Island Lost in Time

“Little did Roy suspect that his noncontroversial, nonpolitical, academic life would be plunged into turbulent chaos and life threatening entanglements, both controversial and political” (4). 


The Book  

Murder in Mackinac (Mackinac is pronounced Mack-i-naw) by Ronald J. Lewis is a mystery novel that you read just for fun. It follows the story of Roy Nelson, a college professor who gets caught up in solving a series of murders. The mystery takes the reader from Mackinac Island to Hawaii, from World War II to the present day, from politics to organized crime. The fiction might be hard to believe at times, but that is what is great about reading. Sometimes you just need a book that doesn’t make you think.

The best part about this book is Lewis’s decision to include destinations in and around Mackinac Island. This is my favorite part of the novel because I can picture the places I saw when I visited Mackinac Island. 

The Place   

Mackinac Island is a place where time has stood still. No cars are allowed on the island, visitors and residents must take a boat across Lake Huron to reach the island. Once there, you can take a tour of the island on a carriage pulled by horses. Highlights on the tour include: the Grand Hotel and Fort Mackinac. One of my favorite parts of the tour was the Arch Rock. High above the lake is a look-out point that shows visitors a rock formation in the form of an arch. Visitors can also rent bikes to ride around the island.

Mackinac Island is also known for its fudge. Down by the harbor are several local shops that sell fudge and other gift items. When we visited, we had lunch in Fort Mackinac and had a beautiful view of the harbor below. You can also see the Mackinac Bridge, the third largest suspension bridge in the world and the longest in the western hemisphere.

The White City

“The fair was so perfect, its grace and beauty like an assurance that for as long as it lasted nothing truly bad could happen to anyone, anywhere” (289). 


The Book   

One of my favorite books is The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Larson weaves together the stories of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (known as the White City) and H. H. Holmes (“the devil”). The book is split into four parts: background leading up to the construction for the exposition, construction of the exposition, the exposition, and the discovery of Holmes’ crimes. Holmes was a serial killer operating before, during, and after the fair. But, for the purpose of this blog I will focus on the fair.

Larson helps the reader imagine a time when the impossible seemed possible. Originally, the exposition was meant to open in October 1892, to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of Columbus discovering America. Delays caused the exposition to open in May 1893. The most incredible thing about this was that the location of the exposition was picked in February 1890. Larson explores the many issues the exposition and its director, Daniel Burnham, faced-economic crisis, rise of unions, weather, lack of time, and Chicago’s bad reputation. The reader comes away in awe of the magnitude of the undertaking and that it was a success.

The exposition helped put Chicago on the world map and introduced many new things to the world. The 27.5 million visitors (over six months) were exposed to electricity, moving pictures, Shredded Wheat, and other cultures. An engineer named George Washington Ferris designed the first Ferris Wheel for the exposition. 

The Place   

This past Saturday, my mom and I took a walking tour through the Chicago Architecture Foundation: White City Revisited. The tour is two hours and takes you through Jackson Park, the site of the exposition. The only building still standing from the exposition is the Museum of Science and Industry, which housed the art exhibits during the exposition.

The only other aspect left is the Wooded Islandin the middle of the park. A replica of the Statue of the Republic stands in the middle of an intersection and a bird and butterfly sanctuary occupy much of the Manufacturer’s and Liberal Arts building (a 32 acre building). The tour guide shows pictures to the group of the different buildings, points out their locations in the park, and mentions facts about the buildings and exposition.

Although many of the buildings are no longer standing, it is easy to imagine what the exposition would have looked like. The exposition was nicknamed the White City because all the buildings were painted white and reflected the sun as it moved throughout the day. It is said that exposition visitors were overwhelmed by the sheer size of the buildings and in certain areas many walked around quietly out of a sense of reverence. Jackson Park is a part of the Chicago Park District and visitors can walk the grounds without a tour guide.

Prairie Style Architect

Frank Lloyd Wright: “When creative effort is involved, there are no trivial circumstances. The most trivial of them may ruin the whole issue. Eternal vigilance is the only condition of creation in architecture” (67) 


The Book   

My Father, Frank Lloyd Wright by John Lloyd Wright is a unique look at Wright the Father. The general public already knows Wright the Architect. The biography is a collection of memories and stories; each chapter a new topic or event. According to his son, Frank Lloyd Wright was more interested in playtime with his children than academic training. Instead of going to school for training, John Lloyd Wright works with his father and learns how to be an architect.

Despite the focus on Wright as a father, the book can’t help but touch on Wright as an architect. The reader gets a glimpse into how he viewed creating and designing buildings. An interesting side note, which is briefly touched on in the book, is that John Lloyd Wright is the inventor of Lincoln Logs. 

