Here are listed the current entries for freeholds, glades, and haunts: from L-P. Feel free to peruse them at your leisure.
Good Dreaming to you, and Blessed Be.
Lake Ronkonkoma
Long Island, New York
Cascade
"Lake Ronkonkoma has been the subject of several legends originating from the American Indians who settled on Long Island. The legends were first spread to the white settlers on the Island about the middle of the 17th century. There exists a "recurrent" theme throughout all of the Indian legends surrounding Lake Ronkonkoma. The stories are of "someone who had been thwarted in a love affair and killed himself in the lake". The body would then turn up in another body of water.
The Indians believed in several gods, one being the Great Spirit Manitou whom they referred to as 'Caulkluntoowut, signifying one possessed of the highest power'. The Indians believed Manitou used the lake to express his displeasure through the continuous rise of the lake waters, particularly when anyone was drowned in the lake. However, if the bodies of those who drowned in the lake were found before the lake began to rise and then a beautiful maiden was sacrificed, the god would be appeased. Therefore, the lake would cease to rise preventing a flood on the Island." - from the website, at http://www.lakeronkonkoma.org/legends.htm(11/10/05)
Lambeau Field
Caer MistBay(Green Bay, Wisconsin)
the Dells
As freeholds come, one would not think of Lambeau Field as qualifying. However, many sports enthusiasts and sports professionals consider it a mecca of sorts, for much of what is professional footbal began in this caer, at that field. Many dreams were either realized or not at Lambeau Field. It is logical to assume that in any mass gathering, the imprint of so many souls can be left, their energy remaining as a residue that saturates where they once stood or sat; cheered or booed. In the opinion of many, nowhere is this more evident than at Lambeau. Home of the Green Bay Packers, it is the citizens of this Caer who own the team and the field. Win or lose, the people stand behind their team, which won the first two Super Bowls. The devotion of the people to their team - inasmuch as many streets are named after some of the legends of the team over the years - has inevitably turned Lambeau Field into a shrine of the "Frozen Tundra", as it is so fondly nicknamed. Many will tell you to this day, that it all began there." - ShadowDarkFyre the LordVengeance, ur-Lord of the Domain and Realms(04/20/06)
The Landmark Inn
Caer Landmark(Marquette, Michigan), in the Stronghold of the Scarred Lands(Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee, Michigan)
Snowdonia
"And then there's the Landmark Inn: a historical building that went through quite a rebirth. You walk in there for a weekend,... and you almost forget that there's an outside world. Three wonderful restauraunts: two on the ground floor and one on the sixth(top) floor. An exercise room, sauna, and hot tubs. A library and lounge on the top floor. a little gift shop on the ground floor. And the rooms themselves are nice, quiet, and cozy." - ShadowDarkFyre the LordVengeance, ur-Lord of the Domain and Realms.
Lighthouse Park
On the shores of the Coral Sea, in the province of Sunset(Holland, Michigan)
Aquaterra
"There is a State Park on Lake Michigan that has a pier leading to a functioning Lighthouse. I spent many magical days and nights in this park while attending college. Its just so peacefull I did all my studying there as well just communing with the powers that be and cementing friendships." - Solace Boheme, former ruler of Aquaterra
Mammoth Cave National Park
35 miles Northeast of Bowling Green, Kentucky
Sil Magra
Beneath the sandstone-capped ridges of Mammoth Cave National Park lies the most extensive cave system on Earth. After 4,000 years of intermittent exploration, the full extent of this water- formed labyrinth remains unknown. With more than 350 miles of surveyed passageways, Mammoth Cave is at least 3 times longer than any cave known. How long might it be?
Geologists estimate that there could be as many as 600 miles of yet undiscovered passageways. This vast cave system holds the world's most diverse cave ecosystem. Approximately 130 forms of life can be found in Mammoth Cave. Most are quite small. Some use the cave as only as a haven, while others are such specialized cave dwellers that they can live nowhere else. All are dependent on energy from the surface. Life in the cave is not separate from the rest of the natural communities found in Mammoth Cave National Park. It is an extension of the larger biological whole, whose diversity and abundance are preserved in this place. To tour the cave and not explore the park's surface trails and waterways is to gain but half of the total picture. At least 10 miles of Mammoth Cave were explored by aboriginal peoples 4,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that these early dwellers collected crystals and other salts found in the cave.
