Author: mblauss

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Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia

mblauss

We took a day-trip to lovely old Savannah in the rain. With a series of road maps and our rental car, we made our way across the state border (and only got lost once!). Once in the city, parking was a bit hard to come by. It’s a very pedestrian-friendly city, with almost every block in the historic district having large beautiful squares. The city was designed by James Oglethorpe as a series of land plots built around main squares (there are 24 in the historic district where we visited) along with space for public buildings and churches. Because of … Continue reading Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia

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Stoney-Baynard ruins, Sea Pines, Hilton Head, SC

mblauss

History of Braddock’s Point Plantation According to the Sea Pines Resort, in 1776, Captain John Stoney (1757-1821) bought the 1000 acres known as Braddock’s Point Plantation on Hilton Head. It was passed to is son, Captain James Stoney (1772-1827) who inherited the property, left it at his death to Dr. George Mosse Stoney, who passed it to his son “Saucy Jack” in 1838. A gambler, “Saucy Jack”, supposedly lost the house and land in a poker game. The winner was William Eddings Baynard. It’s also possible that Saucy Jack simply went bankrupt and Baynard got the property. “Baynard was a … Continue reading Stoney-Baynard ruins, Sea Pines, Hilton Head, SC

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Braddock’s Point Cemetery, Hilton Head, South Carolina

mblauss

Harbour Town is located in the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head. It was built in the 1960s and 1970s as an environmentally-friendly (as much as resorts can be!) designed tourist spot. But the land there has a much longer history. A great deal of where Sea Pines is located was known as Braddock’s Point, and the Stoney family and later the Baynard family had a large plantation there (see my post about the Stoney-Baynard Plantation Ruins). There was a large slave population on Hilton Head, and several very large planations which each occupied a vast space on the island. … Continue reading Braddock’s Point Cemetery, Hilton Head, South Carolina

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Welcome to Hilton Head, South Carolina!!

mblauss

Sorry for the lack of postings.. we have returned from our wonderful wedding and relaxing honeymoon! With much unpacking still left to do, here’s a preview of exciting things to come! Our honeymoon was spent on Hilton Head, a lovely island off the coast of South Carolina, right near the border of Georgia. We spent most of our days exploring the island’s natural and historical sites, did a little shopping along the way, a lot of relaxing with our waterfront view of the harbor and Harbour Town’s famous lighthouse, and took a day trip to Savannah! Since we are both … Continue reading Welcome to Hilton Head, South Carolina!!

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Creative legacy of the Civil War

mblauss

Having just finished watching the entirety of Ken Burns’ The Civil War, I was struck by the vast amount of creativity it inspired. Indeed, the war itself still resonates today with meaning. Burns himself refers to it as “America’s Iliad“, the epic narrative of American history. With the new art-form of photography developing through the Civil War, war reporters had a new means of bringing the war home to those living far from the battlefields. No longer were articles accompanied by sketchings, drawings or daguerrotypes, instead, real photographs could be included. But in addition to the shots of soldiers, ranks, … Continue reading Creative legacy of the Civil War

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Grave found at Dickenson homestead, Amherst, MA

mblauss

Every time I visited UMass, we would often drive past Emily Dickinson’s homestead. She is one of my favorite poets, her imagery is beautiful and often stark and insightful. She is probably best known for her reclusiveness. She was born in 1830 and briefly attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley nearby, but left after a year due to homesickness. It wasn’t until her thirties that she began to live reclusively, but by that point she had amassed a group of friends and acquaintances to which she held vast correspondance with throughout her life, even if she chose to … Continue reading Grave found at Dickenson homestead, Amherst, MA

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"The Ghost is Clear"

mblauss

Today’s Enterprise had a fun article in the Local section that is “part of an occasional series leading up to Halloween” entitled “The Ghost is Clear” It discusses the gravestone of Veva L. Johnson who is buried at the Mayflower Hill Cemetery in Taunton, MA. A large family monument lists her basic birth and death dates: born 28 OCT 1880 and died 26 APR 1884. Beside the family obelisk is a small cement rocking chair that states “Her vacant chair”. It features a photograph of the chair filled with stuffed animals, and a few interesting quotes. City Councilor Charles Crowley … Continue reading "The Ghost is Clear"

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Mount Auburn Cemetery lecture, Boston Public Library

mblauss

Just received a mailing from Mount Auburn Cemetery, and there is a great lecture coming up: “W.E.B. Du Bois and the Enyclopedia Africana”October 18, 2006, 6 p.m. Boston Public Library, Copley SquareFree and open to the publicHenry Louis Gates, Jr. is the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. Earlier this year he had a fantastic documentary series on PBS entitled “African American Lives“. I watched all the episodes, and loved every moment. Using genealogy and genetics, he researching his own history as well as several famous or high-achieving African Americans such as Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg, and … Continue reading Mount Auburn Cemetery lecture, Boston Public Library

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Ancient Peru pet cemeteries

mblauss

From an article today, Archaeologists have uncovered over 82 dog tombs buried alongside humans in Peru. Their owners were the Chiribaya, who lived in the Osmore River valley. They were farmers who lived approximately from “AD 900 to 1350 before the rise of Peru’s Inca Empire”. From a sociological standpoint, it is interesting to note that the dogs, adults and puppies, were buried with blankets food – “They are dogs that were thanked and recognized for their social and familial contribution,” anthropologist Sonia Guillen said. “These dogs were not sacrificed.” Were they kept as pets in the modern sense of … Continue reading Ancient Peru pet cemeteries