Tag Archives: church

Adams National Historical Park

October 29, 2020 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

The Adams Family (doo doo doo doo snap snap) was very influential in American history, with members serving as foreign ministers, two presidents, and literary historians. They resided in Quincy, Massachusetts for five generations from 1720 to 1927. The two presidents and their first ladies are buried in the crypt beneath United First Parish Church (admission fee charged), which is located a short walk from the National Park Service (NPS) visitor center.

Highlights

Film, trolley ride, Birthplaces of John and John Quincy Adams, Old House at Peace Field, United First Parish Church

Must-Do Activity

Start your visit at the NPS visitor center by watching a short film and purchasing tour tickets, which do not take reservations (so arrive early). When your tour starts, board a trolley to travel to the two small houses (75 feet apart) where presidents John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams were born. Next the trolley will take you to the Old House at Peace Field where your tour group splits in two to go inside the mansion and the Stone Library.

Best Trail

The two-hour tour is well orchestrated so no time is wasted, but you can enjoy a glimpse of the formal gardens as your tour group walks to the Stone Library, which houses more than 12,000 books. If you drive there yourself, you can walk around outside the buildings.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The Carriage House at Peace Field is not part of the guided tour, but you can get a good photograph of it from where the trolley picks you up and drops you off.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/adam/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$15 per person for tour or free with the America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

There is a parking garage near the NPS visitor center that allows free parking when you get your ticket validated by an NPS employee.

Camping

About 400 developed campsites are available at Wompatuck State Park, located 11 miles southeast of Quincy, Massachusetts.

Related Sites

Boston National Historical Park (Massachusetts)

Minute Man National Historical Park (Massachusetts)

Salem Maritime National Historic Site (Massachusetts)

Explore More – John and Abigail Adams moved into the Old House in 1788, but when was it originally built?

Kansas

Nicodemus National Historic Site

September 3, 2020 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

In northwestern Kansas, a small farming community joined the prestigious ranks of National Park Service (NPS) sites in 1996. Historically-significant Nicodemus, Kansas was founded in 1877 by former slaves from Kentucky freed during the Civil War. Between 1860 and 1880, the population of African-Americans in Kansas jumped from 627 to 43,107, so the town is representative of a historic period of diaspora, settlement, and reconstruction.

Highlights

Township Hall, St. Francis Hotel, Old First Baptist Church

Must-Do Activity

Start your tour at the NPS visitor center in Township Hall built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939 (it is not open every day so check online first). Please respect private property as you drive past two churches, a circa-1880 hotel, and an old schoolhouse (which are all closed to the public) that have interpretive signs along the street out front. Every summer around the last weekend in July, the small town grows as descendants of its founders return for the Emancipation Celebration. This event is open to the public and would be a great time to visit.

Best Trail

None

Instagram-worthy Photo

The First Baptist Church was completed in 1907, constructed around a smaller church (sort of like a turducken). When it was completed, the original structure was removed in small pieces through the front door.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/nico/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

Weber State Park is located 10 miles east of Nicodemus, Kansas.

Fort Larned National Historic Site (Kansas)

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (Kansas)

Start here at the Township Hall, which serves as the NPS visitor center.

Explore More – For whom was the town of Nicodemus named?

New Mexico

Pecos National Historical Park

August 27, 2020 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

In 1540, Pecos (called Cicuyé by the natives) was a thriving trading center connecting Plains Indians and the Pueblos of northern New Mexico. It was that year that Spanish conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado led his army to the site during his futile search for the Seven Cities of Gold. Today you can explore the fascinating ruins at Pecos National Historical Park not far off Interstate 25, which came to replace portions of Route 66, which itself replaced the original Santa Fe Trail. All of these routes funneled through the mountains at 7,562-foot Glorieta Pass, one of the main reasons for the creation of Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area. Glorieta Pass was also the site of a March 26-28, 1862 Civil War battle.

Highlights

Museum, film, Pueblo and Mission Ruins Trail, Glorieta Unit

Must-Do Activity

A massive Catholic mission with walls eight feet thick was the legacy the Spanish left behind, which was subsequently destroyed in the widespread revolt of 1680. The church ruins seen today are a remnant of one rebuilt at a smaller scale in 1717, which interestingly includes ceremonial kivas adjacent to its lofty walls. In the following centuries Comanche raids commenced, trade routes changed, and the pueblo abandoned in 1838. At the main National Park Service (NPS) visitor center, you can get the combination for the lock at Pigeon’s Ranch where a 2.25-mile trail passes through parts of the 1862 Battle of Glorieta Pass.

