In the 1880s, Dinard was the first seaside resort in France, it was in its golden age. Dinard brings together the aristocracy, political figures and intellectuals from across the continent. It is a cosmopolitan population which mixes with the early English colony. The British presence can be seen through the villas with bow windows, the parks and the English gardens.

 

DINARD

 

Bretagne / France

© All Rights Reserved

 

Finn Slough c. 1980's

 

Finn Slough is a tiny Fraser River fishing community located at the south end of No. 4 Road in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The community has approximately 30 residents who live in wooden houses, both floating and built on stilts, along the marshy river bank. Many of the buildings were built between the late 19th century and 1950s and many have decayed severely, while some have been carefully restored. Finn Slough was founded by Finnish settlers who came to Richmond in the 1880s. Most of these residents made a good living from fishing and became local landowners.

 

I invite you to visit my Finn Slough album. Thanks for visiting ~Christie :)

 

It was built in 1855 by the 1st Dragoon and the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments of the to serve as a base of military operations against the Mescalero Apaches. Numerous campaigns were fought from 1855 until the 1880s.[2] It was established to protect Hispano and White settlements along the Rio Bonito in the Apache Wars. Kit Carson, John "Black Jack" Pershing, Billy the Kid, and Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry all lived here.[3][4][5][6]

 

Confederate forces occupied the outpost in 1861, at the beginning of the American Civil War. This U.S. military fortification was abandoned with the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1896.[7]

 

The fort was originally established in part as the Mescalero Apache reservation. In 1873 the reservation was moved 30 miles southwest to its current location.[8][9]

 

In 1899, President William McKinley transferred Fort Stanton property from the War Department to the Marine Hospital Service, converting the military reservation to America's first federal tuberculosis sanatorium.[8][9]

 

During World War II, Fort Stanton was used as a detention center for German and Japanese Americans arrested as "enemy aliens," and 411 German nationals taken from the luxury liner Columbus in 1939 (officially recorded as "distressed seamen paroled from the German Embassy" since the U.S. was still technically neutral at the time of their capture).[10][11] The "enemy aliens" were mostly immigrant residents of the U.S. who had been taken into custody as suspected saboteurs shortly after the U.S. entered the war, despite a lack of supporting evidence or access to due process for most internees. The 31 German American internees, labeled "troublemakers" by the Department of Justice, were kept separate from the 17 Japanese Americans (also deemed "troublesome" by authorities) who were transferred to Fort Stanton on March 10, 1945. These new arrivals were deported to Japan later that year.[12]

 

The hospital was closed in 1953.[13]

 

In 2008, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson announced plans to establish Fort Stanton as a living history venue, Fort Stanton State Monument, and funds to renovate headquarters, officers quarters, and stables.[14]

 

In 2009, the area around Fort Stanton and Fort Stanton Cave was designated by the U.S. Congress as a National Conservation Area (NCA), with more than 25,000 acres in order to protect a unique cave resource, Snowy River Passage in Fort Stanton Cave National Natural Landmark. Snowy River was discovered in 2001 by members of the Fort Stanton Cave Study Project. The new NCA, called Fort Stanton – Snowy River Cave, is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Roswell Field Office. The NCA has over 90 miles of multi-use trails for horseback riding, mountain bike riding and hiking. It is the venue of an annual endurance riding event that has grown to be 6 days long. The NCA is joined on its south and northeast boundaries by the Smokey Bear Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest.

 

In 2012, members of the Southwestern Region of the National Speleological Society completed a restoration project on the second floor balcony of Building #9, located on the Fort Stanton Quadrangle.

 

In 2019, a team from AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps along with Fort Stanton Staff renovated and restored Fort Stanton's Hidalgo Building into a volunteer dormitory, began restoration on the historic school house, restored an original TB Hut, and expanded the hospital's current exhibit to include two new exhibits.

Nevada City is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Montana, United States. In the 1880s, it was one of the two major centers of Commerce in what was known as one of the "Richest Gold Strikes in the Rocky Mountain West", sharing this role with its sister city Virginia City. Since the late 1990s, Nevada City has become a tourist attraction for its collection of 19th century buildings within or surrounding the Nevada City Museum & Music Hall.

Archaeological evidence found between the Music Hall and the Nevada City Hotel would indicate earlier than mining era habitation, possibly by white hunters or trappers. The earliest white hunters and trappers in the area had no conscious intention of establishing a city on the site, because the existence of a city would have presumably destroyed their economic base, which was based on the harvesting of beaver.

 

Nevada City, settled June 6, 1863, contemporary in settlement with Virginia City, as miners following the Fairweather party settled the length of Alder Gulch, and established homes, and businesses in convenient locations, the length of the gulch was known as 14 mile city. Nevada City was the first to become an incorporated city, on February 9, 1865, fully constituted a body corporate and politic. In 1896, the Conrey Placer Mining Company was organized to dredge the gulch for the next 24 years, destroying many of Nevada City’s buildings. The dredges were then disassembled and the heavy wooden barges were left to slowly be reclaimed by nature.

Nevada City was populated by placer miners working several mining districts including Browns Gulch just south of the town and Granite Creek, about two miles northwest of Nevada City. Nevada City was occupied by residents as early as June 6, 1863, and its boom era was between 1863–1875, at this point it was boasted that Nevada City was home to dozens of stores and housing that stretched for six blocks (“Nevada City.”). By 1869, the population of the mining camp had fallen to about 100 people. In 1869 mercantile representation included three general stores, and two saloons. In April 1872, the city contained one miners' store, one brewery, blacksmith shop, butcher shop, livery stable, and a Masonic Hall. Most of the citizens were engaged in mining pursuits, but some of the residents had farms and stock in the valley. In 1875 Nevada City's Population was still in decline, by 1880 the Nevada City census listed 50 people occupying 16 dwellings (US Census 1880). The most commonly listed occupation of Nevada City's working class was "placer miner."

When the mining had come to an end in 1922, about $2.5 billion worth of gold in today's market had been extracted.

 

Nevada City is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Montana, United States. In the 1880s, it was one of the two major centers of Commerce in what was known as one of the "Richest Gold Strikes in the Rocky Mountain West", sharing this role with its sister city Virginia City. Since the late 1990s, Nevada City has become a tourist attraction for its collection of 19th century buildings within or surrounding the Nevada City Museum & Music Hall.

Archaeological evidence found between the Music Hall and the Nevada City Hotel would indicate earlier than mining era habitation, possibly by white hunters or trappers. The earliest white hunters and trappers in the area had no conscious intention of establishing a city on the site, because the existence of a city would have presumably destroyed their economic base, which was based on the harvesting of beaver.

 

Nevada City, settled June 6, 1863, contemporary in settlement with Virginia City, as miners following the Fairweather party settled the length of Alder Gulch, and established homes, and businesses in convenient locations, the length of the gulch was known as 14 mile city. Nevada City was the first to become an incorporated city, on February 9, 1865, fully constituted a body corporate and politic. In 1896, the Conrey Placer Mining Company was organized to dredge the gulch for the next 24 years, destroying many of Nevada City’s buildings. The dredges were then disassembled and the heavy wooden barges were left to slowly be reclaimed by nature.

Nevada City was populated by placer miners working several mining districts including Browns Gulch just south of the town and Granite Creek, about two miles northwest of Nevada City. Nevada City was occupied by residents as early as June 6, 1863, and its boom era was between 1863–1875, at this point it was boasted that Nevada City was home to dozens of stores and housing that stretched for six blocks (“Nevada City.”). By 1869, the population of the mining camp had fallen to about 100 people. In 1869 mercantile representation included three general stores, and two saloons. In April 1872, the city contained one miners' store, one brewery, blacksmith shop, butcher shop, livery stable, and a Masonic Hall. Most of the citizens were engaged in mining pursuits, but some of the residents had farms and stock in the valley. In 1875 Nevada City's Population was still in decline, by 1880 the Nevada City census listed 50 people occupying 16 dwellings (US Census 1880). The most commonly listed occupation of Nevada City's working class was "placer miner."

When the mining had come to an end in 1922, about $2.5 billion worth of gold in today's market had been extracted.

 

© All Rights Reserved

 

*1 of 2 images. Close up version to follow

 

Finn Slough is a tiny Fraser River fishing community located at the south end of No. 4 Road in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The community has approximately 30 residents who live in wooden houses, both floating and built on stilts, along the marshy river bank. Many of the buildings were built between the late 19th century and 1950s and many have decayed severely, while some have been carefully restored. Finn Slough was founded by Finnish settlers who came to Richmond in the 1880s. Most of these residents made a good living from fishing and became local landowners.

 

Featured in this image is the picturesque Dinner Plate Island School and the Gillnetter, Eva 23653.

Eva was built in 1937 at the Suzuki Brothers Boat Yard as a Japanese–style double–ended gillnetter. She is 29.6’ x 8.0’ x 3.0’ carvel plank construction, cedar over oak.

 

I invite you to view my 99+ (Fave) album:

www.flickr.com/photos/120552517@N03/albums/72157656422454792

Thank-you so much for all your views, comments and faves

So very appreciated !!

~Christie (happiest) by the River

  

Since the 1880s the fishing village of Lonstrup has developed into a pleasant seaside town. Its heyday lasted from around 1920s until 1940, when the railway transported thousands of bathers to Lonstrup from surrounding area. At that time the beach was relatively broad, but the sea has gradually eroded the coastline and edged closer and closer to the town, which has resulted in several houses falling into the sea. Following the violent storm in 1981, during which the sea got as far up the shore as the lifeboat building, the coastal protection of Lonstrup began. This altered the nature of the beach. The cliffs became covered in vegetation and there are now large blocks of granite instead of grains of sand.

Happy Slider Sunday!

HSS!

