# What's the coolest historical thing about your hometown or where you live now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438 "2002-08-11T22:44:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/1 "2002-08-11T22:44:45Z")
I was watching _A League of Their Own_ on TNT this afternoon, and I started thinking about the town I grew up in (there is a connection, I promise) and the things that were there. The town I grew up in has [Historic Engel Stadium](http://www.minorleagueballparks.com/enge_tn.html). It’s been used in several movies, and there was a woman who struck out Babe Ruth there one day. [This](http://www.chattanoogaonthemove.com/archive1-2/mockhumor1-2.html) says she also struck out Lou Gehrig that same day - that’s something I never heard growing up. I’ve been trying to find a listing of movies partially filmed there, but the only one I’ve been able to definitely verify is _A Winner Never Quits_, the Pete Grey story - I remember watching it in school. There are other neat things about Chattanooga, sure, but this is one that always sticks in my mind. We went to games there a lot when I was growing up. Now they built the new stadium down by the river, but Engel Stadium is designated as an historic building, so it won’t be torn down. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/2 "2002-08-11T23:53:15Z")
Well for one thing, the Forty Niner parties who were seeking a short-cut to the California gold strike and got stalled in Death Valley came right through this valley after they got started again. They were mostly on foot, having burned their wagons and killed their animals for food for themselves and because there was little food for the animals. Their trip across the valley was about 25 miles and it took them a week to make it to some springs along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/3 "2002-08-11T23:55:01Z")
Well for one thing, the Forty Niner parties who were seeking a short-cut to the California gold strike and got stalled in Death Valley came right through this valley after they got started again. They were mostly on foot, having burned their wagons and killed their animals for food for themselves and because there was little food for the animals. Their trip across the valley was about 25 miles and it took them a week to make it to some springs along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada range. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/4 "2002-08-11T23:58:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David Simmons \* > \*\*Well for one thing, the Forty Niner parties who were seeking a short-cut to the California gold strike and got stalled in Death Valley came right through this valley after they got started again. > > They were mostly on foot, having burned their wagons and killed their animals for food for themselves and because there was little food for the animals. Their trip across the valley was about 25 miles and it took them a week to make it to some springs along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range. \*\* Change “western” to “eastern” in the last line. Like it is in the second post - GRRRR!!!. I don’t suppose anyone would believe it if I said that there are times when I act like a blundering old man. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/5 "2002-08-11T23:58:30Z")
The primary transfer point for the fur trade canoes. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/6 "2002-08-12T00:14:15Z")
Well, Panama City was [sacked and burned](http://www.mesa.k12.co.us/pirates/hmorgan.html) by the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671. Not to mention being the transfer point for all the gold looted from Peru. Oh, and there’s that canal thingie too. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/7 "2002-08-12T01:19:10Z")
My town was founded some time in the late 17th century, which is old for America. Plus, Washington Irving lived there for some time, and the characters in his story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” were based on people who lived in my town: Katrina Van Tassel was based upon a local rich guy’s daughter - I think one of the Van Allens - and Ichabod Crane was based on some guy named Merwin who was a schoolteacher here. To hell with Tarrytown. The “real” Sleepy Hollow is Kinderhook! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/8 "2002-08-12T01:30:54Z")
My home town is the oldest English settlement in New York state. Other than that, not much has happened, thought Albert Einstein once spent a summer there. ---
**Author:** ![Cessandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cessandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cessandra)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/9 "2002-08-12T01:38:26Z")
Does anyone know cool stuff about Houston? I mean, we were once the capital of Texas and, of course, NASA is here, but is there anything more off-the-wall interesting? ---
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/10 "2002-08-12T01:41:06Z")
College Park, Maryland, is home to the [College Park Airport](http://www.aajp.com/maryland/airports/college.htm) the oldest continuously operating airport in the world. It is the site of the original Army Aviation School, circa 1911. There is also a nifty restaraunt/bar right next door, with a perfect view of the landing strip, where my friends and I while away the hours on many a friday night during happy hour. In addition, the [battle of Bladensburg](http://www.galafilm.com/1812/e/events/wash_amerbl.html) was fought just dwn the road from here. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/11 "2002-08-12T01:42:20Z")
Well, I don’t think anything historic has happened in my hometown, but where I live right now (Troy, NY) is the birthplace of Uncle Sam. (Yeah, I’m as suprised as you that he was actually a real person.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/12 "2002-08-12T03:19:27Z")
