Mayhew Cabin | Nebraska City, Nebraska

The nice lady in the visitor center of the Mayhew Cabin & Historic Village cracked my soul a little bit when she confirmed that this famous Underground Railroad stop‘s cave associated with the Mayhew Cabin was not the original structure built before the Civil War era. The current underground cave was constructed by Edward Bartling lined with the original foundation stones around 1938. Bartling relocated the cabin to save it from the new highway construction and the property was later sold to the George Rowe family in 1959. Larry Shepard then owned the site and donated it to the Mayhew Cabin Foundation in 2001. In 2005, the Foundation moved to restore the site with the help of the National Park Service and the Nelson Family Foundation. The visitor center is currently being renovated with the grand-opening set for the end of May, 2010.

The Mayhew Cabin, the only official National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site recognized by the National Park Service in the state of Nebraska, was built by Allen and Barbara Mayhew in Nebraska City in 1855. After meeting with Abolitionist John Brown, John Henry Kagi, Allen’s brother-in-law, established an Underground Railroad stop underneath the Mayhew cabin to provide a safe haven for enslaved people who crossed the Missouri River from Missouri, then a slave state, into Nebraska.

 

No Comments / May 11.10 / Photo, Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang

First National Bank, Bonnie & Clyde | Stuart, Iowa

The First National Bank operated in this building in downtown Stuart, Iowa from 1882 to 1944. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow robbed this bank on April 16, 1934 which was cited as “one of the more exciting happenings to occur in Stuart” in Stuart’s official city website. The building is currently functioning as Stuart Police Department’s headquarter.

No Comments / May 11.10 / Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang

Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall

The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, located in Nebraska City, Nebraska, was built in the Romanesque style in 1895 by Harry Lawrie and George Lee Fisher to serve as the gathering space for the William Baumer Post No. 24. The building, added into the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1985, is currently functioning as the Civil War Veterans Museum. The Grand Army of the Republic, known as G.A.R., was a fraternal organization to provide fellowship for the veterans of the Union Army after the American Civil War. The William Baumer Post No. 24 is one of the 354 G.A.R. posts in the state of Nebraska.

No Comments / May 10.10 / Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang

Haymarket Farmers’ Market | Lincoln, Nebraska

The Haymarket Farmers’ Market, located in the Haymarket District in Lincoln, Nebraska, is held every Saturday morning from 8:00 am to noon from May to Mid-October, featuring approximately 120 vendors selling fresh seasonal produces, handmade breads & pies, popcorn, crafts, and flowers.

Haymarket Farmers' Market | Lincoln, Nebraska | 2010 | Photo by Jen-Kuang Chang

No Comments / May 10.10 / Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang

Japanese Tea Room and Garden | Jacob L. Loose Memorial Park

The Japanese Tea Room and Garden, located in the Jacob L. Loose Memorial Park, was established in 2006 to stimulate the cultural exchange between Kansas City, Missouri and its Sister City Kurashaki, Japan. The facility, which can accommodate up to four people, is currently available for holding traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.

Japanese Tea Room and Garden | Jacob L. Memorial Park | 2010 | Field-Recording by Jen-Kuang

No Comments / May 08.10 / Found Sound, Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang