Gozaic of the Week: Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York

Dating back to 1863, the majority of the Woodlawn Cemetery developed between 1870 and 1950 represents the Gilded Age of cemetery design. The 400-acre site in the northern Bronx cares for 300,000 individual internments found in approximately 47,000 family lots, as well as in 48,000 single graves and 10 community mausoleums. The cemetery also contains more than 1,300 private family mausoleums, the largest collection of historic mausoleums in the nation.

Woodlawn Cemetery serves as the final resting place of a diverse set of individuals and families, from wealthy industrialists, merchants, financiers and business leaders to musicians, entertainers, suffragists, artists, athletes, scientists and inventors. Many of these people were nationally significant leaders, persons associated with the history of New York or individuals known in contemporary popular culture. Among those in Woodlawn’s care are: Edward Kennedy, Duke Ellington, Herman Melville, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alva Belmont, Jay Gould, Joseph Pulitzer, Miles Davis, W.C. Handy, Celia Cruz and Adm. Farragut.

The number of works built by significant designers and artisans is unparalleled in the nation. Architects who created memorials at Woodlawn include: McKim, Mead and White; John Russell Pope; James Gamble Rogers; Sir Edwin Lutyens; Peabody and Sterns; Hunt and Hunt; and Warren and Wetmore. Among the sculptors represented at Woodlawn are: Daniel Chester French, Herbert Adams, Paul Wayland Bartlett, Sally James Farnham, Alexander Archipenko, Henry Hudson Kitson and William Ordway Partridge. Landscape designers associated with Woodlawn include: Beatrix Jones Farrand, Ellen Biddle Shipman, Ferruccio Vitale, Marian Coffin and the Olmsted Brothers.

Visitors are admitted free and provided with a map. Walking tours are offered on Sundays in the spring and fall for a small fee. Seasonal concerts and special events are held in the Woolworth Chapel or on the grounds. During the spring, early summer and fall the Friends of The Woodlawn Cemetery offer a variety of programmatic activities from tours to concert to readings.

Gozaic (go-ZAY-ik). Noun. 1) The name of a website, Gozaic.com. 2) The fusion of “go,” for travel and the mosaic of heritage and culture. 3) The mosaic of images to illustrate the dimensions of a featured heritage or cultural destination.

Photos courtesy of Lee Sandstead and Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library.

The Vacation Dilemma: Return to Places You Love or Find New Ones?

Most of us have fond memories from childhood vacations. I think of riding in the “way back” of our station wagon, in the days before we knew seat belts were not optional; being dragged through museums; and eating in restaurants, something we rarely did except on vacation.

Today, as parents of two kids, my husband and I have a dilemma. Do we explore new places or create traditions for our children? I think there is a way to do both!

Teenager Justine Seligson explores this dilemma in the Gozaic Circle, Family Heritage Travel. On frequent car trips to New England, her family has lots of traditions, but it is interesting to read who wants to hold onto those traditions -- Justine or her parents?

The Gozaic online community features a number of “circles of interest” devoted to specific topics, including Cycling Through History and Civil War Buffs. The Family Heritage Travel Circle is moderated by Susan Farewell of FarewellTravels.com. This circle looks at ways to share meaningful experiences through family travel.

Readers: Please share your great family vacation traditions in the comments section below.

Mary Billingsley is director of media relations for Gozaic.

Photos from top to bottom: Justine Seligson a couple of summers ago, "on one of our countless trips around Acadia National Park in Maine." Nunan's near Kennebunkport, Maine, is one of the many lobster huts Justine's family visits when in Maine.

This Treasure Matters: Inside the Home Where Emily Dickinson Pushed the Poetic Envelope

It is easy to think of poets as simply professional people-watchers – incredibly articulate talents who can capture a moment – a feeling – out of thin air and immortalize it on paper in such a way that it can be relived by complete strangers.

However, for one of America’s greatest and most prolific in the craft, understanding and explaining the profound complexity of human emotion did not come from being a tortured lover or an all-around astute observer; it came from a life lived in loneliness and isolation.

Poems without titles; unconventional style and punctuation; recurring themes of death and immortality – this is Emily Dickinson.

Dickinson was born in 1830 at a home in Amherst, Massachusetts, known as the Homestead. Introverted and reclusive even in her early years, it is here where she would spend the majority of her life – and where her creativity would flourish. Many of those who study her believe that her quarantine gave her an opportunity to step back and understand the human experience like none before her had. She passed away in 1886, leaving behind 1,800 poems that continue to push the poetic envelope today.

Quite simply, Emily’s story could not be told without her home. Save America’s Treasures realized this, granting $200,000 in 2004 towards the creation of a master plan that would link and preserve the Homestead and the Evergreens (a neighboring home where members of the Dickson family also lived). The federal grant was matched by more than $500,000 in private funds, which ultimately addressed critical exterior restorations and mechanical systems upgrades.

