This digital image of Charles Blaskowitz's early 1777 map of New York Island doesn't do it justice -- it is taller than I am -- but it is a unique perspective on the British invasion. It narrates the British campaign. Zoom in for delicious details. #HATM www.argomaps.org/maps/commonw...

Nellie Bly left for her around-the-world trip on this day in 1889. 72 days later she was back home in #NewYorkCity. Read about Nellie's New York in my blog post below. @newyorkalmanack.bsky.social @nyhistory.bsky.social @discovering.nyc @brookekroeger.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/blog/nellie-...

"It's like the owners locked the door and walked away." Traveling to History visits #Pennsylvania and the Cornwall Iron Furnace, a completely intact charcoal blast furnace from the 19th Century. www.jamesflee.com/blog/cornwel...

Read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." A great way to get in the Halloween spirit.

It's time for my tradition of reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow just before Halloween. I love Irving's description of the flora and fauna of the #hudsonvalley, and, of course, of Ichabod Crane, too. He captures the bounty and foreboding of autumn perfectly. #VisitHudsonValley #WashingtonIrving

On the Fourth of July 1898, the steamer Surf City was taking passengers home after a day of celebrating at #SalemWillows. A sudden gale capsized the boat. Eight women and children lost their lives. @salemma.bsky.social #BeverlyMass @mhs1791.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/blog/surf-ci...

The steamer Surf City capsized in Beverly Harbor on the Fourth of July 1898. Eight people lost their lives, including three siblings. Here is my story about this disaster. www.jamesflee.com/blog/surf-ci...

James Fenimore Cooper’s visit to Lake George in August, 1824 helped inspire his novel Last of the Mohicans.

Here's my latest piece, combining a love for history and travel. www.ace.aaa.com/publications...

For those unfamiliar the National Digital Newspaper Program funds states to digitize newspapers—which are then collected in the archive Chronicling America—NDNP & ChronAm are related but not the same—the funding program has been shut down—the archive is still online—though I worry for its future

Congrats to the 6888th Battalion for receiving Congressional Gold Medal. A bit late - but well earned. www.jamesflee.com/helen-hender...

It was a classic pitching duel between Boston's Babe Ruth and Washington's Walter Johnson. Larry Gardner's clutch hit in the 13th won it for the Sox. #RedSox #WashingtonSenators newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/vermonts-lar...

#OTD April 22, 1692, a case of mistaken identity in Salem! 30 year old Nehemiah Abbott Jr. of Ipswich is set free by the court - it was not his specter, but someone who looked like him. He is the first and only person freed by the Court of Oyer and Terminer after initial questioning.

In April 1830, the country was obsessed with a brutal murder and explosive murder trial in #SalemMass. The presiding judge dropped dead, the prime suspect killed himself, and Daniel Webster himself led the case for the prosecution. www.jamesflee.com/blog/white-m...

Does CNN know there were demonstrations today?

This but non-ironically. Such names were the sign of a more intellectually and morally ambitious culture.

Happy birthday Thaddeus Stevens, ardent abolitionist, Radical Republican, and champion of the 13th Amendment. #USHistory @fifer1863.bsky.social @civilwarmemory.bsky.social

If you like seeing the bare bones of historic houses, the Lynnhaven House in Virginia Beach is for you. This 1725 4-room house has been stripped to studs and exposed brick during the renovation process. #VirginiaBeach #HistoricHouses #VirginiaHistory www.jamesflee.com/blog/lynnhav...

Nellie Bly was one of the most successful investigative reporters in the 1880s and 1890s, when opportunities for women in the newspaper industry were limited. Her stories were front page in Pulitzer's New York World. #WomensHistoryMonth @womenshistnet.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/blog/nellie-...

@elisehooper.bsky.social I am starting Angels of the Pacific tonight.

Women's contributions to Fort Monroe in #HamptonVA have been essential since its founding. Don't erase them. You can read their story here. #WomensHistoryMonth #USArmy @womenshistnet.bsky.social @amrevmuseum.bsky.social @civilwarmemory.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/blog/endurin...

Artist Frank Benson was born on March 24, 1862, in #SalemMass. He mastered many art forms including plein-air impressionism and portraiture. This portrait of his sister was completed in his studio on Chestnut Street in 1885 (photo by Stella van Mever wikiart.org). @mhs1791.bsky.social

#OTD 1895. the British Ladies' Football Club played its first match in London. Led by Nettie Honeyball (pictured), the match drew over 10,000 spectators. #WomensHistoryMonth @womensgamemib.bsky.social @womenshistnet.bsky.social @womenslibrary.bsky.social @theathleticfc.bsky.social

Sometimes an act of compassion can land you in prison. In 1854, Margaret Douglass was jailed for violating Virginia's law against teaching Black people to read. #WomensHistoryMonth #NorfolkVA @fifer1863.bsky.social @civilwarmemory.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/blog/jailed-...

On the Boardwalk at #VirginiaBeach, the Norwegian Lady looks out over the Atlantic. She commemorates an 1891 wreck just offshore. Buried in nearby Norfolk is the real Norwegian Lady drowned in that wreck. You can read their stories here: www.jamesflee.com/blog/virgini... #WomensHistoryMonth

Anne Spencer was an African American poet associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Her home in #LynchburgVA was a refuge for Black artists, poets, and civil rights leaders passing through the South in the 1930s and 1940s. You can visit her home and garden today. #WomensHistoryMonth

Indeed, the Missouri Compromise was unpopular in Maine, and 5 of its 7 Congressmen voted against it. While the District of Maine had long sought its independence from Massachusetts, many were not willing to accept it if it meant the creation of another slave state.

