Mossy Feet Books – Author Paul R. Wonning
Books About Indiana History, United States History and Garden Guides
The Barkshire family was a family of former slaves that lived in Rising Sun, Indiana in Ohio County along the Ohio River. The members of this family were quite active in the Underground Railroad movement. Their former owner, Nancy Hawkins, though not a member of their family, was responsible for manumitting them as well as being closely associated with them after they moved across the river from Kentucky to Indiana. Continue reading The Barkshire Family
General Charles Cornwallis, along with squadron of about ten warships accompanied by a fleet of thirty transports, arrived off the coast of Cape Fear on May 3, 1776.
Fleet Disbursed
The fleet had departed Cork, Ireland on February 12, but had run into storms five days after departure. The storms scattered the fleet, which included Ethan Allen, held prisoner below deck of HMS Soledad. The Fleet, commanded by Commodore Peter Parker, was still incomplete, as many ships were still at sea.
Charles Cornwallis – (December 31, 1738 – October 5, 1805)
The son of Charles Cornwallis, 5th Baron Cornwallis and Elizabeth Townsend, Charles was native to Governor Square in London, England. Cornwallis received his secondary education at Eton College and Clare College, Cambridge. Continue reading General Charles Cornwallis Arrives America
Indiana possesses a wealth of botanical gardens, allowing plant researchers to study the plants growing there as well as provide casual visitors a place to learn about, and enjoy, them. Readers of Indiana Botanical Gardens will discover the history of botanical gardens in addition to listings of the world’s, United States and Indiana’s botanical gardens. Continue reading Visiting Indiana’s Public and Botanical Gardens
This is the story of the first 13 American colonies, from the time of their first settlement until the eve of the French and Indian War. This was the beginning of the colonial era when the process of creating America as we know it began. The history of the 13 colonies is the beginning of the United States History as many of our traditions, laws and much of our culture began. Continue reading Podcast – The First Thirteen Colonies
In the dawning years of the Nineteenth Century, the quest for fast, cheap transportation of freight over long distances seemed in reach with the construction and economic success of the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal connected New York City with the Great Lakes. It spurred New York’s growth as a major commercial center. It also provided encouragement more canal construction across the United States. Landlocked states like Indiana seized on canals as the answer to open markets in inland cities that lacked navigable rivers. The Wabash and Erie was the first of these projects tackled by Indiana. Continue reading The Central Canal Walk in Indianapolis
To help buttress their Army the British imported large numbers of German mercenary troops to fight. Prince William of Hesse-Hanau had agreed to send troops to America in early February. On April 20, 1776, Prince Frederick Karl August, prince of the German principality of Waldeck, agreed to send 670 infantrymen to America. Continue reading Britain Hires German Mercenaries
The USS Indianapolis belonged to a class of United States Warships called the Portland Class.
Portland Class ships were heavy cruisers that featured heavier armor than previous ships of similar class. The ships were 610 feet long and had a beam of 66 feet. The ships had 9 8″ guns and 8 5″ guns.
She also sported 5-inch/25-caliber anti-aircraft guns and 2 QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns. There were 4 airplanes and 2 catapults to launch them. Typically, the planes were fighter aircraft that were launched from the catapults for aerial reconnaissance. At the end of the mission the pilot had to either find a land-based air strip to land or ditch the plane in the water close to the ship and wait for rescue. The ships had a crew complement of 807 sailors. There were 2 ships in this class, the USS Portland and the USS Indianapolis. Continue reading Memorial to the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis
Greetings, in this episode I discuss a dispute over land erupted between the Yankees and Pennamites in 1775.
The Wyoming Valley in the Appalachian area of northeastern Pennsylvania became the focus of warring factions from Connecticut and Pennsylvanians after the French and Indian War ended in 1763. The colonists had driven the Delaware tribe out of the coveted valley after the death of Teedyuscung, King of the Delaware in 1763. Problems among the white colonists arose because of a mistake made one hundred years earlier by King Charles II. Continue reading War Between the Colonies – The Yankee and Pennamite War
Today the author visits the Indianapolis Zoo.From the BookEast Central Indiana Day Trips At the suggestion of Indianapolis Times writer … Continue reading Indianapolis Zoo
The classifications of the colonies the British established in the New World consisted of 3 types, proprietary, charter and crown colonies.