In 2009, some 13,000 tourists and Dickinson enthusiasts visited the homes, known collectively as the Emily Dickinson Museum. According to the site’s executive director, the rising visitation numbers have had a multiplying effect on the local economy of Amherst, drawing thousands of curious visitors into the town where Emily was once known only as an eccentric woman of mystery.

Save America’s Treasures, Preserve America, and the other programs cut or underfunded by the proposed federal budget do more than preserve our country’s rich heritage – they put Americans to work. Learn more about the National Trust’s campaign to restore this critical funding.

This blog post by Jason Clement originally appeared on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's website, PreservationNation.org, on March 17, 2010.

Gozaic is the website of Heritage Travel, Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Photo: Thanks to Save America's Treasures, the Homestead is where visitors today can go inside Emily Dickinson's world.

Photo of the Week: Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce, Puerto Rico, tastes like chocolate during the Cocoa Festival month of March.

Visitors to Hacienda Buena Vista learn about the history of cocoa and its interesting journey, from the moment it is planted and harvested, to its careful processing into dark chocolate. Tours through this protected natural area include a visit across the Canas River, focusing on the life-cycle of cocoa trees, pollination and how they contribute to forest conservation. Visitors experience live demonstrations of the cocoa process and have the opportunity to savor handcrafted dark chocolate bars.

In 1821, Salvador de Vives, like many other Spaniards, left the newly independent Venezuela. He took his wife, son and two slaves and settled in Puerto Rico. In 1833, Vives bought 468 acres of land in the hills of the city and along a waterfall on the Canas River. Thinking of its natural beauty, he named his property Buena Vista and began to build what would become one of the most important haciendas on the southern part of the island.

The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico acquired Buena Vista in 1984 and began a meticulous process of restoration. For four years, the trust staff, together with leading historians and experts in 19th-century technology, researched the complex coffee-processing machinery and corn mill. Using 19th-century construction techniques and traditional materials, they restored the machinery to work precisely as it did in 1847.

Studying documents, business papers and old photographs left behind by the Vives family, historians were able to reconstruct how people lived and worked on the hacienda, and what it looked like. The rooms of the manor house were restored to the style of the 1890s, with period furniture donated by the Vives family and acquired from other sources.

Photo courtesy of Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico.

Five Things to Do In: Humboldt County, California

Humboldt County is the home of the tallest trees in the world -- the majestic redwoods. Many people visit Humboldt every year to experience not only the trees, but the abundance of historic sites. Boasting superb examples of late-1800s Victorian architecture, historically renowned farming and lumber communities, and the preservation of the historic Redwood National Park, Humboldt County is a magnificent sight for the heritage traveler.

Here are five “must-see” destinations in Humboldt County showcasing the area's natural beauty, Victorian architecture and rich logging and agriculture history.

Redwood National Park: Immerse yourself in the natural wonders of the world; Redwood National Park is the home of many of these wonders. Fern Canyon is a deep canyon with wall-to-wall ferns. Roosevelt Elk, with their massive size and beautiful features, are a surreal sight to see. The world's tallest and some of the oldest redwood trees can be found here, along with beautiful blooms in May and June.

Founders Grove: The Founders Grove, conveniently located just off the Avenue of the Giants, is the most-visited grove in Humboldt Redwoods and a major North Coast redwood attraction. Sitting on a large alluvial flat at the intersection of two rivers and shielded from storms by 3,000-foot-tall mountains to the west, the grove provides an ideal environment for redwoods. Founders Grove provides easy hikes and beautiful scenery.

Old Town Eureka: Nowhere is Eureka's Victorian heritage more evident than in Old Town, a meticulously preserved and restored district of shops, restaurants, galleries and museums. The Old Town/Downtown district includes the Victorian-style Carson Mansion, theaters, pubs, antique shops, local coffeehouses and the Arkley Center of Performing Arts.

Ferndale: Virtually unchanged since the 1800s, Ferndale is a living history museum of Victoriana and other architectural treasures. Nestled in a verdant, pastoral valley near Northern California's redwood forests, Ferndale was founded in 1852 and quickly became one of the region's major agricultural centers. The prosperous dairy industry provided the economic base, and the blend of agriculture and architecture produced splendidly ornate buildings that are known today as "Butterfat Palaces." Although Ferndale came to life as an isolated settlement in the unexplored territory of the American West, today the town is just a few miles off the beaten path. But with its enchanting Victorian charm, it might as well be a world away.

Samoa Cookhouse: Take a step back to 1890 and the early days of the lumber and logging industry at the Samoa Cookhouse. All meals are still served lumber camp-style. Food is brought to the table in large bowls and platters served family-style. Seconds are always offered, so no one walks away from the table hungry. In addition to the restaurant, the Samoa Cookhouse has an on-site museum. Samoa is located only five minutes from Eureka.

