ourgazetteer.org

Website: http://www.preserveala.org/confederatepark.aspx
Description: A reader from Alabama sent this great suggestion a couple days ago. The questions he is answering come from the article I wrote last fall, that launched this blog. Great stuff – thank you! I need to add that it is thoughtful emails like the one from this reader that keep me  energized to work on this project. He wrote:

“I would like to suggest as Euro-American space for the State of Alabama, Confederate Memorial Park and Museum, just south of the junction of State Highways 31 and 143, off Highway 143. The address is 437 County Rd 63, Marbury AL 36051. The park is about 15-20 minutes off Interstate 65 from either Exit 186 (south) at Prattville or Exit 205 (north) at Clanton.

1. Is the racial composition of those who visit the place overwhelmingly European American? Yes. 90+ per cent of visitors are Euro-American, mostly from within the state but due to signs posted on Interstate 65 there are also out-of-state visitors.

2. What is the historical significance of the place for European Americans? Does it have historical continuity and legitimacy? It is the site of the only Confederate Soldiers’ Home established in the state of Alabama (established in 1903, closed in late 1930s). It contains about 300 graves of Confederate soldiers and their widows.

3. Is it institutionalized by and for European Americans? No, though that is the practical effect. It is an Alabama State Park, established (I believe) by Governor George Corley Wallace in the 1970s.

4. Is there a confident pro-European American group that has staked a claim or “adopted” the space as ours? A possible group would be Confederate bikers who are often there. Euro-American families are there every weekend for large family reunions. Various Confederate-heritage groups hold events there year-round.”

Features of the 102-acre site: two cemeteries; Mountain Creek Post Office; Marbury Methodist Church; nature trail; covered pavilions; museum containing artifacts from the Alabama Old Soldiers Home, and uniforms, weapons, and equipment used during the Civil War.

City: Marbury
State: Alabama
Latitude: 32.7202698283802
Longitude: -86.47325992584229

place explicitness:medium

Website: http://hermannmonument.com/
Description: An article, titled “Hermann and the Death of German Studies” published today in Occidental Observer alerted me to the incredible Hermann Monument in New Ulm, Minnesota. From base to sword tip, the monument rises 102 feet. “On September 25,1897, the Hermann Monument was dedicated before representatives from 23 states registered to attend the 21st National Convention of the Order of the Sons of Hermann. German heritage and culture were celebrated with poetry, music, song and dance, picnics and parades. A festival Hermann’s Brau beer was brewed for the occasion (source: Hermann Monument Society Website).  Plan a trip to beautiful New Ulm and be sure to join the Hermann Monument Society.
City: New Ulm
State: Minnesota
Latitude: 44.3078810047842
Longitude: -94.47220802307129

organization, place explicitness:medium

Website: http://www.cadieuxcafe.com/
Description: “Featherbowling, steamed mussels, more than a dozen beers from Belgium…at the Cadieux Cafe, as the bumper sticker on the wall says, ‘It’s Beautiful To Be Belgian.’  Since its days as a Prohibition-era speakeasy, the Cadieux Cafe has been a social hub for metro Detroit’s Belgian population. Flemish culture flourishes at the Cadieux, which is or has been the unofficial headquarters for an array of clubs promoting pastimes from across the pond, including pigeon racing, archery, bicycling, darts and, of course, feather bowling. The Michigan Traditional Arts Program awarded the Cadieux the Michigan Heritage Award for ‘continuing family and community cultural traditions with excellence and authenticity’” (source: Website).
City: Detroit
State: Michigan
Latitude: 42.40175249993364
Longitude: -82.92574882507324

