Mayor Catherine Pugh indicated Friday that she’s just as keen as the mayor of New Orleans is on ridding her majority-black city of its Confederate statues. But, as she put it, “We’ve got to find that money.”
Tag: civil war
Mayor Pugh Suggests Auctioning Off City’s Confederate Statues to Pay for their Removal
Rare Civil War Auction in Towson This Weekend
Alex Cooper Auctioneers, Inc., one of the largest auction houses in the mid-Atlantic, is excited to present the expansive Civil War collection of James R. Weitzel on May 3, 2014. This treasure trove of rare Union and Confederate firearms, accoutrements, uniforms and other historically important documents details the lives and belongings of soldiers and civilians during this turbulent time period in U.S. history. This collection, procured by Weitzel over a 50-year period, will be of profound interest to collectors, military historians and Civil War museums around the country. It is estimated that some of the more unique pieces will sell for upwards of $20,000.
A Silver Spring, Md., resident, James R. Weitzel died in 2011. Collecting Civil War memorabilia was his life’s passion, and he specifically sought out Civil War-era items that could be traced back to their original owners. Weitzel also searched for one-of-a-kind pieces from both the Union and Confederate sides of the war, a rarity among Civil War collectors.
Some of the more notable items for auction will include:
· A handwritten note from Abraham Lincoln authorizing the passage of Lewis Parker from New York to Savannah, Georgia, on Dec. 27, 1864
Retro-Modern American Foursquare in Medfield: With Historic Civil War Detour
Hot House: 4316 Grand View Avenue, Medfield, Baltimore, 21211
American Foursquare, wood frame, circa 1925, on .25 acre lot. 1,308 sq. ft., with 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths over two and a half floors. Fully fenced yard and full, unfinished basement. Front porch with stone steps, original pine floors throughout, original pine finishes, renovated kitchen, garden shed, stone patio, two-car parking, central A/C: $325,000
What: An All-American. Influenced by the Prairie architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and sometimes referred to as the Prairie Box, this architectural style swept small towns of America in the post-Victorian era, roughly 1900 to 1930. The simple, boxy shape made it easy to assemble from mail-order house kits popular at the time, sold by Sears and other companies. Foursquares could be dressed up with gingerbread or bay windows, and executed in stucco or brick, as well as wood – but all have the distinguishing low roof angles, overhanging eves, front porch and a simple floor plan designed to provide roomy interiors on smaller city lots. Which this one does, nicely. Downstairs, a simple-but-spacious living room/dining room/kitchen configuration — the kitchen has granite countertops. There are three bedrooms upstairs — again, roomy, but there’s no master bath. Lovely, unpainted woodwork and Craftsman touches lift things up, style-wise. It’s been painted and decorated in a manner at once retro and hip, a great choice that puts the house in its best light.
When Johns Hopkins and Abraham Lincoln Were Pen Pals
Well, “pen pals” might be stretching it — the Library of Congress’ online collection of Lincoln correspondence contains only one letter from Hopkins to the then-president, dated 1862. As you may have heard, that was a rough time for Lincoln — and Hopkins, a pro-Union big wig in Baltimore, had some advice to give.
Secrets of the Civil War — For Your YouTube Viewing Pleasure
The Battle of Gettysburg can feel like ancient history. That is, until you consider the dinosaur footprints that are still visible on some of the rocks around the battlefield. I’m going to type it over again because it’s just so cool: dinosaur footprints at Gettysburg. Really puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?
When you live in a city with as many smart people as this one, you’re bound to get some fun meetings of the minds. Like, say, a geologist nicknamed “Magma P.I.” and a licensed battlefield guide discussing the prehistory of the Gettysburg area and its effect on the battle. Turns out those dinosaurs may have had more to do with that crucial Civil War event than you might’ve thought.
If you get as much of a kick out of this stuff as I do, you can thank Johns Hopkins for adding to your YouTube favorites list. This summer, the university is bringing together smarties from all sorts of disciplines to illuminate surprising new facets of the Civil War in fun, brief videos, just in time for the conflict’s 150 year anniversary.
If prehistoric geology isn’t your thing, you can also watch a physicist explore the battle’s mysterious “acoustic shadow” phenomenon, in which people 150 miles away heard cannons that families a few miles down the road couldn’t hear at all. And more videos are sure to come.
Recommended for scientists, non-scientists, Civil War buffs, and people who like to waste time on YouTube but feel like they’re getting smarter while doing so.
