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American Roads and Global Highways has so many great articles you may want to search it for your favorite places or new exciting destinations.
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 Cover of Tenant from Hell
The Tenant from Hell
Book 1 in the Realtor Mystery Series
Casey Clark, property manager, is just trying to evict a bad tenant. Instead she is over her head in murder and mayhem

 Cover of Double Duplicity
Double Duplicity
Book 2 in the Realtor Mystery Series
Trouble  follows Casey like a raging fire.


 
cover of Missing
Missing-- Gone but not Forgotten

Based on the unsolved abduction of a little girl in a rural  Florida Community.




coverof Under a Bloody Flag

Under a Bloody Flag

Kansas and Missouri were a "no man's land" in the days before the War between the States.




 
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Under a Black Flag
Kansas and Missouri heated to the boiling point during the War between the States. 





cover of For want of a ship
For Want of a Ship
John Roy came to New Orleans looking  for peace instead he found war.





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Last Step
Last Step will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you gasping in surprise at the ending





 
cover of kudzu
Kudzu
Kudzu shows you a different part of the South, past and present. Mystery with a touch of romance and a smidgen of paranormal.





cover of Wild about florida south
Wild about Florida: South FL
The Everglades swarm with wildlife from birds,  to mammals, to reptiles.




cover of Wild about florida central
Wild about Florida: Central FL
Central Florida has the ocean and gulf beaches much like other parts of Florida but in many other ways it is distinct and unique. 



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Wild About Florida: North FL
Come explore caves, hills, whitewater falls and lots of other fun things you didn't expect to find in Florida.

 

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Georgia's Ghostly Getaways 

Who is not fascinated by mysterious things that go bump in the night? Are there some places where departed souls still linger?



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Hosts With Ghosts
The South has long been famous for its Southern Hospitality. Hotels throughout Dixie vie with one another to offer their guests more service and more amenities. Many have guests that never depart.


cover of finding florida's phantoms
Finding Florida's Phantoms
Florida! The land of sunshine and wide-open beaches. But even the Sunshine State has its dark secrets. Places where centuries old spirits remain tied to earth. Beneath the facade of fun and make believe lurks the real Florida.

cover of color st augustine coloring book
Color Saint Augustine
This is a way to virtually visit Saint Augustine. It's a coloring book for grown ups (but kids will love it too.)  with an actual photo of the attractions in Saint Augustine. The opposite page is the same photo converted into a black and white line image for you to to color. It's 64 pages with 30 photos and 30 pages for you to color. On each photo and each color page there is a little about the story of the image . 
     





































buffalo soldiers museum in Texas 

“Buffalo Soldiers In the Heart of America”
The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas

Renée S. Gordon


mural in buffalo soldiers museum

There have been no American military engagements in which African Americans have not participated at some level. In the 1600s British colonies blacks were used to defend against Indian attacks. Massachusetts’ 1636 law was one of the earliest documented laws to state that “all able-bodied Negroes” had to report to serve in the militia. Enslaved and freedmen were among the 9,000 African Americans serving in the Continental Army as Patriots, largely in integrated units. During the War of 1812 it is estimated that 15% of the soldiers and sailors were of African descent and General Andrew Jackson called for “free colored inhabitants of Louisiana” to enlist in the US Army on Sept. 21, 1814 with the promise of equal pay. The Civil War witnessed Union enlistment of approximately 200,000 African Americans, an estimated 100,000 once enslaved, resulting in a death toll of nearly 40,000.

buffalo soldier and horse exhibit

copy of poster recruiting Black soldiers

The government enacted a law on June 28, 1866 that established four segregated infantry and two cavalry Buffalo Soldier units. These regiments were created to “increase and fix the military peace establishment of the United States”. They were stationed in the South to enforce Reconstruction, build and repair infrastructure and protect those engaged in the westward migration. The Buffalo Soldiers enlisted for five years at a rate of $13.00 a month and room and board.

map showing black soldiers stations

In the years they served they were stationed at nearly all of the Texas frontier forts between the Rio Grande and the Red River beginning with their first transfer to Texas in 1873. It was they who erected forts, accompanied wagon trains, guarded the railroads and mail, brought criminals to justice and fought against Indian attacks. They accomplished all these things while being issued substandard equipment and being victims of unrelenting prejudice. Some white officers refused to lead them, Custer being one of them, and they were restricted to postings west of the Mississippi River because some whites refused to have them in their area. In spite of hardships they completed their jobs and served with honor.

plaque at buffalo soldiers museum

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum and The Center for African American Military History are in Houston, Texas serves to maintain and promulgate their history and legacy. It was established in 2001 by Captain Paul Matthews and meticulously showcases his astonishingly large private collection. Matthews began his collection in the 1960s after learning of their exploits. The 28 galleries are thematic and interpret the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and the African American military experience up to the present. An orientation movie is offered before embarking on the self-guided tour.

logo of Houston buffalo soldiers museum

Gallery 12 is the Westward Expansion. It is believed that the Buffalo Soldiers received their name from the Plains Indians because their hair and ferocity resembled that of the buffalo. The name was a term of respect and the soldiers themselves embraced it and incorporated the animal on their regimental insignia. Former slave Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper’s story is told here. In 1877 he was the first black West Point graduate and served with the 10th Cavalry as the first black officer to command in the regular US Army. He was targeted, court martialed and dismissed in 1882. In 1999 he received a presidential pardon.

buffalo tiles on floor

Henry Flipper exhibit

Native Americans, Seminole Indian Scouts and the Indian Wars introduces visitors to the Black Seminole scouts. The Seminoles were asked to relocate to Texas, serve as scouts, and promised, land, rations and pay. They served valiantly but the US kept none of the promises even going so far as to stop rations for their families. The unit was disbanded in 1914 and by that time they had earned four Medals of Honor. The honorees are buried in the Seminole Negro Indian Scout Cemetery near Fort Clark, Texas.

guns exhibit at buffalo soldiers museum

President Theodore Roosevelt, after banding together a group known as The Rough Riders, garnered a reputation as a military tactician and leader during the Spanish American War. History tells us that they charged Cuba’s San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898 but somehow omits, or downplays the fact, that all four of the then existing regiments of the US Colored Troops also made the charge. The Rough Riders and the 9th and 10th were the first to charge. Gallery 14 returns them to the narrative.

cathay Williams informationplacard

cathay williams exhiit

William Cathay became a Buffalo Soldier on November 15, 1866. Numerous illnesses resulted in visits to the post doctor and the discovery that William Cathay was actually Cathay Williams, the only woman to ever serve as a Buffalo Soldier. She was honorably discharged. A short video and additional information is located in Gallery 15.

The remaining galleries are filled with artifacts, art and memorabilia on the World Wars, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Pearl Harbor, Women in the Military and the Camp Logan Race Riot. The tour ends at the Medal of Honor Wall with information on the nine Medal of Honor recipients.

WWI monument

Ultimately the Buffalo Soldiers were deactivated and integrated into a racially integrated US Armed Forces as mandated in Truman’s Executive Order 9981. The Twenty-fourth, the final segregated unit, remained so until the Korean War in 1951.

Mardi Gras Indian costume

details of mardi gras indian costukme

details of mardi gras indian costume

One of the highlights of the museum is a Buffalo Soldier Mardi Gras costume. It is located in the lobby and one should examine the details closely.

horse sculpture at museum

This museum is a gem and not to be missed.

Note: Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 22 features a Buffalo Soldier marker and memorial tree. The Rough Riders Marker is nearby.