• About

The Strawfoot

~ a New Yorker's American History blog

The Strawfoot

Monthly Archives: August 2011

Earthquake damage, DC

30 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Washington, D.C.

≈ Comments Off on Earthquake damage, DC

(Stereoscopic image/NYPL)

Inspectors have concluded that the Sherman Building at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington suffered significant damage in last week’s earthquake.  The Sherman Building is part of the facility that houses the Lincoln Cottage.  President Lincoln rarely left the District during the war and he often retreated to the cottage that now bears his name to enjoy the solitude and escape the miserable heat and humidity of downtown DC.  The Sherman Building was built in the picturesque style of architecture, which incorporated classic building features into a modern, nineteenth century sensibility emphasizing the surrounding natural environment.  The Sherman Building was originally named the Scott Building in honor of General Winfield Scott, who devised the plan to build the Soldiers’ Home after the Mexican War.  In one of those ironies you come across when studying the American Civil War, it was Senator Jefferson Davis who steered the legislation creating the Soldiers’ Home through Congress in 1851.

Irene Report

29 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Irene Report

We had our water…

and our candles.

We had our small torch and reading lights in case of a power outage.

We double-checked the batteries.

We had stocked up earlier, but this was the bread aisle at the local supermarket.

For the first time I believe in history, the New York City subway system–all 722 miles–was shut down in its entirety due to natural causes.  The city did a remarkable job throughout the storm.

We never lost power and used the time to rewatch Abraham and Mary.

Thankfully we had the Iron Brigade on our side throughout the worst of it.

By late Sunday morning we were finally able to get out and get some fresh air.

There were many branches knocked down but this was the worst of it.

The automobiles were not damaged in any serious way.

All told we consider ourselves fortunate.  Wherever you are, if you were touched by the storm we hope you are as well.

Hello Irene

26 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Hello Irene

Hey everybody, it is the calm before the storm here in Gotham.  Everything is shutting down and the Hayfoot and I are going to ride the storm out at home. Sunday is going to be the Big Day.  I for one am going to catch up on some reading and probably break out some 54mm regiments in Blue and Gray on the living room floor.  I am somewhat at ease going into the storm because I turned in the draft of a small writing project earlier this evening.  I was going to put the final touches on it next week but with the storm coming I wanted to get it done.  One less thing to worry about.  Have a good weekend and I will back on Monday.

America’s Best Idea turns 95

25 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in National Park Service

≈ Comments Off on America’s Best Idea turns 95

Image courtesy Chris Light

Today is the 95th anniversary of President Woodrow Wilson’s signing of the Organic Act, the legislation that created the National Park Service.  Like all large organizations the NPS is not perfect.  Still, our nation would be a smaller place culturally and intellectually were it not for the existence of our national parks and the people who work in them.  Right now rangers are working harder than ever to ensure that visitors have a rewarding and meaningful experience.  Nowhere is this truer than at the Civil War battlefields and dozens of other sites related to the War of the Rebellion and the era.  It remains to be seen how the country’s economic problems will effect the parks in the long term.  Given the serious challenges we face today it is unlikely that the NPS will be able to undertake the types of projects it did in the 1950s and 1960s as it prepared for its 50th anniversary in 1966.  The parks are especially vulnerable because they are not seen as essential services necessary in the course of our daily lives.  Still, there are encouraging signs.  Visitation has never been higher at the Civil War related sites and is only expected to grow in the next few years.  The Park has also embraced social media, such as podcasting, in a big way.  We will see what the future brings.  One thing seems certain: the best way to protect our parks is to visit them.

Jerry Leiber, 1933-2011

23 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Those we remember

≈ Comments Off on Jerry Leiber, 1933-2011

Jerry Leiber, one half of the songwriting team that gave us such hits as “Hound Dog, “King Creole,” and “Jailhouse Rock,” to name a very few, has died.  What you notice when people such as he pass on is how young they were.  Leiber had been in the business for almost six decades and was still only seventy eight when he passed on.  More on the creative tension between various songwriting duos here.

(Image/Library of Congress)

Cyclorama Building on the move?