Photos courtesy of Humboldt County CVB. From top to bottom: Roosevelt elk in Redwood National Park; Fern Canyon in Redwood National Park; redwoods in Founders Grove; Carson Mansion in Old Town Eureka; Victorian Village of Ferndale.

Gozaic of the Week: Filoli in Woodside, California

Filoli is a prime example of the California eclectic style—showcasing outstanding early 20th-century architecture and garden design. Built more than sixty years after the California Gold Rush that inspired massive migration to Northern California, and ten years after the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, Filoli represented a desire to create a magnificent and enduring country estate with bountiful land, plentiful resources and an emphasis on self-sufficiency.

Built for Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers Bourn, prominent San Franciscans, Filoli was given its name by combining the first two letters from the key words of Mr. Bourn’s credo: “Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.”

Today the 654-acre estate is a California State Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Filoli is open to the public and includes an art gallery, regularly scheduled afternoon teas and extensively cultivated landscapes and gardens.

Gozaic (go-ZAY-ik). Noun. 1) The name of a website, Gozaic.com. 2) The fusion of “go,” for travel and the mosaic of heritage and culture. 3) The mosaic of images to illustrate the dimensions of a featured heritage or cultural destination.

Photos courtesy of Carol Highsmith and Ron Blunt.

Taste of America: Chile, Oysters, Shoofly Pie and Much More

Looking for authentic local food when you travel? We continue our series of great food, drinks and restaurants. Places and treats you’ll want to check out to fully experience a destination. Last week, we shared suggestions from Monterey, California; Natchitoches, Louisiana; and Lexington, Kentucky. This week, we feature tempting food from three more destinations. Bon appétit!

Taos, New Mexico
Cathy Connelly, with the town of Taos, offers a bit of history and great restaurant suggestions. Known as a mecca for artists seeking inspiration, the northern New Mexico town of Taos is equally inspiring to culinary artists who seek to encapsulate the diverse cultural flavors of the area, using food as their palette. In Taos, that palette is often colored with red or green – as in chile – and you can ask for mild or get it hot like the locals do. Chile peppers are grown in southern New Mexico and harvested in fall. Cathy adds, “In fact, we love our chile so much, the official state question is ‘red or green?’” Several home-style eateries in Taos serve chilies in local dishes such as tamales, enchiladas, chile rellenos and posole. Don’t forget to sample the local wines, too!

Must-do restaurants include:

Graham’s Grille - try the local buffalo burgers with green chile, or Taos tamale pie and Spanish coffee.

Joseph’s Table - award-winning cuisine from Chef Joseph Wrede.

Old Blinking Light - one of the most popular staples of Taos, featuring some of the tastiest margaritas and local microbrew beer, and an incredible view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Apalachicola, Florida
The Apalachicola Bay and River are home to two foods unique to the area. Anita Grove, with the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce, describes Apalachicola Bay oysters and Tupelo honey.

Apalachicola Bay oysters are heralded as some of the world’s best by chefs worldwide for their mellow flavor, plumpness and balanced saltiness. More than 90 percent of Florida’s oysters and 10 percent of the nationwide supply are harvested from the clean, undeveloped, carefully monitored waters. Apalachicola Bay encompasses a 210-square-mile estuary that is wide and shallow, averaging between six and nine feet deep at low tide. The estuary is dominated by the Apalachicola River, which provides nutrient-rich fresh waters vital to the bay’s natural productivity.

Tupelo honey is produced from the tupelo gum tree (Nyssa ogeche), which grows along the Apalachicola River in northwest Florida. Tupelo honey is characterized as a smooth honey with a complex floral herbal flavor and a fruity aftertaste. Known as the champagne of honeys, Tupelo honey is a light golden amber color with a slight green cast. Its flavor is delicate and distinctive, with a high fructose/low glucose content that does not crystallize. Tupelo trees grow in the wetlands. Beekeepers operate their apiaries from boats and high platforms. All of the work is done by hand. Frames are set out on boardwalks constructed over the Apalachicola River and its creeks.

Amish Country of Northern Indiana
Sweet suggestions come from Jackie Hughes, with the Elkhart County, Indiana, Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In 1969, in conjunction with the Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival, the local dime store owner worked with his candy supplier to develop a signature candy for the festival and settled on a licorice-flavored jumbo jelly bean about the size of a small thumb. One hundred pounds of the treat were sold that year; today Wakarusa Dime Store sells 35 tons of jumbo jelly beans a year in a variety of flavors, including licorice, of course.

Shoofly pie is synonymous with Amish cooking, and Amish Acres in Nappanee, Indiana, was voted the best by the Chicago Tribune. This traditional Amish treat is made with brown sugar, eggs, molasses and butter, so it is easy to understand how it got its name!

Flour, eggs and hard work go into traditional Amish noodles, a staple at any Amish dinner table. Katie Lehman’s noodles at the Dutch Country Market in Middlebury, Indiana, are an area favorite, and there’s no doubt her noodles are fresh – visitors to Dutch Country Market can watch Katie rolling out, cutting and drying the dough!

