I've restored the database from backup that ran overnight Friday and the database is up and running again. Sometime after 10 AM on Saturday, April 19, 2008, a malicious hacker gained access to the server and trashed the SQL Server marker database. It was an automated attack. I cannot say with certainty how access was gained, but on April 17 Microsoft identified a vulnerability with the Internet Information Server of Windows Server 2003 (which is the server software we use) that had been used to do similar nastiness elsewhere. I've followed the instructions to close that vulnerability. There is also a chance that the hacker gained access through a SQL Server injection attack. These are successful only if the programmer (me) did not secure each blank on each input form and each URL query string against this kind of attack. I was very careful to secure them before the site went live, and as I've updated them, but I might have missed one. I will have to retest each and every one of them to be sure. Viewers who browsed HMdb.org pages Saturday after the attack saw pages that were missing information, and most importantly, if you used a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, you were asked permission to install a malicious ActiveX control purporting to be from Microsoft. If you allowed the installation to proceed, your computer may have been infected with a virus or something similar. If you did not, your computer would not have been infected. An up-to-date virus checker on your computer would have detected and neutralized the infection, and told you about it. If you accessed this site Saturday, please think back to see if you could have installed it. (For future reference, this website does not use ActiveX controls. An request to install one is suspicious. Don't install it.) A marker update (correction) and three new markers that were submitted Saturday morning at 6:10, 7:46, 8:14, and 10:06 AM were lost because they were submitted after the backup ran. I will contact the two contributors that were affected. Please accept my apologies for the trouble. I'm working to make sure it does not happen again.

 
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It happened again today, in spite of some bulletproofing I put in after the last attack. We are back up and have lost 4 marker pages added today. I will be contacting the contributors who were affected. After the first attack I looked for programs or a service that could scan hmdb.org and tell me where the vulnerabilities were so I could patch them up. Unfortunately the cheapest program I found cost $5000. They are all priced for commercial accounts, and out of our league. If anybody out there has a copy of HP Webinspect or similar and could run it against HMdb.org and share the results with me I would certainly appreciate it very much. I'm looking for SQL Injection Exploit holes. Meanwhile, I'll keep eyeballing the code for holes and patch them as I find them. My apologies for the outages and any work you may have lost.

 
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Waymarking has a group "Louisiana Historical Markers" that may be of interest. http://www.waymarking.com/groups/details.aspx?f=1&guid=2e8d721f-b7d6-4dfc-be00-3379ff6e0f94 Louisiana Historical Markers

 
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Eleven more of the silver and black monopole roadside markers from the Department of Historic Resources will join the more than 2000 markers already planted along Virginia's roadsides. They were approved at the Department's quarterly meeting in March. Erection dates have not yet been determined. The 11 markers are: • Lynchburg City: Amaza Lee Meredith, one of the nation's few black female architects. • Virginia Beach: Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1371, staffed with black workers. • Hanover County: Studley Beacon, flashing beacon guided pilots on airmail routes. • Dinwiddie county: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, purchased her freedom and became confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln. • Hampton: Hampton Indian Program at the Hampton Institute • James City County: Peace Meeting Poisoning, where the English in 1623 toasted the Indians with poisoned wine. • Rockingham County: Zenda and Long's Chapel. Zenda was a new black community in the 1870s. • Accomack County: NASA Wallops Flight Facility, one of the oldest rocket launch facilities in the world. • Richmond: St. Joseph Catholic Church, first known congregation of black Roman Catholics. • Sussex County: Sappony Baptist Church, site of Civil War battle in 1864. • James City County: Sir William Berkeley, colonial governor who established the bicameral General Assembly. Keep your eye out for them so you can be the one to add them to the database.

 
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You’re standing in front of a marker and don’t know if it is already in the database. Should you take multiple photos and write down the location and map coordinates and chase down the subject for more photos? Or should you move on? If you can obtain the latitude and longitude of your location (from your hand-held or dashboard GPS device), and have a cell phone with Internet browsing capability, you can find out. Go to Hmdb.org/a, enter your location, and you’ll get a list of the 10 nearest markers and how far they are from you. It’s that simple. You may be wondering why you have to enter your location. Doesn’t the phone know where it is? Yes, your phone knows its latitude and longitude, but it won’t give it up to a web site without a fight. To automate the process, I would have to write a model-specific program for each phone, compile them into binary code, get them approved by each phone manufacturer and cell phone carrier, and you would have to download it and install it on your phone. It’s not going to happen. So, sorry, you’ve got to punch in the latitude and longitude to use this HMdb service. The reason for the cryptic page name, the “a” in “hmdb.org/a”, is to make it easier to type into the phone. On my phone I put it into the “My Links” list so I can go to it with just a few clicks. Let me know if you run into any trouble.

 
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A separate RSS Feed was added to the Forum (new link at the top of this page). Now you can subscribe from your favorite news reader (I just started using Outlook 2007) and it will notify you when a new post is received. [/rss/forum.asp] The marker page script was reworked to eliminate repeated database calls to fetch submitter's information used in the credits. Pages with many photos render up to 50% faster. [/marker.asp] The Marker Series a marker belongs to, if any, is now listed on the marker's page. [/marker.asp] The Forum page format has been modified slightly and hopefully improved. [/forum.asp]

 
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The column of Google ads on the right hand side has been moved away from the right margin on wide monitors for a less cluttered display.

