Searching For America

Discovering the roots of American History and Americana.

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View of sand dike from High Bar Harbor on New Jersey's Long Beach Island. Read more about the history of maintaining this barrier island in the summer issue of Bay Magazine http://goo.gl/7fYo0d #lbi #newjersey #jerseyshore #barrierisland #armycorpsofengineers #baymagazinelbi #barnegatinlet #barnegatbay #bayphotographer bay_magazine

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A visit to Bartram's Garden along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. The garden and house were built by John Bartram in 1728 and remain to this day. It is considered the oldest surviving botanic garden in the United States. Notable in the garden is the spreading Franklinia tree. This tree was brought back from Georgia in 1777 and named for Bartram's friend Benjamin Franklin. The tree has not been seen occurring in nature since the early 1800s ...today's Franklinias are considered to be products of its early propagation in Bartram's garden. #bartramsgarden #philly #historicgarden #colonialamerica #ig_captures #botany #botanist #familyfun (at Bartram's Garden)

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Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. Established in 1896 on the apple orchard of veterinarian Samuel Johnson it us the oldest operating pet cemetery in the U.S. Over 80,000 pets are buried here complete with beautiful bronze and marble statues. Celebrity pet owners include Diana Ross, George Raft, and Mariah Carey. #pets #nationalpuppyday #petcemetery #graves #unusualplaces #hartsdaleny #burialground #animallover #cemeterylovers #cemetery #doglovers (at Hartsdale, New York)

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Cannon from the USS Monitor in a conservation tank in Newport News, VA. The Monitor is notable as the first iron clad warship built by the Navy during the Civil War. It had a rotating gun turret which allowed 2 cannons to fire in multiple different directions. During the famous Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862 the Monitor fought the Confederate iron clad, the CSS Virginia for 4 hours. Neither ship suffered significant damage and the battle considered a draw, but these new iron clad ships changed the course of ship building forever. #ussmonitor #shipbuilding #civilwar #newportnews #marinersmuseum #ironclad #hamptonroads #ushistory #gunturret #cannon #usnavy (at The Mariners' Museum and Park)

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Sunset - Naval Square - Philadelphia, PA #searchingforamerica #philly #sunset #sunset_pics #americanflag #usnavy #ushistory #oldglory #skyfire

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Cuckold's Fog Signal and Light Station in Southport, Maine. Located near the entrance of the channel that leads to Booth Bay, an established fishing port, the fog signal and keeper's house were built around 1892 to aid those navigating in bad weather. A lighthouse tower was added in 1907. Today the Cuckold Light House is open to overnight guests from June through September. #Maine #lighthouse #southportmaine #cuckoldslighthouse #coastal #boothbay #explore #luxuryvacation #islandresort

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Cemetery on the site of the Christian Church of Milan organized in 1820. Located in historic Dutchess County, NY, the gravestones date back to 1800. Dutchess County is bordered by the Hudson River on its western side and dates back to 1683. This cemetery is just one of many "forgotten" burial grounds found in the historic region of United States. #searchingforamerica #cemetery #oldcemeteries #dutchesscounty #hudsonvalley #hudsonrivervalley #milannewyork #explore #daytripping #gravestones #burialgrounds #historic

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Beautiful Chanticleer in Wayne, PA. The estate was built by Adolph Rosengarten in the early 1900s. Rosengarten was an early pharmaceutical pioneer whose company became part of Merck & Company in the 1920s. The spectacular gardens have been open to the public since the death of Adolph Rosengarten Jr. and boast 35 acres of natural landscaping connected by trails and lawns. Visitors can walk, rest, paint, photograph and even picnic at given times. Chanticleer is worth the trip. #gardens #arboretum #chanticleer #mainline #publicgarden #horticulture #pagardens #rosengarten #family #floral #searchingforamerica #explore #historichomes

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Abandoned AT&T Ship to Shore transmission station in Bayville, NJ. Prior to underground cable and satellite communications this brick transmitter building was state-of-the-art serving ships and overseas locations. The remains of the building and numerous antennae structures rise up ghostly through the marshlands. As part of the Edwin F. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge these crumbling towers are now home to ospreys, egrets, herons and other marsh life. #InstaSize #searchingforamerica #bayvilkenj #abandoned #abandonedplaces #radiotransmitter #AT&T #forsythewildliferefuge #birdwatching #ghosty #marshlife #interestingplaces (at Good Luck Point, Bayville, NJ)

