Author Archives: Dablad1
Mark Twain-Hartford
In 1871 Mark Twain moved to Hartford CT where he built a large, impressive mansion, completing it in 1874. The 1st photo is dated 1874 and the 3rd shows him with his family on his porch in 1884.
Mark Twain- Quarry Farm
While residing in Hartford, Mark Twain spent 22 summers at his in-laws’ Quarry Farm in Elmira NY. It is seen here in a photo dated 1871.
Mark Twain- Gazebo
In 1874 Twain’s in-laws surprised him with a gazebo located on a bluff 200 yards from the farmhouse and overlooking the valley and river below. The structure was 12 feet across, had 8 windows, and looked like a pilothouse on a steamboat. Twain loved it so much that he wrote most of The Adventures of Tom … Continue reading
Mark Twain- Stormfield
In 1908 ,with most of his family having passed away, Mark Twain moved to a new home called Stormfield in Redding CT. Twain himself passed away in 1910 on the very day that Halley’s Comet reappeared after 75 years! The first photo shows the house the day before he arrived in 1908. The second photo … Continue reading
Garden Key Lighthouse
Seventy miles off Key West, Florida, lie the Dry Tortugas, which consist of 7 small islands. One of them–Garden Key– is the site of Fort Jefferson which is the country’s largest coastal fort and also the country’s largest masonry structure. It takes up 11 of Garden Key’s 16 acres. Construction started in 1846 and lasted … Continue reading
Tybee Lighthouse
Tybee Lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Savannah River in Georgia where the river meets the Atlantic. It is 1 0f 7 colonial lighthouses still standing. Beginning in 1726 there have been 4 lighthouses on the site, the current one having been built in 1773. It was heavily damaged by the Confederates in … Continue reading
Sand Island Lighthouse
Sand Island Lighthouse is located 3 miles off shore from Mobile Bay, Alabama. Originally situated on 400 acres, it now sits on just 1, It was completed in 1873 using the same plans used for Bodie Island and Currituck lighthouses on the Outer Banks. It was automated in 1948, decommissioned in 1971, and stabilized around … Continue reading
Point Isabel Lighthouse
Point Isabel Lighthouse is located just south of South Padre Island near the Rio Grande River, which separates Texas and Mexico. The lighthouse was built in 1853 and extensively damaged by the Confederates during the Civil War. It was deactivated in 1905, but returned to service in 1955. In 2000 it was restored to its … Continue reading
Biloxi Lighthouse
Biloxi Lighthouse on the Mississippi Gulf Coast was built in 1847. In that long history it has had the most number of female keepers of any lighthouse in the country. Such history also includes numerous hurricanes, including Katrina. Biloxi Lighthouse also has the distinction of being the only one in America to be situated in … Continue reading
Key West Lighthouse
Key West Lighthouse is located at the tip of the southern most city in the US. It was built in 1848 and, 158 years later, still has the Fresnel lens installed in 1858 although the lighthouse was deactivated in 1969. During its years of service the same family were the keepers for over 80 years. … Continue reading