Proprietary Colonies
Most of the colonies began life as a proprietary colony. Theoretically, the Crown owned all the land in the colony. Under the proprietary system, the monarch granted a man, or group of men via a charter, the rights to manage a defined region of land. The man, or group, were known as proprietors and the group was called a corporation. He/they had the right to appoint governors, set up courts, organize assemblies and otherwise manage the colony. This was the earliest type of colony. Many of the proprietors did not live in, or even visit, the colony they managed. This type of colony proved inefficient, and most were later converted to royal colonies. Continue reading Classification of the Colonies
This is the story of the first 13 American colonies, from the time of their first settlement until the eve of the French and Indian War. This was the beginning of the colonial era when the process of creating America as we know it began. The history of the 13 colonies is the beginning of the United States History as many of our traditions, laws and much of our culture began. Continue reading The First Thirteen Colonies
Commodore Essex Hopkins, on his mission to the British fort on Nassau, had captured the HMS Bolton and Hawke on April 5, 1776.
After capturing the HMS Hawke and Bolton, the ships of the Continental Navy were overloaded with spoils from Nassau. Since they had captured two British ships, Admiral Hopkins had taken crew members from the American ships and used them to man the captured ships. Thus, the Continental Navy’s ships were undermanned. Continue reading Battle of Block Island
Congress Authorized Legalized PiracyGreetings, today we learn that the Congress authorized legalized piracy during the early days of 1776.This an … Continue reading Congress Authorized Legalized Piracy
The 136-acre Garfield Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden is the oldest of the Indianapolis city parks. Designed by German landscape architect George Edward Kessler, the sunken garden opened on October 29, 1916.
History of Garfield Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden Continue reading Garfield Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden
A Hand Full of Events from March 22 – 28, 1776.Greetings, today we visit the week of March 22 – … Continue reading A Hand Full of Events from March 22 – 28, 1776.
Today we will visit the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Downtown Indianapolis.Soldiers & Sailors Monument/Monument CircleThe Soldiers and Sailors Monument … Continue reading Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Downtown Indianapolis
The British evacuation began at four o’clock AM. By ten o’clock AM they had loaded 10,000 troops and about 1500 Loyalist citizens that wished to depart Boston on ships. Howe issued orders when the evacuation began to burn the city if the rebels interfered with the evacuation. The British had 120 ships on hand to use to transport the people and soldiers to a temporary sanctuary in Halifax, in Nova Scotia. They left a large quantity of supplies behind. A short time after the Union Jack had disappeared; soldiers of the Continental Army marched into Boston, flags flying and fifes playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
A wary General Washington, fearing British attack on New York, dispatched five regiments of his troops towards that city with General William Heath in command. Continue reading British Evacuate Boston
Landscape architects Ann Reed and Eric Fulford received the commission to design the Memorial. Workers began preparing the site in November 1998 with actual construction beginning in January 1999. The memorial consists of two overlapping circular arcs. Access to the memorial is by concrete ramps and stairs. It is about 800 feet long and 48 feet wide. The dedication took place on Memorial Day, May 28, 1999. The Memorial honors the nations Medal of Honor’s recipients. Continue reading Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial
Adam Smith completed seventeen years of note taking and ten years of writing by publishing The Wealth of Nations on March 9, 1776. Regarded as the leading book on economics even today, The Wealth of Nations helped establish the free enterprise system. Continue reading Adam Smith Publishes the Wealth of Nations
Greetings, today I will talk about the Indiana Historical Society.
Established on December 11, 1830, the Indiana Historical Society is the oldest state historical society west of the Allegheny Mountain and one of the oldest in the United States. The principal founder of the Society was a man named John Hay Farnham. Continue reading The Indiana Historical Society
Mossy Feet Books - Author Paul R. Wonning 