Readers: We’re looking for hidden gems — great local restaurants (both fine dining and holes-in-the-wall), favorite foods unique to a region and treats to take back to co-workers (they are getting sick of salt water taffy!). We welcome your recommendations in the comments section below.

Photos top to bottom: New Mexican cuisine photo courtesy of the town of Taos. Apalachicola Bay oysters on the half shell photo courtesy of Apalachicolabay.org. George Watkins harvesting Tupelo honey photo courtesy of Richard Bickel. Signature jumbo jelly beans from Wakarusa Dime Store, Wakarusa, Indiana, photo courtesy of Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Shoofly pie, an Amish Country favorite, photo courtesy of Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Katie Lehman making noodles at Dutch Country Market in Middlebury, Indiana, photo courtesy of Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This Treasure Matters: Taking a Walk With “Little Women”

You’d be hard pressed to find a young girl who does not know Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.

Don’t worry; we’re not talking about some new pop phenomenon or even Dancing with the Stars; we’re talking about four sisters – four little women – that seem to have a permanent place in the lives of American adolescents.

It’s true – whether on screen or on paper, Little Women lives on today. And, thanks to Save America’s Treasures, so does Orchard House – the historic home in Concord, Massachusetts, where Louisa May Alcott, the author of the beloved series, lived and wrote this story that transcends generations.

In 2000, Alcott’s Orchard House received a $400,000 federal Save America’s Treasures challenge grant, which was met with an additional $150,000 in private contributions. This much-needed funding addressed a variety of structural damages and abnormalities that had come to plague the iconic home where Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy came to life. And the restoration didn’t just save a place that our country simply couldn’t stand to lose – it created 31 local and regional jobs for individuals within 14 different trades and professions.

Today, the proof is in the eyes of the thousands of visitors who come to walk through the home where Little Women came to be – this treasure matters, and this program works.

Save America’s Treasures, Preserve America, and the other programs cut or underfunded by the proposed federal budget do more than preserve our country’s rich heritage – they put Americans to work. Learn more about the National Trust’s campaign to restore this critical funding.

This blog post by Jason Clement originally appeared on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's website, PreservationNation.org, on March 10, 2010.

Gozaic is the website of Heritage Travel, Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Photo: Summer at Orchard House.

Photo of the Week: Georgetown, Colorado

Look who is part of the Welcome Wagon in Georgetown, Colorado!

Georgetown is a National Historic Landmark District. Nestled among the evergreens of the Rocky Mountains, it is an outstanding example of 19th-century mining heritage and Victorian architecture.

The landmark district has more than 300 historic structures dating as far back as the 1860s. It includes seven history museums, as well as a historic narrow-gauge railroad operated for the enjoyment and education of visitors. Georgetown also has new cultural interpretive center.

Georgetown is also rich in historic open lands and is known for its pristine vistas, numerous hiking and biking trails, and abundant wildlife native to the Rocky Mountains, including bighorn sheep. Georgetown offers a bighorn sheep viewing area, which provides an excellent opportunity to see these amazing animals in their natural habitat.

When visiting Georgetown, experience the mountains in a quiet and slow-paced way by traveling over Guanella Pass Road. This 22-mile back-country road was designated a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway in 1990 and a National Scenic and Historic Byway in 1991. The road goes from south from Georgetown over Guanella Pass (elevation 11,669 feet) to the town of Grant, at U.S. Highway 285. The route, which is suitable for sedans, offers splendid views and many recreational opportunities along the way, and the road goes into the high mining country of times past.

Photo by Keith Murray and courtesy of the Town of Georgetown, Colorado.

Five Facts from the Johnstown Flood Museum in Johnstown, Pennsylvania

The Johnstown Flood Museum tells the story of the 1889 Johnstown flood, which killed 2,209 people, and the town’s triumphant recovery. The catastrophic flood of 20 million tons of water destroyed four square miles of downtown, leaving a prospering city a wasteland. News of the Johnstown flood was the second-biggest news story of the 19th century, after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

The museum shows how the disaster captured the popular imagination then, and how it profoundly affected American history. Exhibits show the cause of the disaster, its devastating effects, the town’s incredible recovery and the flood’s influence on popular culture. A multimedia map traces the path of the flood from Lake Conemaugh and the ill-fated South Fork Dam to Johnstown. Flood artifacts, photography and an original Oklahoma House used to shelter survivors are shown. The Oklahoma House is an early example of prefabricated housing originally used by settlers moving west, but was also used as relief housing for Johnstown flood survivors.

Tickets to the Johnstown Flood Museum include admission to several related attractions in the Johnstown Discovery Network. These are the Heritage Discovery Center, including the Iron & Steel Gallery; Wagner-Ritter House & Garden; and Johnstown Children’s Museum.