 
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A rare intermittent problem that could occur during photo uploading has been found and fixed. This problem would cause an upload of a subsequent photo to a page to replace the previous photo with the subsequent photo, and leave an over-sized blank image in the subsequent photo's position. It could only occur if you had a fast broadband connection which allowed you to upload the second photo within 60 seconds of the first, and both photos had the same caption. Thanks to Kevin W. who provided the detailed report of the sequence of events.

 
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Thank you Kevin W. for identifying this bug. I've encountered it, but never in a million years would have attributed it to my "fast broadband connection" (which I don't consider it to be)! :D

 
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That rarely used field on the Add-A-Marker page 2, Related Markers, has been enhanced. The default legend "To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown" can now be replaced with any text or left blank.

 
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Image adjustment has been added to the Photo Manipulation section of the Add Photo form. You can now adjust the brightness, contrast and saturation of the photo you’re uploading or have uploaded. It is not as good as the adjustments you can make in a photo editor program such as Picasa or Photoshop, but it works. The adjustments work only on the version of the photo that displays on the marker page. It does not change the original image (the one you uploaded). This means that if you do not like the adjustment you’ve just made, you can go back to the original settings by using the cropping link, which reuses the original photo to recreate the smaller image. A related improvement has to do with metadata that can be embedded in JPEG image files. Your camera records information about itself and its settings there. HMdb now adds caption, copyright, and location information to this metadata as it stores the file after upload. Now if our photos get “borrowed” their origin will travel with the image. Every evening the system goes back and updates a few thousand of the older photos with this new information so all photos in the database should be tagged by the end of the week. To see what this information looks like, click on any recent image and scroll to the very bottom of the page. These two new features became available in a recent upgrade to the Persits brand of software that runs the website image uploading and manipulation. I've used this software for years on various projects and highly recommend it to automated website designers.

 
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Support is now in place for marker subtitles. An automated procedure will be rolling through the database pulling subtitles out the Title field and into the Subtitle fields later this week. Until now, subtitles were entered with a line break tag. After they are pulled out, the line break tag will become invalid in title fields. This interpretative panel, Fort Anderson, is an example of a marker that has subtitles.

 
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Virginia has collected many (unfortunately not all) of the nomination forms for National Register of Historic Places on the site linked here. Does anyone know of other states which offer similar collections. I've searched in vain for a similar listing for Maryland. I find the nomination forms a useful first stop when researching the content of markers. Not only do the forms detail more than what can be stated on a marker, in many cases they offer photographs and maps of the site. Virginia NRHP Nominations

 
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Ironically, I found this yesterday. It puts Virginia's site to shame. I think you'll like it. Explore Maryland's National Register Properties

 
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And here's West Virgina, in case you're interested. West Virginia Historic Register listing

 
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I've seen the Maryland site before, but doesn't offer a copy of the original nomination paperwork, unless I'm missing something. I really like having that documentation handy to bounce off field notes. Great for not only addresses and locations, but in many cases primary source material regarding the history of a dwelling or historic district.

 
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The Maryland Historical Trust Historic Sites Survey provides NHRP forms for every site in Maryland that I've checked so far. It also includes many sites that have not been nominated for the NHRP. However, there are no records for Baltimore city. A few caveats: it tends to search as a string - thus leading to no results when there should be some; also, the database can be a bit wonky. Maryland Historical Trust Historic Sites Survey

 
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Thanks for the updated information on the New Paltz Marker. The truth is that I wrote down the location and then lost my notes. I have entered the correct information.

 
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The database’s 3000th marker was published today. It was submitted by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland, titled “Serving the Community’s Health Care Needs” and was found in Gaithersburg, Maryland, near the train station. The 2000th marker was just published two months ago September 2nd. It was “Patsy Cline: Country Music Singer” found in Winchester, Virginia, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. The 1000th marker was published about 5 months ago on June 8th. It was the “Cape Mendocino Lighthouse” marker in Shelter Cove, California submitted by Karen Key of Sacramento California. . The 1st marker was published December 27, 2005, a few days before the database website went live on January 1, 2006, and even then I don’t think anyone noticed it until Google started to list the site on its searches a few months later. That marker is titled “Ravensworth” and is in Springfield, Virginia and, naturally, I was the contributor. It took a a year and a half to get to 1000, and not much time at all to get to 2000 and 3000, thanks to all of you hard-working contributors. I appreciate your efforts and hope your contributions to this website are giving you the same satisfaction it is giving me.

 
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Congratulations! Of course, making the site simple and responsive has no doubt helped in it's success. Funny you mention Google taking a few months to list your first marker. I've not timed it, but I've noticed that process probably is now under a minute after publishing a new marker.

 
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Thanks. It was the RRS feed added earlier this year that made Google listings nearly instantaneous. Before that it took about a week for a marker to get listed.

 
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According to my differential equations, based on the current growth rate, every historical marker on the face of the earth will be cataloged by sometime in late August 2008......