23 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Gettysburg, National Park Service

≈ Comments Off on Cyclorama Building on the move?

Authorities at Gettysburg National Military Park announced that they are exploring the feasibility of relocating Richard Neutra’s Cyclorama Building to a less conspicuous location.   This may be the least bad option given the possibility that the Park Service may never be granted the authority to demolish the site.

Gettysburg Cyclorama Building; photo/Don Wiles

I am always sympathetic to the arguments of architectural historians and preservationists that we are losing too much of our cultural heritage.  Every time I walk through the travesty that is the current Penn Station I rue the loss of the magisterial original.  It is fair to argue, too, that Neutra’s Gettysburg building is now itself part of the history of the evolution of the park, part of the Mission 66 project and designed to reflect the stature of the United States during the Cold War and Space Age.  Still, despite the nostalgia that many feel for the building they visited during their youth, the fact remains that the building never worked.  For one thing the Modernist structure sits incongruously atop Ziegler’s Grove on Cemetery Ridge, the site of some of the hardest fighting on Day 3 of the battle.  It was also structurally unsound, leaking frequently, and responsible for a great deal of the damage the Cyclorama incurred in the decades it was housed in the building.  Besides, there are plenty of representative Neutra buildings still standing.

Neutra’s Miller House, Palm Springs; photo/Ilpo’s Sojourn

Whatever happens, a permanent solution to the Cyclorama Building issue will hopefully be forthcoming in the intermediate future.  Stay tuned.

Summer’s almost gone

20 Saturday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Summer’s almost gone

I am sorry about the paucity of posts recently. The Hayfoot and I are squeezing out a few last days of vacation before the busy fall semester begins. I am typing these words from a coffee shop in Union Station. We came to DC to see the sites and catch up with some friends. DC means more to me with each visit because I learn more with each trip. I am halfway through the Lockwoods’ The Siege of Washington, which chronicles the first twelve days after the fall of Ft. Sumter. The Confederate capture of the federal capital was a closer thing than I realized. DC means a great deal to me personally as well because my mother lived here as a little girl. Today would have been my grandmother’s 100th birthday.

We have a lot to do when we get home. The Hayfoot starts her final semester in grad school next week and I have a number of projects coming due this fall. These are things to look forward to. I will be back next week with more posts.

Bon weekend.

Fredericksburg slavery museum site to be sold

17 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Museums

≈ Comments Off on Fredericksburg slavery museum site to be sold

A few weeks back the New York Times reported that former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder’s plans for a slavery museum in Frederickisburg were in peril.  Yesterday it was announced that the $7.5 million dollar property is to be sold.  The project is apparently a victim of the recession and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture that is about to break ground on the Mall near the National Gallery.  It is difficult to see any endeavor such as this fail but given the overlapping scopes of the two museums it was probably inevitable that this would happen.

Moving on

14 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Moving on

Hey everybody, it’s Sunday afternoon.  It is also the last day of my week off.  For years I always visited my father in Arkansas the first week in August.  My father was not much into the Civil War but over the years he took me to Shiloh, Vicksburg, Pea Ridge and elsewhere because he knew how much visiting these places meant to me.  These trips were all the more poignant because my father’s health was in decline for a long period and I knew year-by-year that each visit might be the last.  If he were still alive I would be flying back right now instead of typing these words. Knowing that I will never again have the chance to do so leaves me reflective, but aware too of the need to move forward and enjoy life in the moment.

We decided to have a quiet week.  I took some classes at the Apple store to learn more about my new Air, went to Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery, and broke out a few regiments for some skirmishing on the kitchen table.  I also read Gary Gallagher’s The Union War. Here are a few photos from the last seven days:

Boat in Prospect Park

Picnicking

Major David B. Bridgford, Army of Northern Virginia; Green-Wood Cemetery

Moving ever onward here in Brooklyn…

Deep South baseball

12 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Keith Muchowski in Baseball

≈ Comments Off on Deep South baseball

African American baseball players who came up in the 1950s and 1960s often discuss their experiences playing minor league ball in the Deep South during this period.  This was an especially combustible time, with the Civil Rights Movement beginning to accelerate and the situation becoming more violent by the day.  Especially vulnerable were black ballplayers, who were joining Major League Baseball in larger numbers in the wake of Jackie’s Robinson’s integration of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.  Minor leaguers always have a tougher lot than those who make it to The Show, but to be playing in front of a segregated crowd during the Civil Rights Era was often literally to put your life at risk.  Roy White went one further; he had to wear the Confederate flag on his uniform.