Exploration of the cave ceased some 2,000 years ago and did not begin again until the rediscovery of the cave in 1798. Mammoth Cave lies at the very beginning of American Tourism. As an attraction, the cave predates all national parks. People started visiting it as Flatt's Cave in 1810, and it became nationally known in 1816. Along with the early scenic national parks, Mammoth Cave eventually helped define our national identity in the 19th century, when our Nation desperately sought to dignify its industrial and military might. We seemed to lack the ancient places and cultural antiquities that Europe boasted, so we located our national identity in wonders of nature. Big was beautiful: Mammoth Cave, Grand Canyon, Giant Sequoia. These superlatives still live up to what Ralph Waldo Emerson once called "the brag" about them. Mammoth Cave was authorized as a national park in 1926 and was fully established in 1941. At that time just 40 miles of passageway had been mapped. As surveying techniques improved, great strides were made in describing and understanding the overwhelming extent of the cave system. Several caves in the park were shown to be connected, and today the cave system is known to extend well beyond the national park boundary. The park was named a World Heritage Site in 1981 and became the core area of an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990. With its 53,000 surface acres and underlying cave ecosystem, Mammoth Cave National Park is recognized as an international treasure. National park status and international recognition, however, are no guarantee for the continued protection and integrity of the natural systems of Mammoth Cave National Park. The park does not exist as a self-contained system. Research continues to demonstrate that cave and resident ecosystems are components of regional groundwater basins within the much larger Green River Basin. Groundwater inputs originate far beyond the park boundary, and under high-water conditions water quality is seriously degraded. Similarly, air quality studies have detected ozone at concentrations capable of damaging vegetation. If these world-class cave, forests, and riverine ecosystems are to be preserved for future generations, we must work together to protect the region's air and watersheds. - information researched and provided by Lady Dame FionaBrigit ni NicLeoid, ruler of Cibola
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park
Directly North of Woodstock, Vermont
Cascade
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is the only national park to focus on conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America. Opened in June 1998, Vermont's first national park preserves and interprets the historic Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller property.
The Park is named for George Perkins Marsh, one of the nation's first global environmental thinkers, who grew up on the property, and for Frederick Billings, an early conservationist who established a progressive dairy farm and professionally managed forest on the former Marsh farm. Frederick Billings's granddaughter, Mary French Rockefeller, and her husband, conservationist Laurance S. Rockefeller, sustained Billings's mindful practices in forestry and farming on the property over the latter half of the 20th century. In 1983, they established the Billings Farm & Museum to continue the farm's working dairy and to interpret rural Vermont life and agricultural history.
The park was created in 1992, when the Rockefellers gifted the estate's residential and forest lands to the people of the United States. Today, the Park interprets the history of conservation with tours of the mansion and the surrounding 550-acre forest. - information researched and provided by Lady Dame FionaBrigit ni NicLeoid, ruler of Cibola
Mount Shasta Wilderness
3-5 miles east of Lemuria, Pacifica(Mt. Shasta, California)
Pacifica
"Numerous mysterious legends and psychic messages speak of the significance of Mt. Shasta as a place of powerful earth energies. Some of the oldest legends tell of a tribe of dwarf-like people who are believed to live within the center of the mountain and be descendants of the pre-Antlantean culture of Lemuria. Hunters and campers exploring the high altitude forests of Mt. Shasta occasionally report seeing these small beings running through the woods. Contemporary psychics speak of the mountain as the center of a powerful energy vortex that radiates a vitalizing and healing energy throughout the northwestern US. More than any other mountain in North America, Mt. Shasta is a focal point for contemporary spirituality, attracting individual seekers as well as a variety of religious groups. Mt. Shasta is also said to be energetically linked with Mt. Katahdin, a sacred mountain in the state of Maine. The great forests and wonderful peacefulness of Mt. Shasta are constantly being threatened by logging interests and resort developers. Prayers and focused attention of contemporary pilgrims will assist in the protection of this magnificent sacred place." - from the website, at http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/united_states/shasta.html(01/19/06)
Muir Woods National Monument
12 miles North of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Pacifica
"It is known that the Native Americans living in the area which later became Marin County were Miwoks. The Miwok were, for the most part, coastal dwellers. The largest centers of population were located near present-day Bolinas, Sausalito and San Rafael, because these areas put them close to a dependable food supply of clams, mussels, limpets and acorns. Most likely the Miwoks never lived in Muir Woods; however, it is probable that they did pass through the area and, on occasion, hunt in this vicinity.
