Remembering Governor George Yeardley
In the first two decades of the 17th century, the Jamestowne Colony in Virginia was struggling. Settled in 1607, the Colony had experienced Indian attacks, famine, disease, and a host of other...
The 170th Anniversary of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Prelude to the American Civil War
Americans almost always view the Civil War of 1861-65 as a war between North and South, and specifically between the anti-slave states of New England and the mid-Atlantic, and the slave states of the...
Transcontinental Railroad
Between 1865 and 1869, over 12,000 Chinese laborers were instrumental in building the Central Pacific Railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Recruited largely from southern China, these...
Remembering James “Paddy” Graydon
Few Civil War officers were more colorful than Captain James (Paddy) Graydon. He was a hard drinking, daring and unconventional Union captain with a short fuse, particularly remembered for his...
Remembering Doc Holliday
When thinking about “Old West” characters, many come to mind – Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Billy the Kid among others. While people tend to categorize these characters as “good” or...
Remembering Abigail Adams
On this day in 1818, one of the pre-eminent women of the Revolutionary War era passed away in Quincy, Massachusetts—Abigail Adams, wife of Founding Father and President of the United States, John...
Remembering Peyton Randolph
As we commemorate the history of the American Revolution, which began 250 years ago in 1775, much of the focus has been on battles—Lexington & Concord (April 1775), Bunker Hill (June 1775),...
Remembering Eugene Debs
Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926) was a pioneering American labor leader, socialist, and political activist who played a central role in shaping the labor movement and socialist politics in the United...
Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone (1818–1893) was a pioneering American orator, abolitionist, and suffragist who played a vital role in advancing women’s rights in the 19th century. Born in West Brookfield,...
Remembering Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, served from 1853 to 1857 during a period of growing sectional tension between the North and South. A native of New Hampshire and a Democrat,...