← Older posts

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 243 other subscribers

Categories

Archives

  • January 2023 (4)
  • December 2022 (4)
  • November 2022 (8)
  • October 2022 (2)
  • September 2022 (4)
  • June 2022 (1)
  • May 2022 (1)
  • April 2022 (13)
  • January 2022 (1)
  • December 2021 (2)
  • November 2021 (1)
  • October 2021 (3)
  • September 2021 (3)
  • August 2021 (5)
  • July 2021 (1)
  • June 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (4)
  • April 2021 (3)
  • March 2021 (4)
  • February 2021 (7)
  • January 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (4)
  • November 2020 (3)
  • October 2020 (4)
  • September 2020 (7)
  • August 2020 (5)
  • July 2020 (7)
  • June 2020 (11)
  • May 2020 (7)
  • April 2020 (9)
  • March 2020 (9)
  • February 2020 (7)
  • January 2020 (6)
  • December 2019 (7)
  • November 2019 (9)
  • October 2019 (4)
  • September 2019 (6)
  • August 2019 (10)
  • July 2019 (8)
  • June 2019 (6)
  • May 2019 (9)
  • April 2019 (8)
  • March 2019 (6)
  • February 2019 (8)
  • January 2019 (5)
  • December 2018 (10)
  • November 2018 (6)
  • October 2018 (9)
  • September 2018 (11)
  • August 2018 (11)
  • July 2018 (17)
  • June 2018 (10)
  • May 2018 (8)
  • April 2018 (9)
  • March 2018 (8)
  • February 2018 (5)
  • January 2018 (7)
  • December 2017 (11)
  • November 2017 (8)
  • October 2017 (9)
  • September 2017 (11)
  • August 2017 (12)
  • July 2017 (14)
  • June 2017 (18)
  • May 2017 (11)
  • April 2017 (10)
  • March 2017 (9)
  • February 2017 (11)
  • January 2017 (14)
  • December 2016 (7)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (8)
  • September 2016 (9)
  • August 2016 (6)
  • July 2016 (12)
  • June 2016 (8)
  • May 2016 (9)
  • April 2016 (6)
  • March 2016 (12)
  • February 2016 (10)
  • January 2016 (9)
  • December 2015 (9)
  • November 2015 (11)
  • October 2015 (8)
  • September 2015 (9)
  • August 2015 (13)
  • July 2015 (14)
  • June 2015 (11)
  • May 2015 (11)
  • April 2015 (18)
  • March 2015 (10)
  • February 2015 (8)
  • January 2015 (8)
  • December 2014 (12)
  • November 2014 (13)
  • October 2014 (16)
  • September 2014 (11)
  • August 2014 (16)
  • July 2014 (12)
  • June 2014 (13)
  • May 2014 (10)
  • April 2014 (10)
  • March 2014 (11)
  • February 2014 (12)
  • January 2014 (10)
  • December 2013 (11)
  • November 2013 (14)
  • October 2013 (14)
  • September 2013 (14)
  • August 2013 (13)
  • July 2013 (17)
  • June 2013 (9)
  • May 2013 (13)
  • April 2013 (13)
  • March 2013 (16)
  • February 2013 (15)
  • January 2013 (15)
  • December 2012 (18)
  • November 2012 (18)
  • October 2012 (21)
  • September 2012 (14)
  • August 2012 (16)
  • July 2012 (21)
  • June 2012 (22)
  • May 2012 (24)
  • April 2012 (20)
  • March 2012 (23)
  • February 2012 (22)
  • January 2012 (15)
  • December 2011 (23)
  • November 2011 (22)
  • October 2011 (23)
  • September 2011 (18)
  • August 2011 (19)
  • July 2011 (20)
  • June 2011 (29)
  • May 2011 (25)
  • April 2011 (18)
  • March 2011 (21)
  • February 2011 (11)

