In April of 2021, the famous documentarian, Ken Burns, released a 6-hour documentary called Hemingway. As its name implies, this documentary is about the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize-winning American writer, Ernest Hemingway. I have not seen the film, but based on Ken Burns’ other works, I am sure that it does a fantastic job…
Tag: Historic Home
Jane Austen’s House
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen ranks among the most famous British writers in history. I enjoy Jane Austen’s books, but for the strangest reason, I cannot remember the inside of her home in Chawton, even though I saw it in 2010. I only remember watching a short video about her life…
The Kilns: C.S. Lewis’ Home
The British author, C.S. Lewis, is probably best known for his children’s fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. However, he is known for his Christian works as well, such as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. After serving in WWI, Lewis attended Oxford University. Following his graduation, he remained at Oxford and taught English Language…
Driehaus Museum in Chicago
Some of the best museums are historic homes, because they provide you with an immersive experience into another era. Perhaps one of the most beautiful historic homes in Chicago is the Driehaus Museum. Completed in 1883, the home first belonged to a banker named Samuel Nickerson. However, over the years, it changed hands from private…
Zion, Illinois: A City Founded by a Cult
About an hour north of Chicago and 10 minutes south of the state of Wisconsin lies a city called Zion. If you were to drive through it, nothing particularly interesting would stand out to you. In fact, the two times that I have been there, it appeared somewhat deserted. However, it had an interesting beginning….
Arlington National Cemetery
In the United States, the last Monday of the month of May is Memorial Day, in which everyone takes off from work to remember those who died in various U.S. wars. Originally called Decoration Day, this national holiday began in 1868 to commemorate those who died in the American Civil War (1861-1865). However, eventually, the…
5 Historically Noteworthy Homes in the Chicago Area
Even though museums, libraries, archives, etc. are currently closed throughout the majority of the world because of the Coronavirus, there are other ways to still visit historic places. Here are 5 historically noteworthy homes that are never open to the public anyway, but that you can drive and see from the outside if you are…
Sheldon Peck Homestead and the Underground Railroad
In United States history, a person became a member of the “Underground Railroad” if he or she assisted slaves from the Southern states to escape to free areas where slavery was illegal (often the Northern states or Canada). Nobody had to formally join an organization called the Underground Railroad to become a member. The phrase…
International Museum of Surgical Science
“At Home in Chicago” is a consortium of over 20 mansions in the Chicago area that are open to the public. One of these mansions was built for a wealthy Chicago family in 1917, and faces Lake Shore Drive. Since 1954, this mansion has housed the International Museum of Surgical Science, which is owned by…
DuSable Museum of African American History
After the American Civil War, freed slaves began migrating to the northern United States. This trend continued into the beginning of the twentieth century, as the Ku Klux Klan revived in 1915, and as African Americans in the South sought better job opportunities in the North. The migration of African Americans to the North between…
Bet Arkeh 