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Northeast Preserves American History

Baltimore

Historic Ships in Baltimore

For war and maritime buffs, Pier 3 through Pier 5 in the Baltimore Harbor offers visitors a chance to see numerous historic naval ships. With four military vessels that span naval action from before the Civil War through the Cuban Missile Crisis, Historic Ships in Baltimore is a floating museum that allows guests to see what life and technology was like on the sea aboard historic watercraft.

Guests can board the USS Sloop-of-War Constellation, the only ship still afloat that served active duty during the Civil War; the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Taney, the last ship still afloat to witness the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II; the U.S. lightship Chesapeake; and the submarine USS Torsk, which was constructed in 1944 but modified through its years of service, which included more than 10,000 dives. Torsk is displayed as authentically as possible as it would have appeared in the 1960s before it was decommissioned.

“To go back any further would be almost impossible without ripping things apart,” said executive director Christopher Rowsom.

The museum also features the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, which, from 1855 through 1988, marked the mouth of the Patapsco River.

www.historicships.org

 

Philadelphia

Franklin’s Footsteps Walking Tours 

Rocky Balboa may have some street credibility in Philadelphia, but he doesn’t have anything on Benjamin Franklin. The Franklin’s Footsteps Walking Tour, performed by costumed period re-enactors, takes guests to the historic sites of Philadelphia’s Old City that Franklin and other Founding Fathers frequented during the creation of the United States.

Destinations along the tour, which lasts about 90 minutes, include Carpenters’ Hall, where the First Continental Congress convened, the Betsy Ross House, Franklin’s grave site at Christ Church and, of course, Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were adopted.

Visitors on the tour will also learn about the newer National Constitution Center, an interactive museum established to help foster a better understanding of the document upon which the American government is based.

www.discoverphl.com

 

Trenton, New Jersey

Old Barracks Museum

Historic lore recognizes the Old Barracks, built in 1758 to house British troops during the French and Indian War, as the site of Gen. George Washington’s surprise attack on Hessian troops after crossing the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War. More accurately, museum organizers believe that the Colonial barracks, the last remaining of the five that were constructed, were used by British loyalists following the army for protection from revolutionaries.

Once the building fell into Washington’s hands, the building was used as a hospital for smallpox inoculations, a questionable procedure before vaccinations.

“It was something that was pretty much illegal at that time in the Western world, but Washington said, ‘We’re going to do it anyway because it is the only way I can guarantee my troops’ safety,’” said Lauren Ronaghan, the museum’s development assistant and a former tour guide.

At the museum, galleries display information about the Battle of Trenton and the French and Indian War, and re-enactors “recruit” visitors into Washington’s army while others help bring Colonial soldiers and medical professionals to life. Visitors also see artifacts from the time, including a wallet that belonged to Washington.

www.barracks.org