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 243 other subscribers

Categories

Archives

  • January 2023 (4)
  • December 2022 (4)
  • November 2022 (8)
  • October 2022 (2)
  • September 2022 (4)
  • June 2022 (1)
  • May 2022 (1)
  • April 2022 (13)
  • January 2022 (1)
  • December 2021 (2)
  • November 2021 (1)
  • October 2021 (3)
  • September 2021 (3)
  • August 2021 (5)
  • July 2021 (1)
  • June 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (4)
  • April 2021 (3)
  • March 2021 (4)
  • February 2021 (7)
  • January 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (4)
  • November 2020 (3)
  • October 2020 (4)
  • September 2020 (7)
  • August 2020 (5)
  • July 2020 (7)
  • June 2020 (11)
  • May 2020 (7)
  • April 2020 (9)
  • March 2020 (9)
  • February 2020 (7)
  • January 2020 (6)
  • December 2019 (7)
  • November 2019 (9)
  • October 2019 (4)
  • September 2019 (6)
  • August 2019 (10)
  • July 2019 (8)
  • June 2019 (6)
  • May 2019 (9)
  • April 2019 (8)
  • March 2019 (6)
  • February 2019 (8)
  • January 2019 (5)
  • December 2018 (10)
  • November 2018 (6)
  • October 2018 (9)
  • September 2018 (11)
  • August 2018 (11)
  • July 2018 (17)
  • June 2018 (10)
  • May 2018 (8)
  • April 2018 (9)
  • March 2018 (8)
  • February 2018 (5)
  • January 2018 (7)
  • December 2017 (11)
  • November 2017 (8)
  • October 2017 (9)
  • September 2017 (11)
  • August 2017 (12)
  • July 2017 (14)
  • June 2017 (18)
  • May 2017 (11)
  • April 2017 (10)
  • March 2017 (9)
  • February 2017 (11)
  • January 2017 (14)
  • December 2016 (7)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (8)
  • September 2016 (9)
  • August 2016 (6)
  • July 2016 (12)
  • June 2016 (8)
  • May 2016 (9)
  • April 2016 (6)
  • March 2016 (12)
  • February 2016 (10)
  • January 2016 (9)
  • December 2015 (9)
  • November 2015 (11)
  • October 2015 (8)
  • September 2015 (9)
  • August 2015 (13)
  • July 2015 (14)
  • June 2015 (11)
  • May 2015 (11)
  • April 2015 (18)
  • March 2015 (10)
  • February 2015 (8)
  • January 2015 (8)
  • December 2014 (12)
  • November 2014 (13)
  • October 2014 (16)
  • September 2014 (11)
  • August 2014 (16)
  • July 2014 (12)
  • June 2014 (13)
  • May 2014 (10)
  • April 2014 (10)
  • March 2014 (11)
  • February 2014 (12)
  • January 2014 (10)
  • December 2013 (11)
  • November 2013 (14)
  • October 2013 (14)
  • September 2013 (14)
  • August 2013 (13)
  • July 2013 (17)
  • June 2013 (9)
  • May 2013 (13)
  • April 2013 (13)
  • March 2013 (16)
  • February 2013 (15)
  • January 2013 (15)
  • December 2012 (18)
  • November 2012 (18)
  • October 2012 (21)
  • September 2012 (14)
  • August 2012 (16)
  • July 2012 (21)
  • June 2012 (22)
  • May 2012 (24)
  • April 2012 (20)
  • March 2012 (23)
  • February 2012 (22)
  • January 2012 (15)
  • December 2011 (23)
  • November 2011 (22)
  • October 2011 (23)
  • September 2011 (18)
  • August 2011 (19)
  • July 2011 (20)
  • June 2011 (29)
  • May 2011 (25)
  • April 2011 (18)
  • March 2011 (21)
  • February 2011 (11)

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • The Strawfoot
    • Join 214 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Strawfoot
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...