Western man came upon the scene with the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the mid 1700's. The Spanish practiced occasional logging to provide timbers for their ships and missions. Some grazing was done on coastal grasslands, and of course, crops were planted to provide the settlements with food. The most important legacy left by the Spanish on the environment of Marin County was their very great cultural influence which is still seen today, especially reflected in architectural themes.
In 1838, William Richardson received a Mexican grant of land, Rancho Saucelito (Little Willow Ranch), which contained all the Marin land southeast of Mt. Tamalpais, and included Redwood Canyon and the lands now within Muir Woods National Monument. The tranquil Spanish way of life was maintained until gold was discovered in California, at Sutter's Mill, in 1849. This caused a mass migration of those who hoped to make their fortunes in the gold fields. The password of the day became...get in, get rich quick, and get out. San Francisco became the center for this horde of humanity, and the tradition of leisured living came to an abrupt halt. Timber, meat and crops were now needed in much greater quantities. As a result black tail deer populations were reduced, and elk, antelope, grizzly and black bear, cougar and coyote disappeared completely. Most of the easily accessible timber in Marin County was logged between 1840 and 1870. Luckily Redwood Canyon escaped much of this onslaught because of its inaccessibility, and the extreme difficulty of logging such steep slopes.
Early visitors arrived on foot, on horseback, by buggy, and via the Mill Valley and Mt. Tamalpais Railroad, dubbed the "crookedest railroad in the world" because of the many twists and turns made by the tracks as they climbed Mt. Tamalpais. In 1908 the first automobile reached Muir Woods over the wagon road from Mill Valley. This early use of the Monument was quite casual as people wandered as they wished, and vehicles passed through the length of the canyon. Needless to say, such indiscriminate use caused severe damage to the understory (ground cover) vegetation, and eventually necessitated stronger regulatory measures. Cars were excluded from redwood groves in 1924, and the elimination of picnicking, the fencing of trails, and the prohibition of plant, animal and rock collecting soon followed. Also, small tracts of private land were added to the Monument to prevent incompatible land uses on contiguous lands.
Today Muir Woods stands as a reminder of the way much of the surrounding Marin County land once appeared. Here may be found an environment which can heighten our awareness of the gaps between 'progress' of the 20th Century technology and the quality of our lives." - information courtesy of Muir Woods National Monument
Natchez National Historical Park
Natchez, Mississippi
Belle Terres
Natchez National Historical Park celebrates the rich cultural history of Natchez, Mississippi and interprets the pivotal role the city played in the settlement of the old southwest, the Cotton Kingdom and the Antebellum South. The Park is made up of three units, Fort Rosalie is the location of an 18th Century fortification built by the French and later occupied by the British, Spanish and Americans. The William Johnson House was a house owned by William Johnson, a free African American businessman, whose diary tells the story of everyday life in antebellum Natchez. Melrose was the estate of John T. McMurran, a northerner who rose from being a middle class lawyer to a position of wealth and power in antebellum Natchez. Melrose and the William Johnson House are the only units currently open to the public. - information researched and provided by Lady Dame FionaBrigit ni NicLeoid, ruler of Cibola
Nicodemus National Historic Site
Near Bogue, Kansas
Plainitia
Nicodemus National Historic Site, Kansas. This area preserves, protects and interprets the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War. The town of Nicodemus is symbolic of the pioneer spirit of African-Americans who dared to leave the only region they had been familiar with to seek personal freedom and the opportunity to develop their talents and capabilities. - information researched and provided by Lady Dame FionaBrigit ni NicLeoid, ruler of Cibola
Oklahom City National Memorial
Caer Mal(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
ArkenStone
The Oklahoma City National Memorial is the largest memorial of its kind in the United States, honoring the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995. The memorial is located in downtown Oklahoma City on the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which was destroyed in the 1995 bombing.
The National Memorial was established on October 9, 1997 through the signing of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Act of 1997, by President Bill Clinton, and, as with all National Park Service historic areas, was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day. The memorial is administered by Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation, with the National Park Service maintaining a presence at the memorial for interpretation purposes.
The National Memorial Museum and the Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism are the two components which are housed in the old Journal Record Building on the north side of the memorial grounds.
The memorial was formally dedicated on April 19, 2000 - the fifth anniversary of the bombing; the museum was dedicated the following year on February 19.