Jennie Wade was the only civilian casualty during the Battle of Gettysburg. Her death is a reminder that noncombatants often suffer the consequences of war. #WomansHistoryMonth @fifer1863.bsky.social @civilwarmemory.bsky.social @womenshistnet.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/blog/jennie-...

No Dem Senator has to follow Schumer here. This is a weak stategic move driven by fear and learned helplessness. Don't follow him. He's leading the party into irrelevance and helping Trump and Musk in the process. Call your Dem Senators and ask them not to join Schumer's surrender tomorrow.

Today is Joseph Priestley's birthday. This prominent English clergyman and scientist was the first to identify oxygen and carbon monoxide. You can visit his house in Northumberland, #Pennsylvania. @standupforscience.bsky.social @rsc.org www.jamesflee.com/blog/oxygen-...

During #WW2, Helen Henderson wanted to serve her country, so she joined the US Army. She was assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Battalion. In honor of her service and of #WomensHistoryMonth, you can read her story here. @womenshistnet.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/helen-hender...

Lady Bae was one of the first Korean women to live in the US. A diplomat's wife, she insisted against tradition on being a public face for her country and was a familiar sight in Washington. #Women'sHistoryMonth @streetsofdc.bsky.social @womenshistnet.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/blog/lady-ba...

Check out this important story. It gives insight into slavery in New England.

When Quaker teacher Prudence Crandall opened her school in #Connecticut for "young ladies and little misses of color," she was met with open hostility and violence from townspeople. Today, Crandall is the State Heroine of Connecticut. #Women'sHistoryMonth www.jamesflee.com/blog/prudenc...

A wonderful photo of a #salemma shopkeeper in the 1870s for #womenshistorymonth. Eliza Punchard worked and lived with Ann Bray from 1821 until Bray died in 1875, then inherited the very successful shop. So many great Salem shops owned by women from the 17th century to the present!

Women are essential to the armed forces. In honor of #Women'sHistoryMonth, here is a story about the vital service women have performed at Fort Monroe in #HamptonVA. @womenshistnet.bsky.social #FortMonroe @fifer1863.bsky.social @oghistorydame.bsky.social www.jamesflee.com/blog/endurin...

For #WomensHistoryMonth, I give you a fellow Pittsburgher, Nellie Bly - foreign correspondent and investigative journalist waaay ahead of her time. Famously feigned mental illness to be admitted to an insane asylum. Her subsequent report on the horrible conditions prompted reform.

Anne Spencer was an African American teacher, gardener, and poet linked to the Harlem Renaissance. Her home in #LynchburgVA was a refuge and pilgrimage site for Black writers, poets, and leaders in the 1920s and 1930s. Today, you can visit her home and garden in Lynchburg. #BlackHistoryMonth

For #BlackHistoryMonth, take a walking tour of Black American heritage sites in #SalemMA. The city's African American history is rich and deep. @mhs1791.bsky.social @salemstate.bsky.social #NPS #PEM @berkie1.bsky.social @tyhapworth.bsky.social @boston1775.bsky.social @bostonhistory.bsky.social

James Wormley, a free Black man, enjoyed great success as a hotelier. The Wormley Hotel in #WashingtonDC was where the power brokers of post-Civil-War DC came to meet. In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, please see this story about Wormley. newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/wormley-the-...

Yesterday, I posted about Ona Judge's life and her escape from slavery in George Washington's household. Here is a story about her life of tenuous freedom in #PortsmouthNH. @portsmouthnh.bsky.social #BlackHeritageTrailNH #BlackHistoryMonth @womenshistnet.bsky.social @historicnewengland.bsky.social

As George Washington's birthday approaches, take time to remember Ona Judge, the enslaved servant who successfully escaped bondage in Washington's household - and was never caught. #BlackHistoryMonth #NeverCaught #OnaJudge #EricaDunbar #MountVernon www.jamesflee.com/blog/neverca...

In celebration of Black History Month, we’re sharing a closer look at Maya Michaud’s portrait of Ona Judge, featured in the Fall 2024 issue of 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 magazine and now displayed at Langdon House in Portsmouth, NH. • Read more → shorturl.at/DOKEF

In 1862, John Washington, an enslaved man, crossed the Rappahannock River in #Virginia and claimed his freedom. In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, please read his story. #FredericksburgVA #AmericanHistory @fifer1863.bsky.social @civilwarmemory.bsky.social www.salisburypost.com/2017/12/03/f...

#SalemMass is more than just witches. It has a rich tradition in African American history. Please enjoy this story I wrote for @bostonglobe.bsky.social Travel in 2011. #BlackHistoryMonth @kidadaewilliams.bsky.social @mhs1791.bsky.social @bostonhistory.bsky.social @salemstatemco.bsky.social

This month, I posted all of my stories about Black history, honoring #BlackHistoryMonth. Time to start over. Read about Maggie Walker, banker, civil rights leader, newspaper editor, and teacher. Her home is a National Historic Site in #richmondva. www.pilotonline.com/2020/05/03/g...

Several years ago, I took "The Tales of Slavery and Freedom Walk" at #FirstStateHeritagePark in #DoverDel. I don't know if they still offer it anymore, but in honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, I am reposting my story here. www.jamesflee.com/blog/stales-...

Traveling to History visits Eichelberger's Distillery in Dillsburg, PA, where they make rye whiskey the old-fashioned way. And they serve a good Cherry Bounce, too! #Dillsburgpa #DillsTavern #NYCHAPS www.jamesflee.com/blog/eichelb...

A visit to #NorfolkVa reveals traces of the Underground Railroad. You can read about those sites in my story posted in honor of #BlackHistoryMonth. www.jamesflee.com/blog/norfolk...