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richfed
Sachem
USA
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May 13 2002
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 Posted - May 10 2005 : 06:36:07 AM
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Poll Question:
By no means is this list complete, after all, there are only 15 answers ...
Of all the colonial/Revolutionary War sites found here in the New World, which is your favorite to visit? [some choices are composites - and, hey, I know these are just the English-related sites!]
Feel free to elaborate in a post ... or, add your favorite not listed as a choice in this poll.
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SgtMunro
Soldier of the King
USA
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 Posted - May 10 2005 : 08:07:49 AM
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I voted for Williamsburg, but with a qualifying addition of both Yorktown and Jamestown as a part of Virginia's 'Historic Triangle'. Since it covers the begining of our nation as a colony, through the colonial period and finishes with our independence and birth as a sovereign nation (Traveling west to east along the Colonial Parkway). I must say that there are several favorites of mine you have listed, but the Historic Triangle is by far the most meaningful to me.
Your Most Humble Servant,
The Sarge |
Serjeant-Major Duncan Munro
Capt. Thos. Graham's Coy.
42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foote
(The Black Sheep of the Black Watch)
"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit"
-Or-
"Recruit locally, fight globally." |
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Lady Ann
Pioneer
USA
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Posted - May 10 2005 : 08:55:46 AM
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You've forgotten one of the oldest sites...St. Augustine, Florida. Here we get a taste of Colonial America mixed with a good dose of Spanish and French influence...this was a city that was up and thriving before Jamestown and Williamsburg had the first ground cleared. As a modern day destination, St. Augustine offers a microcosm of American history...from the early Tolomato settlements to Spanish/British/French settlement to Seminole War era (the Dade Massacre cemetery and monuments are favorites of mine) to Henry Flagler (who really put Florida on the map for tourists!)to the civil rights marches (and clashes) of the 1960's. You'd be surprised how many original sites have been preserved or lovingly restored to their original form and still function as part of the living town...not strictly as tourist venues. Many wonderful reenactment events take place here, all year around...and it is one city where I can wear my 1750s clothing any day of the year and no one will look twice! It seems, well, natural where 500 years of history are all still clearly evident in the present.
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blueotter
Colonial Settler
USA
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Posted - May 10 2005 : 09:53:39 AM
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| My favorite doesn't appear on your list. It's Old Fort Niagara right on Lake Ontario. They have an excellent F & I event there (most) every July 4th weekend, and I have usually camped inside the fort with my French unit. The view and breezes (winds!!!) from the lake are magnificent, and after the public leaves (if you ignore the Coast Guards flashing light) you can almost feel what it was like in the 18th century. The "palace", which is a large building, original to the site, is gorgeous, and notoriously haunted. A very cool site all around. |
Rose Dupre
AKA/Órelindë Tinehtelë
AKA/Polly Gamwich
Gordon's 60th Royal Americans
Detroit French Marines |
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CT•Ranger
Colonial Militia
USA
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Posted - May 10 2005 : 10:37:14 AM
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This is hard for me to pick just one. Upstate NY is a very special and important place to me. When I lived in Schenectady, it was incredible to go down to the Stockade district and stand on the bank of the Mohawk River and think of all the history which happened there. The same with Lake George, especially the northern end. I camped at Rogers' Rock early in the spring, when hardly anyone else was there. And to get up in the morning and stand on the shore, and look out on the mist shrouded lake and surrounding mountains full of so much history is a very moving experience. And Fort Ticonderoga so close by, its a great historic area.
But I also really love historic Boston and Plimoth Plantation. Plimoth Plantation is a very special place to me as well. Though small, it's the best Living History museum IMO (and I've been to most of them). And my ancestors helped to settle the area, the Jabez Howland house in Plymouth is the actual ground my ancestors, the Howland's walked.
I had to vote for Plymouth because of the personal connection. |
YMHS,
Connecticut•Ranger
Thomas Thacher
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Christina
Deerslayer
USA
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Posted - May 10 2005 : 1:11:06 PM
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I voted for Boston's Freedom Trail both because I love that city and because of the extreme importance of those sites.
However, MY faves, and I'm extremely biased here, are all here in good ol'South Carolina. Historic Camden, Brattonsville, Ninety Six, Kings Mountain, and other various colonial and historic sites in Abbeville and dozens of other locations around the state. I am so proud that we are considered one of the "Cradles of the Revolution" because so many battles were fought here!
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See this face? This is the face of a woman on the edge.
Whoopi Goldberg, "Jumping Jack Flash"
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Gadget Girl
Gatherer of Gathering Gadgets
USA
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Posted - May 10 2005 : 1:55:19 PM
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I voted for the Freedom Trail also (having visited it right after 9/11 was very moving) and have only been to 4 on the list anyway. Might be a good list to start checking off.
