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etchr66

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Everything posted by etchr66

  1. etchr66

    USAF WW1

    From the album: For Namesake

    © R. Etchells

  2. etchr66

    USAF Shuttle SIm

    From the album: For Namesake

    © R. Etchells

  3. etchr66

    USAF Large Bomber

    From the album: For Namesake

    © R. Etchells

  4. etchr66

    US40 Station

    From the album: For Namesake

    © R. Etchells

  5. etchr66

    US40 Guide

    From the album: For Namesake

    © R. Etchells

  6. etchr66

    Leatherlips Me

    From the album: For Namesake

    © R. Etchells

  7. etchr66

    Leather Lips

    From the album: For Namesake

    © R.Etchells

  8. etchr66

    Dublin Sign2

    From the album: For Namesake

    © R.Etchells

  9. etchr66

    Rome. New York

    In this Blog about Namesake cities I have posted about towns named Athens, Florence, London, and Paris. So I thought that this time I would post about a town named Rome. There are eight "Rome's" in my book "For Namesake, aTravel Book - Places in America Inspired by Famous World Cities".[1] This one is in the state of New York. Rome, New York (43.212847, -75.45573) http://aMAP.to/romenewyork Rome, New York is a city of 33,725 located in Oneida County. There are several New York Routes that run through Rome, including Routes 26, 46, 49, 69 and 365. Rome is located 15 miles northwest of Utica, the county seat of Oneida County. The Eric Canal and the Mohawk River run through the city. The closest colleges are in Utica. There you will find a campus of Empire State College, SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica and Utica College of Syracuse University. Rome is the home of the former Griffiss Air Force Base, which is now the Griffiss International Airport. The area around Rome between the Mohawk River and Indian Creek was originally called the “Carrying Place” The early Dutch inhabitants called it “Trow Plat” and the Indians called it “De-o-wain-sta” meaning the place where canoes were carried from one stream to the other. Tradition has it that two forts were built here in the early 1700’s known as Fort Bull and Fort Williams. By 1756 both had been destroyed. Fort Stanwix was built in 1758 and was an important outpost in the American Revolutionary War. Settlers began arriving in the area after the war as early as 1784. The first Gristmill in the area was erected on Wood Creek in 1795. The community of Rome was formed in March of 1796. In 1797, the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company completed a two-mile canal connecting the Mohawk River with Wood Creek. In 1800 the first church was formed. On July 4, 1817 ground was broken for the Eric Canal. Rome was incorporated in March of 1819 and was named for the classical city in Italy. Some sources indicate that Rome was not incorporated until 1870. Its location on the Erie Canal and the New Central Railroad made Rome the most important stop between Utica and Syracuse. The Watertown and Osgdensburgh Railroad and the Oswego & Rome Railroad also ran through Rome. There were three Iron Companies in Rome during its early years; the Rome Iron Works, the Rome Merchant Iron Mill and the Rome Iron and Steel Bloom Company. In the 1900’s Copper ore became an important product for the city. [2] [3] Places of interest in Rome are the Capitol Theater, Eric Canal Village, Fort Stanwix National Monument, John B. Jervis House, John F. Kennedy Civic Center (Home of Rome Frenzy Hockey), Rome Art & Community Center, Rome Historical Society Museum, Rome Sand Plains Conservation Area, Rome Sports Hall of Fame, Sears Oil Company Museum, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution and Utica Rome Speedway. The nearby county seat of Utica has the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, Children’s Museum of Utica, Fountain Elms Mansion, F.X. Matt Brewing Company, Hotel Utica (1912), Mohawk Valley Ballet, Munson-Williams Proctor Art Institute, National Distance Running Hall of Fame, Oneida County Courthouse, Oneida County Historical Society, Players of Utica, Sculpture Space, Stanley Center for the Arts, Utica Memorial Auditorium, and the Utica Symphony Orchestra. Turning Stone Resort and Casino is located southwest of Rome on NY Route 365 and I 90. There are several state forest areas to the north of Rome. Nearby lakes include Delta Lake, Hinckley Reservoir, Kayuta Lake, and Oneida Lake. State parks in the area include Chittenango State Park, Delta Lake State Park, Pixley Falls State Park and Verona Beach State Park. The Adirondack Mountains and Adirondack Park lie to the northeast of Rome. Notable residents of Rome include Francis Bellamy, author of the United States Pledge of Allegiance; Walter R. Brooks, children’s author; Mark Chadbourne, composer and recording artist; Jerry Cook, former NASCAR driver; Richie Evans, former NASCAR driver; Henry A. Foster, United States Representative & Senator; Alex Haley, author of Roots; John B. Jervis, civil engineer; Tome Myslinski, NFL football player; and Benjamin Wright, Chief Engineer of the Erie Canal. Notes: 1. http://www.amazon.com/For-Namesake-Travel-Book-ebook/dp/B00CBM6JFK/ or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-namesake-a-travel-book-places-in-america-inspired-by-famous-world-cities-rick-etchells/1115130086?ean=2940016722009 2. http://history.rays-place.com/ny/onei-rome.htm 3. http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=1548 Picture: Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome , New York (Wikimedia Commons - National Park Service Public Domain)
