Category Archives: History

Old Ironsides, The Oldest Commissioned Naval Vessel Afloat!

Posted on by

Old Ironsides , Still Floating after all These Years!

She is the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat. Every year she sails out of her berth at the Charlestown  Naval Yard to help Boston Celebrate the 4th of July. Well almost every year. She’s in dry dock to get a bit of a face lift. But hey, if I were 200 years old I hope someone would give me a face lift too.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h88ab931d#h88ab931d

Construction

The USS Constitution got her nickname Old Ironsides because cannon balls seemed to bounce off her sides like she was made of iron. Actually her hull is made of Southern white pine. However those wooden sides were lined with copper sheathing to prevent shipworm but apparently it also gave the hull extra strength. The sheathing was imported from England but the copper bolts and breasthooks were forged by Paul Revere.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h88ab931d#h88ab9328

Copper does not hold up well to seawater so from time to time the Navy brings the aging ship into dry dock to make repairs and restore as much as practical to her original state in 1812.

A Little History

The USS Constitution was launched in 1797, one of six original frigate class ships to start the new country’s Navy. She is most well known for her actions in the War of 1812. The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of “Old Ironsides” and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping. Although retired from active service in 1881, there was no rest for this grand lady of the sea.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h88ab931d#h88ab9329

Through the years

Since she “retired” she became a museum ship in 1907. In 1934, she completed a three-year, 90-port tour of the nation. The Constitution  sailed under her own power for her 200th birthday in 1997, and again in August 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere.

The Crew of the Constitution

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h88ab931d#h88ab932f

As a fully commissioned  Naval ship. The USS Constitution has a crew of 60 sailors and offices. These officers and crew are all active duty U.S Naval Personnel.

The Future

The Constitution enter Dry dock 1 in May 2015 for a 3 year restoration  project. The project is slated for completion on July 2017. She will be re-floated the night of July 23, 2017.

Please come to Boston

Posted on by

Please come to Boston for the Springtime

That’s the first line of a Dave Loggins song. I can’t help but think that its a fitting intro to today post. I want to tell you about Boston in the springtime. My visit to Boston last Saturday  was to celebrate the opening day of the Swan Boats. We’ve had such horrible weather lately but  Saturday shook it off  and was a perfect spring day.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h8833e51e#h8833e4af

Swan Boats in the Public Gardens

After taking my time wandering down from the Park St T station I arrived at the Public Garden Lagoon. The Swan Boats were doing a brisk business. I sat down near the loading dock to watch the activity and for the first time I noticed a sign that read Swan Boats since 1877. That’s a pretty extraordinary track record. But that wasn’t the only big achievement.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h8833e51e#h885b48fc

It’s a Man’s World

One year after the Boston Swan Boats are founded by Robert Paget in 1877, he passes away.  Robert was only 42 at the time of his death and he left his young widow, Julia, and four children. Julia must have been a very determined woman because business women were  very rare in those days. So rare in fact that for many years she had to collect signatures from local business men attesting to her ability to run her business.

Two Swan Boats 2017

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h8833e51e#h885b4c98

In 1914 Julia’s youngest son John assumed the helm of the business.

The Paget Legacy

John introduced the larger boats that cruise the lagoon today. Each boat has 5 benches allowing more passengers than the smaller 3 bench boats. The current fleet consists of six boats, the oldest of which was built under John in 1910. In 1952 John  passed the reins to his son Paul.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h8833e51e#h885b4b74

Paul ran the company through the 50’s – 90’s. Today a 4th generation of Pagets  preserve this beloved Boston Tradition.

Through the Years

There have been many events to mark the storied history of the Swan Boats.

  •  1977 marked the 100th anniversary.
  • 2002 First ever Swan Boat crew reunion hosted for employees from the 1950’s through 2002.
  • 2008 Paul Paget drives a Swan Boat at age 86
  • 2011 Designated Boston landmark

Today the future looks bright if the crowds lining up is any indication. Somehow I can’t imagine the Public Garden Lagoon without the Swan Boats circling duck island on a beautiful, spring day.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h8833e51e#h885b48fb

2017 Season
Saturday, April 15 to Sunday, September 17, 2017

 

 

 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Posted on by

After a lunch break at the Pentagon City Mall it was back on the tour bus for one final stop. We headed back to the Tidal Basin. Half way between the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials we pulled over for a walk to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h8669041c#h8669041c

There are actually 2 memorials to FDR in Washington DC. The first, located in front of the National Archives was built to FDR’s specifications,  about the size of his desk.

When Memorial #2 (the one we were about to visit) was dedicated his granddaughter, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, made the shrewd comment, “Memorials are for us. They aren’t necessarily for the people they memorialize.”

The new Memorial consist of 4 open air rooms, one for each term of his presidency.

The Prologue Room

Enter the memorial at the visitor center on north side  off West Basin Dr. I don’t think I did that and it left me confused as to which room I was in from that point on.

You will know you are in the Prologue room because you’ll see a life size statue of FDR in his wheelchair. This room and the statue was added 3 years after the memorial was opened and following a great deal of debate. FDR never wanted to appear weak in public so did his best to avoid using the wheelchair except in private.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h8669041b#h8669041b

Today the advocacy groups for people with disabilities consider FDR a role model and lobbied hard for the inclusion of the wheelchair statue.