Christina - ain't Ninety-Six just up the road from Six Mile?? |
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richfed
Sachem
USA
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Posted - May 11 2005 : 10:45:26 AM
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Yes, I left off the Carolina sites [Guilford Courthouse, too!] and yes, I left off St. Augustine [Lady Ann, don't think I've forgotten your invite, given at Louise's a couple of years ago!!!!] ... SUE ME! 
Ninety-Six is a great place, probably the best example of trench & siege warfare we have - certainly from that era. |
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Kate
Ariel's Cabin Caretaker, Retired
United Kingdom
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Posted - May 11 2005 : 4:09:09 PM
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GEE WHIZ, WHAT A QUESTION!!!
I have to say that Lady Ann is absolutely right in that St. Augustine is a FABULOUS place to enjoy the 'olde world' (or would that be 'new world'??) influence, culture and ambience!!! So very genteel, with a definite Southern charm!!
Christina too has the rights of it - Camden is a wonderful old place that is well worth visiting, if you are looking for 'Colonialism' and a truly historical atmosphere!! She has every right to be proud of her State!
New York??? Well... New York is... NEW YORK!!! What more can one say!! I JUST LOVE IT!!!
HOWSEVER - one of my very FAVOURITE places to soak up historical patriotism, walk with the blood of dead freedom fighters under your feet, and an air of sadness but at the same time, an aura of determination that freedom is worth fighting for, then you need to be at Culloden. You wander round there and more than once I have seen grown men standing at their Clan stones (clan grave markers set on the spot where each clan stood - and fought - and died) with tears running down their faces, talking to their ancestors... and thanking them. (Many have had American accents too, I can tell ye!)
It's said that the battle is played out over and over, by ghosts of the men who were there. Well... there is often a swirling mist hanging over the battle site on the Anniversary (April 16th). It's not at all difficult to believe that. *I* swear I've heard it but of course, the mist changes even normal sounds, so you can never be sure WHAT you are hearing. BUT what you CAN be sure of is... it IS haunted.
No... I know that it isn't strictly a 'Colonial' site but it's thanks to Culloden, The Highland Clearances and other oppressive English policies, that many American's HAVE 'colonial' ancestors!! So... I feel justified in including it!
THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT!! |
Kate
"Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thainig thu." (Remember the people from whom you came.)
~ Celtic Wisdom
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Highlander
Colonial Militia
USA
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Posted - March 06 2006 : 6:49:40 PM
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I would also like to see The Bushy Run Battlefield on the list. |
Highlander |
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Seamus
Guardian of Heaven's Gate
USA
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Posted - March 06 2006 : 7:21:16 PM
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I have been to every one of the sites mentioned, except St. Augustine and Culloden, and I must agree with CT Ranger about upstate NY. I, too, have spent many a night on some island on Lake George, wondering if this was what it was like 250 years ago, and have experienced the thrill of 'combat' on the lake, the mist rising at daylight, the beautiful fall colors, the danger of winds and heavy rain on the lake, the suspense in never knowing when the woods around you might erupt with a sudden undetected ambush. There have been several times when I was mighty glad that there was no ball ahead of the powder or I'd be raven bait on a beautiful lake by now!
I have enjoyed the antics of beavers, got chills listening to coyotes run down a deer and then make the kill, watched loons and all kinds of wild waterfowl, taken ducks and squirrels with my Brown Bess (all in season!), and passed on a very good shot at a deer only because we were leaving the lake the next day and could not have preserved it in time or eaten it all! We even had a bear visit our camp one night....now, there is a thrill.
I voted for Ticonderoga.....doesn't get much better, IMHO. |
Life's journey is not to
arrive at the grave safely
in a well preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways,
totally worn out, shouting
'...holy sh*t ...what a ride!'
~~Mavis Leyrer, Seattle
Seamus
~~Aim small, hit the b*****d right between the eyes!~~ |
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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood
USA
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 Posted - March 07 2006 : 7:03:10 PM
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I seem to have missed this poll and topic when it was first begun. Looking at the date, I know why.
Believe it or not, I have only been to 3 of the places listed. And 2 of them really run neck and neck as my favorite. But given my new hobby, I had to finally go with Ft. Ti. My very close second would be Valley Forge.