 
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Congrats on 3000! I think a growth graph would be an interesting addition to the database statistics report. :)

 
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The database’s 4000th marker was published today. It was submitted by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas. Titled “Jolly Cemetery,” it was found in Jollyville. 1000 markers were added between November 6th and today, in less than two months. The rate of additions to the database continues to accelerate. I wonder if the dead of winter will slow things down. A heartfelt thanks to all of you who took the time to upload your finds, and to our editors who worked tirelessly to get them published. Happy New Year!

 
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The database’s 5000th marker was published earlier today. It was submitted by Christopher Busta-Peck of Baltimore, Maryland, and is titled “Catonsville: A Turnpike Town.” It is one of a series of interpretive panels that dot the route of the National Road through Maryland from Baltimore to the Pennsylvania State line west of Grantsville. Even in the dead of winter, it only took 50 days to add 1000 markers to the database. I wonder what’s going to happen this spring! Thank you, contributors and editors—volunteers all—for all the time and effort you’ve put into growing this database. I truly appreciate it.

 
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Are there any plans to take the latitude and longitude listed and create a CSV or GPX file so they can be downloaded into GPS's? This would be a very effective tool for attracting new visitors to our nations historical markers.

 
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I just took a look at the GPX file format. Looks relatively easy to do. I propose a link on all map pages that can be used to download a GPX file. The map page is common to all other pages, such as search results, categories, state, county and zip code lists, and nearby marker links. The way to get to the desired GPX file would be to show the map first, then you can download a GPX file containing all the pushpins on the map as waypoints.

 
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A link to download a GPX file is now available on all map pages. It will contain the locations of all pushpins shown on the map as waypoints. In addition to the marker name and its coordinates, directions to the marker (like those shown on the map page's pushpin legend), and a link back to the marker page are embedded in the waypoint. Use these files to export marker locations for import to your GPS device, or to other website and computer programs like Google Earth. Take HMdb with you on your next driving trip by transfering marker locations to your GPS unit today! Please report any trouble and suggestions for improvement to the editor@hmdb.org .

 
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The GPX file generator has been reworked to handle the HTML to XML ampersand conversion problem. (If XML is an improvement over HTML, why design it to cause problems? Search "XML ampersand" to hear the complaints!) It now passes the Xerces Validating Parser without complaint. GPX files downloaded from HMDB maps can be used to transfer marker locations as waypoints in your GPX unit. I would appreciate fresh comments on how these new files work with the various GPS units out there. Editor@hmdb.org

 
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CADIZ JUNCTION, OHIO:: There is a Marker waiting for the finder. Linda Morgan the Librian at Cadiz, Ohio can put you at the exact spot. This ("Millers Depot") was one of Lincoln's eating spots on 2-14-1861 heading to Washington. BRISTOL, PENN.: (Marker located - Near intersection of Bristol Pike & Pond St.) This stop of Lincoln was totally unplanned and un-expected by the residents. They only hoped to wave at Lincoln's Train as it went through Bristol. But to the Public's surprise - IT STOPPED. PEEKSKILL, N.Y.: Can locate marker via the web site www.lincolnsociety.com The Peekskill Lincoln Society is one of the Oldest Lincoln Society in the U. S.. There seems to be the Old Depot yet existing. SYRACUSE, N.Y.: Possible Marker at Vanderbilt Square in Syracuse. Good photo on hand of their Train Depot. In Syracuse trains ran down their streets. ROCHESTER, N.Y.: (Possible Marker at or near: Mill & State Streets). Interesting Depot - photo on hand. Many other of Lincoln's 91 (or more) stops on his 1,904 mile trip to Washington, D.C. from Springfield, Ill to be sworn in as President. Your help appreciated in getting the Markers Listed. Al Wolf, Veedersburg

 
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Well J. J. Prats -and- All At "Historic Markers Data Base" let me be the first to exted to you and US Congratulations for HITTING the 4,000th Marker Listed. Indeed I included all of we contributors, but your editing and help has assisted in making the adventure more pleasing and interesting. OH by the WAY J.J. ,, I could not believe that the 4,000th entry would win a new car ! ! Neither should anyone else. NO prizes.. Just the personal satisfaction of assisting the public to note the Markers of History.. AL Wolf - Veedersburg, Indiana

 
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Thank you, Al, for your kind words. As you pointed out, congratulations are due to all 125 contributing correspondents who took the time to upload those 4000 markers with more than 16,000 photographs, links and additional comments; and to the editors who helped to publish them. This is a joint effort. Without your efforts, this website would only have 523 markers and very little embellishment. Thank you all very much. While we have over 4000 markers on hand, only 3972 have been published so far. So we still don't know which will be the 4000th marker. I'll post a note when the 4000th marker gets published. Some of you folks spend an awful lot of time working on the site. I appreciate every minute. But don't forget to pause every once in a while to pay some attention to your wives, husbands, and significant others. You don't want them to get jealous of your new love! (Mine has been grumbling for some time now.) On behalf of all the editors at The Historical Marker Database, I would like to wish all of our correspondents a Happy and Calmer New Year. Happy hunting!

