Closing the Doors

January 3, 1961

After Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba in 1959, relations with the United States took a turn for the worse. Cuba was quite anti-American at that point, to say the very least, and America was concerned that communism in the western hemisphere was just a little too close to home. In 1960, Castro decided to sign a trade treaty with the Soviet Union, and in turn President Eisenhower decided it was time to train a bunch of Cuban exiles to overthrow their leader. Fidel Castro began intensifying his program that nationalized foreign properties and companies, and the US cut back on trading with Cuba. By January 3, 1961, President Eisenhower determined that the best course of action was closing the American embassy in Havana and severing all diplomatic relations. 

Holy Moses!

October 2, 1889

Nicholas Creede was born under the name William Harvey in northern Indiana, though he was known as "Billy" to his family and friends. His family moved on to Iowa, and as a teenager Billy worked with the US Army. By the time he was nineteen years old, Billy Harvey was working as a scout for the Army with the Pawnee Indians and traveled throughout the West as they campaigned against the Sioux. 

Having been up in the Badlands and the Black Hills when gold was discovered, Billy's interest in prospecting was sparked. He returned to Iowa in order to marry the girl of his dreams, only to find that she was already married...to his brother. Billy changed his name to Nicholas C. Creede and headed to Colorado in pursuit of a mountain of riches. 

Judging the Nation

September 24, 1789

When discussing the birth of our nation, we are familiar with names like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams...names our basic history books referenced over and over again. One name that mistakenly escapes recognition among many Americans is Connecticut-born Oliver Ellsworth. Senator Ellsworth is the reason our government is known officially as the "United States Government" as opposed to the "National Government of the United States." He aided Connecticut throughout the Revolutionary War, was a member of the Committee of Appeals (the pre-cursor to the Supreme Court), helped prepare the first draft of the Constitution, was integral in the passage of the Connecticut Plan,  and basically wrote the Judiciary Act, which was signed into law by President Washington on September 24, 1789.

Don't Give Up the Ship

September 10, 1813

The last spoken command from Captain James Lawrence on the frigate USS Chesapeake during the War of 1812 was brought from Boston to the Great Lakes during the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813. The fame and honor bestowed upon Captain Lawrence as a fallen war hero were emblazoned on the flag Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry used when signaling his troops to engage the enemy in the largest naval battle of the entire war. Captain Lawrence had been a friend to Perry, and the flag made for him by the women of Erie would help to find a place for Lawrence's famous words in American naval history.

Finding a Home

September 6, 1620

In 1608, a small congregation of Northamptonshire churchgoers decided they'd had enough of the Church of England. To them, it was no less corrupt than the Catholic Church had been, and the group planned a move to Holland. The Separatists (or Saints, as they called themselves) would reside in the town of Leyden. 

The Saints did find the freedom to worship as they chose, but the rest of life in Holland was not ideal. The Saints could only find jobs with meager pay; being an immigrant was not easy. Worse yet, the lifestyle was just a bit too free and easy for this crowd, and it was creating conflict as the Saints tried to raise their children amid all the heathens.

Battle of Cooch's Bridge

September 3, 1777

                                                  

Late August 1777, General George Washington established camp in Wilmington, Delaware for his army as he waited for the British to land. The overall British objective was to invade the capital of Philadelphia, and smaller battles were engaged along the road north. 

The British infantry included a large number of German jagers who led the advance toward Philadelphia. Americans attacked the Hessian horse soldiers near Aiken's Tavern, just south of Cooch's Bridge. The bridge itself played host to a battle that lasted much of the day. When the ammunition supplies were depleted, the fight carried on with swords and bayonets (not good news for the Americans...we weren't very well-versed in battling with bayonets).