The Place   

Last summer one of my friends was giving tours at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. My other friend and I decided to spend a Saturday in Oak Park, IL taking the tour. Oak Park is about 11 miles west of Chicago, but it is easy to forget how close you are to the city. The downtown area quickly blends into neighborhoods with large trees and picturesque houses.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio is at 951 Chicago Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302. The home is set back from the street and in close proximity to other Prairie Style buildings. The tour begins at the back of the house and visitors are led down the sidewalk to the front. You enter through the front door, as if you are visiting the Wright’s. My favorite room on the tour was the children’s playroom. It is a large room with windows at a child’s eyelevel. The studio is also unique and provides a glimpse into Wright’s creations. 

Visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside the Home and Studio without a photography pass. A walking tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District takes visitors through the Oak Park neighborhood. The Unity Temple, designed by Wright in the early 1900s, is a short walk from the Home and Studio. Tours are available as well.

Little Sure Shot

Annie Oakley: “Aim at a high mark, and you’ll hit it. No, not the first time, nor the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you’ll hit the bull’s eye of success” (232). 


The Book  

One of my childhood heroes was Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter who traveled with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. However, I never got around to reading an adult biography of Annie Oakley, just the kid versions. Annie Oakley by Shirl Kasper reveals more to the reader than simply the legend of Annie Oakley. It is true that Annie met Sitting Bull, the famous Native American from Custer’s Last Stand, and he adopted her. She traveled seventeen years with the Wild West Show and only missed five performances. Annie traveled the world showing off her skills, but her fame didn’t really take off until performances in London for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1887.

Annie Oakley was more than a skilled shooter; she was also a talented horse rider and sportswoman. Kasper takes the time to introduce the reader to a quiet and proper woman. Small of stature and a conservative manner, Annie wanted to be seen as a lady. The reader also gets a glimpse into the love story between Annie and Frank Butler. Butler was a talented shooter in his own right, but recognized that Annie had more potential. He became her manager and assistant-holding playing cards and throwing glass balls in the air for Annie to shoot. 

The Place   

Annie Oakley was born in Darke County, OH and lived in Greenville, OH. One of my good friends from college was from Greenville and she invited me to spend a weekend with her exploring Annie’s hometown.

The Garst Museum is run by the Darke County Historical Society and home to The National Annie Oakley Center. In the museum are memorabilia from Annie’s life: her guns, glass balls she shot, playing cards Frank held, and posters from her time traveling with Buffalo Bill. The legend of Annie Oakley is preserved well here. The museum also provides exhibits from the history of Darke County: a visit from Teddy Roosevelt, the time as a territory, and the broadcaster Lowell Thomas.

Outside of Greenville, visitors can drive to Annie Oakley’s birthplace. The cabin is no longer in existence, but a historical marker points out the exact spot. The one disappointing aspect of this historical marker is that it is not actually on the spot, it points a visitor 1,028 feet east of the marker. The birthplace can be hard to find. It is on Spencer Rd. in Yorkshire, OH 45388; in between N. Star Fort Loramie Rd. and Houschilt Rd.

A Tale of Two Presidents

“[Secretary of War] Stanton did not expect the [funeral] train itself to take on a life of its own and to become a venerated symbol in its own right” (212).


The Book   

As a follow-up to Manhunt, James L. Swanson wrote Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis. Just like his first book, Swanson produces a history book that is as enjoyable as a novel. He simultaneously tells the stories of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral and funeral train with the Union Army’s pursuit of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy.

Lincoln’s funeral was unlike anything Washington, DC had seen. A public viewing in the White House was followed by a funeral, a procession to the Capitol, and a public viewing in the Capitol Rotunda. Almost 3,000 people an hour walked through the Rotunda. A thirteen day, 1,645 mile train ride followed. The funeral train stopped in eleven cities. Swanson writes so the reader feels as if they are experiencing the sights and sounds of the train and cities.

As Lincoln’s train traveled northwest in May 1865, Jefferson Davis fled southwest. The collapse of the Confederacy followed him until he was captured in Georgia. Unlike Lincoln, Davis’s journey was far from over: he spent several years in prison and was released to live out his life a free man.

The Place 


Springfield, Illinois is three and a half hours southwest of Chicago. Besides being the state capitol, the only other distinction is Abraham Lincoln’s home and final resting place. The Old State Capitol and the row of shops facing it are preserved as if Lincoln still walked the streets to his law office. The building is a reconstruction of the original, but it is hard to tell. Visitors can walk into the Hall of Representatives, Senate Chamber, and Supreme Court. The Hall of Representatives is where Lincoln delivered his “House Divided” speech and where his body lay in state. Springfield was the smallest and last town on the funeral train’s route, but the people made sure to welcome their Lincoln back. Seventy-five thousand people walked past the open casket in the only twenty-four hour viewing. 



