Marblehead is located near Boston. It was founded in 1649 and has been steeped in U.S. history ever since. Sailors from there were involved early on in the Revolutionary War, and scholars have labeled their activities the forerunner of the U.S. Navy. Many historic sites and buildings still exist, including:

Old Town House

The Old Town House had town hall meetings on the second floor with a market on the first. Some meetings are still held there, but the first floor is now a police museum. The first photo is dated 1909 while the third is dated 1906. Note the Bowen house to the left in the 1906 photo.

Bowen House

The Bowen house was built in 1695, with several later additions. It is one of 15 homes built in Marblehead before 1700! The first photo is undated.

Abbot Hall

In 1876, Abbot Hall was built to replace the Old Town Home as the major seat of town government. The first photo is dated 1895.

Corinthian Yacht Club

The Corinthian Yacht Club was established in 1885. The first photo is dated July 4, 1904.

Here is a great, undated photo of four young girls bicycling in Marblehead.

This undated photo shows the Gilpin Hotel in 1885. Despite the sign in the next photo (far right), it is now 100% casino.

This photo shows a hardware store in 1885. It is now the Saratoga Casino, again, despite the sign.

To make room for the casinos, 12 homes had to be moved to a new “historical district.” The last one was the Lace House, one of the oldest dwellings in the state. The $3 million cost was reputedly paid for by a casino that wanted to triple its parking lot. The first photo shows the home at its original location in ca.1900.

Here are two photos of the move. For 30 more, check out Mammoth Moving and Rigging.

And here it is looking much as it did before the move in the following ca.1910 photo.

Black Hawk is located 37 miles west of Denver. It was founded in 1859 after gold was discovered in the nearby hills. It was home to the first smelter in Colorado. So many more were added, the town become known as the “City of Mills.” A severe downturn in production occurred as the mines played out. All that changed in 1991 when gambling was legalized. Much of the daily $20,000 revenue went to historical preservation. The 18 casinos are open 24/7 and welcome, on average, 20,000 visitors per day. Oddly, the 2020 census recorded only 127 permanent residents!

This photo shows Black Hawk in 1863. Notice in the second photo the school building erected in 1870. It is now the town’s police department.

This photo is dated 1867.

This photo shows the Bobtail Mine Tramway ca.1900.

This photo shows the town also in 1864, but from the opposite direction.

Gilbert Peak Unita Mountains WY. 1870

Mount Holy Cross White River National Forest ca 1885

Narrow Gauge Railroad Near Silverton CO. 1882

U.S. Capitol 1918

Jackson also went to Mexico. Cathedral de Guadalajara. Late 1800s

And Havana Cuba. Inglaterra Hotel ca. 1900

Jackson then went on a three-year journey working for the World Transportation Commission from 1894-1896. His 900 negatives are now part of the Library of Congress and are available on-line. Here are three of them:

Constantine Gorge Albania. 1895

Victoria Station Mumbai India. 1895

The Great Sphinx, Giza, Egypt. 1894

William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) was an exceptional photographer, painter, and explorer. He was the first to photograph the wonders of Yellowstone, which helped to establish that area as a national park in 1872. He was the first person to use a large-format 20 X 24 inch camera in the field. It took up to five men to carry his developing equipment on burros since developing had to be done right after the camera exposed the shot. In 1897 he went to work for Detroit Publishing and donated 10,000 of his negatives The company is now part of the Library of Congress. To know all about Jackson, check out the recently published William Henry Jackson’s Lens by Tim McNeese. It is superbly researched and well written.

Jackson, who owned a studio in Denver, had a particular fondness for Colorado, feeling it exemplified what was happening throughout the West, and, accordingly, he took an abundance of photos there. Here are several sites he photographed:

Brown Palace Hotel

The Brown Palace opened in Denver in 1892. It is the second fireproof building built in the US. The first is the aptly named The Fireproof Building from 1827 in Charleston SC. The first photo is dated ca.1905.

