Maine had plenty of it, and the state’s rivers became swollen with the fallen bodies of pine and spruce, much of which was hauled by rail. But before all that, Maine was all about one thing: trains.Īs America industrialized in the 19th century, there was an insatiable demand to build and a hunger for lumber. Maine is widely known for its mottled red crustaceans and stony-faced lighthouses, as well as bucolic towns and the top-notch hiking outside of them. Many of the state’s attractions still loom large, including a 58-foot-long blue fiberglass termite and an improbably large blue bear slumped under a lampshade.ħ Places to Glimpse Maine's Rich Railroad History Rhode Island was founded on the principle of religious freedom, was the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, and was one of only two states not to ratify the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol. The United States could contain 3,066 Rhode Islands, and Russia could hold 5,445.īut the tiny state has a rather grand history. Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island, and it was once famously parodied in the now-defunct website “How Many Rhode Islands”-a simple tool that allowed you to see just how many Rhode Islands could squeeze inside a given country. The smallest state in America is often the butt of jokes. Here are six remarkable gastronomic institutions in a place that has proved to be fertile ground for unusual eats. Some have survived, while others have fallen by the wayside (R.I.P. Unique culinary institutions cropped up in every corner of the state. But where can you find hamburger recipes caught in the early 20th-century, cooked in steamers or served on toast with absolutely no ketchup allowed? Or, for that matter, fancy cheese made by trailblazing nuns who launched their dairying business at a time when Velveeta was still the norm?Ĭonnecticut may be an odd place to designate as a culinary cradle, but the state contains everything from the last of a generation of feminist vegetarian restaurants to what the Library of Congress dubs the very first place to have served up a hamburger. Excellent burgers are available in every one of the 50 states. But for those who still do want to raise a little hell, New Hampshire has plenty of spots for devil-dealing.Ħ Unusual Eats Curiously Cooked Up in Connecticutįor superb pizza, most people look to New York. “Any Hades we want to raise in this state, we can raise ourselves, without assistance from strangers,” Webster remarks. In the tale, the Devil uses every legal and supernatural means possible to outwit Webster, who battles to spare New Hampshire from further demonic meddling. The story features real-life lawyer and politician Daniel Webster fighting for the soul of a down-on-his-luck New Hampshire farmer who, in a moment of desperation, made a deal with the Devil. Perhaps the Devil got his best turn in “The Devil and Daniel Webster,” a 1936 short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. In the era of witch hunts, terrified townspeople accused their elderly neighbors of speaking with the Devil, and local lore has it that the stones around a frothing waterfall in the woods once served as Satan's kitchen, where he cooked a pot of beans with the flames of Hell.

Since the time of European settlement, Satan seems to have lurked around every corner of the Granite State.

What is it with New Hampshire and the Devil? If you do choose to venture out, please follow all guidelines, maintain social distance, and wear a mask.ĥ Strange and Satanic Spots in New Hampshire Read on for five woody wonders of Indiana, all rooted deeply in their communities.Īs the pandemic continues, we hope this virtual trip helps you explore America’s wonders. In many graveyards, markers are fashioned to look like stumps and branches. One town has graciously allowed a tree to grow on its courthouse roof for more than a hundred years. While the forests have significantly recovered, there are still only about 2,000 acres of old-growth forest left in the state. That number plummeted to a measly 6 percent by 1922. At the start of European settlement, 90 percent of what is now Indiana was forest. The scrubby leftovers were often burned to create farmland.

The valuable trees went first, such as black walnut and white oak. Or that was how it seemed in the 19th century, when the state produced more lumber than anywhere else in the nation. Once upon a time, the forests of Indiana were endless. 5 Incredible Trees You Can Find Only in Indiana

Particle playground waterfall