Why It's Important to Celebrate Our Freedoms and Remember Our Fallen Dead

By Donna Wichelman

Today is Independence Day in the United States of America, marking the 250th anniversary of the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Declaration of Independence and Flag with Thirteen Stars: iStock

While many colonists in the original thirteen colonies would have preferred to remain British subjects, the Founding Fathers believed the British government had violated their rights by imposing taxes and trade controls without their consent after the French and Indian War. Students of colonial history will remember the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act, which colonists considered intolerable. Perhaps if King George III had granted them representative seats in Parliament, we’d still be subjects of Britain today.

Continental Congress Signing of the Declaration of Independence: Wikiimages

Unfortunately, the king refused to grant any concessions to the colonists. So, believing the British government had become too tyrannical, they chose the only path they believed open to them to secure their freedoms and independence: war. Thus, the Founding Fathers boldly moved to create a new and independent nation they called the United States of America.

But there was a time when Britain and the United States worked together to defeat a common enemy, a more fearsome tyrant whose ideology and ultimate goal was to reshape Europe into a German-dominated, racially-oriented empire. Adolf Hitler wanted supreme power, ruling over conquered nations that supplied him with food and other resources, and exterminating those whom he considered undesirables. These people were not just the Jews, though they were the most visibly targeted group and resulted in the Holocaust. He also wanted to destroy the weak, the sick, the Gypsies, and the homosexuals, among others.

Nazi Flag on Town hall of Libourne, France During the Occupation in June 1940: Care of the Libourne City Archives

Jewish Man Made to Wear a Fabric Star in France

Actual Star of David owned by Josette Melinon, a Jewish Survivor 

from World War Two

Long before the United States entered the war, Britain had already declared war on Germany in September 1939. But badly in need of ships, weapons, fuel, and money by 1940, Winston Churchill approached President Franklin D. Roosevelt for aid. Though originally neutral, Roosevelt created the Lend-Lease Act of March 1941, enabling the United States to send Britain military supplies.

In August 1941, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill met aboard a naval vessel in Placentia Bay, off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, to create a joint statement—a set of principles they envisioned for the postwar world. They laid out eight shared goals and summarized them in a statement on August 14, 1941.

“. . . After final destruction of the Nazi tyranny, [we] hope to see established a peace which will afford to all nations the means of dwelling in safety within their own boundaries, and which will afford assurance that all men in all lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want. . . . [S]uch a peace should enable all men to traverse the high seas and oceans without hindrance.” See more on the Atlantic Charter.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States and Britain cooperated militarily. It became a coordinated strategy through the Combined Chiefs of Staff, which gave a priority to defeating Nazi Germany. Several major campaigns emerged from the combined forces, the most well-known being Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

American General Dwight D. Eisenhower served as Supreme Allied Commander. British, American, Canadian, and other Allied forces landed in Normandy, and the liberation of France and the rest of Europe began.

Map of the Combined Allied Invasion--British, American, Canadian, and 

French of Normandy, France, June 6 1944

Picture of French Citizens Celebrating the Liberation of France in Normandy

During the war, the British and Americans cooperated in numerous ways.
· Strategic bombing efforts;
· Intelligence gathering, particularly breaking German codes, i.e., Enigma, which enabled the Allies to track German vessels and military strategies;

Actual Enigma Machine, Normandy Museum: Donna's Gallery, May 2026

· Technology and weapons development, such as radar, sonar, code breaking machines, aircraft technology, and atomic research.

While US and British leaders didn’t always agree, and tensions sometimes ran high (e.g., over the timing of D-Day), ultimately, cooperation between the two nations enabled the Allies to win the war and defeat the tyranny Hitler sought to impose on the world.

I happened to be in Libourne, France on VE-Day this past May 8, 2026, eighty-two years after the Liberation of France. All over France, they still celebrate the day, remembering the great cost paid for their freedoms against a tyrannical maniac and giving honor to those who fell in action. On D-Day itself, all totaled, 10,300 British, American, and Canadian forces perished, sacrificing their lives, so that France and all of Europe might live in freedom without fear.

