November 2010

During the Civil War, President Lincoln and his family resided here from June to November of 1862, 1863 and 1864.

Designated a National Monument by President Clinton in 2000, President Lincoln’s Cottage served as Lincoln’s family residence for a quarter of his presidency and is the most significant historic site directly associated with Lincoln’s presidency aside from the White House. President Lincoln’s Cottage is located on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in northwest Washington, D.C. and has been restored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private, non-profit organization.

In addition to President Lincoln’s Cottage, the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center adjacent to the Cottage, features related exhibits and media presentations. The restoration of President Lincoln’s Cottage and the establishment of the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center took seven years and cost over $15 million.

More Revolutionary War battles & skirmishes took place in South Carolina than any other colony during the American Revolution.

At Ninety Six, there were two. Here, visitors can see the original 1781 Star Fort, Historic roads like the Cherokee Path & Charleston Road, the original town sites of Ninety Six & Cambridge, the reconstructed Stockade Fort & siege trenches, an Historic cabin, set up as the Black Swan Tavern, & much more.

The Mary Point Great House and Factory, where cotton was cultivated and cattle grazed in the past, is associated with Governor Berg, 19th-century Governnor and President of St. Thomas and St. John, influential late 18th-century planter Augustus Kragh and the Grancis Family--all notable in the history of the Virgin Islands. The plantation itself, under cultivation before 1780, grew in the 19th-century to include an L-shaped factory located 300 feet northwest of the Great House. A servants house, farm building and small cemetery also remain.

For Puerto Ricans, El Capitolio de Puerto Rico stands as a powerful symbol of self-government. Former resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Luis Muñoz Rivera promoted the idea of constructing a capitol building as early as 1907; later he was the prime mover in seeking the capitol building's construction between 1925 and 1929. The dome, however, was not completed until 1961. Although Puerto Rican architect Rafael Carmoega designed this magnificent Neoclassical Revival style building, many other famous Puerto Rican artists--Rafael Rios Rey, José Oliver, Jorge Rechani and Rafael Tufiño and others--collaborated on the capitol's interior design, which is highlighted by murals and mosaics depicting Puerto Rico's history.

The Parque de Bombas de Ponce (Old Ponce Fire Station) was built as the main exhibit pavilion for the 1882 Exhibition Trade Fair. Architect Lt. Col. Maximo Meana of the Spanish Army designed the pavillion; he later served as Ponce's mayor. In 1885, the building was dedicated as Ponce's official firehouse--a function which it served for more than 100 years. The woodframe, Gothic structure exhibits a Moorish influence and is painted in bands of red and black. Today, the building serves as a museum honoring and commemorating Ponce's firemen.

The park includes areas of clear turquoise water and lush green mountains, and a total acreage of 12,908.60. Extensive vegetation covers many of the historic features of the park landscape, and roads and trails follow 18th-century cart roads to scenic plantation ruins. Early Carib Indian relics found in the park testify to the presence of the original Caribbean inhabitants. Many of the sugar plantation ruins are found along the ridges of the north coast and in the valleys of the south coast. Following the collapse of the plantation economy in the mid-19th century, the fields were abandoned and gradually reverted back to a natural growth of bush and forest, enveloping many of the buildings.

Charlotte Amalia, the first permanent European settlement on St. Thomas Island, was established in 1672 after the arrival of the Danish West India and Guinea Company. Platted in 1681, the town was named in honor of Denmark's Queen. An accidental misspelling on a map changed the name of the town to Charlotte Amalie after the U.S. acquisition of the islands.

During the 17th century, the settlement and harbor were known as safe havens for pirates and other infamous men the likes of Jean Hamlin, Bartholomew Sharp, "Tempest" Roberts and Captain Kidd. During the early 19th-century Napoleonic Wars, the British occupied the island, and, later, during the American Civil War, Confederate blockade runners briefly used Charlotte Amalie as a base. Today, Charlotte Amalie Historic District includes buildings and sites that represent the town's history.

Governor Jørgen Iversen led the second expeditionary force from Denmark to St. Thomas, where he arrived on May 25, 1672; there, he initiated construction of Fort Christian, named after Danish King Christian V. By 1676, builders had completed the fort's outer walls and placed a three-story oval tower in the courtyard against the north curtain. Trygborg, as the tower was named, had gun platforms on its two upper stories and roof. In February 1678, two years after construction began, a French force attacked St. Thomas and was repulsed.

Until it was demilitarized during the 1870s, the fort underwent enlargement and repair; after the military departed, Fort Christian served as the police headquarters of the Virgin Islands. In the ensuing years, Trygborg tower and the north curtain were demolished, along with the entire north and most of the east ravelins. The present one-story Gothic revival structure, with its centered three-tiered tower, was built between the northeast and northwest bastions to replace the demolished north curtain.

Spanish settlers called Caparra, the island's first capital, La Ciudad de Puerto Rico (the city of Puerto Rico). Ponce de León, Puerto Rico's first governor, established this first European settlement in 1508. His great ambitions for the settlement collapsed, however, due to the capital's vulnerability to Indian attack. Formal abandonment of Caparra occurred between 1519 and 1521, and the capital was moved to what is now old San Juan.

Constructed as a parador, or inn, about 1823, Casa del Rey, the "King's House," provided housing for Spanish government personnel. The building, the oldest in the town of Dorado, also served as the regional military headquarters. In 1848, Jacinto López purchased the structure; in converting it into a residence, he added two wings which created a U-shaped configuration around an interior patio. In 1871, Casa del Rey became the home of Manuel Alonso y Pacheco--Puerto Rico's notable romantic writer.