The outdoor Symbolic Memorial, consists of the following segments on 3.3 acres (13,000 m˛), can be visited 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:
The Gates of Time: Monumental twin gates frame the moment of destruction - 9:02 - and mark the formal entrances to the Outdoor Memorial. 9:01, found on the eastern gate, represents the last moments of peace, while its opposite on the western gate, 9:03, represents the first moments of recovery. Both time stamps are inscribed on the interior of the monument, facing each other and the Reflecting Pool.
The outside of each gate bears this inscription:
We come here to remember those who were killed,
Those who survived and those changed forever.
May all who leave here know the impact of violence.
May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.
Reflecting Pool: Gently flowing water soothing wounds with calming sounds and providing a peaceful setting for quiet thoughts. A thin layer of water flowing over polished black granite, the Reflecting Pool runs east to west down the center of the Memorial on what was once Fifth Street. Visitors who see their reflection in the reflecting pool are supposed to see "a face of a person changed by domestic terrorism."
Field of Empty Chairs: 168 empty chairs hand-crafted from glass, bronze, and stone represent those who lost their lives in the tragedy. A bombing victim's name is etched in the glass base of each chair. The chairs represent the empty chairs at the dinner tables of the victim's family. The chairs are arranged in nine rows symbolizing the nine floors of the building, and each person's chair is on the row (or the floor) on which the person worked or was visiting when the bomb went off. The chairs are also grouped according to the blast pattern, with the most chairs nearest the most heavily damaged portion of the building. The westernmost column of five chairs represents the five people who died but were not in the Murrah Building when the bomb went off (two in the Water Resources Board building, one in the Athenian Building, one outside near the building, and one rescuer). The 19 smaller chairs represent the children killed in the bombing. Three unborn children died along with their mothers, and they are listed on their mothers' chairs beneath their mothers' names.
Survivors' Wall: The only remaining original portions of the Murrah Building are the southeast corner, known as the Survivors' Wall, and a portion of the south wall. The Survivors' Wall includes several panels of granite salvaged from the Murrah Building itself, inscribed with the names of more than 800 survivors from the building and the surrounding area, many of whom were injured in the blast.
The Survivor Tree: A 70 year old American Elm bore witness to the violence of April 19 and now stands as a profound symbol of human resilience. An American elm on the north side of the Memorial, this tree was the only shade tree in the parking lot across the street from the Murrah Building, and commuters came in to work early to get one of the shady parking spots provided by its branches. Photos of Oklahoma City taken around the time of statehood (1907) show this tree, meaning it is currently at least 101 years old. Despite its age, the tree was neglected and taken for granted prior to the blast. Heavily damaged by the bomb, the Tree ultimately survived after nearly being chopped down during the initial investigation, in order to recover evidence hanging in its branches and embedded in its bark.
The force of the blast ripped most of the branches from the Survivor Tree, glass and debris were imbedded in its trunk and fire from the cars parked beneath it blackened what was left of the tree. Most thought the tree could not survive. However, almost a year after the bombing, family members, survivors and rescue workers gathered for a memorial ceremony under the tree noticed it was beginning to bloom again. In that instant the tree became a symbol of what the city had come through. Like the tree, the city had been bent and bowed but it had not been broken. The tree and the city survived. The Survivor Tree now thrives, in no small part because the specifications for the Outdoor Memorial design included a mandate to feature and protect the Tree. One example of the dramatic measures taken to save the Tree: one of the roots that would have been cut by the wall surrounding the Tree was placed inside a large pipe, so it could reach the soil beyond the wall without being damaged. A second example is the decking around the Tree, which is raised several feet to make an underground crawlspace; workers enter through a secure hatchway and monitor the health of the Tree and maintain its very deep roots.
The inscription around the inside of the deck wall around the Survivor Tree reads:
The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us.
Hundreds of seeds from the Survivor Tree are planted annually and the resulting saplings are distributed each year on the anniversary of the bombing. Thousands of Survivor Trees are growing today in public and private places all over the United States; saplings were sent to Columbine High School after the massacre there, to New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, and various times.
The Memorial Fence: Originally installed to protect the sacred site, the Memorial Fence continues to display items left by visitors, which are dedicated to all involved. A ten foot tall (3.05 m) chain link fence was originally installed around the area that is now the Reflecting Pool and the Field of Empty Chairs to protect the site from damage and visitors from injury. The Fence stood for more than four years and became famous itself, with visitors leaving stuffed animals, poems, keychains, and other items there as tributes. During the construction of the Outdoor Memorial, 210 feet (64 m) of the Fence was moved to the west side of the Memorial, along the 9:03 side or the 'healing' side. The remainder of the Fence is in storage. Visitors may still leave small items along and in the Fence; the mementos are periodically collected, catalogued, and stored.
