Travel | The Ben Franklin Follies

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Wilson Park in Florence, Alabama

January 29, 2012

This week’s Sunday Sign tells us a bit about the history of Woodrow Wilson Park in downtown Florence, Alabama. Wilson Park is about as pretty as small parks come…. If you haven’t been to Florence, Alabama you really must visit…… Humans, dogs, cats, birds….all are welcome…. The Sunday Sign is a weekly feature of The […]

Sunday Sign: Telluride Gondola

January 22, 2012

It’s ski season, so this week’s Sunday Sign brings us a few fun facts about the Telluride Gondola, which is actually a free public transportation system, not a “ski lift.” It’s also 100% wind-powered. The Gondola connects the the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village. More information on the Telluride Gondola The Sunday Sign […]

The Shirley Place

January 15, 2012

The Shirley Place in Northport, Alabama is featured as this week’s Sunday Sign: Related Posts The Sunday Sign is a weekly feature of The Ben Franklin Follies.

Montrose, Colorado: Sunday Sign

November 27, 2011

This week’s Sunday Sign gives a shout-out to lovely Montrose, Colorado. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Montrose a couple of times since my brother and his family moved there in 2008. Montrose is located in the southwestern quadrant of Colorado, in the Uncompahgre Valley, in lands originally populated by the Ute Indians. White settlers […]

Jackson’s Military Road

November 20, 2011

This week’s Sunday Sign highlights Jackson’s Military Road in Northwest Alabama. The road plays a central role in the history of Northwest Alabama, from pioneer settlements to rock-and-roll iconography. The road itself was built by American soldiers under the leadership of General Andrew Jackson, following the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. The military road […]

Henry County, Missouri: Sunday Sign

November 13, 2011

This Henry County, Missouri historical marker is this week’s Sunday Sign: Henry County, Missouri is in west central Missouri. I spent a couple of hours in Clinton, the county seat, in August 2010, where I enjoyed a nice sandwich and cake at The Ben Franklin Coffee House on the town square. Benjamin Franklin would […]

A Piece of the Berlin Wall in Georgia

October 23, 2011

The Berlin Wall today is the symbol of the physical, cultural and social separation of the “East” and “West” during the Cold War era. From August 13, 1961 until 1989, the Berlin Wall was also the physical barricade between East and West Germany. This week’s Sunday Sign describes this small section of the Berlin Wall […]

Squam Bridge – New Hampshire

October 9, 2011

This week’s Sunday Sign is rather small—it marks the covered bridge across the Squam River in Ashland, New Hampshire. Built in 1990, the Squam Bridge isn’t an historic covered bridge. But it is significant because it represents the idea and values of the residents of Ashland, New Hamphsire. Rather than replace an existing condemned bridge […]

Happy, Texas: Sunday Sign

October 2, 2011

Last year, I drove across Texas on my way to Colorado. I passed through the town of Happy, Texas not far from the Texas/New Mexico border. I’d been driving for what seemed like forever through scrubby West Texas. It occurred to me that the original settlers probably named this place “Happy” as a marketing or […]

Waggoner Swindle To Save Bank of Telluride: Sunday Sign

September 18, 2011

As banks around the US began to fail in 1929, Charles D. Waggoner, president of the Bank of Telluride, saw the writing on the wall. Waggoner knew that customer confidence was, essentially, all that remained of the Bank’s assets. The week’s Sunday Sign commemorates Waggoner’s “Great Swindle” to save the Bank of Telluride. On August […]