Free Republic

It’s summertime, which calls to mind the perennial question for parents: where can we take the kids on vacation and learn something along the way? That question sustains our nation’s massive heritage tourism industry. Odds are you already have a list full of destinations with fascinating museums and popular historic sites. But it’s not just about kids and vacations. In the buildup to the nation’s 2026 semiquincentennial birthday celebration, planners everywhere are hoping to leverage history tourism to boost their local economies. Boston’s Freedom Trail—arguably the nation’s most popular American heritage tourism site— appears to offer a prime example for...

Old Ironsides’ Now Ready for Virtual Touring 'Old Ironsides' hosts Medal of Honor recipientsAmerica’s oldest warship afloat is headed into dry dock next month at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, but Google Maps and the U.S. Navy have made it possible for everyone to digitally visit the USS Constitution. Just as Google made it possible to zip virtually up and down city streets almost anywhere in the world, it can now put you on and below deck of “Old Ironsides,” the still-commissioned Navy warship that made a name for itself in campaigns against the French, North African pirates and...

Old Ironsides sailed through Boston Harbor Friday for the last time until 2018, as the 216-year-old warship prepares to undergo a three-year restoration beginning early next year. The USS Constitution has sailed unassisted by a tug boat only twice since 1881, in 1997 and 2012. This summer it sailed with the help of a tug, but still moved by its own power. Friday was the final unassisted sail until the ship has completed its restoration. Aside from making the usual repairs for wear and tear, the restoration aims to return Old Ironsides to an image of its 1812 self... ...For...

A Boston city councilor is fired up over attempts by high-end condo owners to muzzle Old Ironsides’ twice-daily cannon blasts, calling their complaints of excessive noise “absolutely ridiculous” and vowing to push for a city resolution to support the time-honored tradition. “Old Ironsides is part of Boston history,” said Councilor Sal LaMattina, who represents Charlestown, where several residents in a swanky condominium development near the Naval Yard have launched a letter-writing campaign to silence the 44-gun frigate’s cannon salutes.

USS Constitution under sail last week in Boston Harbor, Aug 24, 2007. (As viewed from Spectacle Island). Her final sail for the season is this Friday. "USS Constitution will be sailing under her own power into Boston Harbor (Aug 31st). She will take a cruise out to Deer Island and on the return trip will do a 21-gun salute when she passes Castle Island in South Boston. USS Constitution will leave port at 10am and should return around 1pm." (Constitution Website) This is her last sail for this season, then not again until the summer of 2010 due to maintenance...

America to pull its tank units out of Germany By David Rennie in Washington (Filed: 10/01/2004) The United States plans to withdraw its heavy armoured formations from Germany next year, in the largest reshaping of the European military landscape since the end of the Cold War, it emerged yesterday. The historic plans are part of a drive to turn the American military into a more flexible, rapid reaction force. They have been in gestation since long before the Iraq war, and Washington officials insist they are not punishing Germany for opposing the toppling of Saddam Hussein. The decision to move...