Spanish Peaks

The Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado were a landmark for early travelers on the Santa Fe Trail as the Peaks indicated they were approaching the Rocky Mountains. The first photo is dated ca.1880.

Roxborough Park, near Platte Canyon CO

Roxborough Park is a 4,000-acre state park located twenty miles south of Denver. The first photo is dated ca. 1870. The site is now the Arrowhead Golf Course.

Silverton CO

The first photo is dated ca. 1895.

Castle Geyser Yellowstone National Park

Castle Geyser has the largest cone of all the geysers in Upper Geyser Basin. It erupts every fourteen hours and often reaches 90 ft. The first photo is dated 1871.

Denver CO

The Carnegie library in Denver opened in 1910 thanks to a six-million-dollar donation (today’s $). It operated until 1956 and is now used for offices and special events. The first photo is undated.

Dodge City KS

The Carnegie Library in Dodge City opened in 1907 and served until 1970, after which it housed two restaurants, then three private clubs. It narrowly avoided demolition and is now the Carnegie Center for the Arts. The first photo is undated.

Lewiston ID

Construction began on the Lewiston Carnegie Library in 1905, but quickly incurred financial problems. It finally opened in 1908 and served until 1999. It is now occupied by Children’s House Montessori School. The first photo is dated 1906.

Carnegie Hall

The most famous non-library Carnegie building in the U.S. is the 3,671-seat Carnegie Hall. The world famous concert venue open in 1891, eventually hosting 250 performances annually in its three auditoriums. The first photo shows opening day and the second is undated.

Carnegie Mansion

The 64-room, 56,000 sq.ft. Carnegie Mansion was completed in 1902. It was the first house in the U.S. using a structural steel frame. It was also the first to have central heating and a private elevator. A custom-built railroad supplied the two tons of coal needed every day to heat the home. An extensive garden was planted by the street so passersby could enjoy it. Today it is open, free to the public . The home is now the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The first photo is dated 1901.

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was one of the richest men in American history. He sold his Carnegie Steel to J.P. Morgan, which became the basis for U.S. Steel. He also endowed Carnegie-Mellon Institute. In the end, he gave away 90% of his six billion dollar fortune to charities and institutions worldwide. However, he is probably best known for Carnegie Hall and the more than 2,500 libraries he funded. Of that total, 1,689 were established in the U.S. in 47 states. Here are a few of them:

Jacksonville FL

Construction began on the Jacksonville library in 1902, and the library opened two years later. The young girl in the first photo dated 1903 is Francesca Perry, who lived an additional 85 years after the photo was taken. The building has been renovated and now houses law offices.

Lusk WY.

There were 16 libraries built between 1899 and 1917, ten of which are still standing although only five are still used as libraries. Lusk WY, opened in 1919, is one of those. The first photo is from the 1920s.

Petosky MI

The Petoskey Carnegie Library was dedicated in 1909. It was a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway while he was living in Petoskey in 1919 and is now used for community meetings. The first photo shows the laying of the cornerstone in 1908. The second shows a beer wagon parked in front later that year.

Willits CA.

The Carnegie Library in Willits CA is seen here at its dedication in 1915. Like so many other library districts that outgrew the original building, it has been repurposed, in this case as a public radio station.

Oakland CA

The Margaret Carnegie Library in Oakland CA was named for Andrew Carnegie’s daughter. It is located on the campus of Mills College and is now used for administrative offices. The first photo shows the dedication in 1906.

Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen State Park is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Although privately owned, the area was opened to the public in 1863. The State took over administration of the 778 acres in 1911. The main attractions are the 400-ft.-deep gorge and 19 waterfalls along a two-mile trail. The first photo of Frowning Cliff is undated.

Jones Beach

Jones Beach State Park is located along the south shore of Long Island NY. There are 65 miles of beach in the 2,400-acre park. It opened in 1929 and now has six-million visitors annually. The two then photos are dated 1930s.

