On March 22, 1980, next to a cow pasture north of Elberton, Ga., a mysterious white-haired gentlemen, who pseudonymically dubbed himself Robert C. Christian, unveiled perhaps the most enigmatic monuments ever erected in America. The granite multi-stone monolith’s origin is … Continue reading →
One could understandably assert it is not an everyday occurrence to climb over a pile of radioactive waste and live to tell about it, none the worse for wear. One would be wrong. The Weldon Spring, Mo., Nuclear Waste Adventure … Continue reading →
If Route 66 is America’s Mother Road, the transcontinental Abraham Lincoln Memorial Highway, 13 years older and nearly 1,000 miles longer than its parallel counterpart to the south, is certainly the father. Constructed in 1913, the 3,389-mile asphalt ribbon of … Continue reading →
The Lake Cumberland area of Kentucky dubs itself the “Houseboat Capital of the World” with good reason. The region hosts the greatest concentration of houseboat manufacturers in the world. The largest, Trifecta Ventures, was created by the August 2014 merger … Continue reading →
Rochester, Ind., population 6,218, is a capital within a capital within a capital, the holy of holies of a triplet of concentric territories all known as “The Round Barn Capital of the World.” Indiana boasts more round barns than any … Continue reading →
When Fred H. Wells opened a milk route in Le Mars, Iowa, in 1913, little did he know the iconic globally renowned landmark his humble enterprise would spawn. Wells bought a horse, delivery wagon and a few cans and jars … Continue reading →
Noted industrialist and philanthropist George F. Johnson (1857-1948) lived a commitment to both work and recreation. George F., as he was known, was a partner in the highly successful Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company, which established the Triple Cities of Binghamton, Johnson … Continue reading →
Secessionists in the antebellum South invoked the slogan “King Cotton” to advocate establishing the Confederacy as a separate nation. Kewanee, Ill., population 12,676, and its surrounding Henry County, use the phrase “King Hog” to summarize the role hog farming has … Continue reading →
Welcome to the hushed confines of Green Bank, W.Va., noted as “The Quietest Town in America.” Within the tiny unincorporated hamlet of 143 residents, cell calls and texting are prohibited; car radios scroll across the dial in the vain search … Continue reading →
One century ago, Carl G. Rose started with asphalt and ended with horses. In 1916, Rose traveled from Indiana to Ocala, Fla., to oversee construction of that state’s first asphalt road. But he ran into problems with the material, so … Continue reading →
On Nov. 1, 1919, residents of Anoka, Minn., woke up to a scene of serial depredation. They saw wagons spirited onto rooftops, capsized outhouses and cows wandering along Main Street. House windows were soaped. Several cows were locked in the … Continue reading →
