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| Girls' Weekend 2012 - St. Michaels, MD |
Welcome home from Catalina! While you students were enjoying your time at Junior/Senior Retreat I have been visiting my East Coast girlfriends. This year we rented a beach house in St. Michaels, Maryland, right on the water. Since this is APUSH, I thought that for this blog post I would give you a little bit of history about the town of St. Michaels.
"In 1677 an Episcopal Parish was established on the banks of the Miles
River and named after Saint Michael the Archangel. From its early days
as a shipbuilding town through its twentieth century transformation
into a tourist and sailing haven, St. Michaels and its citizens have
maintained a way of life that is renowned for its beauty, tranquility
and craftsmanship."
"The town, as surveyed in 1804, was laid out in three squares. St.
Mary's Square today is the site of a museum bearing its name which is a
must-see for any visitor interested in the history of St. Michaels.
Among the beautiful historic homes that border St. Mary's Square is one
of the most recognizable structures in the area, a private home known
since the War of 1812 as The Cannonball House."
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| Cannonball House |
"Early on the morning of August 10, 1813, a number of British
barges sailed up the Miles River intending to shell the town and its
harbor fort. The citizens of St. Michaels, having been warned in
advance of the planned attack, had evacuated most of the women,
children, livestock and valuable possessions to an area outside of town
known as 'Onion Hill'. Brigadier General Perry Benson, commanding
officer of the Talbot County militia, ordered lanterns placed in
treetops just outside of the town and all other lights in the town
extinguished, thereby creating the first military blackout on record.
When the British marines aimed their cannon fire to the lights, they
overshot the town. Only one dwelling was hit, a brick house near the
harbor now known as "The Cannonball House." This successful defense
caused St. Michaels to be thereafter known as "The Town That Fooled The
British." The British record conceded that two of its members were
wounded during their brief invasion, while the Republican-Star published
in Easton the next week states that the British suffered twenty-nine
casualties. There were no American losses and little damage to the town
from the British shelling."
[Information excerpted from http://www.townofstmichaels.com/history.shtml]
This week--in Chapter 10--we will continue to look at the growth of the new United States after the ratification of the Constitution. In just a couple of weeks we will be covering the War of 1812, considering how it may have been "the Second War for Independence."
This Week's Question: What was the best vacation trip you've ever been on? What made that particular trip so special?
I actually have been blessed to go on many vacation trips with my family and friends, so choosing one specific trip as the "best" one is super hard!! I would have to say my trip to the East Coast and Palm Desert this past summer were the best so far this year. I think what made my East Coast trip so special was that I was able to "see" history and experience it. I was able to see where different battles took place, historial towns, and learn more about the history of our nation. Also, it was fun because my grandparents were able to come on the trip with my family. My other favorite vacation, Palm Desert, is always special because its a tradition of my mom's side of the family. My aunt always flies in from New York and my uncle drives down from Santa Barbara just for the trip and I love getting to spend time with them at the pool and hanging out in the hotel. Also, this year was extra special because the Olympics had just started when we arrived, so we were able to enjoy watching the events together as a family when it got way to hot to swim!!! :D These were my favorite vacations so far for the year.
ReplyDeleteThe best vacation I had ever been on was from OR to CA for a video game tournament. The people I met had the same idea and mindset on Pokemon as I did. I competed and one regionals and qualified for nationals. It was an even more special vacation because I went on the trip with my best friend from Oregon. The people I met at that convention are still in contact with me whether it is the guy who beat me in nationals or the couple of kids I beat in LA.
ReplyDeleteOhh okay... I really enjoyed going to Boston last summer to visit my aunt and uncle becuse I got to go alone. It was really fun to travel by myself and see some colleges back East. I loved the city and how different everything was from California (especially how everyone drives!). I really enjoyed living the "city life" for a few days.
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