Red Rock Canyon

Located 80 miles east of Bakersfield CA, Red Rock Canyon State Park consists of 27,000 acres of desert ecosystem. It opened in 1968 and is the site of numerous western movies and TV shows. In addition, such blockbuster movies as Battlestar Galactica, Jurassic Park, and Planet of the Apes were made there. The first photo from the 1930s shows The Pillars of Hercules. Note the large rock in the center has eroded some, but is still there.

Spring Mill

Spring Mill State Park is located in southern Indiana near the town of Mitchell. It has about 1,400 acres and opened in the 1920s. However, settlers came to the area in the early 1800s due to the abundant flow of water from nearby springs. Since the water never freezes, a grist mill was built in 1817 and is still operating today. The first photo is undated.

Palisades Interstate Park

Palisades Interstate Park is 12 miles long and a 1/2-mile wide and consists of 2,500 acres along the Hudson River in Bergen County NJ. It has 30 miles of hiking trails and superb views of New York City. At one point, too many quarries threatened the natural setting, so in the 1890s the New Jersey State Federation of Womens Clubs campaigned to protect the area, which succeeded in 1900. In recognition of their efforts, the Womens Federation Monument was erected in 1929. It is seen at the dedication in the first photo.

There are 6,792 state parks in the U.S. The first was Niagara Falls in 1885. California has the most at 270 and Rhode Island the fewest at 15. For August and September, we will visit eight of these parks. The first three show just how diverse state parks can be.

Crowley’s Ridge

Consisting of only 291 acres, Crowley’s Ridge is located in southeast Arkansas. It is one of the six original Arkansas state parks. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the lodge and the Park opened in 1933. The first photo is dated 1948.

Indiana Dunes State Park

Indiana Dunes State Park is located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Consisting of 2,182 acres, it is 10 times the size of Crowley’s Ridge. The Park was established in 1925 and should not be confused with Indiana Dunes National Park, which was established in 2019 and occupies a total of 13,000 acres on the east and west sides of the State Park. The first photo shows the parking lot side of the Pavilion in 1935, and the second photo shows the beach side in 1933.

Custer State Park

Custer State Park is located near Deadwood South Dakota. Established in 1912, it consists of 71,000 acres, making it 32 times the size of Indiana Dunes State Park. The current State Game Lodge was built in 1920. It served as the summer White House for Calvin Coolidge. The first photo is undated.

The original Sylvan Lake Lodge was built in 1893 and was destroyed by fire in 1935. It was replaced near the site by the current lodge in 1937. The first photo is dated 1906 and the second is undated.

There is abundant wildlife in the Park that can be viewed from your car on the 18-mile Wildlife Loop. Chances are you will see some of the 1,500 bison; all of the 15 burros will find you.

Cable Car Turnaround

San Francisco’s cable car system is the last manually operated system in the country. It started in 1873 and is one of only two moving landmarks in the U.S. (St Charles line in New Orleans is the other). The very popular turnaround at Powell and Market is seen here in a photo dated in the 1930s.

Golden Gate Bridge

Another internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge. After four years of construction, it opened in 1937 at a cost of $76m (1.7b today) and was under budget and ahead of schedule. The first photo shows opening day.

Lombard Street

Another quintessential San Francisco landmark is Lombard Street. It is one block long yet has eight hairpin turns. Every year, over 2 million people visit it, with up to 17,000 per day in summer. The first photo is dated 1920 and the third is 1922 when it first opened. Note the layered building right of center in the third and fourth photos–the very same curve.

The Presidio

The Presidio was established in 1776 by Spain, then passed to Mexico in 1820, and then became part of the U.S. in 1848. It ceased military operations in 1994 and now is administered by the National Park Service. On its 1,480 acres are 800 buildings ranging from the very historic to the present, e.g. the $300m Lucas Films Corp. headquarters. The first photo shows the Light Battery Full Dress Inspection in 1902. The third photo (courtesy of The Presidio) shows Pershing Hall (formerly bachelor officers quarters) in 1913. It is now a boutique hotel.