Kaskaskia, Illinois is an enclave of Illinois, lying west
of the Mississippi River and accessible only from Missouri. Most of the town
was destroyed in April 1881 by flooding, as the Mississippi River shifted
eastward to a new channel. The river now passes east rather than west of the
town. The state boundary line, however, remained in its original location.
Kaskaskia has an Illinois telephone are code (618) and a Missouri ZIP code
(63673).
·Population 14
·Second smallest incorporated community in
Illinois
·Peak population of 7,000 in the 18th
century
·February 3, 1889 – named capital of the U.S.
Illinois Territory
·1818-19 – Capital of Illinois when Illinois
became 21st State
The U.S. county with the largest population, Los Angeles (10,170,292) and
the U.S. county with the largest
land area, San Bernardino, share a common border.
The movie takes place in ‘Gary’. Opening scene filmed
at U.S. Steel.
1994
Richie Rich
Gary Municipal Airport
2001
Pearl Harbor
The industrial section of ‘Tokyo’ is the 4,000-acre US
Steel Gary Works at Gary, Indiana, on the shore of Lake Michigan (standing in
for the Pacific).
2009
Life After People (T.V. Documentary)
City Methodist Church.*
2010
A Nightmare on Elm Street
(1) City Methodist Church.* (2) Tyler Street – used as a backdrop for a
dream sequence that in the film takes place on Elm Street.
2011
Transformers Dark of the Moon**
(1) The Chernobyl reactor site is an old cement plant
on the shoe of Lake Michigan, now a part of the grounds of the Majestic Star
Casino on Buffington Harbor Drive. (2) Epps and his men take shelter inside a
bombed-out church (City Methodist).*
2018
Demon House
As mass hysteria breaks-out over an alleged demonic
possession of an Indiana home, referred to as a portal to hell, “Ghost Adventurers" host and paranormal investigator Zak Bagans buys the house at 3860 Carolina
Street. He and his crew then become the next victims of the most documented
case of demonic possession in U.S. history.
*The City Methodist Church is a disused church in Gary,
Indiana. Once the largest Methodist church in the Midwest, it ceased as a place
of worship in 1975 after a relatively brief life of just over 50 years.
Filming of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" at the City Methodist Church
**The D.C. Parkway highway pursuit was filmed on Cline
Ave. which is the border between Hammond and Gary.
The settlement that eventually became Portland, Oregon was
originally referred to as “Stumptown” and “The Clearing” because of the many
trees cut down to allow for its growth. In 1845, the land came to be owned
jointly by Asa Lovejoy of Boston and Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland,
Maine. Both Pettygrove and Lovejoy wished to rename “The Clearing” after their
respective hometowns. The controversy was settled with a coin toss which
Pettygrove won in a series of two out of three tosses, thereby providing
Portland with its namesake. The coin used for this decision, now known as the
Portland Penny, is on display in the headquarters of the Oregon Historical
Society.
An unincorporated community in McDowell County. Named
after Mine Number 6, a nearby coal mine.
Eight
West Virginia (none)
Was an unincorporated community in McDowell County.
Post office closed in 1936.
Twentysix
Kentucky (none)
An unincorporated community in Morgan County. The
community’s first postmaster submitted 25 possible community names, and then
jotted down “26” which was the year she submitted the list. (No longer has a
post office).
Fifty-six
Arkansas 72533
A city in Stone County. (Pop. 173). When founding the
community in 1918, locals submitted the name “Newcomb” for the settlement.
This request was rejected, and the federal government named the community for
its school district number (56).
Sixty Six
South Carolina (none)
An unincorporated community in Orangeburg County.
Seventy Six
Kentucky (none)
An unincorporated community in Clinton County. No
longer has a post office. Named after nearby Seventy Six Falls.
Seventy Six
Missouri (none)
An unincorporated community in Brazeau Township in
eastern Perry County. Several theories as to how community came to be named.
(No longer inhabited).
Eighty Four
Pennsylvania 15330
A census-designated place in Washington County, PA. (Pop.