 
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A good measure of the "quality" of work is the number of photographs and links offered per marker. Entries on the HMDB average just over three photos per marker. That means more than a "head shot" of the marker is being offered, and in many cases visual guides to the subject discussed. The entries average just under one link per marker. This means visitors are treated to more than just the simple text off the marker.

 
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New York State markers are starting to come in and we need to standardize the names of political subdivisions inside counties in the database. In New York, cities, towns, villages, and hamlets are distinct even though they may have the same name. For example, the Village of Alfred versus the Town of Alfred, both in Allegany County. I am proposing that cities, towns, and villages in New York state be listed with their qualified name, i.e. "Village of Alfred" rather than just "Alfred". Any thoughts? Administrative Divisions of New York (Wikipedia)

 
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By popular demand, a page with instructions on how to insert bold and italic font and the like—and special characters—into datatabase text is now ready. Titled “Typographic Guidelines and Typesetters’ Characters,” the page discusses does and dont’s and how-to’s and contains a table of special characters and their escape sequences.

 
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Many thanks to Kevin W. and Bill Coughlin and others who provided several of the markers to complete this set of virtual tours. The Chancellorsville markers did not easily group into a "marker series" as several different generations of National Park Service, Virginia State Historical Commission, and Civil War Trails markers exist to interpret this major battle. The markers are grouped into seven sets of related markers labeled as "Virtual Tours" linked off the trailhead below. These "virtual tours" generally match to driving tour stops from the National Park Service. The tours include sites of the fighting in one of the Civil War's largest, and arguably most confusing to follow, battle. Hopefully the groupings and ordering of the markers here will help clear up some of the later. So if you are planning a trip to Chancellorsville, you can use the database to plan your stops. Or if you have visited the battlefield and want to refer back to something you read or saw, we've got the markers documented. Trailhead for Chancellorsville Virtual Tours by Markers

 
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With a mind to a "soft" standard for the Civil War Trails marker entries, please consider the following guidelines: 1. The CWT Markers usually have a title and sub-title, please use the following format: Main Title<single break>subtitle (in italics if a quote on the marker's display). Example: Battle of Noplace "They fought hard!". 2. The campaign or topic banner (within the red stripe on the marker) included as the first line of the marker text, in bold, separated from the main text with a hard break: campaign of xxx 3. Paragraphs from the marker text should be separated by a double break. 4. Sidebars (indicated visually with a distinct background color block from the main marker which is usually white) should be divided from the main text by a double break, and indicated with a subtle heading using "(sidebar):" in italics: (sidebar): or (left/right sidebar): . 5. In some new CWT markers there is a standard preface box added, like the sidebar within a special color block. Indicate it with a similar heading: (preface): . 6. Reference any caption to photos, illustrations, or maps as entries in the Optional comments on the marker itself and location box. Please include the photo source where provided on the marker, but this isn't a hard and fast rule for submission. Where possible slip the caption text in by way of reference to the figure's position on the marker: Example1: On the upper right is a photo of "General Jones, graduate of VMI, class of 1848, and leader of the Army of the Lost River." Example2: On the lower left is a map detailing the maneuvers described in the text. The map carries the caption, "General Jones launched his attack on the Federal lines early in the day." Example3: In the upper center the marker displays portraits of Gens. Jones, Smith, and Adams. <Use where no real captions other than the names are provided.> 7. The marker should be included in the respective state Civil War Trails series. 8. If the marker is one of the standardized and repeated tour sets (i.e. Gettysburg-Invasion and Retreat, 1862 Antietam Campaign - Lee Invades Maryland, The Booth Trail, or the Baltimore House Divided markers), then please offer a link to the CWT page discussing that particular tour. See the link below for the main CW Traveler web site with the tour listings. 9. If the marker references a battle, where possible a link to the NPS battle summary page should be included. Again, these are offered as suggestions and recommendations. It is probably more important to have the marker documented within the database to begin with! Still a little standardization will aid search, submission, and reader look and feel. The plan is to update existing markers in the database as time permits. Civil War Traveler

 
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Craig, do contributors have access the italics and other symbols? I may have missed something with my entries, but I have tried to use italics and insert arrows point left or right and nothing works. I only have plain text to work with.

 
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Contributors can designate text for italics and bold. The standard HTML tags are used, and are discussed on page two of the "Add New Marker" process, under the optional comments section. Sort of hard to reproduce it here, as the system will interpret it as a tag. And I would stress above all, contributors shouldn't worry about dotting and crossing to meet the formatting. As said up front, this is a "soft" standard and not grounds for rejection, rather some guidelines. We also wanted contributors to understand why sometimes their entries are given some minor format changes before final publication.

 
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Abraham Lincoln traveled 1,904 miles by train from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C. for his inaugural, giving speeches from the rear platform of his railroad car at many of the stops. Many of these stops are commemorated with markers. There are four in the database so far (see Lincoln 1861 Inaugural Train Stops marker series). Correspondent Al Wolf from Veedersburg Indiana added the 4th one this week and asked me to encourage marker collectors up and down the (railroad) line to find all the Lincoln Trip markers in in time for the Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009. The map the database will plot once all the markers are in will be very interesting.

