gruffbrown

After a couple of posts with Jerseygirl about Historic Buildings in NJ, it's got me thinking about American History or the lack of it. I miss the sense of history we have in the UK, although I think we tend to take it for granted. I'm trying to get into the whole 230 year history thing in the US, but it's not getting my juices flowing for some reason. We have, I believe, 2 buildings in our town over 100 years old, so slim pickings really. The town next to us is 'Historical' having been used by the Brits and Americans in the War of Independence, strangely it's most Historical feature is the Tavern and it's now a dry town OK it's boring thread for some of you I know, but genuinely interested in your thoughts.

Gruff

AdobePinon

We eek out a few more years down here - Santa Fe goes back to 1609.

NC Penguin

Your interpretation of what you consider history is pretty narrow. History to me refers to people, events and places.

So for me, living in NC, there's lots of history relating to Black Americans, the Civil War, Native Americans and early American settlers.

e.g. Sir Walter Raleigh and his buddies landed in NC in 1587.


NC Penguin

Rushman

American history has also caught my attention. Mainly because so much of it is complete bollocks and the septics believe it.

For example. Paul Revere did NOT do a midnight ride to warn of the approaching British.

200 odd years and STILL need propaganda. FFS

Jerseygirl

Thanks for mentioning me Gruff, but you could have put my name in lights, or big writing at the very least.

Lots of historical buildings/sites around here but can't give away my location I'm afraid. The town I live in was first settled in the 1700's.

Bob

Next town over to where the folks live, the ear muffs were invented...and they have a parade for it every year...in the summer

the old grave yards are kind of fun to see though, the one in town has some nice old pickings, a family plot with people who were up there in the boston tea party thing and some others..also some nice oldish buildings around..

Lord Lionheart

While American history does not go as far back as UK history ( unless you include what is left of American Indian history) it is also rich in it's diversity.

Go to blockbuster and rent Ken Burns Civil War series on DVD. Another show I try not to miss is Public TV's ' The American Experience'

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/

If you can rent some of these shows from it's archives, American history's depth, stories & struggles might just surprise you;

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/archives.html

Jerseygirl

[QUOTE=Bob]Next town over to where the folks live, the ear muffs were invented...and they have a parade for it every year...in the summer

Woo hoo ear muff parade, what have I been missing. Date and location please Bob.

NC Penguin

As tough as Mainers are, I can't see them marching through waist high snow in winter when it'd be appropriate to hold a parade to commemorate the invention of ear muffs.


NC Penguin

Bob

Ken Burns is great, love the civil war series, would like to get the dvd's, but way to pricey for me...also really nice listening to Shelby Foot, he has a great voice, shame he died...Foot also wrote some really good books on the civil war, well worth checking out.

Bob

I couldn't believe they had a parade at all really

oh, Skowhegan, bit of a shitter, and where that Empire Falls was filmed, the Newman HBO movie...anyway, they have the longest going annual fair in the US, even made it on jeopardy once, as well as the town where the first female US senator was from - http://www.skowhegan.org/ and the entire town is a roundabout

gruffbrown

And the pub he drank in is where?

gruffbrown

And it does to me, but in this case I was more interested in the Physical History, maybe I should have named the thread American Heritage?

NC Penguin

Bought the PBS Civil War series described above for my FIL's Christmas present last year. He's a super Civil War buff. He even started to watch the DVDs on Christmas Day...

If anyone wants to know anything about the Civil War, he'll probably know the answer.


NC Penguin

Rushman

OK.....When's the next one?