VE-Day, Libourne, France: May 2026, Donna's Gallery

What is the cost for our freedoms in the United States? That's a question we all must ask ourselves. No, we haven't always done it right, and it's appropriate for us to have those discussions. But in a world where there are still despots and dictators, what sacrifice are we willing to make to ensure our freedoms still survive for all time?

"When in the course of human events ..."

Donna is an Angel Book Award-winning author of Historical Romance for A Song of Deliverance. Book Two in the Silver Singing Mine series, Rhythms of the Heart, was released in November 2025. She is currently working on a World War II slip-time novel, Power of the Thorn.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before becoming a full-time writer. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. 

Donna and her husband of forty-one years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.

How a Nineteenth-Century School House Became an Icon

By Donna Wichelman

Have you ever observed a house or building in the town where you live and instinctively could identify the period in which it was built? Historians and history aficionados know that they can place the era of a building by it's architecture. This principal of architecture applies to every era across the millennia, and it particularly pertains to school houses built in the United States during the nineteenth century. 

According to the Georgetown Trust for Conservation and Preservation, the brick building known as the Georgetown School built in 1874 and operated as a school until 1938—is considered “the iconic structure in the Georgetown Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District.” Reputed to be the oldest brick building in Colorado, its historical significance can’t be overstated, especially its contribution to the greater story of Colorado’s mining boom of the nineteenth century.

Georgetown School, Georgetown, Colorado: Donna's Gallery 2018

The school house’s architecture was both modern for its time and classic in its design. Similar school houses can be found across America with their Italianate elements. Features include low pitched or flat roofs, overhanging, double-bracketed eaves, emphasis on a vertical structure, tall narrow windows, a boxy symmetry, campaniles—an Italian bell tower--and decorative ornamentation. In every way, the Georgetown School fits the classic design that also includes carved keystones on both round and flattened arches and pilasters that marked the structure’s corners and flanks the central entry bay, which lies under a large gable dormer in the truncated hipped roof.

Italianate structures began to appear throughout the United States in the 1840s, reaching their zenith in the 1850s and began to disappear in the 1880s. Their architecture, especially in school design, mimicked Italian farmhouses and villas and were characterized by vertical and decorative detailing. They were normally two to three stories high, though more elaborate houses and government buildings could be four to five stories.

The hallmark of Italianate architecture can be identified by tall, narrow windows. Many have a crown that is typically in the shape of an inverted “U”. Other window crowns frame the entire window and often have some amount of ornamentation. At times, the crowns may be flat rather than round, but rectangular windows will normally be topped with ornamented pediments.

Cook-Rutledge Mansion in Chippawa Falls Wisconsin
ID 21935463 | Italianate Architecture © Joe Ferrer | Dreamstime.com

Albert Buildings on Queen Victoria Street in London EC4

ID 195238286 | Italianate Architecture © Nicoleta Raluca Tudor | Dreamstime.com

LaFox School, LaFox, Illinois in Kane County, 1871
C/O Dreamstime.com

During the Italianate period, the interior of the schools would have a series of cellular classrooms. Multi-story schools displayed symmetrical stairways or central open stairways with atriums. Another component was the assembly hall in which students would gather for morning announcements or special events.

Once again, the Georgetown School displayed iconic structure of this period. A student would enter through a set of double doors into a small vestibule, then ascend a short flight of stairs to the first floor central hallway. Tall four-paneled doors lined the corridor, each with a transom at the stop. Straight ahead she would view a symmetrical stairway of wood plank stairs leading to an an atrium and the second floor where she would find classrooms and a large assembly hall.

Entrance Vestibule, Georgetown School

Tall Door with Transom

Atrium from the Second Floor

The building was sold to a machine shop but fell into disrepair in the latter part of the twentieth century. In 2007, Georgetown Trust applied for grants to restore the building to its original glory. Eight years later, Georgetown saw its dream come true through generous grants, individual donations, and the Colorado State Historical Fund.