Best Trail

A 1.25-mile self-guided trail allows you to take a peek inside the mission and climb down into two reconstructed kivas to imagine what life was like when this was a bustling pueblo of over 2,000 inhabitants.

Instagram-worthy Photo

There are two reconstructed kivas along the 1.25-mile Pueblo and Mission Ruins Trail, including one right outside the walls of the Catholic mission. Climb down into a kiva for a trip back in time and a great photographic opportunity (once the dust settles).

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

There is no NPS campground at the site, but there are numerous camping opportunities throughout Santa Fe National Forest.

Petroglyph National Monument (New Mexico)

Fort Union National Monument (New Mexico)

Explore More – Who was the religious leader credited with organizing the 1680 Pueblo Revolt that drove the Spanish out of northern New Mexico (though they returned in 1692)?

Pennsylvania

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

February 18, 2020 Raven About The Parks 8 Comments

Overview

In Hopewell, Pennsylvania, the proximity of iron ore, limestone, and charcoal led to this iron furnace’s success from 1771 to 1883. It also needed water from French Creek to run the air blast machinery allowing the furnace to reach smelting temperature. During the American Revolution, it produced cannon, shot, and shells for the Continental Navy. The 848-acre National Historic Site was authorized in 1938, making it one of the oldest in the nation.

Highlights

Anthracite furnace, film, cast house, tenant houses, ironmaster’s mansion, Bethesda Church

Must-Do Activity

Start with the short film at the visitor center, then take the self-guided walk through the “iron plantation.” Though the cold-blast charcoal process became outdated by 1883, the original furnace is still used each summer to produce aluminum products. Other costumed interpreters depict village life from late June to Labor Day. In September and October, visitors can pick 30 varieties of apples in the orchards for a small fee, similar to Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

Best Trail

The site’s 12 miles of forested trails also connect into the neighboring French Creek State Park.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Inside the cast house, moulders cast molten iron into stove plates, cannonballs, and other products.

Peak Season

Summer and apple picking season

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/hofu/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None, but “you pick” apples cost $1 per pound

Road Conditions

Access roads are paved

Camping

French Creek State Park has more than 200 campsites with access to running water and showers.

Related Sites

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site (Massachusetts)

Valley Forge National Historical Park (Pennsylvania)

Independence National Historical Park (Pennsylvania)

Explore More – How high of a temperature could the Hopewell Furnace reach when smelting?

New York

Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site

January 30, 2020 Raven About The Parks 5 Comments

Overview

St. Paul’s parish in Mount Vernon, New York dates back to 1665, with the first church constructed in 1700. It was deconsecrated so the federal government could take ownership in 1980. This was the site of an important election in 1733 when Quakers were prohibited from voting, which led to a change in the law the next year. That election was covered in a newspaper opposed to Royal Governor William Cosby that subsequently went to court for libel, in a trial that helped established the freedom of the press in America.

Highlights

Church tour, 1833 pipe organ, film, cemetery

Must-Do Activity

Start your visit at the former carriage shed-parish hall where there is a small museum and a short film about the church’s historical significance. A volunteer will then give you a guided tour of the church that was built between 1763-87, interrupted by the American Revolution. In 1942, the pews were restored to their original configuration based on a historical document. If you are lucky, your guide will play the 1833 pipe organ and let you ring the bronze bell that was cast in 1758 at the same foundry in London that made the Liberty Bell. We met fellow National Park blogger Theresa here on a Saturday morning in September 2019. She posted about the visit on her excellent blog National Parks with T.

Best Trail

None, but you can walk next door to Dunkin Donuts if you arrive before the site opens.

Instagram-worthy Photo

St. Paul’s cemetery covers five acres and contains about 9,000 graves, dating back to 1704. Your guide will spend a bit of time covering some famous ones, but be sure to seek out the common grave for Hessian soldiers that used the church as a hospital following the October 1776 Battle of Pell’s Point (fought a mile from here).

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/sapa/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

There is a small parking lot on site, which is far enough outside Manhattan that driving is feasible. We took the subway and had a short walk through an industrial neighborhood.

Camping

None

African Burial Ground National Monument (New York)

Morristown National Historical Park (New Jersey)

Explore More – Who was the New York City publisher who in 1733 printed the inaugural issue of the New York Weekly Journal that later went to trial for libel?

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