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Lydia Leister left her farm as the battle grew near. Its position on the reverse slope of Cemetery Ridge just inside the fishook curve of the Union lines made it a perfect location for the nerve center of the Union Army. Meade’s famous council of war on the evening of July 2nd took place in the house’s tiny main room.  It is currently closed to the public because of a post being replaced but this is a glimpse inside the window. 7/16/16

General Meade stands tall on his horse holding binoculars on Cemetary Ridge  in the Gettysburg battlefield. Meade rode this horse Old Baldy at Gettysburg, where the horse was wounded on July 2nd by a ball that entered his stomach after passing through Meade’s trouser leg and within a half inch of his thigh. Old Baldy again survived, but by August of 1864 and after another wound he was considered unfit for service, and Meade sent him back to Philadelphia for a well-deserved retirement. Old Baldy did so well, however, that Meade resumed riding him after the war, and the horse survived...

Estelle Manor built before the Civil War houses a new military museum funded by Altantic County and contributions.  All wars are represented in the many items contributed.

During the civil war Alfred Van Santvoord chartered a number of boats to the Government  His boat the River Queen enjoyed the historic distinction of being the place of meeting of Abraham Lincoln and Alexander H. Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederacy, when they held a conference near Fortress Monroe.  The River Queen was also Ger. B. F. Butler's headquarters boat for a short period. Chartered by the U S Department of War,  the River Queen was used by General Ulysses S. Grant as his private dispatch boat on the Potomac River in 1865. On February 3, 1865, the Hampton Roads Conference...

In the late 1860s and early 1870s, railroad companies, summer cottagers and business leaders lured national figures to visit Atlantic City. The city picked up the tab for the VIP visitors and provided free transportation to and from the resort. Businessmen and hotel workers extended every possible courtesy to ensure their happiness. The United States Hotel took up a full city block between Atlantic, Pacific, Delaware, and Maryland (the current site of the Showboat Parking lot). These grand hotels were not only impressive in size, but featured the most updated amenities, and were considered quite luxurious for the time. President...