Revisit Their Everydays

BY CANDACE L. DORIOTT

Early settlements in the Americas were sometimes risky propositions. Four that survived and prospered have festivities planned in 2008 to celebrate landmark anniversaries. Greensboro, North Carolina, turns 200; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, celebrates 250 years; Annapolis, Maryland, commemorates 300; and Canada’s Quebec City, founded in 1608, is throwing a birthday bash worthy of its 400-year history. If your ancestors had connections to any of these cities, you’ll want to join the party.

Next time you travel, consider staying at a historic hotel. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, more than 200 hotels have “maintained their historic integrity, architecture and ambience” to become one of an elite list. Stay in an original colonial home in Williamsburg, Virginia; the 1887 Victorian-style Grand Hotel on Michigan’s Mackinac Island; or the Mission Inn in Riverside, California, an architectural mélange of Southwestern and Mediterranean styles that has its own docent-led history tours. Other options include Art Deco gems, a Shaker village, and even a steamboat.

Take a break from your own 1040 and look at the one your ancestors dealt with in 1913. Learn more about why we have taxes, or delve into a sordid history that includes arson (to cover up pension fraud) and murder (by a jilted lover) at the U.S. Treasury. Want something tamer? e treasury also hosts a Web page devoted to the dog that guarded the rst U.S. Mint.