Local History, pics with traditional traditionals.

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

Ok I thought I'd do something a little interesting. I've seen others post pics from time to time with some local to them historical content. Jack Black seems to be good at it, with the bonus of knife history added in to! Well where I live now is plentiful with U.S. Civil War sites, a few of which are relatively close to me. So here are some pics of one such site, with knife content thrown in lol. I figure quite a few of us here have an interest in history, so please feel free to post pics of some of your favorite knives with something historical that's relevant to where you live.

 

[Prester John]

Ok I thought I'd do something a little interesting. I've seen others post pics from time to time with some local to them historical content. Jack Black seems to be good at it, with the bonus of knife history added in to! Well where I live now is plentiful with U.S. Civil War sites, a few of which are relatively close to me. So here are some pics of one such site, with knife content thrown in lol. I figure quite a few of us here have an interest in history, so please feel free to post pics of some of your favorite knives with something historical that's relevant to where you live.

Great idea, David.

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

 

[Prester John]

I'll try to post something here within the week.

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

Sorry for double posting some pics, tomorrow I'm going into town and grab some more pics of the C.S.S.Nuese full size replica ironclad I have some not really great pics. I want to post some good ones. Plus go to the museum and get pics of the remnants of the actual ironclad with some vintage knives thrown in
Museum might not be open on Sunday, so those may have to wait

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

Ironclad teaser

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

Great idea, David.

Looking forward to it Vince!

 

[PaulS.]

I have 4 Civil War battlefields within 10 miles, so I will try to get something in the coming week.

 

[Campbellclanman]

Real interesting David - neat to see that Millers there with you my friend!

 

[Jack Black]

Great thread idea (thank you very much for the compliment), your posts make for fascinating reading

I was in the City of York yesterday, didn't take many pics, but here's one of my Lambsfoot in front of the ruins of St Mary's Abbey, and another of a locally-found knife in the Yorkshire Museum, dated to early in the first century AD

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Abbey,_York

 

[Prester John]

Kingsville, Texas is the county seat of Kleberg County, and is located near the headquarters of the King Ranch. This is the County Courthouse, which was built in 1913, the year the City of Kingsville was incorporated:

And this is the view from the steps, looking down Kleberg Avenue towards historic downtown:

On the left side of the picture is visible a Texas historical sign. Here is a close-up:

It appears that Englishmen were here in south Texas in 1568, as the plaque relates. I wonder if some of them carried one of these:

Old pic, but taken in Kingsville at a park near Escondido Creek.
Here is another shot of the creek:

Just to give you an idea of the local terrain.
It appears that Zachary Taylor and his men camped near here 173 years ago, from March 10-13, 1846:

There appear to be three bullet holes in the sign: two near the top within the outline of the state, and one in the middle of "TREATY" in the third paragraph of the plaque (you may have to zoom in). Maybe someone didn't like the sign.

Not too far away is an old train depot, dating to 1904:

And here is the railroad by the depot:

The depot is just a historical building now, but the railroad is still in daily use, but only by freight trains.

About a block away is the famous King Ranch Saddle Shop:

You can see the "Running W" (the brand of the King Ranch) flag flying above the building. The building was erected in 1909, as indicated by the plaque by the front door:

The shop sells all manner of leather goods: saddles, briefcases, purses, etc., as well as clothing and other things. Like knives:

They sell a King Ranch edition of a number of Case knives, complete with their "Running W" brand on the blade, bolster, cover, or combination thereof. [Ignore the reflection of the old guy: an unintentional "selfie".]

Gratuitous canine content:

That's all Folks!

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

Jack Black Prester John
Very cool guys!
Jack, that 1000 AD knife looks strikingly similar to a modern chefs knife. Just to think that feel my Challenge harness jack is pretty old, its only seen a century. Its still a newborn compared to a knife that's survived over a millinia!
Vince I'm more convinced than ever I need to see Texas before I leave the mortal world.
Well technically I SEEN Texas once, from Oklahoma. I need to really see it! Oklahoma is as far west as I've been. Went out into the panhandle, my brother in law and some of his family leased deer hunting rights out there. In the middle of nowhere near the Kansas line. I went out one year just to check it out, but didn't hunt because I didn't feel right because I hadn't paid anything on the lease. I was planning to the following year but it all fell apart before I could. Interesting country out there. The ranch we was one was split by the Cimarron river. We was going to ride up to Dodge City, but midweek a front the ranch owner called a "Blue Norther" swept in. In about an hour the temps went from high 60's to low 20's. Weather got to bad for a joyride, so I missed out on Dodge City.
Very cool stuff on the King Ranch, and Taylor camp site. To think that many men camped there that in a few years would be facing each other in opposition.

 

[Prester John]

Jack Black Prester John
Very cool guys!
Jack, that 1000 AD knife looks strikingly similar to a modern chefs knife. Just to think that feel my Challenge harness jack is pretty old, its only seen a century. Its still a newborn compared to a knife that's survived over a millinia!
Vince I'm more convinced than ever I need to see Texas before I leave the mortal world.
Well technically I SEEN Texas once, from Oklahoma. I need to really see it! Oklahoma is as far west as I've been. Went out into the panhandle, my brother in law and some of his family leased deer hunting rights out there. In the middle of nowhere near the Kansas line. I went out one year just to check it out, but didn't hunt because I didn't feel right because I hadn't paid anything on the lease. I was planning to the following year but it all fell apart before I could. Interesting country out there. The ranch we was one was split by the Cimarron river. We was going to ride up to Dodge City, but midweek a front the ranch owner called a "Blue Norther" swept in. In about an hour the temps went from high 60's to low 20's. Weather got to bad for a joyride, so I missed out on Dodge City.
Very cool stuff on the King Ranch, and Taylor camp site. To think that many men camped there that in a few years would be facing each other in opposition.