  10. This entry is about New London, Minnesota, a small town with a surprising number of attractions. New London is just one of 14 "London's" that you can read about in my book "For Namesake, a Travel Book - Places in America inspired by Famous World Cities". [1] This month New London will celebrate two events that it sponsors every year. The first is the 27th running of the New London to Brighton Antique Car Run. Details are available at: http://www.antiquecarrun.org Next on August 17 they will celebrate the New London Music Festival. There is a nice website for this with videos of all of the performers at: http://newlondonmusicfestival.com New London, Minnesota (45.30108, -94.94418) http://aMAP.to/newlondon-minnesota New London, Minnesota is a town of 1,251 located in Kandiyohi County along Minnesota Route 9. The motto of New London is “Life, Simply Better”. It lies 15 miles northeast of Willmar, the county seat of Kandiyohi County. The nearest colleges and universities are in St. Cloud, 40 miles to the northeast of New London. There you will find St. Cloud State University, a campus of Global University/Minnesota School of Business and a campus of Rasmussen College. Willmar has a campus of Ridgewater College, a 2-year community college. A Swedish emigrant named Louis Larson discovered the falls on the Crow River near the site of New London in 1860. Within the next two years he built a cabin there and started construction of a dam and sawmill. In August of 1862, the Dakota Indian War broke out, forcing Larson and other settlers in the area to flee for their safety. In 1865 Larson returned with another settler named Samuel Stone. They rebuilt the dam and sawmill and also added a gristmill. Setters in the area would come to them for lumber, flour and other items. Larson named the small community that had sprung up New London, after New London, Wisconsin. By 1868 the population had grown to about 40 people with three stores and a blacksmith shop. The tiny town became the county seat of Mononagalia County from 1866 to 1870 when it was merged with Kandiyohi County. The original courthouse still stands on Main Street in town. [2] The town mill remained in operation for 73 years until 1938 when the federal government acquired the mill, the dam and the water rights for a fish hatchery, which is now operated by the state of Minnesota. The railroad arrived in 1886 connecting New London to Willmar and St. Cloud. The New London Library was founded in 1887 starting with $50 in books raised by the local students. [3] For a small town, New London has a number of attractions including the Art House Gallery, Glacial Lakes Bicycle Trail, Kaleidoscope Art Gallery, Little Crow Water Ski Shows, Little Theater of New London, Monongalia Historical Society & Museum and the New London Fish Hatchery. New London is home to the New London Music festival and the New London to Brighton Antique Car Run, both of which are held every August. The small community of Eden Valley has the Amaze’n Farmyard with 19,000 square feet of mazes and farm animals. Litchfield offers the Forest City Stockade, the Grand Army of the Republic Hall & History Museum and the Litchfield, Civic Arena. 7 Miles east of Litchfield, in Darwin, you will find the Darwin Twine Ball, the largest ball of twine in the world made by a single person. Paynesville has the Antique Center, Paynesville Antique Mall and the Paynesville Historical Museum. In Spicer you may see the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center and the Spicer Castle. Willmar offers The Barn Theater, J&L Bison Ranch, Kandiyohi County Historical Museum, Memorial Room in Willmar City Auditorium, Mikkelson Falls Flyers Boat Collection, Schwanke Museum and the Willmar Arts Council. Willmar is located at the southern end of the Glacial Ridge Trail Scenic Byway, which runs some 245 miles throughout this part of Minnesota. [4] There are many lakes in this area of Minnesota; the largest are Green Lake, Lake Koronis, Long Lake, Mud Lake and Norway Lake. Nearby state parks include Glacial Lakes State Park, Monson Lake State Park and Sibley State Park. For winter sports, Powder Ridge Ski Area is located to the east of New London near the community of Kimball. Notable residents of the county seat of Willmar include Bradley Joseph, music composer; George Nelson, former NASA astronaut; Kenneth L. Olson, Medal of Honor recipient; Albert E. Rice, politician; Marion Ross, actress best known for her role as Marion Cunningham on TV’s Happy Days; and Curt Swan, illustrator of Superman comics. Notes: 1. http://www.amazon.com/For-Namesake-Travel-Book-ebook/dp/B00CBM6JFK/ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-namesake-a-travel-book-places-in-america-inspired-by-famous-world-cities-rick-etchells/1115130086?ean=2940016722009 2. http://www.newlondonmn.com/images/history_sign.jpg 3. http://www.rootsandroutes.net/body.htm?http&&&www.rootsandroutes.net/londonmn.htm 4. http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/11186/index.html Picture is the Beach at Sibley State Park near New London. Picture Credit: (Wikimedia Commons - John Mahowald CC-BY-SA)
  11. etchr66