 
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Here's a map of his New York State Markers

 
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To Kevin W. of Stafford Virginia:: Thank you for the New York State map of Lincoln's stops. I would appreciate any help you can lend in having someone in those areas enroll the Markers into hmdb. There is many educational qualities in Lincoln's trip that need to be befor the public. Again Thank You Kevin ::: From AL Wolf - Veedersburg

 
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My regrets on not being able to better assist. I found the website through an internet search after your request interested me in the subject. The Point of Contact for those markers is Nancy Stoner (Nancy.Stoner@OPRHP.state.ny.us), of Heritage New York. You may wish to contact her about assisting. Heritage New York POC

 
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I was researching information for the New Jersey State House marker, trying to find out if it could be included on Lincoln's 1861 Inaugural Train Trip Marker Series. Found a promising link, only to find out it was our own HMdb series! While not really speaking at the train stop, he did speak there on his trip. The marker states, "President-elect Abraham Lincoln, on his way to take office, addressed the Legislature here." Further research found a link about the speach and addressal. So, another marker on the list! Abraham Lincoln Links

 
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Indeed Lincoln Stopped and Spoke at Trenton, N.J.. on his way to Washington, D. C.. It was Feb. 21, 1861 - there were snow squals when the train arrived at aprox. 11:50 AM. After the speech at the State Capital - a quick dash back to the train and it departed at aprox. 2:30PM. His next stop is even more interesting at Bristol, Pa.:: There was NO plans by the Bristol towns-folk for him to stop. They just were along the tracks for a hearty wave,,,, When low and behold:: the train stopped. Everyone was thrilled and they made the best of it in welcoming him.. Dana Barber at the "Grundy Memorial Library" in Bristol, Pa has been good help. She has helped me with Lincoln/&/Bristol, Pa visit:: She knows of the marker::: PERHAPS she can assist some one to get that marker listed. Al Wolf

 
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Is there any interest/efffort in making the hmdb database compatible with google earth? What are the barriers to making this happen? Does anyone else think this would be a great thing to do?

 
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Lots of possibilities, but I have no idea of what barriers must be breached. The first great feature that comes to my mind is the ability to open a map and see all markers in a 15 mile radius (geocaching.com has this feature). Currently, the map feature only shows those local to the marker last visited. - For the traveller, it would provide an idea of what is there to see. - For the HMdb Correspondent, it would identify blank spots that need to be visited ;) Also, the KMZ feature of Google Earth could help visitors plan routes to visit markers, which would go well with Craig's use of the related markers function.

 
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This is a great suggestion. I'll add it to the wish list. I need to study Google Earth to see what programmers interfaces (APIs) are available for ASP-type pages used by the database as well as the cost. That last may be a barrier if the answer is not "free". Will keep you all posted.

 
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I have so much fun with the geocaching.com maps and google earth add-in. Quite often I find geocaches that are near history markers out here in California--have even hidden a cache or two at markers myself. ;) I think enhanced mapping features would be a wonderful addition here and a "donate PayPal" button could help remove a cost barrier.

 
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The other day I had an idea for a website that you could upload pictures of historical markers. You can imagine how excited i was to see that it already existed! Google Earth is a must. There are times when I sit for hours exploring the world through pictures with Google Earth. I am also a Geocacher and the KML KMZ files are really great.

 
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The Historical Marker Database is running on a new, faster, more reliable servers as of 3:50 PM today. Our previous home failed November 21st at approx 3:30 PM and we've been dark since then. Unfortunately, any work done on Wednesday November 21st after approx. 2 AM has been lost. The new site was built from the backup taken at that time. I have a list of the lost markers and photos and will be contacting each contributor with my apologies to ask them please upload them again. Thank you very much for your patience and encouragement during this outage. Please report any trouble you notice to the editor.

 
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I am pleased to report that stats show the new server is rendering a typical marker page at the rate of approx. 11 pages per second, up from 3.5 or so on the old server. The system will slow as more markers are added to the database, but this means that we will have plenty of capacity to grow into. And there is the empty 2nd processor socket waiting to speed things up when needed. No worries about disk space for a good while: We're at 20 gigabytes used out of 210 allocated (compared to 36 on the old server). The new server uses standard (low cost) drives (in sets of 3 for fail-safe redundancy), and has plenty of slots free for additional disks.

 
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Good morning, Can you give me an address for St. Johns Parish. I would like to visit the graveyard to look for family members. Also, Do you have a picture of the original house at Gunpowder Manor? My grandfather John Lawson lived there at one time and owned 320 acres. I would like to go by and take pictures. Thanks.

 
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Sorry for the delay. The data base was being repaired and was off line for several days. 1. St. John's Parish is at the intersection of Belair Road (US Rt.1) and Bradshaw Road in Kingsville, MD. There is a traffic light at the intersection. I would suggest that you enter from the rear on Jerusalem Road to avoid the traffic. 2. I could not see any old houses at the Gunpowder Manor marker. There is an older house on Long Green Road that is being renovated, but I don't think it relates to the marker. This sign is at the intersection of Fork Road and Pleasantville Road.

