Author: TheKnowOwl

Historic map of Martha’s Vineyard from 1954

Historic old map of Ludlow, Vermont from 1885

Vermont

Click here to see what Ludlow looked like 100+ years ago!

Beautiful bird’s eye view of Shenandoah, PA from 1889

Click here to see Shenandoah toward the end of the 19th century

Historic old map of Philippi, West Virginia in 1897

West Virginia

Click here to find out what Philippi, WV looked like in the 19th century

Beautifully restored map of Norfolk & Portsmouth, Virginia from 1873

Virginia

Click here to see what Portsmouth and Norfolk looked like in the 19th century.

Bird’s eye view of Middletown, Connecticut in 1877

This beautiful vintage map shows Middletown, Connecticut as it looked in 1877. At the time...

Beautifully restored map of Port Huron, Michigan from 1867

Detailed bird’s eye view of Port Huron, Michigan from 1867

Bird’s eye view of Bennington, Vermont in 1887

Vermont

Click here to see what Bennington, Vermont looked like 130+ years ago

Bird’s eye view of Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1893

This is what Haverhill looked like when only 30,000 people lived here

Bird’s eye view of Buffalo’s Pan-American Exposition of 1901

New York

Bird’s eye view of the 1091 Pan-American Expo in Buffalo, New York

Bird’s eye view of Gardner, Massachusetts in 1880

This map of Gardner, Massachusetts was created in 1880 by Beck & Paul Lithographers and the...

Amazing map of Texas from the Centennial Exposition in 1936

Texas

The Centennial Exposition celebrated the 100th anniversary of Texas’s independence from Mexico in 1836.

Long lost map of NYC shows locations of historical events

New York

Amazing stories and images from the early years of Manhattan!

Beautifully restored map of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan from 1884

This historic old map of Mount Pleasant, Michigan was created in 1884 by O.H. Bailey, a prominent...

Plan of Newport, Rhode Island created in 1777 by the invading British Army

Rhode Island

Click here to see Newport, Rhode Island in 1777

The church thought the Earth was flat

Magellan planned the first circumnavigation of the Earth, proving that the planet was round.

Young men, life is before you

Young men, life is before you. Two voices are calling you – one coming out from…

Mark Twain’s thoughts on Satan

This missive on Satan was written by Mark Twain and published by Elbert Hubbard…

Time Management Is Vital to Success

In these days, much of the profit and sometimes the whole of success…

Beautifully restored map of Naperville, IL from 1869

Illinois

Detailed bird’s eye view of Naperville, Illinois in 1869

Beautifully restored map of Wallingford, Connecticut in 1881

Historic bird’s eye view of Wallingford, Connecticut

Beautifully detailed map of Chicopee, Massachusetts in 1878

Historic bird’s eye view of Chicopee, Massachusetts in 1878

Beautifully restored map of Jefferson, Wisconsin in 1880

Wisconsin

Detailed bird’s eye view of Jefferson, Wisconsin in 1880

Good Advice from a Rich Man

The following advice is from Russell Sage, and was discovered in a publication…

Historic map of Peterborough, New Hampshire from 1886

Click here to see what Peterborough looked like 100+ years ago!

There is Only One Straight Road to Success

There is but one straight road to success, and that is merit. The successful man…

Beautifully detailed map of Webster, Mass in 1878

Historic bird’s eye view of Webster, Massachusetts

How Patience Leads To Success

We do not always think of patience as one of the most important factors in success…

Charles Schwab’s Secrets of Success

In an Address at Princeton University in 1920, Charles M. Schwab revealed…

Using Auto-Suggestion to Succeed

If you are a failure, if you are unhappy and despondent, you may see the person who…

The Power of Words

Words are more powerful and more far-reaching in their influence than we…

Napoleon Hill’s Story of Opportunity

A little old woman walked into one of Pittsburgh’s department stores…

Derive happiness from good works

Derive happiness from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds…

6 Tips For Having A Successful Career

This advice was written by Max Aitken, also known as Lord Beaverbrook. He was a…

What Is A Friend?