What you see is about all that's left of Driftwood. Kind of an odd name for a town that's not close to water..:) Just saying..:) Anyway, here's some more info on the town:

Driftwood is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in northern Hays County, Texas, United States. It lies along Farm to Market Road 150, north of the city of San Marcos, the county seat of Hays County.[1] Its elevation is 1,043 feet (318 m).[2] Although Driftwood is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 78619;[3] the ZCTA for ZIP Code 78619 had a population of 2,467 at the 2010 census,[4] which is far larger than the population of the center of the community itself.[5]

 

Although the earliest settlers arrived in the area now known as Driftwood around 1850, the community was really established in the 1880s. A post office was among the results of the community's significant growth in that decade. Driftwood shrank almost to a ghost town by the early twentieth century; although it grew somewhat by the middle of the century, it returned to its almost-deserted state by the 1970s.[5]

 

Driftwood is also home to Driftwood Estate Winery, The Wildflower Barn Event Center, The Salt Lick, a relatively well-known barbecue restaurant and the Lazy 8 Ranch which had its dry mix products featured by the Texas Department of Agriculture in the 2010 Texas State Fair

In the 1880s the upper Snoqualmie Valley around Fall City, Washington the growing of hops for brewing beer was the mainstay of the Valley’s economy. In about 1888, George Davis Rutherford built this 20 foot square hop drying shed on his 1500 acre hop farm along the Snoqualmie River. The vented cupola created a draw for the heat generated by stoves used to dry the hops before shipping. Hops grown on Rutherfords and other nearby farms were loaded on ferries at the Falls City Landing and taken downriver to Seattle. From there the hops were shipped to San Francisco, England and Germany. In the early 1900s an aphid infestation along with the high cost of supplies and low prices led to the demise of the hop industry. Timber and dairy farming soon replaced it as the Valley’s economic lifeblood.This shed is the last remnant of the once thriving industry. The building was moved to its present location in 1904, and converted for use as a storage shed. The Fall City Hop Shed Foundation has been instrumental in preservation of the shed, and in 1966 supervised its restoration. The Shed sits in the Fall City Community Park.

Nevada City is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Montana, United States. In the 1880s, it was one of the two major centers of Commerce in what was known as one of the "Richest Gold Strikes in the Rocky Mountain West", sharing this role with its sister city Virginia City. Since the late 1990s, Nevada City has become a tourist attraction for its collection of 19th century buildings within or surrounding the Nevada City Museum & Music Hall.

Archaeological evidence found between the Music Hall and the Nevada City Hotel would indicate earlier than mining era habitation, possibly by white hunters or trappers. The earliest white hunters and trappers in the area had no conscious intention of establishing a city on the site, because the existence of a city would have presumably destroyed their economic base, which was based on the harvesting of beaver.

 

Nevada City, settled June 6, 1863, contemporary in settlement with Virginia City, as miners following the Fairweather party settled the length of Alder Gulch, and established homes, and businesses in convenient locations, the length of the gulch was known as 14 mile city. Nevada City was the first to become an incorporated city, on February 9, 1865, fully constituted a body corporate and politic. In 1896, the Conrey Placer Mining Company was organized to dredge the gulch for the next 24 years, destroying many of Nevada City’s buildings. The dredges were then disassembled and the heavy wooden barges were left to slowly be reclaimed by nature.

Nevada City was populated by placer miners working several mining districts including Browns Gulch just south of the town and Granite Creek, about two miles northwest of Nevada City. Nevada City was occupied by residents as early as June 6, 1863, and its boom era was between 1863–1875, at this point it was boasted that Nevada City was home to dozens of stores and housing that stretched for six blocks (“Nevada City.”). By 1869, the population of the mining camp had fallen to about 100 people. In 1869 mercantile representation included three general stores, and two saloons. In April 1872, the city contained one miners' store, one brewery, blacksmith shop, butcher shop, livery stable, and a Masonic Hall. Most of the citizens were engaged in mining pursuits, but some of the residents had farms and stock in the valley. In 1875 Nevada City's Population was still in decline, by 1880 the Nevada City census listed 50 people occupying 16 dwellings (US Census 1880). The most commonly listed occupation of Nevada City's working class was "placer miner."

When the mining had come to an end in 1922, about $2.5 billion worth of gold in today's market had been extracted.

 

Well Court was originally commissioned in the 1880s by Sir John Findlay, who was the proprietor of the Scotsman newspaper.

 

The architect Sydney Mitchell designed Well Court as model housing for local workers and it was finished in 1886. There were many comforts in living at Well Court: a communal hall, a large courtyard, small but comfortable flats, most with kitchens and sculleries. Nevertheless, residency came with certain obligations. There was a night time curfew and attendance at Sunday religious meetings held in the Communal Hall was compulsory.

  

Well Court is a rare example of an arts and crafts building in Edinburgh. The category A listed courtyard building is located in Dean Village, just within the World Heritage Site boundary on the north side of the Water of Leith.

In an extensive conservation scheme, carried out by the 55 owners in collaboration with Edinburgh World Heritage, the architectural integrity of the building was restored, and the appearance and stability of the structure was considerably improved.

 

Edinburgh World Heritage granted a total of £1.1 million towards conservation work on stonework, roof, windows, clock tower and communal areas through its Conservation Funding Programme, which Historic Environment Scotland funds

 

Only traditional materials were used, going through great efforts to match properties and colour. The characteristic red sandstone was sourced from Corsehill quarry in Dumfries and the roof tiles were handmade Rosemary clay tiles to match the originals.

 

The window glazing was restored to its original pattern. The original colour scheme was successfully reproduced after being identified through surviving paintwork on the windows in the stair.

 

The weathercock and clock faces atop the landmark clock tower were re-gilded thanks to donations from the Inches Carr Trust and Ritchies Clockmakers.

  

Spitsbergen panorama. Photographed in the 1880s by Axel Lindahl, a Swedish photographer who worked in Norway for several years. My colorization of an image in the Norsk Folkemuseum archive (Digital Museum).

Bingham's Pond was created in the 1880s on the site of old brick and coal pits. The boathouse was built c 1885 and became a tea room. The eastern part of the site was sold in 1956 and in the 1960s that part of the pond was in-filled and a hotel and a car park were built there. The remaining part of the site was acquired by the Corporation for a public park.

 

In 2003 an island was formed in the pond as a sanctuary for swans and other birds.

I would like to share with you another of BC's best kept secrets, Finn Slough.

If you ever visit the Vancouver Lower Mainland area , this amazing little community is a must see.

An absolutely artist's haven.....

I have been visiting Finn Slough for about 10 years and sadly, I am starting to see more and more decay and rot to this tiny picturesque river side community as you will witness in following images. I will however keep the decay down to a minimum in order to present and preserve the quaint and romantic side.

 

Finn Slough is a tiny Fraser River fishing community located at the south end of No. 4 Road in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The community has approximately 30 residents who live in wooden houses, both floating and built on stilts, along the marshy river bank. Many of the buildings were built between the late 19th century and 1950s and many have decayed severely, while some have been carefully restored. Finn Slough was founded by Finnish settlers who came to Richmond in the 1880s. Most of these residents made a good living from fishing and became local landowners.

The sleepy and decaying village of Finn Slough has been repeatedly photographed, and it appears on numerous postcards sold throughout Vancouver tourist shops.

Wikipedia

 

Life on the Fraser River

Richmond, BC

Canada

 

I can't thank everyone enough for the overwhelming response to my images.

Each and every view, comment and fave is so very much appreciated.

~Christie (happiest) by the River

I would like to share with you another of BC's best kept secrets, Finn Slough.

 

Eva ( Gillnetter - fishing boat) was built in 1937 at the Suzuki Brothers Boat Yard as a Japanese–style double–ended gillnetter. She is 29.6’ x 8.0’ x 3.0’ carvel plank construction, cedar over oak.

 

As pictured, Eva is peacefully moored in front of the Historic Dinner Plate Island School.

 

If you ever visit the Vancouver Lower Mainland area , this amazing little community is a must see.

 

An absolutely artist's haven.....

 

I have been visiting Finn Slough for about 10 years and sadly, I am starting to see more and more decay and rot to this tiny picturesque river side community, as you will witness in following images. I will however keep the decay down to a minimum in order to present and preserve the quaint and romantic side.

 

Finn Slough is a tiny Fraser River fishing community located at the south end of No. 4 Road in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The community has approximately 30 residents who live in wooden houses, both floating and built on stilts, along the marshy river bank. Many of the buildings were built between the late 19th century and 1950s and many have decayed severely, while some have been carefully restored. Finn Slough was founded by Finnish settlers who came to Richmond in the 1880s. Most of these residents made a good living from fishing and became local landowners.

  

Life on the Fraser River

 

Richmond, BC

 

Canada

 

I can't thank everyone enough for the overwhelming response to my images.

 

Each and every view, comment and fave is so very much appreciated.

 

~Christie (happiest) by the River

Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.

 

Today however we are not at Cavendish Mews. We have travelled east across London, through Bloomsbury, past the Smithfield Meat Markets, beyond the Petticoat Lane Markets* frequented by Lettice’s maid, Edith, through the East End boroughs of Bethnal Green and Bow, to the 1880s housing development of Upton Park. It is here that Frank’s closest and only surviving relation lives: his elderly Scottish grandmother, Mrs. McTavish. It is Christmas Day 1925, and after catching a chill going home from a celebratory meal at Lyon’s Corner House** at the top of Tottenham Court Road to celebrate Edith and Frank’s engagement, which then settled on her chest and became influenza, Mrs. McTavish, whilst recovering well, is not well enough to travel through the cold fog and sleet of Christmas Day with Frank to Frank’s fiancée, Edith’s, family home in Harlesden. It was Edith who settled on the idea of rather than Frank and Mrs. McTavish coming to her parent’s home, going with her parents, George and Ada, to them instead, after she took inspiration from a Christmas window display in the Woolworths*** outside the Premier Super Cinema**** in East Ham, where Edith and Frank had seen a midday showing of ‘A Girl of London’***** on their day off.

 

“There!” Edith sighs, as she settles back on her haunches and admires her work.

 

Before her, on Mrs. McTavish’s flagstone floor a small Christmas Tree has been set up, it’s short height compensated by standing it in one of Mrs. McTavish’s unused tall terracotta flowerpots overturned, with the thin trunk slipped through the drain hole in its bottom, carefully hidden by an apron of festive red velvet supplied by Ada from her capacious basket, where it sat beneath a succulent roast chicken that she had started cooking in her own kitchen range in Harlesden. The tree’s decoration had been Edith’s job to manage, whilst her mother busied herself finishing off the chicken in the oven of Mrs. McTavish’s range. Being rather creative, this was a pleasure for Edith to do, and she quickly unpacked the gaily decorated boxes of thruppence and sixpence Christmas decorations she had bought at Woolworths in order to decorate the tree, one George had bought as a favour from one of his gardening contacts at his Harlesden allotment. Scattering spools of thick red velveteen****** ribbon and baubles of metallic red and gold across the floor. She quickly made the bare tree into a beautiful and festive centrepiece for the day’s festivities, expertly decorating its branches, hiding sparse parts of the rather weedy tree, until it looked full and perfect.

 

“What do you think, Gran?” Edith asks, looking over her right shoulder to Frank’s Scottish Grandmother peers out from beneath her thick tartan rug in her usual, old and worn wingback chair by the range.

 

Mrs. McTavish’s wizened face, covered in a maze of wrinkles beneath the lacy white froth of her cap colours a little and her dark eyes sparkle with delight as she spies the decorated Christmas tree. “Och, Edith my dear!” she exclaims in her thick Scottish brogue. “It looks grand! What a clever we bairn you are!”

 

“She’s right, Edith,” Frank says with a cheerful lilt as he pauses setting the table, holding one of his grandmother’s best blue and white china plates in his hands and looks over at the decorated tree. “It looks grand!”

 

“Oh, thank you both.” Edith says, blushing at their compliments.

 

“Edith always was the one with artistic talent,” George murmurs with pride to his wife as they both stand at the kitchen range, he holding a white bowl out to catch the green peas and bright orange carrots his wife scoops from one of Mrs. McTavish’s saucepans with a slotted spoon. “I would have liked it if she’d been able to pursue her creativity.”

 

Ada sighs heavily as she gazes at the beautifully decorated Christmas Tree, pausing in her scooping to observe the rich and fat bows and red and gold baubles bask in the golden light cast by Mrs. McTavish’s gas light overhead, giving them an essence of Christmas magic. She coughs and clears her throat before going back to the job at hand by spooning out the last of the sliced carrots from the bottom of the pot and shaking them off the spoon into the plain white bowl her husband holds. “Being an artist doesn’t make money, George.” she says matter-of-factly, drawing her husband from his own thoughts. “What good would she be to Frank if she could paint a picture, but not know how to cook, or one end of an iron from the other.”

 

George doesn’t reply, his eyes darting from Ada’s face with her determined, but not unfriendly gaze and the Christmas tree.

 

“No, domestic service was really our only choice with Edith, and it hasn’t worked out badly, has it George? She has a good job at present with Miss Chetwynd, and she knows how to cook and clean, and she’s a damn fine seamstress.”

 

“She could have worked at the Lambeth Studios******* with her skill as a paintress.” George muses.

 

“That’s foolish talk, George.” Ada scoffs with frustration, knocking the slotted spoon’s handle noisily against the edge of the beaten old pot to drown out her words from anyone’s hearing but George’s. “You know it is. We couldn’t have afforded the fees at the Lambeth School of Art******** for her to have sent her there, and well you know it.”

 

“With her precocious talent,” George retorts. “I still think we stood a chance of her winning a scholarship for her, Ada love.”

 

“Well,” Ada quips quickly. “We’ll never know now, will we? I did what I thought was best at the time,” She then adds a little more kindly. “And it was best for her, George love. You know it was.”

 

George sighs as he stares at his daughter as she happily laughs and chatters with her fiancée as they arrange Christmas parcels wrapped in brown paper and tied up with twine around the bottom of the tree. “I don’t know about that, Ada love.”

 

“Don’t let Edith hear you say that.” Ada cautions her husband, as she bangs the spoon handle against the pot determinedly again.

 

“Frank, I’m serving up the peas and beans for Ada,” George calls out to his future son-in-law as he moves across the kitchen floor from the range to the round table which has been dressed with one of Mrs. McTavish’s beautiful hand made white lace tablecloths. “Look lively my boy, and finish setting the table, or Ada will as likely have your guts for garters,” He chuckles good naturedly. “Or mine.”

 

“Aye, I will that, or both of you,” Ada laughs happily from the stove, clearly sharing that she will do no such thing, as she wraps the edge of her apron around her hand and opens the door of the oven and peers in.

 

A cloud of steam and the sizzle of cooking meat fills the air, as does the rich and evocative scent of the roasting chicken.

 

“That smells spiffing Mrs. Wat… Ada!” Frank exclaims, still stumbling over the idea of calling his future mother-in-law by her first name, rather than Mrs. Watsford.

 

“Thank you, Frank love.” Ada says with a proud smile as she turns and faces the room, her face flushed from the head radiating from the oven. Closing the door she adds, “Just a few more minutes and we’ll be ready to eat. I hope you’ve all brought a good, healthy appetite, most of all you, Nyree love.” She puts a hand gently on Mrs. McTavish’s shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. “We need to be fattening you up. There’s no meat on your bones. No wonder you caught influenza.”

 

“Aha!” Frank cries from the table as he lays down the last of the dinner plates. He points across the room to his grandmother sitting snuggled in her chair as he says triumphantly, “Your own words, turned back on you for a change!” He laughs. “Gran’s always telling me I’m too thin, Ada. It’s time she had some of her own medicine for a change.”

 

“Och!” the old Scotswoman scoffs, before starting to cough heavily, her chest heaving up and down beneath her warm blanket. “You are too thin, Francis my bairn!” She coughs a little more, only less severely. “You eat like a wee house sparrow, you do,” she goes on through laboured breaths. “And that’s no good for a strapping young laddie!”

 

“Gran!” Frank moans. “How many times do I have to tell you, I’m Frank now. Francis is a girl’s name.”

 

“Nonsense!” she retorts, releasing another fruity cough. “It’s a splendid boy’s name. Twas the name your faither********** and mither*********** gave you and had you christened. You may want to be Frank, but,” She smiles beatifically at her grandson. “But you’ll always be Francis to me.”

 

“Oh Gran!” Frank says again, blushing red.

 

Edith giggles. “I’m glad you like the Christmas tree, Gran. I really wanted to make your Christmas a special one.” She reaches up and places her hands over the old woman’s gnarled and wrinkled ones and squeezes them affectionately.

 

“You have my wee bairn,” Mrs. McTavish says, withdrawing her hands from beneath Edith’s and placing them on Edith’s youthful cheeks. She smiles down at her. “You really have. How could anyone not be delighted by such kindness?” She sinks back in her seat. “You’ve all been so kind to bring the Christmas Day festivities to me.”

 

“Ahh,” Ada scoffs with a beatific smile and a dismissive wave of her hand as she walks the dirty pots over to the trough skin in the corner of the kitchen. “Christmas is wherever you decide to celebrate it, so why not have it here? As I was saying to Frank a week ago when he was visiting us, it would have been too much to expect you to travel all the way to us Nyree, even if it isn’t a long walk to and from the Tube************ station either way, in your condition.”

 

“That’s right.” Adds George. “It’s been so cold, and the fogs aren’t pleasant for you to go through either, Nyree love. Better we come to you, and you can keep nice and cosy and warm.”

 

“Thank you, George. “Lang may yer lum reek*************.”

 

“What does that mean, Gran?” Edith asks. “Long may yer lum reek?”

 

“Lang,” Mrs. McTavish corrects Edith gently. “Lang may yer lum reek.”

 

“It’s a Scottish blessing.” Frank explains. “Long may your chimney smoke. Isn’t that right, Gran?”

 

“It is, Francis my wee bairn!” Mrs. McTavish concurs. “It means I wish you good fortune and prosperity.”

 

“Lang may yer lum reek. Lang may yer lum reek.” Edith repeats over and over a few times.

 

“That’s it, Edith my dear.” Mrs. McTavish encourages. “Och! Francis and I will make a Scotswoman out of you yet!” She chortles happily.

 

“How do you say, Merry Christmas, Gran?” Edith asks. “In Scottish, I mean?”

 

“Nollaig Chirdheil**************.” Mrs. McTavish says in her growly Scottish brogue, smiling happily as she does.

 

“Oh!” Edith’s face falls. “Oh, I might struggle to say that.”

 

“Och! Well, you weren’t raised with Gaelic being spoken about you, Edith dearie.” Mrs. McTavish chuckles softly. “It will take some practice. However, if you apply yourself, perhaps you might be a better scholar than my wee bairn Francis was when it comes to speaking Gaelic.”

 

“I’ll try, Gran.” Edith says.

 

“Good girl!” She pats Edith’s hand. “When I’m better and get over this awful influenza, I’ll have to teach you how to make rumbledethumps***************.”

 

“Rumbledethumps!” Frank pipes up as he places the last brightly coloured Christmas cracker across a dinner plate at the table. “You’re going to teach Edith to make rumbledethumps?”

 

“Aye, cluasan mòra!” Mrs. McTavish calls out in reply to her grandson’s question.

 

“Cluasan mòra?” Edith asks. “What does that mean?”

 

“Tell your fiancée what a cluasan mòra is, then, Francis my wee bairn.” When Frank doesn’t reply, and busies himself straightening cutlery on the table that doesn’t need straightening, Mrs. McTavish goes on. “If he’d studied Gaelic like I said he should have, he’d know that cluasan mòra means ‘big ears’, Edith my dear.”

 

Edith can’t help but chuckle as she sees Frank blush bright red.

 

“Right!” Ada calls cheerily as she withdraws the golden yellow chicken from the oven. “Christmas tea is served!”

 

Everyone watches, transfixed as she walks across the small kitchen carrying the succulent roast bird across the table in one of her trusty roasting pans from her Harlesden kitchen. Roast potatoes, as golden and crusted as the chicken itself sit nestled around the chicken, and the whole dish releases a delicious aroma that quickly fills the small room.

 

“Now that smells like Christmas tea to me!” George says jovially. “I’ll open up a bottle of ale for us.”

 

“Come on Gran.” Frank says kindly as he scurries over to his grandmother’s side. “I’ll help you up.”

 

“I’ll help too, Frank.” Edith offers. “And we’ll get you safely over to the table and settled in.”

 

“Thanks Edith!” Frank replies, sighing gratefully.

 

As the pair help stand the old Scotswoman up, draw away her green and red tartan blanket and gently guide her across the flagstones, she turns her head to Edith. “So Edith, dearie. I hear from your parents and Frank, that this was all your doing.”

 

“Me?” Edith asks. “Oh I didn’t make the Christmas fare. Mum did, with a bit of help from Dad and me. You saw her, Gran.”

 

“No! No!” Mrs. McTavish hisses. “Not that. They tell me it was your idea to move your Christmas from your parent’s house here.”

 

“Oh, I think I might have suggested the idea in the first place, after we found out from Frank that you were sick.”

 

“You’re being too modest by half,” Frank retorts. “It was Edith’s idea alright, Gran. She should take credit for it.”

 

As Mrs. McTavish looks upon the blushing face of Edith she says, “Well, as you know, I haven’t really been well enough to finish the Christmas gift for you that I started making.”

 

“Oh, I don’t care about that, Gran. I don’t need anything from you, when you let us have Christmas in your home, like this.”

 

“Well, I will finish it, but once I’m better, Edith dearie. And then I’ll give it to you.” She groans a bit as she nears the table with Edith and Frank supporting her delicate and brittle figure. “But there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you, ever since you and Francis told me about your intended nuptials****************.”

 

“And what’s that, Gran?” Edith asks, as they manoeuvre Mrs, McTavish to a round back Windsor chair close by the warm range and gently lower her down into it.

 

“Aye. Thank you my wee bairns.” Mrs McTavish says gratefully. Turning her attention back to Edith, whilst Frank fetches her tartan blanket to drape over her knees, she says, “Edith dearie, would you do me the honour of letting me make your wedding veil? I’d rather like to, you know.”

 

“Oh Gran!” Edith exclaims, flinging her arms around Mrs. McTavish’s neck and hugging her tightly.

 

“I’ll take that as a yes, shall I then, Edith dearie?” the old woman laughs.

 

“Oh yes! Yes Gran!” Edith says in a muffled voice filled with elation as she buries her head into Mrs. McTavih’s neck. “Yes.”

 

“Good!” Mrs. McTavish says matter-of-factly, grasping Edith my the forearms, causing the young girl to release her embrace and take a step back. “That makes me very happy, Edith dearie.”

 

“Merry Christmas Gran.” Edith manages to say as she swallows her emotions and tries to remain composed in front of her fiancée and family.

 

“Nollaig Chirdheil, Edith dearie.” Old Mrs. McTavish replies kindly, a broad smile breaking across her face.

 

*Petticoat Lane Market is a fashion and clothing market in Spitalfields, London. It consists of two adjacent street markets. Wentworth Street Market and Middlesex Street Market. Originally populated by Huguenots fleeing persecution in France, Spitalfields became a center for weaving, embroidery and dying. From 1882, a wave of Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in eastern Europe settled in the area and Spitalfields then became the true heart of the clothing manufacturing district of London. \'The Lane\' was always renowned for the \'patter\' and showmanship of the market traders. It was also known for being a haven for the unsavoury characters of London’s underworld and was rife with prostitutes during the late Victorian era. Unpopular with the authorities, as it was largely unregulated and in some sense illegal, as recently as the 1930s, police cars and fire engines were driven down ‘The Lane’, with alarm bells ringing, to disrupt the market.

 

**J. Lyons and Co. was a British restaurant chain, food manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1884 by Joseph Lyons and his brothers in law, Isidore and Montague Gluckstein. Lyons’ first teashop opened in Piccadilly in 1894, and from 1909 they developed into a chain of teashops, with the firm becoming a staple of the High Street in the United Kingdom. At its peak the chain numbered around two hundred cafes. The teashops provided for tea and coffee, with food choices consisting of hot dishes and sweets, cold dishes and sweets, and buns, cakes and rolls. Lyons\' Corner Houses, which first appeared in 1909 and remained until 1977, were noted for their Art Deco style. Situated on or near the corners of Coventry Street, Strand and Tottenham Court Road, they and the Maison Lyonses at Marble Arch and in Shaftesbury Avenue were large buildings on four or five floors, the ground floor of which was a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers and other products. In addition, they possessed hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies and at one period a twice-a-day food delivery service. On the other floors were several restaurants, each with a different theme and all with their own musicians. For a time, the Corner Houses were open twenty-four hours a day, and at their peak each branch employed around four hundred staff including their famous waitresses, commonly known as Nippies for the way they nipped in and out between the tables taking orders and serving meals. The tea houses featured window displays, and, in the post-war period, the Corner Houses were smarter and grander than the local tea shops. Between 1896 and 1965 Lyons owned the Trocadero, which was similar in size and style to the Corner Houses.

 

***Woolworths began operation in Britain in 1909 when Frank Woolworth opened the first store in Liverpool, as a British subsidiary of the already established American company. The store initially sold a variety of goods for threepence and sixpence, making their goods accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy upper and middle-classes. The British subsidiary proved to be very popular, and it grew quickly, opening twelve stores by 1912 and expanding using its own profits to become a fixture on the high street. The stores became a beloved British institution, with many shoppers assuming they were originally a British company. In 1982, the United Kingdom operations underwent a management buyout from the American parent company, becoming Woolworth Holdings PLC. This followed the American parent company\'s sale of its controlling stake to a local consortium. Later, in 2000, the company\'s parent (by then known as Kingfisher Group) decided to restructure, focusing more on its DIY and electrical markets. The general merchandise division, including Big W stores, was spun off into a separate company called Woolworths in 2001. Unable to adapt to modern retail trends, the company faced increasing competition and financial difficulties. The last Woolworths stores in the United Kingdom closed their doors in December 2008 and January 2009, marking the end of an era.

 

****The Premier Super Cinema in East Ham was opened on the 12th of March, 1921, replacing the 800 seat capacity 1912 Premier Electric Theatre. The new cinema could seat 2,408 patrons. The Premier Super Cinema was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres who were taken over by Gaumont British in February 1929. It was renamed the Gaumont from 21st April 1952. The Gaumont was closed by the Rank Organisation on 6th April 1963. After that it became a bingo hall and remained so until 2005. Despite attempts to have it listed as a historic building due to its relatively intact 1921 interior, the Gaumont was demolished in 2009.

 

*****‘A Girl of London’ is a 1925 British silent drama film produced by Stoll Pictures, directed by Henry Edwards and starring Genevieve Townsend, Ian Hunter and Nora Swinburne. Its plot concerns the son of a member of parliament, who is disowned by his father when he marries a girl who works in a factory. Meanwhile, he tries to rescue his new wife from her stepfather who operates a drugs den. It was based on a novel by Douglas Walshe.

 

******Velveteen is a woven fabric with a short, dense pile that resembles velvet but is stiffer and has a matte finish. It is typically made of cotton or a cotton blend and is created by weaving loops that are then cut to create the soft, raised surface. Due to its durability and structure, it is used for garments that need to hold their shape, such as jackets and skirts, as well as for home décor like upholstery and draperies.

 

*******The first Royal Doulton pottery in Lambeth, London, opened in 1815. It started as a partnership between John Doulton, Martha Jones, and John Watts, specialising in utilitarian stoneware like pipes and jars. The company moved to larger premises in Lambeth Walk in 1826, trading as Doulton & Watts. The factory\'s production evolved over time, and in 1871, the famous Doulton Lambeth Studio was established. It became known for its beautiful art pottery, employing artists from the local Lambeth School of Art. The Lambeth Pottery employed over two hundred artists and designers from the Art School by the 1880s, many of them women. The original Lambeth factory finally closed in 1956 due to clean air regulations in the City of London, which prohibited salt glaze production.

 

********The Lambeth School of Art was an art school established in 1854 in the Lambeth area of London by William Gregory, the vicar of St Mary the Less Church. Now known as the City and Guilds of London Art School, it is now a leading independent art school in London. The school is also associated with the "Lambeth Method" of cake decorating, a style of elaborate buttercream piping known for its regal and intricate designs, famously used on the wedding cake of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

 

*********The phrase "guts for garters" means to punish someone severely or to threaten them with extreme violence. Its origin is the literal, and now obsolete, threat of disembowelling a person and using their intestines as garters to hold up one\'s stockings. This phrase is first recorded in late Sixteenth Century literature and gained popularity through alliteration and usage in various contexts, from military slang to a more general expression of anger.

 

**********Faither is an old fashioned Scottish word for father.

 

***********Mither is an old fashioned Scottish word for mother.

 

************People started calling the London Underground the "Tube" around 1900, after the opening of the Central London Railway. The railway\'s deep, cylindrical tunnels resembled tubes, and a newspaper nickname for it, the “Tuppenny Tube”, due to a flat fare of two pence, helped the term stick. Over time, the nickname spread to refer to the entire system.

 

*************A classic Scottish blessing for good luck is "Lang may yer lum reek," which literally means "long may your chimney smoke" and conveys the wish for continued prosperity and good fortune.

 

**************”Nollaig Chirdheil” is the traditional festive greeting in Gaelic shared at Christmas time.

 

***************Rumbledethumps is a dish that is popular in the Scottish border regions and is perfect for using up leftover mashed potatoes and excess vegetables. Often referred to as the Scottish version of bubble ‘n squeak, rumbledethumps recipes usually contain turnip and cabbage, but really any vegetable leftovers could be used. The vegetable mixture is topped with cheese and then baked until bubbling. The dish can be made the day before and heated up and whilst it can be eaten on its own, makes a nice accompaniment for a hearty stew.

 

****************Nuptials is a alternative word for marriage. The term “nuptials” emphasizes the ceremonial and legal aspects of a marriage, lending a more formal tone to wedding communications and documentation.

 

This festive scene in a cosy kitchen may look real to you, but it is not quite what it seems, for it is made up entirely of pieces from my 1:12 miniatures collection.

 

Fun things to look for in this tableau include:

 

The Christmas tree at the centre of the image is a hand-made artisan example from dollhouse artisan suppliers in America. The parcels wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine beneath the tree I acquired from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering.

 

The boxed tinsel garland and the tree top angel box were a gift to me last Christmas from my Flickr friend BKHagar *Kim* who also collects 1:12 miniatures. She picked these up at a house auction as part of a large miniatures collection. The red box containing hand painted Christmas ornaments were hand made and decorated by artists of Crooked Mile Cottage in America. The patterned green box of red and green baubles at the front of Ada’s basket to the right was hand made by Mick and Marie’s Miniatures in the United Kingdom.

 

The box of Christmas crackers towards the bottom of the picture and the Christmas cards on the table to the left of the image are 1:12 miniatures made by artisan Ken Blythe. I have a large representation of Ken Blythe’s work in my miniatures collection – books mostly. Most of the books I own that he has made may be opened to reveal authentic printed interiors. In some cases, you can even read the words, depending upon the size of the print! Sadly, so little of his real artistry is seen because the books that he specialised in making are usually closed, sitting on shelves or closed on desks and table surfaces. As well as making books, he also made other small paper based miniatures including cards like the Christmas cards, and boxes of goods. The box, as you can see, is designed to be opened, and each one contains gaily coloured Christmas crackers made from real crêpe paper. The crackers from the box, coloured red, yellow and blue, can be seen sitting on the table. To create something so authentic to the original in such detail and so clearly, really does make them all miniature artisan pieces. Ken Blythe’s work is highly sought after by miniaturists around the world today and command high prices at auction for such tiny pieces, particularly now that he is no longer alive. I was fortunate enough to acquire pieces from Ken Blythe prior to his death about four years ago, as well as through his estate via his daughter and son-in-law. His legacy will live on with me and in my photography which I hope will please his daughter.

 

The round kitchen table is draped with an antique lace jug cover, which I thought made for a beautiful tablecloth for Christmas. As well as Ken Blythe’s Christmas crackers, there are other things of the table. These include beautiful blue and white dinner plates which come from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop in the United Kingdom. The succulent looking roast chicken comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures. The cutlery also comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures. All the water glasses I have had since I was a teenager. I bought them from a high street stockist that specialised in dolls’ houses and doll house miniatures. Each glass is hand blown using real glass.

 

Mrs. McTavish’s intentionally worn leather wingback chair and the sewing table to the left of the photo are both 1:12 artisan miniatures. The inside of the sewing table is particularly well made and detailed with a removable tray made up of multiple compartments. Beneath it, the floral fabric lines the underside and opens up into a central bag. Both pieces come from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop. The top comparts are full of sewing items which also came from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop and various online specialists on E-Bay. The small, round pedestal table at the arm of Mrs. McTavish’s chair also comes from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop

 

The sewing basket that you can see on the floor beneath the sewing table I bought from a high street shop that specialised in dolls and doll house furnishings. It is an artisan miniature and contains pieces of embroidery and embroidery threads. Also inserted into it is an embroidery hoop that has been which embroidered by hand which came from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop in the United Kingdom.

 

Dominating the rear of the room is the large kitchen range which is a 1:12 miniature replica of the coal fed Phoenix Kitchen Range. A mid-Victorian model, it has hinged opening doors, hanging bars above the stove and a little bass hot water tap (used in the days before plumbed hot water). The fringing hanging from the mantle is actually a beautiful scalloped ribbon that was given to me at Christmas time by a very close friend of mine.

 

On the small pedestal table next to Mrs. McTavish’s chair sits a blue and white teacup and saucer. It comes from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop in the United Kingdom, and so too does the table.

 

On the wall just behind Mrs. McTavish’s chair hangs a hand painted cuckoo clock. It has been made by Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces.

 

In the background you can see Mrs. McTavish’s dark wood dresser cluttered with decorative china. I have had the dresser since I was a child. The shelves of the dresser have different patterned crockery which have come from different miniature stockists both in Australia and the United Kingdom.

 

The brass pieces on the range all come from different online stockists of miniatures.

 

The rug on the floor comes from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop in the United Kingdom.

1880s Magnolia Mine near Alma, CO

Happy Fence Friday

 

Founded in the 1880s, Cisco had been a railroad fill station.

Slowly, a town grew up around the station that primarily supported the nearby cattle ranchers and sheepherders. With the railroad, the settlement quickly became a provisioning and shipping center for the livestock who ranged in the nearby Book Cliffs.

But like so many once-bustling towns in the West, it shriveled when the interstates came through and was officially abandoned by the 1990s.

 

With my husband I was on holiday and drove by Cisko in 2015. Now I read that in In that same year Eileen Muza didn’t mean to buy a ghost town, but she did!! She is turning it into an artist haven! Read her story:

 

roadtrippers.com/magazine/cisco-ghost-town-utah/

 

Thank you for taken your time to visit me, comments or faves are always much appreciated!

The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity "Lake Worth Country." These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original town site, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth.

 

On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida. The town council quickly addressed the building codes and the tents and shanties were replaced by brick, brick veneer, and stone buildings. The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century, most residents were engaged in the tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed by the Florida State Legislature and West Palm Beach became the county seat. In 1916, a new neo-classical courthouse was opened, which has been painstakingly restored back to its original condition, and is now used as the local history museum.

 

The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of the Florida land boom. The population of West Palm Beach quadrupled from 1920 to 1927, and all kinds of businesses and public services grew along with it. Many of the city's landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.

 

The land boom was already faltering when city was devastated by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. The Depression years of the 1930s were a quiet time for the area, which saw slight population growth and property values lower than during the 1920s. The city only recovered with the onset of World War II, which saw the construction of Palm Beach Air Force Base, which brought thousands of military personnel to the city. The base was vital to the allied war effort, as it provided an excellent training facility and had unparalleled access to North Africa for a North American city. Also during World War II, German U-Boats sank dozens of merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under black out conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.

 

The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who had served in the vicinity during the war. Also, the advent of air conditioning encouraged growth, as year-round living in a tropical climate became more acceptable to northerners. West Palm Beach became the one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas during the 1950s; the city's borders spread west of Military Trail and south to Lake Clarke Shores. However, many of the city's residents still lived within a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to north end. The neighborhoods were strictly segregated between White and African-American populations, a legacy that the city still struggles with today. The primary shopping district remained downtown, centered around Clematis Street.

 

In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, the Palm Beach Mall, and an indoor arena were completed. These projects led to a brief revival for the city, but in the 1970s and 1980s crime continued to be a serious issue and suburban sprawl continued to drain resources and business away from the old downtown area. By the early 1990s there were very high vacancy rates downtown, and serious levels of urban blight.

 

Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment and shopping district. The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization, in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid. Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight and crime, as well as lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard. Since the recovery, multiple new developments have been completed. The Palm Beach Mall, located at the Interstate 95/Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard interchange became abandoned as downtown revitalized - the very mall that initiated the original abandonment of the downtown. The mall was then redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. A station for All Aboard Florida, a high-speed passenger rail service serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, is under construction as of July 2015.

 

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Palm_Beach,_Florida

The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity "Lake Worth Country." These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original town site, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth.

 

On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida. The town council quickly addressed the building codes and the tents and shanties were replaced by brick, brick veneer, and stone buildings. The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century, most residents were engaged in the tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed by the Florida State Legislature and West Palm Beach became the county seat. In 1916, a new neo-classical courthouse was opened, which has been painstakingly restored back to its original condition, and is now used as the local history museum.

 

The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of the Florida land boom. The population of West Palm Beach quadrupled from 1920 to 1927, and all kinds of businesses and public services grew along with it. Many of the city's landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.

 

The land boom was already faltering when city was devastated by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. The Depression years of the 1930s were a quiet time for the area, which saw slight population growth and property values lower than during the 1920s. The city only recovered with the onset of World War II, which saw the construction of Palm Beach Air Force Base, which brought thousands of military personnel to the city. The base was vital to the allied war effort, as it provided an excellent training facility and had unparalleled access to North Africa for a North American city. Also during World War II, German U-Boats sank dozens of merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under black out conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.

 

The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who had served in the vicinity during the war. Also, the advent of air conditioning encouraged growth, as year-round living in a tropical climate became more acceptable to northerners. West Palm Beach became the one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas during the 1950s; the city's borders spread west of Military Trail and south to Lake Clarke Shores. However, many of the city's residents still lived within a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to north end. The neighborhoods were strictly segregated between White and African-American populations, a legacy that the city still struggles with today. The primary shopping district remained downtown, centered around Clematis Street.

 

In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, the Palm Beach Mall, and an indoor arena were completed. These projects led to a brief revival for the city, but in the 1970s and 1980s crime continued to be a serious issue and suburban sprawl continued to drain resources and business away from the old downtown area. By the early 1990s there were very high vacancy rates downtown, and serious levels of urban blight.

 

Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment and shopping district. The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization, in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid. Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight and crime, as well as lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard. Since the recovery, multiple new developments have been completed. The Palm Beach Mall, located at the Interstate 95/Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard interchange became abandoned as downtown revitalized - the very mall that initiated the original abandonment of the downtown. The mall was then redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. A station for All Aboard Florida, a high-speed passenger rail service serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, is under construction as of July 2015.

 

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Palm_Beach,_Florida

The fifth image in this series of images I took in and around downtown Toronto. The tall ship Empire Sandy, which runs chartered tours along Toronto's waterfront was originally built as an Englishman/ Larch Deep Sea-class tugboat for war service by the British government in 1943. After the war she served a number of different roles under different names. In the early 1970s she was to be sold for scrap, but fortunately got a new lease on life when she was bought by a new owner who had her completely rebuilt and converted as a three-masted schooner in the style of the 1880s.

 

For more information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Sandy

Have watched the exterior of my 1880s Victorian house decline steadily over the past few years. Once the darling of the neighborhood, the paint has become faded, chipped and weathered. It's not that I was ignoring the house, rather putting my DIY efforts to work on the interior. But with the exterior looking increasingly like the abandoned houses that I so love to photograph, the time had come to repaint. Sad to think that all of the wear and tear occurred since my initial restoration. These walls I had once scraped and painted showed so much age. Depressing to think I had aged right along with them. Painting a house is overwhelming; easy to see why I've deferred so long. Best bet in these situations is to just jump in and work on one section at a time. And that's where I'm at, still on my first section. But it feels good to be taking action and transforming old and weathered into new and fresh. Progress has been quite rapid actually, at least it was while working at ground level. My pace decreases in direct proportion to the height of the ladder on which I'm climbing. Once I reach the second floor I go into 'death grip' mode where one hand clutches the ladder at all times, leaving only the other to work. I've gotten accustomed to the height at least somewhat over the past few weeks. It's not quite as terrifying as before, but I'll never enjoy it. But I'm motivated by the satisfaction I get seeing well-preserved century homes, particularly Victorians. There's an unquestionable elegance and dignity to the architecture of this era. Even as they decline.

 

I came across this lonely house last October. The house simply exudes an atmosphere from over a century ago. I think historic survivors like this can enhance any neighborhood the occupy. But it's a very fine line between deferred maintenance and the haunted house appearance.

Invented in 1880s, cycle rickshaws are widely used in major cities around the world, but most commonly in cities of South, Southeast & East Asia. They are used primarily for their novelty value, as an entertaining form of transportation for tourists and locals, but they also have environmental benefits and may be quicker than other forms of transport if traffic congestion is high. In November 1991, Pulled & Cycle version of rickshaws were banned in Pakistan – only Auto version remained.

“Nothing is more romantic than chocolate.” - Anonymous

 

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 15th of February is "love for chocolate" in honour of Saint Valentine’s Day. In this case for the theme, I have opted for a romantically themed image to match with Saint Valentine’s Day. Recently I acquired a Henderson’s Sweets confectionery sales sample box from the 1880s. Made of brown leather and looking like a rather thin suitcase, it has latches at the side and a lock on the front which when unfastened, allow the front to fold down. Inside it contains six blue leather pull out drawers, each with faceted glass lidded compartments which would have been used by the Henderson’s Sweets salesman to offer samples to potential customers. On the inside of each blue leather lid is a gilded chromolithograph sticker from the early 1900s for Henderson’s Taykakisses, which were heart shaped sweets that Henderson’s Sweets sold. Henderson’s Taykakisses were introduced in October 1906 in once pence and thruppence bags. I am showing the best preserved of the six stickers in this photo, along with two Haigh’s Chocolatiers dark chocolate hearts (one wrapped in brown foil and the other unwrapped. If this doesn’t share a love for chocolate, I don’t know what does! I hope you like my choice for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile.

 

Henderson’s was founded in Australia 1903, its first successful product being Henderson’s Herbal Cough Drops. The company soon became well known for its popular “Wee Macgreegor” Butterscotch and Almond Taiblets, Milkoko Bars and Honey Kisses, a type of caramel with wrappers bearing “love mottoes”. After a factory fire at James Steadman Sweets in 1916, they merged with Henderson’s Sweets and the merged company was known as James Stedman-Henderson Sweets and the sold under the brand Sweetacres after a competition amongst the staff. They invented some of Australia’s most iconic sweets including Minties, Fantales and Jaffas. Sweetacres merged with another Australian confectionery company, Hoadley’s, in 1967. The group was acquired by the British firm Rowntree in 1971 and became Rowntree Hoadley. In 1988, Nestlé took control of the British based Rowntree company, allowing Nestlé Australia to absorb Rowntree Hoadley’s operations. Around the same time, Nestlé acquired the Melbourne-based sweet maker, Allen’s. In a subsequent brand reshuffle, the heroes of the Sweetacres range became Allen’s products and the Sweetacres name was relegated to history.

 

On the 1st May 1915, Alfred E. Haigh opened the doors of the very first Haigh’s Chocolates store in the Beehive Building at 34 King William Street, Adelaide South Australia. Alfred began adding his own flavour to the industry and in 1917 he started producing chocolate-covered fruit centres. Business boomed. Alfred passed away suddenly in 1933, and his son Claude took over the running of the business, which had by then grown to six stores. During the Second World War, supplies were difficult. Yet despite the sugar rationing Haigh’s managed to keep on trading, making boiled sweets and wrapped toffees for the armed forces. Alfred’s grandson, John Haigh, joined the business in 1946 with a vision to take Haigh’s chocolate making to new heights. He trained in Switzerland with Lindt and Sprungli and visited the United States to look at production, shop styles and marketing. During the 1950s and 60s, Haigh’s chocolates were also sold in the cinema. In 1965 Haigh’s opened the first store outside South Australia, in Collins Street Melbourne, where Haigh’s chocolates proved to be just as popular. Haigh’s chocolates is still a family owned and run business, and is the oldest family owned chocolatiers in Australia.

Founded in the 1880s, Cisco had been a railroad fill station.

Slowly, a town grew up around the station that primarily supported the nearby cattle ranchers and sheepherders. With the railroad, the settlement quickly became a provisioning and shipping center for the livestock who ranged in the nearby Book Cliffs.

But like so many once-bustling towns in the West, it shriveled when the interstates came through and was officially abandoned by the 1990s.

 

With my husband I was on holiday and drove by Cisko in 2015. Now I read that in In that same year Eileen Muza didn’t mean to buy a ghost town, but she did!! She is turning it into an artist haven! Read her story:

 

roadtrippers.com/magazine/cisco-ghost-town-utah/

 

Thank you for taken your time to visit me, comments or faves are always much appreciated!

Scrapbooking was a popular pastime in Victorian times for both children and adults. Creating a scrapbook was not only a craft project, it was also a way of preserving memories.

 

In the 1800s, the automated printing press was invented. Suddenly books and printed material became much more widely available. As well as writing in their commonplace books, people began to cut out and stick in printed items. Things like greeting cards, calling cards, postcards, prayer cards, advertising trading cards and newspaper clippings were collected. Some of these books contained a mix of personal journal entries, hand-drawn sketches and watercolours, along with various scraps of printed material. These books were literally books of scraps.

 

By the 1820s, collectable scraps had become more elaborate. Some items were embossed: a process by which a die (a metal stamp for cutting or pressing) was punched into the reverse side of the paper, giving the front a raised three-dimensional appearance.

 

In 1837, the first year of Queen Victoria's reign, the colour printing process known as chromolithography was invented. This lead to the production of ‘ready made’ scraps. Brightly coloured and embossed scraps were sold in sheets with the relief stamped out to the approximate shape of the image. These pre-cut scraps were connected by small strips of paper to keep them in place. The laborious task of cutting out small pictures was thus removed, and sales of scraps went soaring. Many of the best-quality scraps of the period were produced in Germany, where bakers and confectioners used small reliefs to decorate cakes and biscuits for special occasions such as christenings, weddings, Christmas and Easter.

 

These embossed chromolithograph scraps are of German and British in origin and date from the 1880s.

 

The circus themed cards with their gilding are part of a set of eight which are French (although unmarked) and date from the 1870s.

“Tuesday 14th of June, 1932 - Today we received the three paper silhouette profiles we commissioned from Monsieur Hardy the caricaturist, including a lovely one of our daughter"

 

This pretty silhouette cut delicately and with precision from thin black card, is by the silhouette caricaturist J. M. Hardy, who had a studio at 4 Passage du Couëdic, in Rennes. It is a profile of a young child, most likely a little girl, cut in 1932 when a family were travelling through the Ille et Vilaine in Brittany. Notice the girl's fashionable pageboy bob hairstyle of the era and her long eyelashes. This is just one of three family silhouettes commissioned of the artist that I own. The other two are of the child's mother and father.

 

The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" the 18th of July is "black" where for the theme, I am required to photograph something black, be it an object, animal or plant, but the image is not allowed to be a black and white one. I immediately thought of the family’s silhouette profile portraits commissioned from the artist J.M. Hardy in the Ille et Vilaine which are carefully preserved amidst a cache of old French postcards and trade cards. To emphasise the blackness of the silhouette I have photographed it against a bright background of gilded (rather appropriately) French chocolate cards of young children from the 1870s and 1880s. I hope you like my choice of subject for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile.

Last August I had the pleasure to visit Sydney.

This is a shot of the Sydney Town Hall.

 

Building: Sydney Town Hall

Where: Sydney NSW Australia

Architect: Unknown

Period: 1880s

Ruigoord is a village in the Houtrakpolder in the Dutch province of North Holland, situated within the municipality of Amsterdam. Until the 1880s, it was an island in the IJ bay, which was turned into a polder. In the 1960s, the municipality planned to extend the Port of Amsterdam. From 1972 onwards squatters occupied buildings and started a free zone. After resisting eviction in 1997, the area was legalized in 2000. The village is nowadays partially closed in by the port, and lies about 8 km east of Haarlem.

 

In 1964, plans were drawn up by the municipality of Amsterdam to build the Africa Harbour for the petrochemical industry. The plan included the annexation of 600 hectares (1,500 acres) of land belonging to Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude, including the village of Ruigoord. Amsterdam immediately set out to acquire real estate in and around Ruigoord, and started to prepare the farmland for construction.

 

In 1972, a group of artists squatted some abandoned houses. In 1973, Frank IJsselmuiden became mayor of Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude, and wanted to put the annexation to a vote. The same evening, he received a call from Ferdinand Kranenburg, the Queen's Commissioner of North Holland who told him hat annexation was a done deal and not open for discussion. A lengthy legal battle between Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude on the one hand, and Amsterdam and the Province of North Holland on the other hand commenced. For strategic reasons, the squatters were encouraged to settle in Ruigoord.

 

The village was scheduled to be demolished on 23 July 1973. On Sunday 22 July 1973, the local priest performed his last mass and handed the keys of the church to the squatters. The next day, the road to the village was barricaded, and the squatters led by Hans Plomp and Gerben Hellinga successfully managed to stop the demolition crew. The 1973 oil crisis further complicated the Africa Harbour project.

 

Ruigoord became a free zone and started to attract artists like Simon Vinkenoog. It also became known for its drugs. In 1984, Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude tried to change the village into a "green zone" where industry is not allowed, but the plans were blocked by the Province. In November 1995, mayor IJsselmuiden accepted an offer to become mayor of Edam-Volendam. His main reason for resigning was the tiresome 22-year legal battle with Amsterdam.

 

On 1 January 1997, Amsterdam annexed Ruigoord. The squatters decided to continue their fight against the harbour, and started the Groenoord plan to turn the village into an ecological zone. On 7 October 1997, 200 policemen of the Mobiele Eenheid, the Dutch riot squat, were sent into Ruigoord to remove the squatters. The entire area, except for the village, was flattened and prepared for construction by the Port of Amsterdam. The legal battle advanced all the way to Court of Justice of the European Union.

 

In 2000, a compromise was reached. The village of Ruigoord was allowed to exist as an enclave within the harbour. Initially, Amsterdam did not want to allow residency in the village.

 

Current situation:

Ruigoord as an enclave in the harbour.

Ruigoord exists as a squatted zone to this day, but it is now legalized. Full moon parties are regularly organised in the formerly Roman Catholic village church and every year there is the Landjuweel (Land Jewel) festival in August.

 

Since the early 2000s, the village has staged an annual poetry festival over the Whitsun weekend, Vurige tongen (Fiery Tongues). One of the festival's three days is always devoted to international poets. From 2003 on, a yearly Ruigoord Trophy has been awarded to individuals who have selflessly dedicated themselves to maintaining the village as an important cultural stronghold. The first such trophy was presented to Simon Vinkenoog. Three notable non-Dutch trophy holders are the late American poet and photographer Ira Cohen, the Canada-born writer Jordan Zinovich, and the Amsterdam-based American poet and writer Eddie Woods.

info Wikipedia

 

Amsterdam

20210729 008159-HDR

NWMP Treaty Agreements with First Nations. Making Peace Western Canada

There has been a hotel on this site since 1826. The current building was constructed in the 1880s with an impressive facade that remains today. In more recent years it has been the home of "Lonnies Niteclub".

 

monissa.com/hotels/former-launceston-hotel/

© 2022 Mike McCall

_Stonewall J. Williams Plantation (1880s)

[6313-D7500-Neo]

Millerville, Screven County, Georgia USA

Atlantic Yacht Club Commodore William Voorhiss´s (1820 - 1890) schooner Tidal Wave photographed in the 1880s. My colorization of a Detroit Publishing Co. image in the Library of Congress archive. Tidal wave, designed by Abraham A. Schank, was built in 1870. It was a defender in the 1870 Queen´s Cup race.

An excerpt from the Rockland County Journal´s obituary on January 11, 1890:

"William was given a common school education, and through his love for the water he commenced business life as a boatman on the Hudson River. He became captain of a vessel at the age of 16 years, and knew well by that time how to handle a vessel. Through the whole of his life the Commodore retained his fondness for boats and aquatic sports. He built and sailed the yachts Tidal Wave, Gracie, and Addie V., boats which became widely celebrated for their speed and beauty. During his prime of life he was Commodore of the Atlantic Yacht Club, and Nyack people well remember that on one Fourth of July be brought that famous Club up the Hudson to this place and treated them royally"

“A nanny, by being the child's doughty defender, may put sensitive noses out of joint.” – Jacob Rees-Mogg (British politician)

 

Antique jewellery can often be not just beautiful, but also a wonderful window into a time gone by, such as this charming antique nanny brooch dating from the Victorian era. Dating from the 1880s, this was, as the name suggests, worn by the family nanny as a traditional brooch and when she was out with the children, if they tore a hole or seam in their clothing whilst playing, it could quickly be repaired thanks to the hollow section in the centre that contained needle and thread. Made simply of brass and set with a goldstone or aventurine with a stylised fleur de lys leaf pattern to either side of it, the brooch measures 48.8 millimetres in length by 6 millimetres wide at the centre, and one end cleverly unscrews to allow the needle and thread to be kept securely inside and ready at a moment's notice.

 

The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" for the 1st of September is "needles". I immediately thought of an etui (a small ornamental case for holding needles) of which I have several in my possession. Then I remembered that my mother gave me an antique nanny brooch a few years ago. She had great pleasure watching my face light up with delight as I unscrewed the secret compartment to reveal the needle and threads, more than a century old, carefully ensconced in the bar of the brooch. Although not made in gold or platinum, or set with sapphires or diamonds, there is no doubt that this antique nanny brooch is just as charming as any antique brooch and certainly a wonderful talking point. One can almost imagine the scene now with rambunctious children of a wealthy Victorian era family playing in a park, whilst under the caring gaze of Nanny. I hope you like my choice for the theme this week, and that it makes you smile.

 

The road takes you around the Victorian reservoir of Lake Vyrnwy. Its stone-built dam, built in the 1880s, is the first of its kind in the world. The Nature Reserve and the area around it are protected by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Severn Trent Water. The reservoir was built for the purpose of supplying Liverpool and Merseyside with fresh water. It flooded the head of the Vyrnwy Valley and submerged the small village of Llanwddyn.

 

Today it is a popular retreat, for people in the West Midlands and Merseyside for days out, and also for ornithologists, cyclists, and hikers. The Reserve is designated as a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area, and a Special Area of Conservation.

 

The old village of Llanwddyn in the head of the Vyrnwy Valley included a post office, an inn and parish church just like other Welsh villages of its time. People still lived in the village as the dam was being constructed, and down the valley in front of the new dam the Liverpool Corporation built the new village ready for when the valley was going to be flooded. In all two chapels, three inns, ten farmhouses, and 37 houses were all to be lost under reservoir. Even the remains of bodies from the chapel's cemeteries were removed before the flood, and respectfully re-buried in the new church cemetery. Also lost under the water was Eunant Hall, a large house and estate owned by a member of the local gentry. Along with all the other buildings behind the dam this also was demolished, though no new Hall was built.

 

The old village can still be seen during drought conditions when the reservoir is very low, and the foundations of several buildings still survive. The village has been relocated and is now at two locations: on a slope adjacent to the dam, and at the bottom of the valley below the dam. The new village was built approximately 2 miles away and still keeps the name Llanwddyn (population 300). The village is very small, but still supplies for the many thousands of tourists which visit the lake and reserve each year. It is equipped with cafes, an RSPB Shop, several gift shops which sell local crafts and produce. Llanwddyn is in a prime location for tourists, as it is near the border of Snowdonia National Park, and lies between the Cambrian Mountains and the Berwyn range.

 

www.jimroberts.co.uk

 

www.flickriver.com/photos/jimborobbo/popular-interesting/

 

All my photos and images are copyrighted to me although you are welcome to use them for non commercial purposes as long as you give credit to myself.

 

Thank you for looking at my photographs and for any comments it is much appreciated.

The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity "Lake Worth Country." These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original town site, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth.

 

On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida. The town council quickly addressed the building codes and the tents and shanties were replaced by brick, brick veneer, and stone buildings. The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century, most residents were engaged in the tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed by the Florida State Legislature and West Palm Beach became the county seat. In 1916, a new neo-classical courthouse was opened, which has been painstakingly restored back to its original condition, and is now used as the local history museum.

 

The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of the Florida land boom. The population of West Palm Beach quadrupled from 1920 to 1927, and all kinds of businesses and public services grew along with it. Many of the city's landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.

 

The land boom was already faltering when city was devastated by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. The Depression years of the 1930s were a quiet time for the area, which saw slight population growth and property values lower than during the 1920s. The city only recovered with the onset of World War II, which saw the construction of Palm Beach Air Force Base, which brought thousands of military personnel to the city. The base was vital to the allied war effort, as it provided an excellent training facility and had unparalleled access to North Africa for a North American city. Also during World War II, German U-Boats sank dozens of merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under black out conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.

 

The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who had served in the vicinity during the war. Also, the advent of air conditioning encouraged growth, as year-round living in a tropical climate became more acceptable to northerners. West Palm Beach became the one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas during the 1950s; the city's borders spread west of Military Trail and south to Lake Clarke Shores. However, many of the city's residents still lived within a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to north end. The neighborhoods were strictly segregated between White and African-American populations, a legacy that the city still struggles with today. The primary shopping district remained downtown, centered around Clematis Street.

 

In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, the Palm Beach Mall, and an indoor arena were completed. These projects led to a brief revival for the city, but in the 1970s and 1980s crime continued to be a serious issue and suburban sprawl continued to drain resources and business away from the old downtown area. By the early 1990s there were very high vacancy rates downtown, and serious levels of urban blight.

 

Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment and shopping district. The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization, in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid. Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight and crime, as well as lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard. Since the recovery, multiple new developments have been completed. The Palm Beach Mall, located at the Interstate 95/Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard interchange became abandoned as downtown revitalized - the very mall that initiated the original abandonment of the downtown. The mall was then redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. A station for All Aboard Florida, a high-speed passenger rail service serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, is under construction as of July 2015.

 

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Palm_Beach,_Florida

The history of the house dates back to the early 1880s, when the sugar producer Nikolay Tereshchenko, Varvara Khanenko's father, bought a large plot of land with a three-story house on Oleksiivska Street, then new in Kyiv. During the years 1882-1888, another house was built on the free part of the plot - two-story from the front facade, three-story from the yard. The architect of the project was, most likely, Robert-Friedrich Meltzer. In 1888, Nikola Tereshchenko transferred the newly built house and part of the land plot to his eldest daughter Varvara.

 

Ліплений герб роду Ханенків у вигляді трьох башт у картуші між вікнами другого поверху на чоловому фасаді дому.

 

Національний музей мистецтв імені Богдана та Варвари Ханенків.

 

Історія дому сягає початку 1880-х, коли цукропромисловець Нікола Терещенко, батько Варвари Ханенко, придбав велику земельну ділянку з триповерховим домом на тоді новій київській вулиці — Олексіївській. Упродовж 1882—1888 років на вільній частині ділянки було зведено ще один дім — двоповерховий із чолового фасаду, триповерховий із двору. Архітектором проекту був, найбільш ймовірно, Робет-Фрідріх Мельцер. 1888 року Нікола Терещенко передає новозбудований дім та частину земельної ділянки у власність своїй старшій доньці Варварі.

 

У повній згоді із «Заповітом» Богдана Ханенка (1917) та «Дарчою заявою» Варвари Ханенко (1918) їхня київська садиба по вул. Терещенківській, 15 стала простором музею мистецтв.

 

Фасад та інтер'єри оформлено в стилі «історизм» з використанням художніх рис готики, Ренесансу, бароко, рококо.

In the mid-1880s the San Diego region was in the midst of one of its first real estate booms. At that time it was common for a developer to build a grand hotel as a draw for what would otherwise be a barren landscape.

 

Hotel del Coronado, also known as The Del and Hotel Del, is a historic beachfront hotel in the city of Coronado, just across the San Diego Bay from San Diego, California. It is one of the few surviving examples of an American architectural genre: the wooden Victorian beach resort. It is the second largest wooden structure in the United States and was designated a California Historical Landmark in 1970 and a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

 

When it opened in 1888, it was the single largest resort hotel in the world. It has hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities through the years. The hotel has been featured in numerous movies and books.

 

The hotel received a Four Diamond rating from the American Automobile Association and was once listed by USA Today as one of the top ten resorts in the world. In the lower left of the photo in the brighter area is the ice skating rink which faces the ocean. It's a big tourist draw during the holiday season.

 

On my first visit to San Diego in the month of February, we stayed at The Del. We had departed our home in New England during a deep freeze. I was wearing my down ski jacket and boots and upon arriving, everyone was in flip flops and shorts. I remember thinking I'm doing something very wrong since I'm definitely a hot weather person living in a state with long cold winters. It took me almost 20 years to move here but I finally found my little corner of paradise.

   

Historic Town 1880's Yukon Canada

 

Archives Edit

The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity "Lake Worth Country." These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original town site, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth.

 

On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida. The town council quickly addressed the building codes and the tents and shanties were replaced by brick, brick veneer, and stone buildings. The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century, most residents were engaged in the tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed by the Florida State Legislature and West Palm Beach became the county seat. In 1916, a new neo-classical courthouse was opened, which has been painstakingly restored back to its original condition, and is now used as the local history museum.

 

The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of the Florida land boom. The population of West Palm Beach quadrupled from 1920 to 1927, and all kinds of businesses and public services grew along with it. Many of the city's landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.

 

The land boom was already faltering when city was devastated by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. The Depression years of the 1930s were a quiet time for the area, which saw slight population growth and property values lower than during the 1920s. The city only recovered with the onset of World War II, which saw the construction of Palm Beach Air Force Base, which brought thousands of military personnel to the city. The base was vital to the allied war effort, as it provided an excellent training facility and had unparalleled access to North Africa for a North American city. Also during World War II, German U-Boats sank dozens of merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under black out conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.

 

The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who had served in the vicinity during the war. Also, the advent of air conditioning encouraged growth, as year-round living in a tropical climate became more acceptable to northerners. West Palm Beach became the one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas during the 1950s; the city's borders spread west of Military Trail and south to Lake Clarke Shores. However, many of the city's residents still lived within a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to north end. The neighborhoods were strictly segregated between White and African-American populations, a legacy that the city still struggles with today. The primary shopping district remained downtown, centered around Clematis Street.

 

In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, the Palm Beach Mall, and an indoor arena were completed. These projects led to a brief revival for the city, but in the 1970s and 1980s crime continued to be a serious issue and suburban sprawl continued to drain resources and business away from the old downtown area. By the early 1990s there were very high vacancy rates downtown, and serious levels of urban blight.

 

Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment and shopping district. The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization, in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid. Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight and crime, as well as lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard. Since the recovery, multiple new developments have been completed. The Palm Beach Mall, located at the Interstate 95/Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard interchange became abandoned as downtown revitalized - the very mall that initiated the original abandonment of the downtown. The mall was then redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. A station for All Aboard Florida, a high-speed passenger rail service serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, is under construction as of July 2015.

 

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Palm_Beach,_Florida

The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity "Lake Worth Country." These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original town site, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth.

 

On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida. The town council quickly addressed the building codes and the tents and shanties were replaced by brick, brick veneer, and stone buildings. The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century, most residents were engaged in the tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed by the Florida State Legislature and West Palm Beach became the county seat. In 1916, a new neo-classical courthouse was opened, which has been painstakingly restored back to its original condition, and is now used as the local history museum.

 

The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of the Florida land boom. The population of West Palm Beach quadrupled from 1920 to 1927, and all kinds of businesses and public services grew along with it. Many of the city's landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.

 

The land boom was already faltering when city was devastated by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. The Depression years of the 1930s were a quiet time for the area, which saw slight population growth and property values lower than during the 1920s. The city only recovered with the onset of World War II, which saw the construction of Palm Beach Air Force Base, which brought thousands of military personnel to the city. The base was vital to the allied war effort, as it provided an excellent training facility and had unparalleled access to North Africa for a North American city. Also during World War II, German U-Boats sank dozens of merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under black out conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.

 

The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who had served in the vicinity during the war. Also, the advent of air conditioning encouraged growth, as year-round living in a tropical climate became more acceptable to northerners. West Palm Beach became the one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas during the 1950s; the city's borders spread west of Military Trail and south to Lake Clarke Shores. However, many of the city's residents still lived within a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to north end. The neighborhoods were strictly segregated between White and African-American populations, a legacy that the city still struggles with today. The primary shopping district remained downtown, centered around Clematis Street.

 

In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, the Palm Beach Mall, and an indoor arena were completed. These projects led to a brief revival for the city, but in the 1970s and 1980s crime continued to be a serious issue and suburban sprawl continued to drain resources and business away from the old downtown area. By the early 1990s there were very high vacancy rates downtown, and serious levels of urban blight.

 

Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment and shopping district. The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization, in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid. Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight and crime, as well as lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard. Since the recovery, multiple new developments have been completed. The Palm Beach Mall, located at the Interstate 95/Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard interchange became abandoned as downtown revitalized - the very mall that initiated the original abandonment of the downtown. The mall was then redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. A station for All Aboard Florida, a high speed passenger rail service serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, is under construction as of July 2015.

 

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Palm_Beach,_Florida

“In the 1880s, John K. Cheyney founded the first local sponge business. The industry continued to grow in the 1890s. Many people from Key West and the Bahamas settled in Tarpon Springs to hook sponges and then process them. A few Greek immigrants also arrived in this city during the 1890s to work in the sponge industry.

 

In 1905, John Cocoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs by recruiting divers and crew members from Greece. The first divers came from the Saronic Gulf islands of Aegina and Hydra, but they were soon outnumbered by those from the Dodecanese islands of Kalymnos, Symi and Halki. The sponge industry soon became one of the leading maritime industries in Florida and the most important business in Tarpon Springs, generating millions of dollars a year. The 1953 film Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, depicting the sponge industry, takes place and was filmed in Tarpon Springs.”

The Marshal's office!

HMS Duke of Wellington firing a Royal salute as Flagship in Portsmouth Harbour in (prob.) the 1880s. My colorization of an image in the Wikimedia Commons.

 

From my Finnish point of view the sail/steam powered HMS Duke of Wellington, which, when it was completed in 1853, was called "the most powerful warship in the world", is of particular interest. It was Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napiers´ flagship in the British naval assault on Finland (then part of the Russian Empire as a Grand Duchy), which began the conflict between Britain and Russia in 1854-1856, known as the Crimean War.

 

(The eminent British maritime historians Basil Greenhill and Ann Gifford wrote a book, "The British Assault on Finland, 1854-1855, A Forgotten Naval War" (Conway Maritime Press), which tells the story of the Baltic Fleet. A very readable book for those interested in maritime history or history in general.

Greenhill and Gifford write in the blurb:

"The principal target of the Baltic Fleet were the Finns - ironically, less than happy subjects of the Tsar, but the owners of the largest proportion of Russian-flag shipping. The attacks on an almost undefended coastline and merchant marine had far reaching effects on both the Finns and the Russians, and helped to determine the development of the prosperous independent Finland of today." --

"This book describes, what at first sight seems an obscure campaign of the Royal Navy, but its significance has been greatly underestimated since it was the first time in history that a steam battlefleet went to war." )

The former headquarters of the Northern Counties Investment Trust at 32 Manor Row, Bradford.

 

This Grade II listed town house was built around 1820 of dressed sandstone "brick". The built out shop front with its renaissance decorative details was added during or around the 1880s.