I wholeheartedly agree with CT-Ranger and Seamus about that part of New York colony. Man oh man. It just couldn't be much more magnificent. I haven't personally experienced the things that either of you guys have, but I have experienced it vicariously through my lad Cornelius, who was stationed at Ft. Ti during the winter of 1776/77, with the 3rd New Jersey. This June, if all goes well, I will be camping there. Little would Cornelius have known......... |
"It is more deeply stirring to my blood than any imaginings could possibly have been." |
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mountainheart
Pathfinder
USA
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Posted - March 15 2006 : 4:11:21 PM
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| I actually listed the one I most desire to see. Places have spiritual significance to me and the story behind Jamestown is so dramatic and mysterious, I'd like to see it and "Listen" to the voices of those who lived there. It also has a great deal of meaning as to those of us who have "lost" dreams. |
"Oh the depth of the human experience!" |
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Obediah
Mohicanland Statesman
USA
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Posted - April 04 2007 : 10:54:29 AM
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Living here in the PRK, F&IW and RevWar sites are few and far between, so, unfortunately, I can't pick any of the above answers. Someday, I hope to visit them all. Now if this poll included Civil War sites, it would be a no-brainer...GETTYSBURG! I was fortunate enough to participate in the quasquicentennial (125th) Re-enactment in 1988 and was able to spend another week in and around G'burg...we needed at least 2 more weeks to see everything we wanted to see.   |
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blackfootblood
Devoted Tribal Member
USA
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Posted - June 09 2007 : 2:17:23 PM
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| My husband and I just moved from Virginia. He was stationed at the Army base in Hampton Roads area. Anyhow, right up the road from were he and I lived was Yorktown. Just down the road from that was Jamestown and Williamsburg. So needless to say we were always visiting one of these places. Even though we had been there several times, each time you learned something new. It's worth the time and money to make the trip to one or all of the places mentioned. |
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain!"
"Live well, love much, laugh often!" |
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Monadnock Guide
Council of Elders
USA
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March 14 2005
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Little Lady of Fire
Colonial Militia
USA
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March 31 2007
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Posted - November 13 2007 : 8:49:02 PM
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| First thing that hit me that wasn't listed was Gettysburg then had to realize wrong timeframe. So I did the minutemen because they were a major part of many wars. |
There are easier things in life then trying to find a good guy..... Nailing jelly to a tree for example. |
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Dark Woods
Colonial Settler
USA
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Posted - November 27 2007 : 2:54:20 PM
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| I voted for Williamsburg. There is a lot of historical re-enactment there. My wife and I went to Williamsburg on our honeymoon in 1992, |
We become what we think about. |
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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood
USA
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Posted - November 28 2007 : 12:41:33 PM
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| Colonial Williamsburg is awesome! I was finally able to go there almost exactly a year ago. Didn't get to see nearly everything. Need to go back! |
"It is more deeply stirring to my blood than any imaginings could possibly have been." |
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James N.
Colonial Militia
USA
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October 24 2007
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Posted - January 25 2009 : 3:53:44 PM
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Although I voted for Ticonderoga for several various obvious reasons, eg. location, scenery, the wonderful museum, etc., I'd like to put in a plug for the site I think is best kept for understanding what happened there. Most of the places on the list ( especilly Williamsburg, unfortunately, which a friend rightly described as "Disneyland without the rides" ) are in areas that make it very difficult to appreciate what they were like 250 years ago or so. Many, including Ticonderoga, are at least partial reconstructions. Rich has already admitted to forgetting to include the Carolinas, thereby omitting Cowpens National Historic Site, S.C.
It's true, there's not much there - but that's it's beauty! Prior to the Bicentennial back in the 70's only a single acre was preserved in the rural landscape. But the entire battle area was bought up then, and all traces of habitation removed. There IS a nice small visitor center/museum, parking area, and loop drive; but it is all TOTALLY isolated from the battlefield itself. The only access is by foot ( or wheelchair ) on the looping path - neither center, parking, or loop drive are visable from the field, which has been brought back to its 1781 appearance. I'm glad to have been able to visit it no less than 3 times while working on Mohicans! |
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Fitzhugh Williams
Mohicanland Statesman
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Posted - January 25 2009 : 7:18:24 PM
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There simply is no location even close to Louisbourg
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"Les deux pieds contre la muraille et la tete sous le robinet" |
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MoneminsCastle
Pioneer
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Posted - May 18 2009 : 09:24:16 AM
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Fort Ticonderoga, aka Fort Carillon, is hands down our favorite place. Not just because of the fort itself, but because the area is a great package deal.
*There's two great campgrounds nearby.
The Schoon Lake area is our favorite place in the world.
If you go in the fall, you can stop by Gunnison's Orchard in Crown Point and get an apple pie or turnover, or cider doughnuts.
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Kay
Colonial Settler
USA
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 Posted - May 18 2009 : 10:46:00 AM
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Hmmmm.... haven't been to any of these places except for Jumonville and Fort Pitt and Bushy Run. Haven't gotten to see Fort Necessity itself yet. One of our future trips is to see all the F&I War sites again. Ligonier, Necessity, etc. I hope to visit these places someday though along with all the Civil War battlefields/sites I want to see. A lot of our friends have spent time in Williamsburg and Jamestown so we actually might take a trip with some of them to see that area. And we're definitely coming down to the Carolinas!
Kay |
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Favorite American Colonial Sites