Two men were talking about friendship, and one of them had praised Emerson’s splendid…

C.S. Mott’s Pointers for Executives

Devote careful attention to training other men to shoulder and properly discharge…

Civil Air Patrol: Eyes of the Home Skies Vintage Poster

American History

Click here to see a vintage Civil Air Patrol Poster from 1943

When you’re afraid, keep your mind on what you have to do. And if you have…

When you’re afraid, keep your mind on what you have to do. And if you have been…

Beautifully detailed map of Houston, Texas from 1891

Texas

Historic bird’s eye view of Houston, Texas from 1891

Rudyard Kipling Beautifully Describes the Power of Words

There is an ancient legend which tells us that when a man first achieved a most notable…

Historic old map of Hinsdale, New Hampshire from 1886

Detailed bird’s eye view of Hinsdale, New Hampshire in 1886

The value of a smile at Christmas

It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing…

Helen Keller Believed In The Power of Love

I believe that every question between man and man is a religious question…

Happiness is The Result of Effort

Happiness is a result of our efforts, once we know the necessary ingredients…

10 Things to Do, “Just for Today”

Just for today I will be happy. This assumes what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that…

Beautifully detailed map of Pittston, Pennsylvania from 1892

Detailed bird’s eye view of Pittston, Pennsylvania in 1892

Choose a Purpose for Your Life

Great minds have purposes, others have wishes. Little minds are tamed and subdued…

Each Defeat Is An Education

What is defeat? Nothing but education, nothing but the first step to something…

Light Makes Things Seen and Unseen

Light that makes things seen, makes some things invisible. Were it not for darkness…

Shut out all but what is useful

Shut out all of your past except that which will help you weather your tomorrows.

Overcome Depression By Reading Books

When I find myself depressed over present conditions, I can, within one hour, banish…

Cultivate the power of enthusiasm

If you would like to be a power among men, cultivate enthusiasm. People will like you…

Mark Twain and the Courageous Flea, a short story

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear… not absence of fear. Except a creature…

Beautifully restored map of Somerville, New Jersey from 1882

New Jersey

Detailed bird’s eye view of Somerville, New Jersey in 1882

Beautifully detailed map of Dallas, Texas from 1872

Texas

Historic bird’s eye view of Dallas, Texas as it used to be

Beautifully restored map of Atlanta, Georgia from 1892

Georgia

Historic bird’s eye view of Atlanta, Georgia in 1892

Beautifully restored map of Jacksonville, Florida in 1893

Florida

This old map shows a bird’s eye view of Jacksonville, Florida in 1893.

Beautifully restored map of Lake City, Florida in 1885

Florida

Detailed bird’s eye view of Lake City, Florida in 1885.

Beautifully restored map of Chattanooga, TN from 1886

Tennessee

Historic bird’s eye view of Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1886

Beautifully restored map of Waupun, Wisconsin in 1885

Wisconsin

Historic bird’s eye view of Waupun, Wisconsin in 1885

Beautifully detailed map of Knoxville, Tennessee in 1886

Tennessee

Detailed bird’s eye view of Knoxville, Tennessee in 1886

Beautifully restored map of Albany, Georgia from 1885

Georgia

Historic bird’s eye view of Albany, Georgia in the late 19th century

Plato explains the difference between good and bad people

A bad man is wretched amidst every earthly advantage; a good man, troubled on…

Work is the True Elixir of Life

Work is the true elixir of life. The busiest man is the happiest man. Excellence in any art or…

Theodore Roosevelt admired those who worked hard, pitied those who didn’t

I pity the creature who doesn’t work, at whichever end of the social scale…

Alexander Graham Bell, “Know What Work You Want To Do”

Know what work you want to do and go after it. The young man who gets ahead must…

John D. Rockefeller explains how to get rich

The man who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won’t succeed; you must…

Supreme Court Justice Reveals The Secret Of His Success

“I know hardly anyone who works too hard. I believe in hard work and long hours of work.”