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Thank you @mississippihouses for your photo and story of Windsor Ruins. Visit their site to Search for America in Mississippi. Windsor Ruins near Port Gibson was once a grand antebellum mansion that survived the Civil War. It was actually the largest in MS, and Mark Twain stayed there. It burned down from a dropped cigarette in 1890. I just posted the steps that once went with this home. One of the cast iron staircases was moved to the chapel at Alcorn State University. This is a magical and incredible place. If you live nearby, you should go! #mississippihouses #portgibsonms #Mississippi #oldhouse #oldhouselove #archi_ologie #architecture #windsorruins #historic #houseportrait #natcheztrace

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Searchingforamerica thanks @bay_magazine for including our article about cat boats in their beautiful summer issue. (Page 175). Interested in the arts and lifestyle on Long Beach Island?Check them out at bag-magazine.com. #lbi #catboats #baymagazine #sailboats #jerseyshore #marshallcat #barnegatbay #longbeachislandnj #newjersey #beaches #baymen

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Lobster boats in New Harbor, Maine. A dominant industry in Maine the description of catching lobsters by hand dates back to the 1600s, but the process of canning developed in the mid 1800s increased the demand for lobster as it could be shipped all over the world. Travel along coastal Maine reveals countless harbors such as this. New Harbor was the filming location for the movie "Message in a Bottle". #Maine #lobster #newharbor #lobstering #lobsterboat #ig_maine #harbor #boats #travelmaine #coastalmaine (at New Harbor, Maine)

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Portsmouth Naval Prison in Kittery Maine. The "castle" was built on on an island on the grounds of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard between 1905 and 1908 modeled after Alcatraz. Surrounded by water and strong currents escapes were difficult. It would later house Marines as well. The naval prison was active during both WWI and WWII housing wartime criminals and processing German U Boats and their crews. Notably the 1974 film " The Last Detail" starring Jack Nicholson featured two petty officers escorting a prisoner to Portsmouth. Amid tales of ghosts and poor conditions the prison remained active until 1974. It currently remains unoccupied awaiting bids for modern renovation. #Portsmouth #maine #navalbase #navalprison #kittery #lastdetail #newhampshire #prison #amercanhistory #navalhistory (at Portsmouth Naval Prison)

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Mr. Peanut in Suffolk, Virginia. Suffolk is the home of the Plantars Nut and Chocolate Company. Amedeo Obici, a fruit vendor near Scranton, PA, founded Plantars in the early 1900s. He soon partnered with Mario Peruzzi who developed a method of processing peanuts that eliminated the shells and skins. By 1910 they founded the Plantars Nut & Chocolate Company and started their mass processing plant in Suffolk, VA, in 1913. The Mr. Peanut character was created by a grade schooler in a contest to create the Plantars brand image. #peanuts #branding #virginia #suffolkvirginia #foodhistory #familyvacation #757collective #kraftfoods #virginiatrip #searchingforamerica

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Bennington Battle Monument. In August 1777 the Battle of Bennington prevented British troops under General Burgoyne from obtaining needed supplies located in Bennington, Vermont. The actual battle took place about 10 miles west in New York State near Hoosick. The British were never able to take Albany and carry out their plan to cut off New England during the Revolution. #searchingforamerica #revolutionarywar #vermont #bennington #monument #greenmountainboys #burgoyne #americanhistory #colonialamerica #historicalplace #historicsite

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Ghost town Bodie, California. The gold rush of the 1800s put Bodie on the map. It was said that at its height Bodie's population reached 10,000. Known for its lawlessness Bodie reflected the hard life of miners. Time saw Bodie decline and after several fires was abandoned. Read more at http://ow.ly/MMbWe. #searchingforamerica #goldrush #mining #ghosttown #abandonedplaces #abandonedamerica #bodie #sierranevada #travel #wildwest #stampmill (at Bodie California)

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Prison cell of Al Capone at Eastern State Penitentiary in 1929. The famous mobster "scar face" Al Capone spent his first prison sentence in comfort surrounded by antiques, paintings and rugs. Although the cell itself reflects the original design from 1829 it appears the prison culture of isolation and labor from that time did not survive into the 1900s. #searchingforamerica #prison #alcapone #philadelphia #penitentiary #easternstatepenitentiary #americana #scarface #history #gangsters (at Eastern State Penitentiary)