place explicitness:medium

Website: http://stonehengeusa.com/
Description : “Built by a Native American Culture or a migrant European population? No one knows for sure. A maze of man-made chambers, walls and ceremonial meeting places, America’s Stonehenge is most likely the oldest man-made construction in the United States (over 4000 years old). Like Stonehenge in England, America’s Stonehenge was built by ancient people well versed in astronomy and stone construction. It has been determined that the site is an accurate astronomical calendar. It was, and still can be, used to determine specific solar and lunar events of the year” (source: Website).  If the story indicated by America’s Stonehenge is true, that Europeans were in North America before Columbus, then our history needs to be rewritten to incorporate new facts about European exploration. Only European Americans are interested in that outcome. It shows. The visitors to America’s Stonehenge are almost always European Americans. Special European-centric recurring events take place on on the grounds, including Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and Fall Solstice.
City :  Salem
State :  New Hampshire
Latitude : 42.841934138354176
Longitude :  -71.20368540287018

place, recurring event explicitness:medium

Website: http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/lh/
Description: “Tour the home — with its original family furnishings and possessions — where Lindbergh dreamed of adventures to come. In the visitor center, gain perspective on Lindbergh’s life and his legacy. Step inside a full-scale replica of the Spirit of St. Louis cockpit and envision flying across the Atlantic. See hundreds of photographs and artifacts, many of them never before publicly displayed. Linger over memories of his family’s triumphs and tragedies” (source: Website).
City: Little Falls
State: Minnesota
Latitude: 45.959334
Longitude:  -94.387828

place explicitness:medium

Website: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/washrock.html
Description: “The strategic location of Washington Rock made it a valuable lookout point during the American Revolution for General George Washington in June of 1777 when the British army under General William Howe was moving toward Westfield. From the vantage point of this natural rock outcropping, General Washington had a thirty-mile panoramic view of the valley and was able to instruct his troops to circle behind Howe’s troops and cut off their retreat” (source: Website).
City: Warrenville
State: New Jersey
Latitude: 40.613091165643546
Longitude: -74.47194904088974

place explicitness:medium

Website: http://www.kingmanrodeo.com/
Description: From a Gazetteer reader:  ”You’ll find rodeos to be implicitly White throughout the country. This one is held every in September in Kingman, AZ, and draws both authentic cowboys and those who are cowboys at hearts. Plenty of misses vie to be the rodeo queen. Lots of roping, riding, and racing.”

Our reader’s perception is reinforced by this photo from the rodeo Website. The caption  says, “The KINGSMEN are a group of local Kingman-area businessmen who work hard to preserve the history and traditions of Kingman’s Ranching heritage. In addition to hosting the Andy Devine Days PRCA Rodeo, we also sponsor a golf tournament, a softball tournament, and the Rodeo Queen contests” (source: Website).
City:  Kingman
State: Arizona
Latitude: 35.21315783046401
Longitude: -114.02692794799805

place, recurring event explicitness:medium

Website: http://www.nhstateparks.org/state-parks/alphabetical-order/hannah-duston-memorial/
Description:  ”Hannah Duston (born Hannah Emerson, December 23 – c. 1736) was a colonial New England woman who, having been captured during an Indian raid, escaped from her captors by killing them in the night and fleeing in their canoe. She is believed to be the first woman honored in the United States with a statue” (source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Duston). The remarkable courage and resilience Hannah Duston demonstrated is inspiration for European Americans of every generation.
City: Boscawen
State: New Hampshire
Latitude: 43.28931910320603
Longitude: -71.58321261405945

place explicitness:medium

Website: http://www.memphistn.gov/framework.aspx?page=886
Description:  Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and wife buried in this 8 acre park in downtown Memphis.
City: Memphis
State: Tennessee
Latitude: 35.1391776189149
Longitude: -90.0347775220871

place explicitness:medium

Website: http://www.memphistn.gov/framework.aspx?page=886
Description: 2.4 acre park dedicated to Confederate hero, Jefferson Davis, is located on the Mississippi River in Memphis.  The park was established in 1930.
City: Memphis
State: Tennessee
Latitude: 35.14760529695327
Longitude: -90.05537554621696

place explicitness:medium