Yeah, the Civil War was about 15 years later.

Hope you can make it to Texas. It's a big state, with all kinds of terrain, from sandy beaches to the mountains and desert, from the plains to the piney woods, and don't forget the beautiful hill country.

I haven't seen much of North Carolina. Was at an airport there a few years ago, and also drove through some of it once. But I am planning on visiting Georgia next summer. That's close, huh?

 

[Fodderwing]

Kingsville, Texas is the county seat of Kleberg County, and is located near the headquarters of the King Ranch.

Good stuff Vince. I suppose this courthouse is very close to the very spot where those wild cows and bulls chased Augustus and Woodrow up into the trees.
Seriously, I love me some Texas and have and still do roam all over it from Brownsville to El Paso. Have driven and camped the length of North Padre, hung out in Big Bend, Ojinaga to Candelaria. From the Chisos to the Guadalupe's. Palo Duro down the Prarie Dog Town Creek into the Red and back home. A magnificent state. Ya'll really ought to consider joining the Union.

 

[Prester John]

Good stuff Vince. I suppose this courthouse is very close to the very spot where those wild cows and bulls chased Augustus and Woodrow up into the trees.
Seriously, I love me some Texas and have and still do roam all over it from Brownsville to El Paso. Have driven and camped the length of North Padre, hung out in Big Bend, Ojinaga to Candelaria. From the Chisos to the Guadalupe's. Palo Duro down the Prarie Dog Town Creek into the Red and back home. A magnificent state. Ya'll really ought to consider joining the Union.

We did. Twice!

 

[Fodderwing]

We did. Twice!

well u know what they say... "blank me once, shame on you... blank me twice..."

 

[Jack Black]

Kingsville, Texas is the county seat of Kleberg County, and is located near the headquarters of the King Ranch. This is the County Courthouse, which was built in 1913, the year the City of Kingsville was incorporated:

And this is the view from the steps, looking down Kleberg Avenue towards historic downtown:

On the left side of the picture is visible a Texas historical sign. Here is a close-up:

It appears that Englishmen were here in south Texas in 1568, as the plaque relates. I wonder if some of them carried one of these:

Old pic, but taken in Kingsville at a park near Escondido Creek.
Here is another shot of the creek:

Just to give you an idea of the local terrain.
It appears that Zachary Taylor and his men camped near here 173 years ago, from March 10-13, 1846:

There appear to be three bullet holes in the sign: two near the top within the outline of the state, and one in the middle of "TREATY" in the third paragraph of the plaque (you may have to zoom in). Maybe someone didn't like the sign.

Not too far away is an old train depot, dating to 1904:

And here is the railroad by the depot:

The depot is just a historical building now, but the railroad is still in daily use, but only by freight trains.

About a block away is the famous King Ranch Saddle Shop:

You can see the "Running W" (the brand of the King Ranch) flag flying above the building. The building was erected in 1909, as indicated by the plaque by the front door:

The shop sells all manner of leather goods: saddles, briefcases, purses, etc., as well as clothing and other things. Like knives:

They sell a King Ranch edition of a number of Case knives, complete with their "Running W" brand on the blade, bolster, cover, or combination thereof. [Ignore the reflection of the old guy: an unintentional "selfie".]

Gratuitous canine content:

That's all Folks!

Fascinating post Vince, very interesting history, and those King Ranch knives are cool

Jack Black Prester John
Very cool guys!
Jack, that 1000 AD knife looks strikingly similar to a modern chefs knife. Just to think that feel my Challenge harness jack is pretty old, its only seen a century. Its still a newborn compared to a knife that's survived over a millinia!

Thank you David, doesn't it just? It was used in a Roman kitchen, and found just a few hundred yards from the museum

 

[Prester John]

Fascinating post Vince, very interesting history, and those King Ranch knives are cool

Thanks, Jack. Kingsville is where I work, incidentally. I drive 40 miles each day from my hometown of Corpus Christi.

 

[PaulS.]

Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield is probably the least known of the 4 major battlefields in my area. The others are Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Wilderness. It's my favorite, because it has many miles of hiking trails and is more isolated than the others, so it gets a lot less tourist traffic.

Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield was the second major battle between Union Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee during Grant's Overland Campaign. The battle took place from May 8-21, 1864. It was the costliest of the campaign, with almost 32,000 casualties (killed, wounded, captured, and missing) combined. More than 4,000 soldiers were killed. It is considered a hallowed place because of this. In the end, there was no clear winner of the battle.

The most intense fighting took place at the Bloody Angle. Heavy rain had ruined much of the Confederate gun powder, so the fighting was mostly hand to hand. It lasted almost 24 hours.






During the battle, Lee made a mistake which resulted in about 3,000 Confederate troops captured.


Of course, you can't have a Civil War battlefield without cannons.


Another view of the battlefield.



Unfortunately for one family, their farm was right in the middle of the battle.



Not much left today.



This was a kind of trench warfare before World War 1. The confederate trenches were more than 4 miles long and reinforced with wood. Here's a restored section.



I will try to get out to the other battlefields and historic sites over the coming months.