Maine Public Broadcasting has given listeners the 1863 story of Billy Boy Laird, the only soldier executed for desertion in the state of Maine during the Civil War. He was shot by firing squad at Fort Preble in Portland, and though the details of his actions are in dispute, there’s no denying his story took a particularly tragic twist after his death.
The Lois McLure
Vermont Public Broadcasting recently took a look at life on the canal schooners of Vermont. These vessels were uniquely rigged to travel by sail on the lakes, but could drop their rigging to be able to navigate the canal systems. They were integral to supplying the City of New York with all manner of goods, everything from lumber and coal to food for the humans and hay for the horses. You can learn more by visiting the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
Today’s Flashback photo is a terrific shot of the ceremonies that took place as workmen laid the cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial. The vandalism of the memorial last week got us to thinking about its designer, New Englander Daniel Chester French, and how he became the premier sculptor of his day.
Love him or hate him, he makes everyone’s blood boil and gets their brains moving. And now Ralph Nader is starting a museum of tort law in his hometown of Winsted, Conn., which he hopes will get people thinking about corporate power. You can keep up with Nader’s current writings here.
Workers installing the Lincoln Memorial cornerstone
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