    Paris, Tennessee

    July 14 this week was French National Day, known more commonly to us as Bastille Day. It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, an event that celebrated the end of the French Revolution. It also corresponds to the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. The French celebrate this day with gatherings and fireworks much as we celebrate our July 4 Independence Day. So I thought it appropriate that this entry in the For Namesake Blog should be for a town in America named after the French City of Paris. In my book "For Namesake, a Travel Book" I write about thirteen such incorporated towns named Paris.[1] For this entry I have chosen Paris Tennessee where they have a very nice 60 foot high replica of the Eiffel Tower. The tower is located on Maurice Fields Drive near the intersection with Volunteer Drive. Here are the coordinates (36.286774, -88.301557) and a link to a map http://aMAP.to/eiffeltower-paristn Paris, Tennessee is a city of 10,156 located in Henry County along US Routes 79 and 641. Tennessee Routes 54 and 69 also pass through the town. Paris is on a fork of the West Sandy River and is the county seat of Henry County. It lies 90 miles west of Nashville. The closest college is Bethel College in McKenzie. Henry County was formed in 1821 and was named for Patrick Henry. The town of Paris was established as the county seat in September of 1823, becoming West Tennessee’s oldest incorporated community. The town was named for the French capital in honor of Lafayette who had visited Tennessee in the early 1800’s. The county’s first courthouse was a two room “dogtrot” type of log cabin built that first year. Court was held in one room while pies and liquor were sold in the other room. Henry County sent more than 2,500 volunteers to the Confederacy in the Civil War giving it the title of Volunteer County of the Volunteer State”. In March of 1862 Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant, attacked the Confederate encampment at Paris. General Nathan Bedford Forrest of the Confederacy began his Johnsonville Campaign at Paris Landing in October of 1864. In World War II Camp Tyson was built south of Paris and trained thousands of American servicemen for the Barrage Balloon Service of the Coast Artillery Corps. The camp also held German prisoners of War. In 1821 Henry County’s first tourist attraction Sulphur Well, was created by accident when a well was sunk in an attempt to locate a salt bed on a Chickasaw Indian reservation. A summer resort was established there allowing persons to take the waters to promote their health. Many sought refuge there during an 1837 yellow fever epidemic. Sulphur Well was covered up in 1944 when the Tennessee Valley Authority created Kentucky Lake, the largest man made lake in the United States. Paris Landing State Park was created at the lake in 1945 and Paris became known as the “Capital City of Kentucky Lake”. [2] In Paris you may see the Eiffel Tower Replica (60 feet high), Henry County Courthouse, Historic Downtown Paris with a walking tour, Krider Performing Arts Center, Paris Henry County Arts Council, Paris Henry County Heritage Center, and the Paris Winery. Paris is known as the home of the “World’s Biggest Fish Fry” which is held every April. In nearby Mackenzie you may visit the Gordon Browning Museum and Veterans Memorial Park. Fort Donelson National Battlefield is located at the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area near the community of Dover. The Land Between the Lakes is the name of the region to the northeast of Paris that is between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. There you will find Paris Landing State Park and the Big Sandy Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge. Other recreational sites in easy driving distance from Paris include Big Cypress Tree State Natural Area, Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge, Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, Stewart State Forest and the West Sandy Wildlife Management Area. Notable residents of Paris include Howell Edmunds Jackson, United States Supreme Court Justice; Vernon Jarrett, newspaper columnist; Bobby Jones, Grammy Award winning gospel singer; Cherry Jones, Tony Award wining actress; Charles Gilbert “Chick” King, Major League Baseball player; Henry Neal, pianist & part of the piano duo Nelson and Neal; James D. Porter, Jr., former Tennessee Governor; and Stephen M. Veazey, president of the Community of Christ. Another Namesake Town, "Milan Tennessee", lies just forty miles to the southwest of Paris. Notes: 1. http://www.amazon.co.../dp/B00CBM6JFK/ http://www.barnesand...n=2940016722009 2. http://www.paristnchamber.com/history.htm Picture credit (Wikimedia Commons - User: Chiacomo Public Domain)
  12. etchr66

    Paris TN Pict

    From the album: For Namesake

    Replica Of Eiffel Tower in Paris, Tennessee

    © Wikimedia Commons - User: Chiacomo Public Domain)

  13. Dave, You are quite correct. It is really designed to give you a nice personalized map of a single location with a sort url. It is not set up to do routes that I know of. Perhaps the name should have been "a map of" instead of "a map to". Nevertheless it is still a great tool. etchr66
  14. I just wanted to let everyone know about a great web site that I found that allows you to make personalized maps. Better yet it generates a very short url that you can share with others or you can even rename the url to a name of your own choosing. It is also very easy to add titles, descriptions, contact information and even images and videos. Best of all it's free to use. The site is called "a map to" at http://amap.to Just enter a location, hit enter and a nice scaleable map appears. From there you can hit the help button and watch the video that shows you more about how to personalize your maps. I also discovered that they have great customer service as well, with super fast response if you have any questions. Enjoy and safe travels, etchr66
  15. Dave, I am certainly not an expert on the subject, but I suspect that it has to do with the location of the county as being near lake Erie and the amount of Snow that it receives. Also the county appears to have the insight to protect, promote and preserve the bridges that it has. There are a nearly 200 covered bridges in Pennsylvania as well and some of its counties have nearly as many as Ashtabula County, Ohio. There is a very nice website for the Pennsylvania Covered Bridges which shows them all by county. The link is: http://pacoveredbridges.com I love covered bridges and search them out whenever I travel. etchr66
  16. Please see the latest entry in the "For Namesake" Blog. This is about Geneva and Geneva on the Lake, Ohio. Both are located in Ashtabula County which has some eighteen covered bridges including both the shortest and the longest covered bridges in the United States. The web site for the bridges is: http://www.experience-ohio-amish-country.com/covered-bridges.html
  17. It's summer time and its hot. What better way to cool down then to spend some time at the lake. With that in mind, our Namesake town for this entry is Geneva, Ohio and the nearby summer resort town of Geneva on the Lake. Both are located in Ashtabula County, which has a wealth of museums and sites of historic interest. In addition there are some eighteen covered bridges in the county, including both the longest and shortest covered bridges in the United States. Add the ten or so wineries in the county and what's not to like? At 613 feet the Smolen-Gulf Bridge, loacted on Ashtabula County Road 25 just south of the city of Ashtabula, is the longest covered bridge in the country and the fourth longest in the world. The map coordinates are (41.855458,-80.762204). At just 18 feet the shortest covered bridge is the West Liberty Street Bridge in the town of Geneva. The map coordinates for it are (41.799183,-80.948532). [1] Please comment if you like these entries or have any feedback to offer. From the book "For Namesake, a Travel Book" [2]: Geneva, Ohio is a town of 6,215 located in Ashtabula County along US Route 20. It lies 25 miles from the Pennsylvania border and 45 miles northeast of Cleveland. Geneva on the Lake is a town of 1,288, which lies 5 miles north of Geneva on Ohio Route 534. The county seat of Ashtabula County is Jefferson, located 10 miles southeast of Geneva. The closet college is Lake Erie College in the city of Painesville. Ashtabula County was established in 1807 and was the first county created in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The area around Geneva was originally part of