Colonial America - Atlas Obscura
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Colonial America

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Virginia Beach, Virginia

Cape Henry Memorial Cross

Jamestown may have been the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, but the colonists made landfall at a lesser known cape.
A late 16th-century map notes the territory of "Calos" near the southern tip of Florida, but the Calusa actually controlled most of the peninsula's southwest.
islands

Long Before the First Thanksgiving, an Artificial Island in Florida Hosted a Cross-Cultural Feast

Decades before the Wampanoag and Pilgrims shared a meal, the powerful Calusa and their Spanish guests celebrated their new alliance. Spoiler alert: It didn't last.
Karuna Eberl November 15, 2023
An artist's rendering of Black Caesar, Biscayne Bay's notorious pirate, who likely did not exist.
pirates

Chasing Black Caesar, Southern Florida's Notorious Pirate

Was the terror of Biscayne Bay a man who escaped slavery, an African chieftain, or a marketing ploy that went viral?
Karuna Eberl September 6, 2023
If not for the Yazoo Land Scandal, Greater Georgia might have encompassed most or all of the current states of Mississippi and Alabama.
maps

The Little-Known Land Fraud That Changed American History

Without this now-obscure land investment scheme, the Yazoo Land Affair, Georgia might have been a "super state."
Frank Jacobs August 25, 2023
Shingled roofs and shutters are typical <em>bod os</em> features throughout Freetown and its surrounding villages.
architecture

The Surprising Southern Roots of Sierra Leone’s Krio Homes

Freetown's Krio homes preserve an enduring legacy of resilience—but the question of how to save them looms.
Laura Kiniry August 24, 2023
A tiny, whiskered archaeologist (aka a common black rat) emerges from its nest.
rats

In Colonial Williamsburg, Thieving Rats Save History

Historians owe a debt of gratitude to these furry pilferers.
Amy Crawford August 10, 2023
An empty vein between two rocks that was once rich with iron ore.
York, South Carolina

Colonial Iron Mine

During the American Revolutionary War, iron excavated from this mine was used to make swords, cannons, and more.
How do historians piece together long-lost stories of those who would be considered part of the LGBTQIA+ community?
victorian

5 Overlooked LGBTQ Stories to Celebrate Pride Month

How do you learn—and save—a history that was often too dangerous to write down?
April White June 16, 2023
Framingham, Massachusetts

The Old Field of 1800

Two stone markers honor the Nipmuc people who first settled here millennia ago.
Digitizing gravestones from the colonial era preserves them for future study and makes them more accessible, but it also raises questions about how to study this period of American history.
cemeteries

Burial Hill's Historic Gravestones Are Coming to Your Screen

Digitizing markers at the Massachusetts cemetery makes them more accessible.
Anya Gruber May 8, 2023
Dontavius Williams thanks Caesar, the 18th-century enslaved chef who managed Stratford Hall, before beginning a demonstration in the historic hearth where Caesar once cooked.
food

Remembering Caesar, Colonial Virginia’s Enslaved Chocolatier

In Robert E. Lee's birthplace, Dontavius Williams honors an unsung chef.
Sam Lin-Sommer March 9, 2023
Landenberg, Pennsylvania

Delaware-Maryland-Pennsylvania Tri-State Point

The meeting of the northwestern corner of Delaware, the northeastern corner of Maryland, and the southern edge of Pennsylvania.
All three markers on the side of Route 33.
Swift Run, Virginia

Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Markers

On the side of a Virginia highway, a collection of monuments commemorates an 18th-century trek through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Hoppin John Risotto
Williamsburg, Virginia

Chowning’s Tavern

Enjoy dishes that founding fathers once ate at this Colonial Williamsburg pub.
Filmmaker Ken Burns's lauded documentaries include <em>The Civil War</em>, <em>Baseball</em>, and <em>The National Parks: America's Best Idea</em>.
film

Ken Burns on His Obsession With Ben Franklin, and Admiration for Guy Fieri

The documentary filmmaker talks about a founder's flaws, radical openness, and road tripping for a sandwich.
Matthew Taub April 5, 2022
Fenwick Isle, Delaware

Transpeninsular Line Marker

A unique marker erected during the 18th century.
The main building on a beautiful day
Charles City, Virginia

Berkeley Plantation

This estate on the banks of the James River was home to a Founding Father, two presidents, a famous bugle melody, and what some say was the actual first Thanksgiving.
Williamsburg, Virginia

The King’s Arms Tavern

Dine like an American revolutionary at Colonial Williamsburg.