657). Originally named Smithville. Due to postal confusion with another town
of the same name, its name was changed to “Eighty Four” on July 28, 1884. Eighty
Four contains the 84 Lumber company’s headquarters.
Eighty Eight
Kentucky 42130 (Zip Code retained for historic purposes
only – no post office)
An unincorporated township in Barren County. The town
was named in 1860 by the community’s first postmaster. He had little faith in
the legibility of his handwriting, and thought that using numbers would solve
the problem. He then reached into his pocket and came up with 88 cents. The
town’s biggest claim to fame was the celebration of August 8, 1988 (8/8/88).
People with affinity for the number 8 descended on the town from various
parts of the nation and world, and the celebration was televised on national
television.
Ninety Six
South Carolina 29666
A town in Greenwood County, South Carolina. (Pop. 1,998).
No clear information as to how town came to be named Ninety Six.
Hundred
West Virginia 26575
A town in Wetzel County. (Pop. 299). Hundred was named
for Henry Church and his wife, the first settlers who lived to be 109 and
106.
Salem Sue is
the world's largest
Holstein Cow statue. Sue is a large fiberglass Holstein cow sculpture
located in New Salem, North Dakota, United States. Sue was built in 1974 for
$40,000. The project was sponsored by the New Salem Lions Club in honor of
the local dairy farming industry. The statue stands 38 feet high and 50 feet
long. It sits on School Hill near Interstate 94 off exit 127 S and can be viewed
for several miles.
The "World's
Largest Buffalo Monument" is a sculpture of an American Bison
located in Jamestown, North Dakota at the Frontier Village. It is visible
from Interstate 94, overlooking the city from above the James River valley.
The statue is a significant tourist draw for Jamestown and the source of its
nickname, The Buffalo City.
The sculpture is 26 feet tall and 46 feet long and
weighs 54 tons. It was constructed with stucco and cement around a steel beam
frame shaped with wire mesh.
The sculpture was commissioned in 1959 by local
businessman Harold Newman, designed by Elmer Petersen, Jamestown College Art
Professor and sculptor, and constructed under Peterson's supervision by
professional construction workers and community members.
On July 24, 2010, the World's Largest Buffalo was named
"Dakota Thunder", after
a contest that drew more than 3,500 entries.
For well over 2 decades, China has led the world in
skyscraper construction, and 2018 was no exception.
The countries fixation on urban growth and continued
economic success is producing tall buildings at a staggering rate. Last year,
a mind-boggling 89 skyscrapers were completed in 28 different cities around
China.
To put this building boom into perspective, China
completed more skyscrapers in one year then New York City’s entire stock of
656 foot and taller buildings.
In 2018, no city reached for the stars quite like
Shenzhen. The city, which is a hub of China’s high-flying tech sector, now
has the second-most skyscrapers in the world, surpassed only by Dubai.
Shenzhen isn’t just building a lot of skyscrapers, it’s
building extremely tall ones too.
In 2017, for example, the ribbon was cut on the massive
Ping An Finance Center, which is currently the 4th tallest building in the
world. Last year alone, four new towers cracked the 1,000-foot barrier.
ASIA RISING
While
China’s scale is hard to beat, other cities in the region are also undergoing
dramatic changes, particularly in Southeast Asia. Malaysia and Indonesia
completed a combined 13 new skyscrapers, and the Vincom Landmark 81
was added to Ho Chi Minh City’s growing roster of unique skyscrapers.
While
there are two skyscrapers under construction in Japan – one in Tokyo and one
in Yokohama – none of them were completed last year.
A NEW ERA OF AMERICAN
SKYSCRAPERS
After a two-decade lull in skyscraper construction, the
United States is embracing taller buildings again. Last year alone, the U.S.
added 14 new skyscrapers into the mix, particularly in New York City, where
construction cranes dot the horizon. In the past decade, NYC has added 25 new
skyscrapers to its iconic skyline.
This trend is showing no signs of slowing down. Between
now and 2022, 44 skyscraper projects are expected to be completed in the
United States, with the vast majority being built in the Big Apple.
