TMP Origins

The Smallest Church in America? A Chapel That Burned — and Rose Again

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Christ’s Chapel in South Newport Georgia often called the Smallest Church in America, photographed July 2015

There’s a tiny chapel tucked beside U.S. Highway 17 in coastal Georgia that most people would drive right past if they blinked. It’s small enough to miss. About 10 by 15 feet. Just enough room for a pulpit, a few chairs, and a handful of quiet prayers. The sign out front proudly calls it “The … Read more

Where Empires Collided: Fort Frederica National Monument

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Stone ruins of Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island, Georgia, overlooking the marsh and river, with a live oak tree draped in Spanish moss and a British flag flying nearby.

Some places don’t announce their importance. They don’t rise up as towering ruins or overwhelm you with monuments and markers. Instead, they sit quietly—fields, foundations, fragments—waiting for someone to pause long enough to listen. Fort Frederica National Monument is one of those places. At first glance, it looks like little more than a peaceful patch … Read more

Small Stop, Big Story: Little Talbot Island State Park

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View across the maritime preserve at Little Talbot Island State Park, showing dense coastal vegetation in the foreground, low sand dunes and a pristine white sand beach beyond, with a large cargo ship visible on the horizon over the Atlantic Ocean.

Little Talbot Island State Park isn’t a place that demands your attention. It doesn’t greet you with grand entrances or neatly packaged stories. There are no towering ruins or dramatic placards spelling out why you should care. It simply waits—quietly—behind dunes and maritime forest, letting the tide do what it has always done. For us, … Read more

Kingsley Plantation: The History They Buried

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Some places don’t announce themselves.They wait. Kingsley Plantation sits quietly on Fort George Island near Jacksonville, Florida—white walls softened by time, palm trees standing like sentinels, the river moving along as if nothing ever happened here. At first glance, it feels calm. Preserved. Almost peaceful. But peace can be deceptive. This stop came during my … Read more

Mission Nombre de Dios: Where America’s First Thanksgiving Began

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Still pond near the Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, Florida, with trees mirrored on the water in the quiet morning light.

Some places announce themselves with open doors, guided tours, and gift shops buzzing with voices.Others ask you to slow down, stand outside the gate, and listen harder. The Mission Nombre de Dios is one of those places. We arrived early—too early, as it turned out. The gates were still closed, the gift shop locked, and … Read more

The Forgotten German Church That Started My Obsession

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Front view of Holy Trinity Church in the Faubourg Marigny, an abandoned 19th-century German Catholic church with distinctive onion domes and worn brick façade.

Holy Trinity Church, New Orleans Some places don’t ask for attention.They wait for it. I wasn’t searching for abandoned buildings when I first saw Holy Trinity Church. I wasn’t researching forgotten history or chasing lost places yet. We had just left St. Patrick Cemetery, on our way to the 9th Ward. We were just in … Read more

What Lies Beneath This Sand: Pass Christian Beach, Mississippi

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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

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

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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

The Canal Street Inn: A Night Inside a 113-Year-Old New Orleans Mansion

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The Canal Street Inn glowing at dusk — a century-old mansion where New Orleans history hums right through the porch rails.

New Orleans Road Trip #2 — Travel Made Personal Some places welcome you with neon signs and polished brochures.Others?They wait on the porch with a knowing smile, letting the creak of an old hinge tell the first chapter for you. The Canal Street Inn is the latter. Built in 1912 and still standing tall on … Read more

TMP Origins: The Ghostly Secrets of the National Archives

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The front of the National Archives Building outside in Washington DC from across the street.

Washington, D.C. – 2013 & Still on the List In 2013, I stood in front of the National Archives during a business trip that would later help spark the idea for TMP Origins. It wasn’t a sightseeing adventure — just me stealing a sliver of time between conference sessions. Two quick photos from the sidewalk … Read more