Calvin Coolidge Promotes Effort and Activity For Personal Growth

Work is not a curse; it is the prerogative of intelligence, the only means to manhood…

Helen Keller talks about the symbolism and purpose behind the human hand

Look where we will, we find the hand in time and history, working, building, inventing…

Restored bird’s eye view of Birmingham, Alabama in 1885

Alabama

Historic bird’s eye view of Birmingham, Alabama in 1885

Beautifully restored map of Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1874

Detailed bird’s eye view of Kalamazoo, Michigan as it used to be.

Beautifully restored map of Blackstone, MA from 1879

Historic old map of Blackstone, Massachusetts from 1879

Beautifully restored map of Whitman, MA from 1889

Historic old map of Whitman, Massachusetts from 1889

Historic map of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts from 1893

Detailed bird’s eye view of Vineyard Haven, MA in 1893

Beautifully detailed map of Westport, CT from 1878

Detailed bird’s eye view of Westport, Connecticut in 1878

The complete history of Thanksgiving

There seems to be little recognition of the part Abraham Lincoln played in nationalizing…

Ralph Waldo Emerson on friendship: “To have a friend, be a friend”

The only way to have a friend is to be one. A friend is a person with whom I may be…

9 Inspirational Quotes on Courage

Quotes

Courage is having the mental strength to do something difficult, dangerous, or scary…

Iranistan, P.T. Barnum’s lost palace once located in Bridgeport, CT

P.T. Barnum, most famously known for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus…

Historic old map of Bristol, New Hampshire from 1884

Detailed bird’s eye view of Bristol, New Hampshire in 1884

Beautifully restored map of Denver, Colorado from 1882

Colorado

Detailed bird’s eye view of Denver, Colorado in 1882

Vintage Marines recruiting posters restored to original glory

American History

7 vintage U.S. Marines recruiting posters from WWI

Beautifully detailed map of Stamford, CT from 1875

Historic bird’s eye view of Stamford, Connecticut in 1875

Beautifully detailed map of Stoneham, MA from 1878

Detailed bird’s eye view of Stoneham, Massachusetts in 1878

Beautifully detailed map of Colebrook, NH in 1887

Detailed bird’s eye view of Colebrook, New Hampshire in 1887

Beautifully restored map of Charlton, MA in 1887

Detailed bird’s eye view of Charlton, Massachusetts in 1887

Beautifully detailed map of Orange, MA from 1883

Detailed bird’s eye view of Orange, Massachusetts in 1883

Beautifully detailed map of Plymouth, NH from 1883

Historic bird’s eye view of Plymouth, New Hampshire from 1883

Historic old map of East Stroudsburg, PA from 1884

Detailed bird’s eye view of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania from 1884

Beautifully detailed map of Blairstown, NJ from 1883

New Jersey

Detailed bird’s eye view of Blairstown, NJ from 1883

Beautiful old map of Coleman, Michigan from 1884

Detailed bird’s eye view of Coleman, Michigan in the late 19th century

There are always plenty of troubles ahead, so don’t turn and look back

Never worry about anything that is past. Charge it up to experience and forget the…

Beautifully detailed map of Clare, Michigan from 1884

Detailed bird’s eye view of Clare, Michigan in 1884

Beautifully detailed map of New Kensington, PA 1896

Detailed bird’s eye view of New Kensington, PA in 1896

Map of Historic Kansas, a one page history dedicated to the Old Timers, 1930

Kansas

Beautifully detailed pictorial map of Kansas, 1930

Beautifully detailed map of Hyde Park, Massachusetts from 1879

Historic bird’s eye view of Hyde Park, Massachusetts in 1879

Beautifully restored map of Marblehead, MA from 1882