I researched my home town, and found that – Jacob Riis (NYC Commissioner who had a park named after him, and who wrote **How the Other Half Lives** , chronicling the horrible conditions immigrants lived in) used to work in the clay its practicaly behind my house. – Houdini once escaped from a straitjacket while in a speeding car down a street in our downtown – There was a major bootlegging ring during prohibition that a lot of town officials were in on. – But to me the biggest thing was when an Indian was put on trial in 1727 for murdering his neighbor, an English Captain. Only it’s not at all what you think – the captain was 25-year-old punk who was swindling land, and the Indian was a wealthy guy who owned a couple of sawmills and used to dine with the Governor. His trial and subsequent execution became a cause celebre for the nest twenty years. I wrote a long article about it (entitled \*\* Weequehela\*\*, the chief’s name) in \*\*New Jersey History \*\* magazine about ten years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/13 "2002-08-12T04:10:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lsura \* > \*\*I was watching _A League of Their Own_ on TNT this afternoon, and I started thinking about the town I grew up in (there is a connection, I promise) and the things that were there. > \*\* I grew up about 30 or 40 minutes from where the Racine Belles played (Horlick Field) and went to college (and during my college years lived) very close to it. Also for Milwaukee we have Harley Davidson and Summerfest. The mansions that parts of Major League were filmed in are just a few blocks from my house. Beer, Cheese… I’m sure theres more but I can’t think of anything else of the top of my head. (oh I guess there’s Laverne and Shirly, Happy Days, Step by Step and That 70’s Show) ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/14 "2002-08-12T04:58:14Z")
The coolest historical thing? Well, my hometown was founded as a trading outpost by the Dutch. It was considered such an unimportant backwater town by the founding company, that when the British made overtures to take over the place, the Dutch gladly traded away their claim in exchange for what they considered to be a far more valuable settlement: Surinam (Dutch Guinana). That was well over 300 years ago. Today, unless you’re in the Aluminum ore business, you probably have little awareness of the Third World country that is Surinam. You probably have heard of my hometown, New York City, on the other hand. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/15 "2002-08-12T05:05:45Z")
Otis Redding died here in a plane crash here in Madison. Sterling Hall was bombed by anti-war protestors in 1970 (I think. Aorund then anyway). This widely considered to be the end (or the beginning of the end) of the 60’s student movement as it marked the transition from peaceful demonstrations to pretty much terrorist acts. Guess those maybe aren’t “cool”, but they’re interesting. ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/16 "2002-08-12T07:02:11Z")
Up until a couple of years ago I lived in San Francisco. Every single thing about that place is just so cool. Now I’m back in England and the only thing cool here is the weather ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Go\_alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Go\_alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_alien)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/17 "2002-08-12T07:59:09Z")
I live in London. When abroad, if ever I’m asked where I’m from everybody thinks they know where it is. I’m actually from North Hykeham, a small town south of Lincoln that nobody’s ever heard of, famous(?) only for being a small town south of Lincoln that nobody’s ever heard of. ---
**Author:** ![Zenpea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Zenpea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenpea)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/18 "2002-08-12T09:51:57Z")
I currently live on a farm in England and there are no villages for miles around. But I used to live in Grantham, and that has the cafe above which Margaret Thatcher was born, and the austere honour of being voted the most boring town in Britain. Oh, and Isaac Newton lived just down the road at Woolsthorpe and carved his name in a desk at Grantham Kings School. Such graffito-tagging, far from being condemned, is now forming part of the tour. And although it’s not anything famous, my dad went to the same school and used to shoot ink out of the top window towards the pet shop across the road, onetime splattering Lady Somethingorother in her foxfur coat who just happened to be passing. He got six of the best for that one. (Uhm, being spanked with a slipper, in other words). -James ---
**Author:** ![zigaretten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@zigaretten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zigaretten)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/19 "2002-08-12T10:55:05Z")
Ummm…that there is no here here? ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438/20 "2002-08-12T10:57:02Z")
Colorado Springs, at the almost base of Pikes Peak (technically, Manitou Springs is at the eastern base) is famed for inspiring the words to _America the Beautiful_. Went there two weeks ago and it truly is a great trip up the Peak. While I have heard she was inspired through her train trip here it was really the view from Pikes Peak that cemented her desire for the poem that was later put to music. On another note, Nikola Tesla apparently did a lot of electromagnetic (I think) testing here when he lived in Colorado Springs, even though for a short time. I am not much of a science person though so my information is lacking in facts. In addition, Charles Shultz lived here in C Springs for a while. They uncovered a mural that he created using some of his _Peanuts_ characters a year or more ago. The family that now owns the house had a team come in, after finding the mural, and had them remove the plaster or drywall with the mural to send to his family. In addition, I lived about 2 blocks from the people that inspired the Lucy and Linus characters. It may, of course, be simply rumor but people around here have really cemented in my mind that they were the people. Rumor also has it that they were the original voices for Lucy and Linus in the early cartoons. We have a lot of history here that it’s hard to pinpoint the exact cool-factor of people or historical facts that trail our strange city. Despite the current history that’s being made, we have more to discuss than I can put in one post. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-historical-thing-about-your-hometown-or-where-you-live-now/123438.md?page=2)