Cemeteries and tombs aren’t typically on my list of places to see; but of the few I have visited, Lincoln’s Tomb is the most impressive. It is 117 ft. tall and the obelisk towers over you. More like a building than a tomb, you can walk into the structure and file past where the Lincolns are buried. Because of a plot to kidnap his remains, Lincoln is actually ten feet underground.  

Accomplice or Bystander?

“By the summer of 1865, practically every American knew who Mary Surratt was. To them she was either a hard-hearted, manipulative co-conspirator who aided in the plan to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, or an innocent woman trapped in Booth’s murderous web and subjected to a vengeful and bloodthirsty military tribunal” (xi). 


The Book  

Most people know the name of Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, yet not many know the names of John Wilkes Booth’s conspirators and the role they each played. Four of them were hanged for their crimes, a handful spent time in jail, and the rest remained free. The Assassin’s Accomplice by Kate Clifford Larson tells the story of one of those conspirators: Mary Surratt. It provides a brief biography and goes into detail regarding her trial and involvement with Booth.

Surratt owned a boarding house that was home to numerous Confederate spies and couriers, as well as a meeting place for Booth. It was here that Union troops raced to on the night of the assassination searching for Booth. Soon afterwards, Surratt was arrested and put on trial. Larson walks the reader through the evidence that began to stack up against Surratt and the trial proceedings, which led to her death. Interestingly, the North wanted revenge for the assassination, yet they balked at the first execution of a woman. Larson shows the contrast between a criminal mind and the cultural beliefs about women at that time.

I would also recommend the film The Conspirator which portrays the trial of Mary Surratt. 


The Place  

Today, visitors to Washington, DC can find the Surratt boarding house in the heart of Chinatown. Unlike Ford’s Theatre or the Peterson House, this building is not a museum or tourist destination. It is a Chinese restaurant with a historical marker. On the outside, the house looks almost exactly as it did when John Wilkes Booth led the conspiracy to kidnap or assassinate Abraham Lincoln. You can have lunch or dinner inside while imagining the conferences between Southern sympathizers. 


Seven minutes southwest of the Surratt boarding house is the Lincoln Memorial.
It looms over the city and draws many more visitors than the obscure boarding house. I would recommend visiting the Lincoln Memorial during the day and at night; both times offer completely different atmospheres. From the front, you can look east down the Capital Mall and see the Washington Monument and Capitol building. I would also recommend walking around back. Not many people do this, but you get a great view of Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River. Inside, Abraham Lincoln towers over visitors and words from his speeches are engraved in the walls. A staircase on the side leads to a small museum underneath that is dedicated to the history of the memorial.

The President is Dead

“What happened in Washington, DC, in the spring of 1865, and in the swamps and rivers, and the forests and fields, of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have ever been made up” (Note to the Reader). 


The Book  

Eight hours. That is all the time John Wilkes Booth had to plan the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward. He succeeded in one assassination and was able to elude the full force of the United States military and citizens for twelve days.

In Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, author James L. Swanson relays the days between the assassination and Booth’s capture. Although it is nonfiction, the book reads like a historical novel. Swanson tells of the terror that gripped Washington, DC for twelve days and the uncertainty of a divided nation. The first two chapters’ detail Booth’s planning and the assassination. The following seven chapters follow the assassin as he races south. Swanson explores the nation’s obsession with the capture of Booth, the War Department’s attempts to round up hundreds of co-conspirators, and the failure to take Booth alive. 

The Place   

When I was four years old, my grandparents took me to visit Washington, DC for the first time. At that young age, I was very interested in all things about Abraham Lincoln. Naturally, my grandparents took me to visit Ford’s Theatre. The theatre is decorated exactly as it was on the night of Lincoln’s assassination, April 14, 1865. The auditorium doubles as a working theatre, putting on various plays throughout the year. In the basement is a museum dedicated to Lincoln, the Civil War, and the assassination. Artifacts include the Deringer pistol Booth used to shoot Lincoln and items from Booth’s flight south.

Just across the street is the Peterson House, where Lincoln died. Visitors can view the back room where Lincoln was laid on a bed too small for his tall frame. You can imagine the numerous doctors hovering over the president, doing their best to make him comfortable. The front parlor is where Mary Lincoln cried for her husband; the next room over was used by Secretary of War Stanton to begin the search for Booth.

Because Ford’s Theatre is a working theatre, there are times when visitors are not allowed in the auditorium. Tickets are also required to visit the theatre. Same-day tickets are free, but harder to get if it is a busy tourist season. You can purchase advance individual tickets online.