Here are five facts from the Johnstown Flood Museum:

Tree Impales Home. An iconic image of the Johnstown flood damage shows the Schulz house on its side, impaled by an enormous, uprooted tree. Incredibly, all six people in the house survived. People would climb out on the tree to get their picture taken.

American Red Cross and Clara Barton Assist With Relief Efforts. The Johnstown flood was the first major peacetime relief effort by the fledgling American Red Cross. Clara Barton, who was 67 at the time of the disaster, arrived in Johnstown on June 5 and stayed through Oct. 24. The museum includes a case of artifacts related to the Red Cross.

"And the Oscar Goes to..." The documentary shown as part of the museum's permanent exhibit, “The Johnstown Flood,” won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Documentary - Short Subject.

Mighty Mouse Saves the Mice of Johnstown. The exhibit includes representations of the flood in popular culture, including a 1920s silent movie about the flood featuring a young Janet Gaynor; and a Mighty Mouse cartoon, where Mighty Mouse saves the mice of Johnstown from the great flood’s wave.

Early Carnegie Library in Johnstown. The museum is housed in the former Cambria County Library, which was built after the flood with a $10,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie, a member of the club that owned the ill-fated South Fork Dam. As such, the building is one of the very first Carnegie libraries in the world. The small brown building on the right is an Oklahoma House.

Photos courtesy of Johnstown Flood Museum. Top to bottom: flood damage shows the damaged rooftops; display case of objects recovered from the flood; Schulz house; Cambria County Library now home to the Johnstown Flood Museum.

Taste of America: Sanddabs, Meat Pies, Bourbon and Much More

In recent months, the Gozaic staff shared favorite places for authentic food in our hometowns. We’ve asked Gozaic partners to do the same. These great suggestions guide you to the best regional flavors, restaurants, food festivals and trails.

Monterey County, California
Nicole Gustas, with the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, shares three of her favorite regional flavors.

Castroville, in Monterey County, is the artichoke capital of the world, growing almost every artichoke sold in the United States. The Castroville Artichoke Festival (May 15-16, 2010) has celebrated the artichoke for more than half a century. Area chefs provide their favorite artichoke recipes.

Monterey’s two abalone farms produce the nation’s only fresh, ocean-reared abalone. It is served by all the better seafood restaurants in Monterey County.

Finally, Nicole say sanddabs are on the menu at every restaurant in Monterey County that offers seafood, usually served fried, and rarely seen anywhere else. This small flatfish is exquisitely sweet and tender.

Natchitoches, Louisiana
Latisha McDaniel, with the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, tells us that Natchitoches is home to the famous Natchitoches meat pies, a local empanada-style pie filled with beef, pork and seasoning. Meat pies have been popular since the late 1700s, but gone are the days when street vendors would chant, "Hotta meat pies! Get your hotta meat pies right here!" Natchitoches was named the Official Meat Pie Capital of Louisiana by the state legislature in 2004. The Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival offers the chance to taste a variety of these fried pies, including a crawfish version. Be sure to save room for the meat pie-eating contest! Want to make the meat pies at home? Here’s the recipe.

Lexington, Kentucky
Three distinctive flavors and experiences are suggested by Lauren Campbell, from the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A regional ginger-based soft drink, Ale-8-One, has been made in neighboring Winchester, Kentucky, since 1926. Tours are given of the facility and reservations are required.

After first opening to the public in April 1989, Ramsey’s Diner has grown to four restaurants in Lexington. Ramsey’s serves good old-fashioned comfort food: pot roast, meat loaf, chicken and dumplings, Southern veggie dishes and the Hot Brown once voted "Best of the Bluegrass."

The September issue of National Geographic Traveler includes the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in its "Drives of a Lifetime — The World's Greatest Scenic Routes." Four of these distilleries are located within 25 miles of Lexington: Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Woodford Reserve and Wild Turkey.

Next week we continue this series with great ways to sample local food while traveling to Taos, New Mexico; Apalachicola, Florida; and Amish Country of Northern Indiana.

Readers: Do you have a favorite local food, drink or restaurant you’d like to share? We’d love your recommendations in the comments section below.

Photos top to bottom:
Artichokes at a Castroville farm stand, image courtesy of Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Abalone dish at Marinus Restaurant, Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley, image courtesy of Bernardus Lodge. Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant is home to the famous meat pie, image courtesy of Natchitoches Area Convention and Vistors Bureau. A tour group at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Ky., image by Jeff Rogers and courtesy of Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau.

St. Patrick's Day Parades and Festivities

Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! Check out these great parades and celebrations of Irish history and traditions.

Wilmington-Brandywine Valley, Delaware
35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 13, noon
The 35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is a magnet for Wilmington, Delaware’s large Irish population and unofficially ushers in spring. The parade begins at 4th Street and, appropriately, ends at St. Patrick’s Church on 15th Street. More than 10,000 spectators are expected to line King Street to see the Irish dancers and bands.

