Living History for Travelers (general, Washington, state, historical)
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What are some of the things you know about, where a traveler can see historical sites that are still in daily use today? One that comes to mind is the St. Charles Street Car in New Orleans, which I never fail to ride whenever I'm in town.
I've also made it a project to attend minor league baseball games in old pre-1950 ball parks. Besides Wrigley field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston, there are still pre-1950 ballparks in daily use in Bakersfield CA, San Jose CA, Savannah GA, Wichita KS, Jamestown NY, Oneonta NY, Kinston NC, Reading PA, Williamsport PA, Pawtucket RI, Burlington VT, and Pulaski VA. I've been lucky enough to see games in about 20 others, which have now been replaced by modern stadiums. London Ontario no longer has a minor league team, but their Labatt's Field is said to be the oldest continuously-used baseball field in the world, dating from 1872 (but the stadium structure is new).
There are still quite a lot of old ferries crossing rivers. There is a list of all ferry crossings at http://www.webspawner.com/users/b389 (broken link) . Even if the boat itself is new, its a nice throwback to cross a river by ferry instead of a bridge.
The Episcopal Church near me, Christ Church in Alexandria, VA was attended by Robert E. Lee and George Washington and you can sit in the same pews set aside for them and their families while attending a service. Also, old Catholic mission churches in California and the Southwest still in use come to mind as living history.
The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Train is another.
What are some of the things you know about, where a traveler can see historical sites that are still in daily use today? One that comes to mind is the St. Charles Street Car in New Orleans, which I never fail to ride whenever I'm in town.
The Cable Car in San Francisco is another example similar to the one you have mentioned.
The Federal Hall National Memorial Museum in Lower Manhattan (NYC). It is the birth place of the American Government. George Washington took the oath of office as our first President, and this site was home to the first Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch offices. The current structure, a Customs House, later served as part of the US Sub-Treasury.
Annapolis, MD has the oldest state capitol building still in use. It served as the national capitol for a few months, and you can see the room where General Geo. Washington resigned his Continental Army commission. The building has either the largest, or the second-largest wooden dome in the world, I believe.
I assume you're only looking for sites/ structures that continue in use for actual business, as opposed to just as a museum or tourist attraction.
Last edited by slowlane; 07-18-2010 at 10:32 PM..
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