jewish house of worship in the nation and the only one to survive from colonial times.

White Horse Tavern - Granted its liquor license in 1673, the White Horse claims to be the nation's oldest continuously operating tavern.  At one time, state legislators gathered here before sitting at Colony House.

Rhode Island State Facts and Trivia

Rhode Island Facts and Trivia

1. Rhode Island is the smallest state in size in the United States. It covers an area of 1,214 square miles. Its distances North to South are 48 miles and East to West 37 miles.
2. Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen colonies to become a state.
3. 'Rhode Island never ratified the 18th Amendment prohibition.
4. Judge Darius Baker imposed the first jail sentence for speeding in an automobile on August 28, 1904, in Newport.
5. The Flying Horse Carousel is the nation's oldest carousel. It is located in the resort town of Watch Hill.
6. The first circus in the United States was in Newport in 1774.
7. Rhode Island's official state name is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
8. The world's largest bug is on the roof of New England Pest Control in Providence. It's a big blue termite, 58 feet long and 928 times actual termite size.
9. Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, established the first practical working model of Democracy after he was banished from Plymouth, Massachusetts because of his "extreme views" concerning freedom of speech and religion.
10. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams publicly acknowledged Roger Williams, as the originator of the concepts and principles reflected in The First Amendment. Among those principles were freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of public assembly.
11. The era know as The Industrial Revolution started in Rhode Island with the development and construction in 1790 of Samuel Slater's water-powered cotton mill in Pawtucket.
12. Standing 11 feet tall and 278 feet above ground the Independent Man is a gold-covered, bronze statue placed atop the State House on December 18, 1899.
13. A reproduction of the original Liberty Bell is in the entrance hall on the south entrance to the State House. It was donated to the people of the state by the United States Treasury Department in 1950, when Harry S. Truman was president. It is about 3-1/2 feet tall and the diameter of the bell at its widest part is approximately 3-1/2 feet. It is such a realistic copy that is even has a crack similar to the original Liberty Bell.
14. The White Horse Tavern was built in 1673 and is the oldest operating tavern in the United States.
15. Rhode Island founder Roger Williams established the First Baptist Church in America in 1638. The existing structure was built in 1775
16. Portsmouth is home to the oldest schoolhouse in the United States. The school was built in 1716.
17. Since 1785 Bristol has the longest-running, unbroken series of 4th of July Independence Day observances in the country.
18. Cumberlandite is the official state rock. It is dark brown or black with white markings and found on both sides of Narragansett Bay but not north of Cumberland.
19. The Quonset hut was invented at Quonset Point a key naval reserve base.
20. Jerimoth Hill is the state's highest point at 812 feet above sea level.

and the rest of Massachusetts

Plymouth Rock - pretty disappointing

 New Bedford owes its era of greatest prosperity, 1825 to 1925, to the founding Quaker families.  They moved their whaleships and related business interests from Nantucket America's first whaling center to New Bedford's deeper port on the mainland.

This is one of the largest museums devoted to the history of whales and whaling.



 

Springfield Armory - From its position at the crest of a hill overlooking the Connecticut River, Springfield Armory exerted a profound influence over the city of Springfield and the nation.  It carried out the manufacturing, storage, repair and testing and development functions assigned by the US Army.  Springfield citizens worked at the "Arsenal of Freedom" for 174 years to provide our military with the best infantry weapons necessary to safeguard the nation and its interests.

Cape Cod National Seashore

I drove out to the end of Cape Cod National Seashore.  As I was late in the year, most things were closed and it was pretty empty of visitors.

The great Outer Beach described by Thoreau in the 1800s is protected within Cape Cod National Seashore.  Cape Cod is a glacial deposit always undergoing natural change as wind and water move sand along shorelines, tearing away one place and building up another.  Cape Cod is 40 miles of pristine sand beach, marshes, ponds, and uplands.

Boson, Mass

I took an on/off tour bus around Boston to see as much as possible.  I only had one day (it was $40 to park and $8 for a piece of pizza for lunch).  I had been to Boston before but there is always something exciting to be in the city "where it all began."  At least for me ...

Custome House Tower

Paul Revere House was built about 1680 and is the oldest house in downtown Boston.  Paul Revere owned the house 1770-1800

Holocaust Memorial

On the evening of Apri 18, 1775, two lanterns were displayed in the steeple to signal that British soldiers were advancing on Lexington .....

Paul Revere

USS Constitution was launched on Oct 21, 1797.  It is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world.

The State House, completed in 1798.  The gold dome is gilded in 23 karat gold.

Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge

Bostonia Public House

Faneuil Hall, built in 1742.  The upper story served as a meeting hall during the Revolutionary movement

Samuel Adams

The East Coast of Massachusettes

The Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Mass -

The painting shows how close the houses are

The park service provides a 2-hour tour of the three Adams' former houses.  The third house contains a lot of original pieces, including John Adams' original desk he used for 7 decades, even as President.

The first two houses, 75 feet apart, were built in the 18th century.  John Adams, second president of the United States, was born in one house, and his son, John Quincy Adams, the sixth president, was born in the other.

The third house, called the Old House, was built as a country villa in the 1730s and bought by John Adams in 1787.

President Adams original desk and his portrait

The dress on display is the same dress worn in the picture of the First Lady

I also drove out to the Saugus Iron Works National Historic
Site, but it was closed for the season, as was Minuteman National Historic Park.

The Saugus Iron Works NHS is a full-scale working replica of the original ironworks founded by John Winthrop in 1640.

On April 19, 1775, a group of militia, ordinary citizens and Colonish farmers known a Minute Men confronted British troops who were patrolling the North Bridge.  This 990-acre park preserves the site and tells the story of the American victory.


Lowell has the distinction of being the country's first industrial city, paving the way for the American Industrial Revolution.

Lowell National Park was interesting and nothing like any of the other parks I've visited.  It is actually a number of old mill buildings (not located together but throughout the city).  It was established to rehabilitate more than 100 downtown buildings and preserve the town's unique history.

The New England Quilt Museum displays both antique and contemporary examples of the quilt-makers' art.

Lowell's Jack Kerouac, a native, was the leading chronicler of the "beat generation," a term that he coined to describe members of the disaffection Bohemian movement of the 1950s.




Salem, Mass - Founded in 1626 by Roger Conant, Salem grew to become one of New England's busiest ports.  I thought the ship masts on the light poles were interesting.

The Salem Witch Museum is Salem's most visited sight.  It commemorates the town's darkest hour.  In 1692, 150 people were jailed and 20 executed after being charged with practicing witchcraft.

The land upon which the museum building is built once belonged to Reverend John Higgenson in 1692.  The present-day building was built between 1844 and 11846.


The Peabody Essex Museum and the Park Visitors' Center were both closed.

The town of Essex has a proud culinary distinction:  it was here that the clams were first fried. In 1916, Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman and his wife were selling raw clams by the road. Following a friend's suggestion, they tried deep-frying a clam.  The popularity of the new dish snack helped Woodman open is own restaurant - still one of the region's most popular today.

Williams tunnel by Logan Airport is about 1 1/2 miles long.  The sun appeared very bright one I got out.