Buffalo-Niagara, New York
St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 14, 2 p.m.
Join in Buffalo's largest celebration of Irish heritage. Celebrating for more than 65 years, the St. Patrick’s Day parade down Delaware Avenue begins at Buffalo's City Hall and ends at North Street. The parade features Irish dancers, bands, civic organizations and others who march in honor of St. Patrick.

Naper Settlement, Naperville, Illinois
The Irish in America, March 14, 7 p.m.
Weaving music with stories, singer and songwriter Lee Murdock presents a compelling story of Irish immigrants in Illinois, during this presentation of the History Speaks Lecture Series at Naper Settlement's Century Memorial Chapel. As they came to America to build their new lives in a foreign land, the Irish were also essential in building the canals, railroads and towns that became Illinois and America. Both traditional ballads and modern historical songs are featured in this presentation.

Landmark Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Day of Irish Dance, March 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
St. Patrick’s Day Irish Celebration, March 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Take in all things Irish at two events at Landmark Center. Lively Celtic music, dancing and authentic vendors -- come enjoy these great St. Paul traditions!

McGillin’s Olde Ale House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 14 and St. Patrick’s Day, March 17
Those enjoying Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, may wish to stop by McGillin’s Olde Ale House for a sampling of Irish tradition dating back 150 years.

Readers: Do you have a favorite St. Patrick’s Day parade, event or tradition? Please share them in the comments section below.

Photos top to bottom: Irish dancers at Wilmington, Delaware parade courtesy of Mike Biggs; McGillin's Olde Ale House sign.

Women’s History Month

As a young girl, I liked reading biographies about different people in history. But, the selection of biographies about women at our local library was limited to a handful of obvious female heroes, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Betsy Ross, Amelia Earhart and Pocahontas. As I reflect on Women’s History Month, it is a great chance to celebrate famous and lesser-known women in history, as well as applaud the accomplishments of modern women.

We’ve compiled a list of Women’s History Month activities and events from Gozaic partners showcasing women and their work through tours, lectures, films, art exhibits and more.

Leesburg-Loudoun County, Virginia
Women in Aviation & Space, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, March 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Women in Aviation & Space” highlights the many achievements of women in science, technology and aerospace. Visitors will learn about the accomplishments of Amelia Earhart, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), astronaut Sally Ride and women who are currently contributing to aviation, science, technology and space exploration. You can also participate in book signings, story time and fun and educational hands-on activities throughout the museum.

Tudor Place, Washington, D.C.
Women, Love and Property Tour & Tea, March 13, 10:30 a.m.
Celebrate Women’s History Month at Tudor Place. Six generations of women played an integral part in the preservation of the historic mansion and the objects and papers of their significant family. This tour explores the changing role of women from 1816 through modern times. The tour highlights artifacts and documents from the family matriarch, Martha Washington, as well as those of Martha Custis Peter, first owner of Tudor Place, and her daughter Britannia Peter Kennon. After the tour, enjoy a traditional Victorian tea complete with tea sandwiches, scones, delicious desserts and historic tea blends.

Sewall-Belmont House, Washington, D.C.
An Evening with Cokie Roberts, March 23, 6:30 p.m.
Join celebrated journalist Cokie Roberts as she shares personal thoughts and insights into her work, followed by a question-and-answer period, book signing and reception at Sewall-Belmont House. Roberts is the 2006 Alice Awards recipient, as well as the author of “We Are Our Mothers' Daughters” and “Founding Mothers.” This is just one of several Women’s History Month events at Sewall-Belmont House.

Wilmington and Brandywine Valley, Delaware
Women’s History, Women’s Lives, 24th Annual Film Series, through March 23
Greater Wilmington and the University of Delaware celebrate Women’s History Month with the 24th Annual Film Series, “Women’s History, Women’s Lives.” Through March 23, a different film will be shown every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. and followed by a discussion led by a professor with expertise in the film’s subject matter. The screenings will be held at the University of Delaware’s Newark Campus.

Buffalo-Niagara, New York
A Variety of Events throughout the Month
Join this month-long celebration of women in history. Activities include gallery exhibits featuring women artists, theatrical productions, musical events, business seminars and workshops, films and networking opportunities. The Erie County Commission on the Status of Women and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library lead a coalition of organizations in planning nearly 50 activities.

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
A Variety of Programs throughout March
Colonial Williamsburg celebrates the contributions of women of the 18th century to the history of our nation, with programs throughout the month of March. Scenes, tours, programs and special presentations explore the various roles that our foremothers filled in birthing a new nation.

Mary Billingsley is the director of media relations for Gozaic.com.

Photos top to bottom courtesy of: Tudor Place, Washington, D.C.; Sewall-Belmont House, Washington, D.C.

Photo Journal: Grove Arcade, Asheville, North Carolina

On a recent trip to visit my daughter and son-in-law, who live in Asheville, North Carolina, we spent another wonderful day in the historic downtown. Instead of writing about all the things we did, saw and experienced, I want to focus on just one of my favorite places in Asheville, the Grove Arcade.