Room 1

In room one we find a bronze bas-relief of the first inauguration. The single drop waterfall symbolizes the economic crash that started the Great Depression.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86690a05#h86690a05

Room 2

This room contains two very powerful statues…The Breadline which illustrates despair

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86690b24#h86690b24

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86690a5e#h86690a5e

and The Fireside Chat which symbolizes Hope.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86690ab2#h86690ab2

The water fall in this room is  multi-tiered and controlled, a nod to the  Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86690d5a#h86690d5a

Room 3

Water crashes over boulders in all directions suggestion the chaos and destruction of the War years.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86690fa9#h86690fa9

Amidst this violence Roosevelt with his beloved dog, Fala, calmly presides over the world around them.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h866912f0#h866912f0

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86691020#h86691020

Room 4 

Roosevelt’s death is symbolized by the silent pool of water. It’s still surface reflects  the Bas Relief called The Funeral Cortege. The carving represents a nation mourning following the death of the only  president many can remember.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h866913d4#h866913d4

Eleanor Roosevelt also has a statue here. It the only statue to honor a First Lady. She is honored for her contributions not only as First Lady but as  one of the early delegates representing the United States at the newly formed United Nations.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86691655#h86691655

Throughout the Memorial the walls are etched with quotes from speeches and writings built on FDR’s 4 fundamental beliefs also called the 4 Freedoms:

  1. Freedom of Speech
  2. Freedom of Worship
  3. Freedom from Want
  4. Freedom from Fear

We would do well to remember those four Freedoms today.

 

 

Vietnam Memorial

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Vietnam !

We are now approaching a memorial that hits very close to home. This is my generation. This is the first War of which I have any remembrance. I remember the horrible news casts, the political unrest, the demonstrations to end the war, and the flag draped caskets being unloaded from the returning planes. This memorial was painful and I took the coward’s way out.

The Wall

At the entrance you’ll find  Three Serviceman’s Memorial. I can see the Wall from there. The Wall is actually 2 walls meeting . They are tallest where they meet and taper down, one toward the Washington Monument , the other toward the Lincoln Memorial. The configuration is meant to symbolize a “wound that is closed and healing. To my mind I wonder if it will ever heal.

While all of the memorials are moving in their own way,  I found this one, like Pearl Harbor, almost too much to bear. I spent my time with the Three Soldiers and avoided the Wall. Like I said I was a coward. I just could not bear to look at all those names, all those young lives, gone.

On the walls are the names of servicemen classified as KIA (Killed in Action), or MIA (Missing in Action) when the walls were constructed.

Those who died in action are denoted by a diamond, those who were missing (MIA’s, POW’s  and others) are denoted with a cross. When the death of one who was previously missing is confirmed, a diamond is superimposed over the cross. If the missing were to return alive, which has never occurred to date, the cross is to be circumscribed  by a circle.

The Three Serviceman’s Memorial

Back to the 3 Soldiers, the lead figure represents a Marine, identified as such by the body armor vest  he’s wearing.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h86690419#h86690419

The man on the right is also wearing an armor vest but a different type that was used primarily by the army. Around his neck the  Soldier carries a GI towel, which served to absorb sweat and cushion heavy loads, and was a common practice of many Soldiers in Vietnam.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h8669041a#h8669041a

The third soldier wears no armor but  he appears to be a U.S. Army Soldier, as he wears a Tropical (“Boonie”) Hat which was widely worn by Army combat personnel in Vietnam.

In order to identify the major ethic groups that served in Vietnam, the leader is depicted as a European America, the man on the right is African American and the one on the left Latin American.

This was enough for me. I had paid my respects, if from afar, and I returned to the bus to wait for our next stop.

 

Lincoln Memorial

Posted on by | 2 Comments

“In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” These words are engraved above the statute of the president who save the Union, Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Memorial is an enduring symbol of unity, strength and wisdom.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h865e8db9#h865e8db9

Exterior Features of the Lincoln Memorial

Does the memorial look familiar? It should and not just because we’ve all grown up with it. It was model after the Parthenon in Athens which graced the cover of most of our history books.

Since the memorial was to a man who defended democracy then the design should echo the birthplace of democracy. The Memorial is 190 foot long, 120 foot wide, 99 foot tall constructed of marble.

There are 58 steps on the memorial and 87 steps from the memorial to the reflecting pool. There is an elevator for those who are not up to navigating that many steps. It was working when I was there.

The steps of the Lincoln Memorial have been witness to many great events and demonstrations over the past 100 years including he “I have a Dream” speech by Dr. King. The steps start at the edge of the reflecting pool on the National Mall. They rise to a plaza that was once a road and then continue on through a series of platforms to the entrance.

Columns

The 36 Doric columns that surround the Memorial represent each of the states that existed at the time of  Lincoln’s death.

Frieze

Above the colonnade inscribed on the frieze are the names of 36 states and the dates in which they entered the Union. Their names are separated by double wreath medallions in bas-relief.

Inside the Lincoln Memorial

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h865e9025#h865e9025

There are 3 chambers inside the memorial, north, south and central. The north and south side chambers contain the words of  of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and his Gettysburg Address carved into the marble.  Between the north and south chambers is the central hall containing the solitary Statue of Lincoln  sitting in contemplation.  Look closely at Lincoln’s hands. Proponents of ASL say he is signing and that the position of his fingers form A and L.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h865e8f2a#h865e8f2a

The Views and Location on the National Mall

Standing in front of the entrance you will be looking out over the reflecting pool at the Washington Monument.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p459294250/h865e9076#h865e9076

Step to the side and look again,  there is the dome of the Capitol building peeking from behind the Washington Monument

One of the most well known of the monuments, the Lincoln Memorial does not fade with familiarity. It is still a beautiful memorial to our 16th President who gave all to see the new nation stayed intact.

https://www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm