 “RockSolidHistory from #RingwoodManor in #RingwoodNJ! And #HappyFourthofJuly2026 and #UnitedStates250thAnniversary!
This small building’s wall, located next to the Carriage Barn and across a pond from the manor house in this beautiful NJ park, shows the brilliant use of local stones that were likely chosen for their attractiveness. The majority of these are a purplish stone called Lepidolite, which is found all across the Highlands area of New Jersey. I promise you will notice them now if you take a hike. Ringwood Manor was longtime famous for being the place where iron chains, which crossed the Hudson River and stopped British ships during the Revolutionary War, were forged. Recent research has shown that these chains were in fact made nearby, but not at the manor. #historyiseverywhere #Lepidolitebuilding #LoveLepidolite #geologyandhistorytogether #HudsonRiverChains #RevolutionaryWarHistory #NJDEP #GetOutdoorsNJ
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 #RockSolidHistory from #JoshuaTreeNationalPark!
Here you see a bedrock mortar, which is a hole that was formed in the granite rock over time, due to the grinding of seeds into flour by local Cahuilla peoples. It’s like a large mortar and pestle. Mesquite seeds were especially prized a certain time of year. This ancient treasure is just sitting out in the open. Many exist across the Southwest. Be sure to keep your eyes open or you’ll miss them! #historyiseverywhere #BedrockMortar #CahuillaHistory #SoutwestHistory #NationalParkTreasures  #RockSolidHistory from #JoshuaTreeNationalPark!
The Joshua Tree is found only in the Mojave Desert and nearby areas of California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. It is a true tree, with wooden insides, not a cactus. Early Mormon settlers named this tree, thinking its silhouette looked like Joshua, who outstretched his arms in prayer due to victory over the harsh desert conditions after guiding the Israelites, according the Bible. These pioneers felt the same way. Of course the local Native American tribes who lived here, the Cahuilla and Kawaiisu, called this tree hunuvat chiy’a or humwichawa, and had long used its leaves, flowers, and fruits as food and to create tools and materials. #MormonHistory #pioneerhistory #SouthwestNatives #CahuillaHistory #KawaiisuHistory  This is exactly how I would like to be chilling right now. How about you?
#RockSolidHistory from the #GettyVillaMuseum in #Malibu, CA! Here you see a bronze statue, a replica of one located at the Villa dei Papiri in Pompeii before it was tragically smothered by the hot ash of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. This area of the museum, called Outer Peristyle, has a mighty inviting pool. But it is just to admire, not swim in.  #RockSolidHistory from the #GettyVillaMuseum in #Malibu, CA!
This entire museum is a replica of the Villa dei Papiri, a luxurious residence that was buried under the ashes of volcano Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. One particular area, the Hall of Colored Marbles, showcases the beauty and variety of marble. The stones were sourced by philanthropist Paul Getty from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Tunisia, keeping true to where such stones would have been sourced in ancient times. The hall was designed to resemble the House of the Vetti in Pompeii, according to online sources. The ancient Romans spared no expense and swathed every surface in marble, including floors, walls, and fountains. The marbles in this hall have equally ancient and fancy names: ⛏️Cipollino ⛏️Fior di Pesco ⛏️Giallo Antico ⛏️Marathon Gray ⛏️Pavonazzetto di Frigia ⛏️Pentellic ⛏️Red Porphyry ⛏️Rosso Antico ⛏️Verde Antico and ⛏️White Carrara Imagine all this in YOUR home! #lovemarble #ancientrocks #GettyVilla #GettyVillaHallofColoredMarbles #coloredmarbles #AncientRome #PompeiiHistory #MountVesuvius #RockSolidHistory and happy #Caturday from the Getty Villa Museum in #Malibu, CA!
This massive collection of ancient art, dating back 7,000 years and housed in Romanesque buildings, was the brainchild of oil tycoon Paul Getty. I took a particular interest in all the cat sculptures from Ancient Greece, Rome, Etruria and Egypt.
This post is for all the cat-lovers out there. #catlover #ancientcats #cathistory #bigcatlover #historyiseverywhere #GettyVilla #GettyVillaMuseum  Silly me thought this place would have little books. Nope. It was a breakfast place! Of course! Welcome to Newark Airport.
This is a promise to bring fun, historical content soon! By the way, Newark Airport in New Jersey is 97 years old!! Yet it looks brand spanking new after years of renovations. #writerlife #newarkairportoddities #morecontenttocome #RockSolidHistory  #RockSolidHistory from #FrauncesTavern in Manhattan to continue with #PresidentsDay and #GeneralGeorgeWashington.
There is a piece of wood in the tavern’s museum. It seems unimportant at first, until you realize what this tree probably saw during its lifetime. During New Amsterdam and Dutch rule, this little tree was born. The area the tree lived in was called Bowling Green. It was a public gathering place at the southern tip of Manhattan that held a lot of significance. First, it was a meeting place for the Dutch. Then, when the British took over rule, Bowling Green became a parade ground and stately garden. A statue of King George III was also installed. Later, this statue was removed during the American Revolution, led by General George Washington, for army supplies. A note tied to this piece of wood in the museum reads: “This tree stood for over 240 years in what is now known as Bowling Green Park, New York City (opposite the present Customs House) being removed by the Department of Public Parks on October 21, 1919 when it was cut down. The rings of the trunk showed that it was over 200 years old so that it was probably standing during the days of the Dutch occupation of New Amsterdam. Within 200 feet formerly stood the statue of King George Third torn down by the populace and molded into lead bullets for the Continental soldiers in the early days of 1776.” --Edwin Irvine Haines, 41 Broad Street, New York. The army was nothing of not thrifty. And this tree saw a lot! #BowlingGreenHistory #BowlingGreenNYC #FrauncesTavern #FrauncesTavernHistory #oldtreehistory #BowlingGreenTree #NewAmsterdam  #RockSolidHistory from #FrauncesTavern in Manhattan to continue with #PresidentsDay and #BlackHistoryMonth!
The tavern, the oldest building in #NYC and one-time headquarters of the Executive Branch of the newly formed U.S. government, has a museum on its top floors. One exhibit focuses on the Birch Trials. Following the American Revolution, it seems that Black individuals on the island were not allowed to vacate with the British, even if they were Loyalists, or British sympathizers. It is estimated only about 15% of the 3,000 Black individuals caught in this situation were in fact brought by the British and fought for the British. It left these individuals with no place to call home. They were not wanted by the British. They were not wanted by the Americans. What to do? The Birch Trials were then held in 1783, likely in the Long Room. Luckily for some who were slaves owned by Americans, they were granted passage on ships to Nova Scotia, regardless of ownership. In a way, it granted all of these Black people freedom. Their names were inscribed in “The Book of Negroes,” an important way for many to trace their ancestry today, and an important part of Black History in the U.S. Racism and enslavement in America were escaped. Hopefully they led better lives in Nova Scotia. #BirchTrials #BookofNegroes #RevolutionaryWarHistory #FrauncesTavernMuseum #NYCBlackHistory #FrauncesTavern #SamuelBirch #NovaScotiaBlackHistory |
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June 2026
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