Harpersfield Township. In 1816 a small group of settlers decided to withdraw from Harpersfield and create their own community. They named it Geneva for the scenic town of Geneva, New York. With the completion of the Eric Canal in 1825, its location close to the lakefront added to its attraction. In 1829 the first post office was established. By 1840 the population was over 1,200. The Lake Shore railway came from Cleveland through Geneva to Ashtabula in 1852. The community of Geneva was incorporated as an official Ohio Village in 1866. By 1896 the village had a population of three thousand persons. In the early 1900’s Geneva gained its first automobile industry company with the manufacture of the Geneva Steamer in 1901. The company that manufactured this car closed just 3 years later. A few other attempts were made to manufacture automobiles in Geneva; however they too only lasted a few years. The grape industry has played an important part in the economy of Geneva and still does so today. In 1958 having obtained a population over 5000, Geneva was incorporated as an official Ohio “City”. [3] Geneva on the Lake was Ohio’s first summer resort. It began in 1869 with the opening of the first public picnic ground on a bluff above Lake Erie known as Sturgeon Point. By the early 1900’s it had evolved into a camping and fishing playground for America’s elite. Incorporated as an Ohio Village in 1927; today it is a premier lakeshore vacationland. [4] Ashtabula County has sixteen museums and sites of historic interest; the following is a sampling of those you may want to visit. The city of Ashtabula has Great Lakes Marine & Coast Guard Memorial Museum, Hubbard House (a northern terminus of the Underground Railroad) and Olin’s Museum of Covered Bridges. Conneaut has the Conneaut Historical Railroad Museum. Shandy Hall, 2 miles south of Geneva, is the 1815 home of Robert Harper and said to be the oldest frame house in the Western Reserve to be preserved in its original form. Hartsgrove has the Presidential Museum. In Jefferson you will find a nice railroad depot and the Victorian Perambulation Museum. In Windsor there is the Servants of Mary Center for Peace featuring a fifty-foot statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are eighteen covered bridges in Ashtabula County including the longest one in the United States, spanning a distance of 613 feet. [1] The warm breezes off of Lake Erie make this region a prime location for growing grapes and there are some ten wineries in the county. [5] Geneva hosts an annual Grape festival in September. Geneva on the Lake is a very popular summer resort with a strip of tourist oriented businesses and parks. To learn about all of the attractions in the area stop by the Geneva on the Lake Visitor Information center at 5536 Lake Road. Enjoy the Lake Erie shoreline with boating, camping, hiking, fishing or just relaxing at Geneva State Park, just one mile from Geneva on the Lake. Additional recreation areas include Pymatuning State Park and Reservoir, Mosquito Lake State Park and Reservoir, Headlands Beach State Park, and Punderson State Park. Notable residents of Geneva include Brian Anderson, major league baseball pitcher; Edward S. Ellis, dime novel author; and Ransom E. Olds, automobile industry pioneer. Notes: 1. http://www.experience-ohio-amish-country.com/covered-bridges.html 2. http://www.amazon.co.../dp/B00CBM6JFK/ http://www.barnesand...n=2940016722009 3. http://www.genevaohio.com/history.html 4. http://www.visitgenevaonthelake.com/history.htm 5. http://www.accvb.org/wineries.html Picture is Harpersfield Covered Bridge, at 228 feet in length this was the longest covered bridge in Ohio until the construction of the Smolen-Gulf Bridge in 2008. Picture Credit: (Wikimedia Commons – User: Homefryes CC-BY-SA)
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