·Connecticut was #1 in 2012 and #2 for outbound
moves in 2017. 2018 is first time in last 8 years that Connecticut has not
been in the top 8 of outbound moves.
·Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey have all
made the list of most outbound moves consistently since 2013
SOUTHERN STATES:
·Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Texas remained
constant in the top 8 from 2013-2017 for inbound moves.
·Tennessee, Texas and Florida held their spot
in the top 8 list for inbound moves in 2018.
·Overall the Southern states have had more
inbound moves than some of the other regions.
MIDWESTERN STATES:
·Illinois has consistently been in the top 3
positions of outbound moves since 2013, getting the number 1 position 4
times.
·Michigan has been on the top 8 list with the
most outbound moves since 2011.
·Iowa consistently had more outbound than
inbound moves since 2011 but had more inbound moves than outbound moves in
2018.
·Minnesota and Ohio have stayed constant,
having more outbound moves than inbound.
·Wisconsin has gone back and forth in having
more inbound or outbound moves.
WESTERN STATES:
·In 2013 and 14, Idaho wasn’t in the top inbound
states. Then in 2015 it was #1. It remained #1 in 2016 and slipped to #2 in 2017.
Idaho is back up to #1 for inbound moves in 2018.
·Oregon, Arizona and Colorado have consistently
been in the top 8 for inbound movers, with Arizona #2 for 3 years and at #1
in 2017.
Fort Jefferson is a massive but unfinished coastal
fortress. It is the
largest brick masonry structure in the Americas and is composed of
over 16 million bricks*. The building covers 16 acres. Among United States
forts, only Fort Monroe in Virginia and Fort Adams in Rhode Island are
larger. The fort is located on Garden Key in the lower Florida Keys within
the Dry Tortugas National Park, 68 miles west of the island of Key West. The
Dry Tortugas are part of Monroe County, Florida.
*That’s a lot of
bricks. The Big Stack (see post dated January 12, 2018) has 2,464,652 bricks. (JKS)
The Sam Kee Company—one of the wealthiest firms in
Chinatown—purchased a standard-sized lot in 1903. In 1912, however, Vancouver
widened Pender Street and expropriated 24 feet of the above-ground portion of
the property—effectively (or so it was first believed) making conventional
commercial use of the remaining frontage impractical, if not impossible. In
1913, after refusing the neighbors offer to buy the remaining land, Sam Kee hired
an architectural firm to design a building that would fit on the lot.
BUILDING DIMENSIONS:
Ground floor depth (from storefront to rear of
building): 4 feet 11 inches. Second floor depth (from overhanging bay window
to rear): 6 feet.
CURRENT USAGE:
The building is currently a tourist attraction and also houses an insurance office.
CLAIM TO TITLE OF WORLD’S SHALLOWEST BUILDING:
·The building depth is 4 feet 11 inches on the
ground floor.
·Recognized as the “World’s Shallowest
Building” by Guinness World Records
THE HENDEL BUILDING
AKA “THE SKINNY BUILDING”
241 FORBES AVE., PITTSBURGH, PA
HISTORY:
The Hendel Building, more commonly known as the "Skinny
Building", is an unusual building in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The
Skinny Building's narrow lot was created in 1903 by a street widening project.
The building itself was constructed in 1926 by Louis Hendel, partly out of
spite for neighboring business owners who complained about him obstructing
the sidewalk with his fruit-selling business.
BUILDING DIMENSIONS:
The “Skinny Building” is 80 feet long and 5 feet 3
inches wide. It is a three-story steel-framed building with a brick, wood and
glass façade.
CURRENT USAGE:
The building is currently owned by the Pittsburgh
History and Landmarks Foundation and the Foundation plans to renovate the
building as part of the Fourth Avenue Historic District.
CLAIM TO THE TITLE OF THE WORLD’S SHALLOWEST
BUILDING:
·At no point along the entire three-story
height does the building exceed a depth of 5 feet 3 inches.
·The second floor of the Sam Kee Building has a
depth of 6 feet.
