American History Travels

 The Hills' Capital in Harrisburg, named after its architect, served as the Pennsylvania State Capital from January 2, 1822 until Febuary 2, 1897. The House Chamber in 1851 On February 2, 1897, the Hills' Capital burned completely to the ground leaving almost nothing but the six front pillars. There begins the mystery of what became of the them as best told during the "1820 Pennsylvania Capital Pillars" video below. Modern view of the Hills' residence on Front Street, Harrisburg, Pa.                          One  column, left, is located in the Jersey Shore Cemetery, Jersey Shore, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.                                                                                    One column, ri...

  Who could have conceived, and carried out, such a plan other than Pennsylvania coal miners?                                       The area of the explosion.                                                          The entrance to the mine.          1864 Timothy H. O'Sullivan photo of the Crater.     Coverage of the mine explosion in the August 20, 1864 edition of Harper's Weekly. A map of the Battle of the Crater courtesy of the American Battlefield Trust. Battle of the Crater The 48th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment Calamity in the Crater Chaos Beyond the Crater The Siege of Petersburg in 4 Minutes American Battlefield Trust Video Hell Has Busted The distance of the Crater from the National Civil War Muse...

                                                                   Statue of General George Sears Greene stands atop Culp's Hill.                                 Edwin Forbes, a staff artist for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, painted this depiction of the Union Army defensive line during an assault near the summit of Culp's Hill using his own sketch below. The National Park Service used Forbes' painting as the background for their historical marker located near the summit.                                 During winter months, flank markers of General Greene's command may be easily located and viewed. The 60th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment Monum...

Dress owned by Katherine Wilson Curtin the wife of Pennsylvania's Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin. Governor Curtin guided the state during the Civil War. The dress was worn during a winter society season while the couple resided in Washington D.C. after the war. Volunteers from the Katherine Wilson Curtin Tent 62, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War were instrumental in the conservation of Katherine's 1880's French-made purple velvet and satin dress ensemble under the mentorship of Shippensburg University's Fashion Archives and Museum. Katherine Irvine Wilson Curtin Andrew Gregg Curtin The Perservation Story of the Dress Shippensburg Fashion Archives and Museum The Fabric of Civil War Society video Please follow us on Facebook at  American History Travels

Edwin Forbes, a staff artist for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, painted this depiction of the Confederate assault near the summit of Culp's Hill using his own sketch below. Both images are from the Library of Congress.                                                                             The large rock, pictured above and in the foreground of both the sketch and colored painting, has become known as Forbes Rock.                As seen above and below, during a late winter day the appearance of the landscape is much like the painted image by Forbes. In 1863, the undergrowth and foliage of the hill was consumed by the roaming livestock of a nearby farm.  Edwin Forbes Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper The Forgotten Four Hills That Decided The ...

                                                                    The "target properties" can be seen in yellow on all three maps. Help Save 838 acres in Virginia Letter from the American Battlefield Trust President David N. Duncan American Battlefield Trust Preservation FAQs Recent Success at Gettysburg Video Please follow us on Facebook at  American History Travels | Facebook