What Lies Beneath This Sand: Pass Christian Beach, Mississippi

Weathered wooden sand fence leading across white sand dunes at Pass Christian Beach on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

We didn’t plan to stop at Pass Christian Beach. We were already on the road, leaving New Orleans behind under darkening skies. Thunder had followed us through the cemeteries and whispered along the edges of the Lower Ninth Ward. Maggie—the GPS with opinions—kept insisting we return to the interstate, but traffic had other ideas. So … Read more

The Secret History & Scandal of Howell School

Historic Howell School building in Dothan, Alabama, a restored early-1900s Neoclassical brick school now converted into senior apartments

Dothan, Alabama Some stops are planned weeks in advance.Others happen because you’re early, the doors aren’t open yet, and curiosity refuses to sit quietly in the passenger seat. Howell School was one of those stops. We found ourselves wandering near downtown Dothan while waiting for the Visitor’s Center to open. From the outside, Howell School … Read more

The 138-Year-Old Secrets of First Baptist Dothan

Angled view of First Baptist Dothan’s historic architecture, highlighting its brickwork and arched windows.

Alabama Road Trip #2 – A Quiet Walk into Unexpected History Downtown Dothan has a way of waking slowly. Morning light settles on the brick storefronts, the sidewalks glow soft and empty, and the city feels like it’s still stretching from sleep. On the final morning of our trip, Dusty and I wandered those early … Read more

Dothan Visitor Center & the Kingdom of King Peanut

Front entrance of the Dothan Visitor Center, home of King Peanut and local travel information.

Alabama Road Trip #2 — Last Day, First Stop Dothan has a way of sneaking up on you.It looks like any other Southern city from a distance—busy roads, familiar storefronts, the promise of breakfast somewhere nearby. But if you linger just a moment, if you slow down enough to look, you realize this town is … Read more

Before Arlington: The Forgotten First National Cemetery

The earliest national cemetery created for the Civil War—before Arlington existed.

TMP Covert Ops — Episode 15 Before Arlington’s white rows became the symbol of American sacrifice… before marble markers flowed across the Virginia hills like silent waves… there was another place. A quieter hilltop. A desperate solution. A burial ground born not from ceremony, but from crisis. Welcome to the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s … Read more

Union Arch Bridge: The Stone Giant That Ghosted Its Creator

View of the Union Arch Bridge partially obscured by summer vegetation, with the stone arch just visible through dense green leaves.

TMP Covert Ops — Episode 12 When you only have a sliver of time before a corporate hackathon, you learn to move like a shadow. The mission kicked off the day before with my visit to President Lincoln’s Cottage and was filled with many historic sites around the area. Day Two of my Bethesda mission … Read more

The Postmaster, the Columns, and the City That Refused to Stay Small: The Story of the Dothan Federal Building

Front view of the Dothan Federal Building showing its six tall Doric columns, granite steps, and Classical Revival façade under a bright Alabama sky.

When Dusty and I found ourselves wandering the quiet early morning streets of Dothan after visiting the Cherry Street AME Church, we weren’t expecting to be stopped in our tracks by a federal building. But there it was — rising at the corner of West Troy and North Foster — a granite-anchored, column-crowned monument that … Read more

This Paradise Has a Dark Secret: The Soldier’s Home in Washington, D.C.

The Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C. with Lincoln's Cottage in the foreground, framed by trees.

TMP Covert Ops — Episode 14 There’s a hilltop in Washington, D.C., where the city softens, the breeze picks up, and time seems to slow its breathing. From that rise, you can look out over the capital and almost forget the noise below. Almost. This is the Armed Forces Retirement Home, better known historically as … Read more

St. Patrick Cemetery No. 2: Buried Stories the Tours Don’t Tell

A wide view down the central pathway of St. Patrick Cemetery No. 2 in New Orleans, lined with rows of white marble tombs and coping graves under a bright summer sky.

TMP Origins – The Early Roads When Dusty and I crossed the street from Greenwood Cemetery and stepped into St. Patrick Cemetery No. 2, we didn’t know what we were walking into.We weren’t researching yet.We weren’t documenting stops, tracing lineages, or unfolding entire histories like we do today. We were just… wandering. Two travelers trying … Read more

Cherry Street AME Church: The Church That Defied Dothan

Front view of Cherry Street AME Church in Dothan, Alabama, showing the historic red-brick exterior and wide front steps beneath a clear morning sky.

Some stops don’t call ahead — they just wait quietly until you stumble into their orbit. On the last morning of Alabama Road Trip #2, Dusty and I found ourselves with a little time to kill before the Dothan Visitor’s Center opened. So we did what any good backroad wanderers do: we followed the trail … Read more