 
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I've ran into issues cropping photos shown full width. Maybe it is just the way I hold my tongue. Here's the sequence: 1. Upload photo, making sure to check the box to show full-width. 2. After input of caption, text, etc. then submit. 3. From the marker page, select to update the photo. 4. Select the crop image link. 5. Crop the image to required size. And OK. 6. After hitting the photo page, make sure it refreshes to reflect the cropping. Then submit again. 7. Then about half the time the image is shown on the marker page full size, uncropped. By trial and error, it seems to happen less when all four sides are cropped. So I'll increment all sides to "2" at a minimum. Still that only works about two-thirds of the time.

 
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I experience this problem now and again. I find it most common if you crop a full-length picture then continue to add other items to the marker page. My work around is to make cropping full length pictures the last thing I do prior to submittal.

 
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Sounds like a bug to me. I'll look into it. Workaround: Skip step 6 (don't resubmit), and return to the marker page and refresh there. You can use the link at the top of the update page to return.

 
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Kevin and I must have just crossed paths this weekend and not known it! Both of us have been busy uploading markers from Chancellorsville, VA from visits on Saturday. By my count there are some eighty markers on the Chancellorsville battlefield alone, with more on the Wilderness and Spotsylvania CH battlefields. Enough that I ran out of storage space on my camera. In order to simplify the relations and ordering of the markers, I've been attaching separate "trails" based on the NPS groupings and tour stops to a Chancellorsville Campaign Trailhead (linked). That will allow documentation of each tour stop as a block of markers, yet allow them to be "nested" under the overall Chancellorsville Campaign. Figured that the average user would be intimidated by a list of 80+ entries, while bite sized blocks of 10 to 20 would be easier to swallow. Chancellorsville Campaign Trailhead

 
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I had always looked at the "related markers" feature as a source of other, probably distant markers that a reader could refer to when looking for more information on that particular subject. An example of this is the beginning and end of the John Mosby Highway (Markers 2669 and 2668). Craig's "trails" idea, which I didn't really understand until I saw it "in action", provides a great way for travellers to plan their marker visits by knowing where to start, markers locations along the route, and how long their trip may take. It may be helpful to have a way to add additional text beyond the, "To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown." While this is certainly an effective default phrase, there are times when the correspondent could help a website visitor by providing additional information on just how the markers are related.

 
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Bill Pfingsten gave me this list of known markers in Western Maryland that are not in the database. If anyone is out that way, consider snapping these up. There's plenty to see and do and eat at in Cumberland. • Braddock’s Road – US220 Green St. & MD49 Braddock Rd, Cumberland • Folck’s Mill – E. of Cumberland on US40 near the Shrine Country Club • In Memory of Col. Thomas Cresap – Monument with plaque in Riverside Park, Cumberland • Military Hospital – Plaque on front of First Federal S&L, Baltimore St., Cumberland • Military Hospital – Plaque on n/s of building at 16 N. Liberty St., Cumberland • Mt. Savage Iron Works – MD 36 & New School Road, Mt. Savage • The Narrows – Narrows Bridge on Alt US40 w. of Cumberland • On this Site Originally Stood the Headquarters of George Washington – Washington St. & Prospect Square, Cumberland • The Parade Ground of Fort Cumberland – Washington St. & Prospect Square at Courthouse, Cumberland • The Site of Old Fort Cumberland – on wall of Emmanuel Church, Washington St., Cumberland • The Warriors Path – Alt US40 in front of Flintstone High School, Flintstone • Washington’s Road – US220 just s. of Pennsylvania State Line

 
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I just posted "The Warrior Path". I have several others but my pictures are just prints that I'd have to scan, or maybe I'll take that trip...

 
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Hey its great seeing so many new listers. Now that we have gone over the 3000 barrier, I think we should try to get some publicity. It would be great for someone to develop a slide show that could be presented at Historical Society meetings or to any other history groups that might be interested.

 
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Here's an option - use the "print" function for a marker page to produce a hand out or portable file. For the latter I use Bull Zip PDF Printer, because I'm frugal and it is free. What I'll do is create a "header" with table of contents referencing the marker set in MS Word. I'll go to a related markers page (or series) and select the "Click to Map all Related Markers" link at the bottom. If the "hybrid" mode resolution is good, I'll use that view. Regardless I'll do a screen capture and drop that into the word document. Then I'll print that Word document as a PDF using Bull Zip. From there, I'll navigate to each marker entry page and select "print" from the top right side. I'll select Bull Zip PDF Printer as the output, but the catch, I'll select the "merge" tab and designate the "header" PDF I created above as the destination. The end result is a "tour guide" to a site with details of the markers at the location. With use of PDF editing tools (and more skills than this writer has), one can clean up the presentation a bit. I've used it for family and friends who wanted to tour a battlefield site on their vacation, but when I didn't have time to do it in person. Bull Zip PDF Printer

 
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I'm noticing a recent tendency for highway departments to banish historical markers from busy roads. During construction they Route 29 Refugees   have to be moved, of course, but many never return. They are replanted elsewhere on a side road, or bunched up in a "marker farm". Northern Virginia examples: All of Fairfax City's silver Virginia monopole markers are gone, some banished to just beyond the city line. In Centreville, when Routes 29 and 28 were widened, four markers formerly scattered across those roads were replanted at the public library, visible only from the library's parking lot. In Lorton, two markers originally on Route 1 were planted next to a third half a mile down Gunston Road from Route 1. On U.S. 29, four refugees from the current I-66 interchange construction in Gainesville can be found next to the SHA garage. Any chance they'll be returned near to their original locations? The last example (photographed by Craig Swain) contains a marker that reads "The center of Lee’s army rested here..." Not any more. "Here" is now two miles away. Am I complaining about isolated incidents, or is this a trend?