Many people today hear the word “arcade” and think of a place that houses video games, but in the late-19th and early-20th centuries in the U.S., these buildings were mixed-use projects that combined retail space and offices.

The Grove Arcade was completed in 1929 and built by E. W. Grove, a self-made millionaire who built the equally wonderful Grove Park Inn -- a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Hotels of America. Unfortunately, he died in 1927, never seeing through his original project, which was a 14-story tower. What was completed was an incredible 269,000-square-foot building that was one of the largest buildings in this part of North Carolina. Charles N. Parker was the architect.

The Grove Arcade was, for the most part, closed in the 1940s, but it was restored and opened in 2002. It is full of shops and offices.

As mentioned, E. W. Grove built the luxurious Grove Park Inn in 1913 and modeled it after the railroad hotels of the West. It is definitely worth a stop to take a look, shop, eat or visit the spa. This picture shows the view from one of the restaurants.

Before you get inside the arcade, there are lots of outdoor vendors. This captured the attention of my daughter, Ellen, and wife, Ruth. As they looked and shopped, my walk of the historic district was delayed!

We approached the arcade from the south, and you can see what appears to be a mixture of Italian Renaissance architecture with Gothic elements. There are 88 gargoyle heads on the exterior walls. Also, four roof gargoyles function as downspouts.
The interior is really stunning. We happened to be there when the sun poured into the building. There is lots of natural light, lots of shops and, what I found most impressive, multiple spiral staircases.

The Grove Arcade's website offers a great description of the spiral staircases and provides more information about the building's architecture and includes an architectural tour.

“Spiral staircases were invented in the Middle Ages to make maximum use of space. The spiral staircase also uses one of the oldest symbols of spiritual progression in human history. Spirals represent cycles that both move forward in time and return to a beginning. Charles Parker used the staircases for effect -- adding to the see-and-be-seen psychology of the arcade -- while reserving square footage for the all-important store rentals.”

There are many other architectural elements, including this head that serves as a bracket for the doorway’s ornamental frame. By virtue of its position, it is the most dominant in the arcade.

There are wonderful shopping opportunities, including those featuring local artisans. As we headed toward the north entrance, we saw our final destination-- a European wine bar, called Sante.

A nice end to a great day in downtown Asheville!

Scott Gerloff is president and CEO of Heritage Travel, Inc. and its website, Gozaic.

Photos by Scott Gerloff

“Saving and Celebrating” the Treasures of Women’s History

Have you joined our campaign to save the Save America’s Treasures program? I hope so – because it’s worth saving, believe me.

Created more than a decade ago, SAT has been cut out of the proposed federal budget for next year. That’s bad news – really bad news – because this program, in addition to boosting the economy in communities all over the country and creating thousands of jobs, has helped preserve more than 1,100 important places, documents, collections and works of art. Quirky and wonderful, inspiring and surprising, beautiful and not so much, these things link us with the people, events and ideas that shaped American history and culture. In a very real sense, they’re us – and if that’s not worth preserving, what is?

Now that Women’s History Month is upon us, it’s worth noting that SAT has played a key role in saving and celebrating a great many treasures associated with women. Some of them involve bona fide icons: the Alabama birthplace of Helen Keller got an SAT grant, for instance, as did the Massachusetts house where Louisa May Alcott and her family lived; the long-forgotten Washington, DC, office once occupied by Clara Barton; the archives of legendary dancer Martha Graham; a collection of clothing that belonged to Dolley Madison; and the homes of reclusive poet Emily Dickinson and the decidedly un-reclusive (and famously unsinkable) Molly Brown.

Other SAT-funded projects evoke names that are, well, less familiar. Josephine Wright Chapman, for instance, is not exactly a household name – but she was one of America’s earliest female architects, and an SAT grant went to a building she designed in Worcester, Mass., that is now a popular venue for civic events and performances. Grants were also awarded to the Madame C. J. Walker Urban Life Center in Indianapolis, a living memorial to the life and achievements of the entrepreneur and philanthropist who became the nation’s first black female millionaire; the Washington home of Mary Church Terrell, the first African-American woman to sit on an American school board and the founding president of the National Association of Colored Women; and a Delaware estate called Gibraltar, which boasts a garden designed by pioneering female landscape architect Marian Coffin.

I can’t claim to have seen all of these treasures – but I have visited Val-Kill a couple of times, and it always blows me away. Eleanor Roosevelt is one of my personal heroes, you see, and Val-Kill is the place that evokes her personality most clearly. It’s a grandmotherly sort of place with mismatched chairs in the dining room, a narrow wooden bed on the sleeping porch, and framed photographs everywhere – a place that was obviously lived in by someone who cared more about life than about decor. Val-Kill offered Mrs. Roosevelt, for the first time in her life, a place that was truly her own, and she made it a retreat where she could enjoy the company of close friends – and offer simple meals and stimulating conversation to the world leaders who came to call in a steady stream. It’s a wonderfully engaging place, and Save America’s Treasures has provided major funding over the years to help keep it intact and alive.