Rescuers' Orchard: A grove of fruit and flowering trees surrounds and protects the Survivor's Tree. Oklahoma redbuds (Oklahoma's state tree), Amur Maple, Chinese Pistache, and Bosque Elm trees are planted on the lawn around the Survivor Tree.
Children's Area: A wall of hand-painted tiles painted by children sent to Oklahoma City in 1995 and a series of chalkboards creates an opportunity for children to share their feelings. More than 5,000 hand-painted tiles, from all over the United States and Canada, were made by children and sent to Oklahoma City after the bombing in 1995. The tiles are now stored in the Memorial's Archives, and a sampling of those tiles is on the wall in the Children's Area, along with a series of chalkboards where children can draw and share their feelings. The Children's Area is north of the 9:03 gate, on the west side of the Museum.
And Jesus Wept: On a corner adjacent to the memorial is a sculpture of Jesus weeping erected by St. Joseph's Catholic Church. St. Joseph's, one of the first brick and mortar churches in the city, was almost completely destroyed by the blast. The statue is not part of the memorial itself but is popular with visitors nonetheless.
Journal Record Building: North of the memorial is the Journal Record Building which now houses the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, which features numerous exhibits and artifacts related to the Oklahoma City Bombing. Also in the building is the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a non-partisan think tank created shortly after the bombing by family members and survivors to spread knowledge of terrorism and its prevention.
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Plaza: Located just south of the Field of Empty Chairs, above the underground parking garage, is the raised Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Plaza. The plaza was an original part of the federal building, and contained garden and seating areas, as well as the second floor daycare's playground. Visitors to the Memorial may still access the plaza, and the flagpole from which flies the American flag is the original flagpole that was in place on April 19, 1995.
The National Memorial Center and the Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism are the other two components. - information researched and provided by Lady Dame FionaBrigit ni NicLeoid, ruler of Cibola; updated 5/12/2008 by ShadowDarkFyre the LordVengeance, ur-Lord
Petroglyph National Monument
Caer Turquoise(Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Cibola
As you walk among the petroglyphs, you are not alone. This world is alive with the sights and sounds of the high desert - a hawk spirals down from the mesa top, a roadrunner scurries into fragrant sage, a desert millipede traces waves in the sand. There is another presence beyond what we can see or hear. People who have lived along the Rio Grande for many centuries come alive again through images they carved on the shiny black rocks. These images, and associated archeological sites in the Albuquerque area, provide glimpses into a 12,000 year long story of human life in this area.
Petroglyph National Monument stretches 17 miles along Albuquerque's West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city’s western horizon. Authorized June 27, 1990, the 7,236 acre monument is cooperatively managed by the National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque.
Petroglyph National Monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including five volcanic cones, hundreds of archeological sites and an estimated 25,000 images carved by native peoples and early Spanish settlers. Many of the images are recognizable as animals, people, brands and crosses; others are more complex. Their meaning, possibly, understood only by the carver. These images are inseparable from the greater cultural landscape, from the spirits of the people who created them, and all who appreciate them.
Petroglyph National Monument is a place of respect, awe and wonderment. - information researched and provided by Lady Dame FionaBrigit ni NicLeoid, ruler of Cibola
Point Lobos State Reserve
3 miles South of Carmel, California
Pacifica
Deriving its name from the offshore rocks at Punta de los Lobos Marinos(Point of the Sea Wolves): where the sound of the sea lions carries inland, the reserve has often been called "the crown jewel of the State Park System." Point Lobos has offered many things to millions of people who have visited it over the years. Point Lobos State Reserve has outstanding passive recreation values, such as sightseeing, photography, painting, nature study, picnicking, SCUBA diving, and jogging. In addition to the spectacular beauty, nearly every aspect of its resources is of scientific interest. There are rare plant communities, endangered archeological sites, unique geological formations, and incredibly rich flora and fauna of both land and sea. - information researched and provided by Lady Dame FionaBrigit ni NicLeoid, ruler of Cibola
Lake Ronkonkoma
Lambeau Field
Oklahom City National Memorial