 
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I was going to suggest it was primarily for safety reasons, as I've found locations where I was reluctant to pull over to view and photograph the signs. The link provided suggests some truth to this idea. However the same link identifies the preference for primary roads due to high visibility, and the need to place the marker as close as possible to the site it commemorates. So I'm guessing the reason is that, once a marker is removed to accomodate road improvements, deciding on its new placement location is primarily for the convenience of the installer. Regrettably, it appears that replacing a sign simply doesn't attract the same level of interest and detail as erecting a new one. Criteria for a Marker's Location

 
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In the case of the Gainsville markers, maybe some other factors applied. All four reference the battles around Manassas. The logical "context" location would be to the east on the battlefield, which is Federal land. However VDOT might not have the right of way to plant those markers after the relocations for construction. Of course if you keep going east on 29, there is a similar marker farm ON NPS land just past the Old Stone House.

 
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I am looking for information about the sign that stand in the Westmoorland hills neighborhood of Bethesda,MD. The signs reads that their use to be a Fort Sumner there and I am trying to find out more information about this once Civil War Fort and the remains that might stood their at one time or another. Does anyone know anything about this. If anyone could help me out with this I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you Stephen Hosmer sh34g@nih.gov.

 
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I'll look at some of my references later tonight for details, but Fort Sumner is listed as one of those "lost" as development edged the old fortifications aside. It once protected the western quadrants of DC and the approaches to Chain Bridge. It's guns would have worked in conjunction with Fort Marcy (which has a marker in the DB) on the south side of the river. I would also recommend the NPS historical survey on the Washington Defenses linked here. Historical Survey of Washington's Defenses

 
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Do you think you could photograph the sign and upload it in a reply to this post. I would be curious to see it. Thanks.

 
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Fort Sumner was named for General Edwin Sumner. The fort itself evolved from several redoubts which were connected by picket lines, into one of the larger fortifications around D.C. The fort contained 22 mounted guns and six additional field guns. Platforms around the fort could handle an additional dozen or more guns. Soldiers stationed there wrote of magnificent views of the Potomac Valley, including Sugarloaf Mountain to the west. The sign you mention, is it at the corner of Sangamore and Westpath?

 
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I have found very helpful the Department of the Army using the "Freedom of Information" submission for request of information: for educational purposes. Materials I have received in the past were excellent (and even "high lighted") for my specific request. - - Al Wolf, Veedersburg - Ind.

 
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I detoured on my way to Maryland today and found the Fort Sumner marker. It was right where Craig Swain said it would be. Her Fort Sumner Marker e's the photo. If Stephen Hosmer or someone else does not submit first it I'll put it up in a few days. The back of the marker has a diagram of the fort superimposed on today's streets, but it is unpainted and therefore hard to see.

 
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After some experimentation and tinkering with the end result display, I’ve adopted an approach to “documenting” the markers encountered at some of the interpretation rich sites – particularly Civil War battlefields. Both the “marker series” and the “related markers” functions here at HMDB will work for the most part. However, I’ve started leaning towards the related marker field for a couple of reasons. First, the related markers field affords the submitter the option to place the markers in the order of trail stops, chronology of the historical event, or just simply another logical order other than alphabetical. Second, by using comments and links, it is easy to add comments and pointers to emphasize the importance of the “tour.” The technique, which I first used for the Battle of Third Winchester walking tour linked here, is to first submit the markers to the DB. Easier said than done! After that hard work is complete; then identify a “trail head” or “start point” marker that will house the “relation.” Usually most sites have an overview marker with a trail map displayed, making that an obvious choice. Enter the marker numbers from the DB, in the sequence desired, in the “Related Markers” section of this “trail head” marker. From there you can add descriptive comments to highlight the nature of the trail or tour. I then drop a link to the “related markers” page on each of the markers in the set, with a short description. The end result display is a “start your tour here” HMDB entry, a list of related markers to visit, and a map of the trail, using the “Click to Map all Markers on this Page” button (which is really impressive if the satellite photos are of high resolution). The big advantage over the Marker Series option is allowing more than a few sentences of comments and explanation. The Battle of Third Winchester

 
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I've assembled a listing of Civil War Trails sites, which should match close to a general listing of Civil War Trails Markers, for personal reference, complete with links to HMDB entries where markers have been documented. The list is currently in Excel format. First off, would any fellow contributors be interested in a copy of the list? Second, would it be something the publisher would be interested in posting as a general reference? Civil War Trails Marker Spreadsheet (Excel format)

 
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I'd be interested in a list of Civil War Trails Markers in my area (Stafford, Southern Prince William County, Fredericksburg, Northern Spotsylvania County). Also, a list of Civil War Preservation Trust sites too.

 
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The list is not "web friendly" in spreadsheet format, but I can email it if you'd like. CWPT sites are a bit harder to measure and list. I know there is one important site preserved between the Chancellorsville Battlefield and Fredericksburg along Route 3. I have not seen it myself, but am told it is interpreted with the same level of respect as the Winchester Battlefield that CWPT also has preserved.

 
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Please email it to me and I'll manually upload in to the server and post a link to it.

 
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I've loaded Craig Swain's spreadsheet at the HMDB server. You can access it with the accompanying link. For convenience I have also added this link to Craig's original post. The spreadsheet is very handy. It lists the markers in a compact and easy to scan format and using Excel you can sort it by any column. Civil War Trails Marker Spreadsheet (Excel format)

 
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Thank you, Craig, very nicely done. Now that it is online, is there also way to update it?

 
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I usually update the local copy once a week (or when one such as Massaponax Church shows up in the RSS feed). I can email updated copies to the editor.

 
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Okay, some updates then for the next update: Catlett's Station (2750) and Brentsville (2781).

 
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I visited Carroll County, MD on Sunday and located 28 markers and should have them posted by Oct. 17. However I am having a problem identifying the zip codes of the nearest town. The communities have names, but not necessarily post offices. Other than using an ADC map book, does anyone have a way to overlay zip codes on Google maps? I also had a problem identifying county borders, when I found a Pennsylvania Mason-Dixon marker. I could not tell if it was York County or Adams County from the Google map site. I did figure it out by using a highway map. As I get further from my home territory, the problem gets more difficult. Any suggestions?

 
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For zip codes, I enter the coordinates into Google Map, then search for nearby businesses (gas, restaurants, etc). Usually you can find an address close to the marker.

 
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Google Earth includes a border and zip code layer that can be used to help identify location information. Hope this helps. Karen :) Google Earth

 
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I use Google Maps (in "Search the Map" mode) to get zip codes by entering road, town, state. Even if the town does not have a post office, google replies with the post office name and, most often, the zip code. When it does not show the zip code it is because the road itself is the dividing line between zipcodes. Pick a nearby side street from the map and try again. If the road goes through various zipcodes, then you have to make sure the green arrow is near where the marker is. If it's not, choose a side street near the marker and try again. If you use a house number the zip code always shows up. When I'm in the middle of nowhere I will take a photo of a nearby mailbox or front door to have a house number handy. Ocassionally, Google will let me down. But for the most part, it does its job well.

 
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Our correspondent from Cedar Park Texas showed me a much simpler way to coax Latitude and Longitude numbers from Google Maps. When you switch the page to "Get Directions" mode, you can move the pushpin with your mouse and when you do, the latitude and longitude is reported right next to the Get Directions button. Check out the revamped instructions on This Page. (Scroll down to Section B.)

 
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Many thanks to Keith for letting us know about this feature. It comes in very handy!

 
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I recently was traveling from Va Beach to DC and took Route 17 to avoid some traffic. There are a ton of markers on the way. Unfortunately, 17 is a divided highway and I was on a time schedule, so I grudgingly had to drive by at least 10 markers that could been seen from the northbound side of 17...who knows how many I passed unknowingly on the southbound side. So if your headed down 95 and want to take the scenic route, you can pick up 17 in Fredericksburg and take it all the way to Yorktown off of 64.

 
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Years back I drove that same route, and have several old grainy 35mm photographs of the markers in that area. Unfortunately none are really "internet ready," so I guess that gives reason for a weekend road trip down Highway 17!

 
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The topic of this page is history, historical markers, and this database. Anyone who has signed in can post anything they wou Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley ld like to discuss, alert, announce, or complain about; and can reply to any post. But please stay on topic. I myself will be using it to post announcements, information on new features, and other items of interest. One photo and one link can be optionally added to each note posted. Posts are visible immediately. Unlike other areas on this website, no approval is needed to post a note or reply to this page. But please note that off-topic, inappropriate, and mean-spirited posts will be removed without notice as soon as I see them. Posts can be anonymous or signed. And for spelling and grammar challenged folks like me, or in case you change your mind, you have 10 minutes after posting to correct or withdraw the post. After the grace period your words become a permanent part of this database. If you have any suggestions or trouble to report, please let me know, either publicly on this forum, or privately via a note to the Editor.

 
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Back in July, a correspondent asked me to post this solicitiation for donations so that a marker could be erected. Now that the Bulletin Board is working, here's the note I received. “I have no connection with this group, but think that their cause is worthy of being publicized. Please take a look, maybe you can give them a link on this site's homepage? “On February 27, 1862 near the town of Ponchatoula, Louisiana a train carrying Confederate troops of the 7th Mississippi Volunteer Infantry Regiment collided head-on with a south bound lumber train. The carnage and death toll was staggering. It may have been the bloodiest train wreck in the history of North America up until that date. “Thank you for your time. I love this site!” More Info Here

 
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