You want treasures? I got your treasures right here. We’ve all got them, in fact. They’re in every part of the country from Hawaii to Maine, ready to welcome and inform and inspire us – thanks in large part to this program that’s WAY too good to lose.

Save America’s Treasures, Preserve America, and the other programs cut or underfunded by the proposed federal budget do more than preserve our country’s rich heritage – they put Americans to work. Learn more about the National Trust’s campaign to restore this critical funding.

This blog post by Dwight Young originally appeared on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's website, PreservationNation.org, on March 1, 2010. Dwight joined the staff of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977. He currently serves as senior communications associate and writes the regular ‘Back Page‘ feature in Preservation magazine

Gozaic is the website of Heritage Travel, Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Photos top to bottom: In recognition of its significance, then First Lady Laura Bush chose Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House as the site for her 2002 debut appearance as Save America’s Treasures’ honorary chair.

Five Fun Facts from the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota

More than 26,000 years ago, large Columbian and woolly mammoths were trapped and died in a spring-fed pond near what is now the southwest edge of Hot Springs, South Dakota.

In 1974, during excavation for a housing project, earth-leveling equipment revealed the white bones and tusks of these huge animals. Local townspeople worked to preserve and protect the site. In 1980, the Department of the Interior designated the Mammoth Site as a National Natural Landmark.

Fifty-five Columbian and three woolly mammoths have been discovered based on tusk count. Experts believe more than 100 mammoths may have died here. Eighty-five other species of Ice Age animals have been discovered, including giant short-faced bear, camel, rabbit, squirrel, prairie dog, vole and many more.

The Mammoth Site Museum represents the unique setting of and public access to the "in-situ" bone bed where the mammoth bones are excavated, preserved and studied in place year-round. On a 30-minute guided tour of the Mammoth Site, visitors learn why huge woolly and Columbian mammoths became trapped. The Mammoth Site is the world’s largest mammoth research facility and museum. Visitors can stroll the edges of the indoor fossil bone bed.

Here are five fun facts from the Mammoth Site:

The World’s Largest Site of Columbian Mammoth Bones. The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota, is the world's largest deposit of Columbian mammoth bones.

How’d They Get Here? Mammoths, mastodons and elephants emerged from a group of mammals with developed trunks and tusks. This group, called proboscideans, is traced back 55 million years. Although related, mammoths, mastodons and elephants are from different branches of this proboscidean ancestral tree. The first mammoths developed in Africa, and soon ranged into Europe and Siberia. The ancestral mammoth, M. meridionalis, reached North America about 1.7 million years ago. Over thousands of years, while adapting to the North American environment, the ancestral mammoth evolved to become the Columbian mammoth (the American mammoth).

Maa + Mutt = Mammoth. The word “mammoth” comes from two words from the Estonian language: "Maa," which means earth, and "Mutt," which means mole. Estonia is a country near Russia, where farmers found gigantic bones in their fields. They thought that the bones belonged to huge burrowing animals. We are the ones who have related the word “mammoth” to meaning “extraordinarily large.”

Measuring the Age of the Mammoth. Researchers determine the approximate age of the mammoth by measuring the length and width of its molars.

Big Eaters with Great Dexterity. The average Columbian mammoth consumed approximately 700 pounds of vegetation daily. Like an elephant, a mammoth would feed by wrapping its trunk around large clumps of grass, then, after tearing the grass loose, would place the food in its mouth. With sensitive tips of its trunk, a mammoth could also delicately pick buds, flowers and shorter grasses.

Photos top to bottom: junior paleontologist program at Mammoth Site, courtesy of South Dakota Tourism; visitors on tour at Mammoth Site, courtesy of South Dakota Tourism; Earthwatch volunteers excavating at Mammoth Site, courtesy of Mammoth Site.

20 Black Soldiers Form 1897 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps

Today we take another look at Gozaic’s Cycling Through History Circle. Mike Higgins spent the past six years researching the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps and writes on behalf of the Adventure Cycling Association. This infantry of 23 people included 20 black soldiers who comprised one of the original bands of “adventure cyclists” and made the first American long-distance group tour. Their mission was to test the newly invented “safety bicycle,” which had two wheels of equal size. The 1,900-mile tour began at the fort in Missoula, Montana, and ended 41 days later in St. Louis where the men were welcomed by more than 10,000 people.

Read about this fascinating journey, the people they met along the way and the challenges they encountered riding in the mountains and mud. Even learn where they found the best slice of pie along the route!

Photo: Young boys admire the “wheels” of the 1897 25th Bicycle Corps. Photo by Eddie Boos, Corps reporter. Photo courtesy of the Archives & Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.