About Howard Kramer

For those who love ships, but hate all those pesky modern conveniences like motors and GPS navigation tools, relics of the golden age of sailing can still be found at ports around the world. The United States boasts many of the best surviving sailing ships of the 18th and 19th centuries, from merchant vessels to whalers to warships, and these can be found in harbors and museums … [Read more...]

Since the outset of World War II, aircraft carriers have formed the backbone of the United States Navy. After 1945, these magnificent engineering wonders completely replaced battleships as the only capital ships constructed for combat.  There are approximately two dozen still afloat, including some in active service and some that have been mothballed.  Five are currently in use … [Read more...]

Between 1895 and 1945, the United States navy commissioned 64 battleships. A number of these have managed to escape Davy Jones’ locker and are now open to visitors.  From America’s oldest surviving battleship in Texas to two of the most famous battleships in Hawaii, here are five of the best battleship museums in the United States: USS Texas Houston, TX (New York class; … [Read more...]

As American cities go, Los Angeles does not immediately jump out as a location particularly famous for its churches and other religious sites.  But there are few places that can match the City of Angels in terms of religious diversity and architecture.  Christian places of worship are of course well represented.  But beyond the churches, which range from centuries old missions … [Read more...]

When it comes to historic religious sites, few places in the United States can rival New York City.  Packed into the city’s five boroughs is one of the largest and most diverse collection of churches, synagogues, temples and other religious sites to be found just about anywhere in the Western Hemisphere.  And no place showcases these architectural masterpieces like Manhattan.  … [Read more...]

The city of St. Augustine in Florida was the site of the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States.  Founded in 1565, it predates the earliest settlements of the English and Dutch in America by almost half a century.  Not surprisingly, St. Augustine is home to some very old and very historic churches.  From America’s first Catholic parish in the 16th … [Read more...]

Philadelphia is one of America’s oldest and most historic cities.  It has a long history of religious tolerance, and many religious groups and denominations in the United States got their start right here in the City of Brotherly Love.  Not surprisingly, Philadelphia is packed with an amazing selection of historic religious sites, with many clustered in and around the old city … [Read more...]

The city of Cincinnati, an important center of trade along the Ohio River even before the American Revolution, was a major draw for both settlers from the Eastern Seaboard and German immigrants throughout the 19th century.  These early settlers left their mark on the city in the form of some of the earliest major churches in the Midwest.  Cincinnati was also the site of the … [Read more...]

The city of San Francisco, one of the most historic American cities west of the Rocky Mountains, is home to some of the oldest, largest and most magnificent religious buildings on the Pacific Coast.  Site of one of the original Spanish missions from which Christianity spread throughout California, San Francisco was a convergence point for Spanish Catholics from the south, … [Read more...]

Charleston, South Carolina is one of America’s great historic church cities.  Charleston’s nickname, the ‘Holy City’, has been attributed to the forest of immense church steeples that sprout from the city skyline as seen from the harbor.  This is particularly true in the historic district where local ordinances keep modern buildings and building heights to a minimum. While … [Read more...]