Today, the building operates as the Georgetown Heritage Center, serving the community in many ways, including housing the local history archive. If you happen into the Heritage Center on any given day, you might find Ms. Christine Bradley, local historian and author of The Rise of the Silver Queen doing more research and adding her contribution to the museum. She’s always happy to answer any questions you have about Georgetown, Clear Creek County, and Colorado’s rich mining history. 

For more information, go to www.georgetowntrust.org/heritage-center.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic--an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before writing full-time. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. Her Gilded Age historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, released in December 2024.

Donna and her husband of forty years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.

How Tourism Contributed to Colorado's Western Expansion

By Donna Wichelman

The rise of the mining industry in the Colorado Rockies during the 1860s made way for western expansion and ushered in the Gilded Age for the Territory of Colorado. Georgetown’s unique and colorful setting enticed entrepreneurial enterprise and lured people from every walk of life. Many stayed to make their fortunes in the gold or silver industry. Others came to experience the spectacular beauty and fresh mountain air and then went home to tell about it.

The New York Public Library. "Georgetown, Colorado." The New York Public Library Digital Collections 1850 - 1930.

According to historian Christine Bradley in The Rise of the Silver Queen, “The town’s early rustic appearance gave way to fine homes, level sidewalks, a few trees, and elegant fences … The streets of Georgetown were packed with new arrivals from every point of the globe …” including Cornish, Welsh, and German miners, Italian retailers, Irish workmen, and the Frenchman Louis DePuy, who turned a small bakery into the elegant and now historic Hotel de Paris. It was also a town where formerly enslaved people could earn a living and invest in mines. 

All these elements coincided to create an international flair and intrigue as people descended upon Georgetown to make their mark in the mining community. It also brought people from near and far and across the world to marvel over the place where creativity and optimism had sprung to life in a setting of natural beauty. Thus, the tourist industry took off, bringing overwhelming numbers of people with their tourist dollars as early as 1872.

The famous Englishwoman Isabella Bird, whose travels took her across America, visited the region and described Georgetown as "the only town I have seen in America to which the epithet picturesque could be applied."

"The life of Isabella Bird (Mrs. Bishop) : snapshot taken of Mrs. Bishop at Swatow by Mr. Mackenzie." The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

 "Isabella Bird Bishop [three portraits]." The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

An article in The Colorado Miner on January 14, 1873 titled At Least One Million Dollars From Tourists in 1872 had this to say: "Visitors to Colorado last summer paid hotels bills to the amount of $200,000 in Denver alone. Add to these figures the amounts expended at the Hotels in the mountain and southern towns ... [it]will represent not far from one million dollars cash. And so it will be seen that the beautiful scenery and health-inspiring atmosphere of Colorado is the source ... all because the press of the Territory and ... the entire press of the U.S., have advertised our beauties and wonders ...." See the Colorado Miner, January 14, 1873

A second article in The Colorado Miner on January 9, 1873, spoke to the many visitors to the mountain towns in Clear Creek County. "There were 14,000 arrivals recorded in the register books of the six principal Hotels in Clear Creek County in the year 1872. These figures, which are decidedly respectable for a remote mining county ... do not include the regular guests of the hotels. The Hotels to which we refer, are the Barton, Girard, and Ennis Houses in Georgetown ... and it is appropriate to remark ... that these Hotels are kept in superior style and are pleasant and comfortable ... for tourists ...." See the Colorado Miner, January 9, 1873.

The Barton House, to which the last article refers, gained widespread notoriety. According to the History of Clear Creek and Boulder Valleys in Colorado, published in 1880, the Barton House was known for being one of the most well-known, beloved, and lavish hotels for its comfort, elegance, and modern accommodations. Its owner, Mr. William E. Barton, enjoyed a reputation for exceptional hospitality, and an ad in the July 29, 1873 Colorado Miner boasted its "elevation overlooking the entire town." From there, tourists could enjoy the romantic scenery in the mountains ... See The Colorado Miner June 27, 1873.

Barton House: As Seen in an Ad in the Colorado Miner in June 1873

Green Lake became one of the most visited tourist destinations in the mountains above Georgetown. It was an easy day's carriage drive up a narrow canyon and provided recreational opportunities, such as boating, fishing, and picnicking on the shores of a crystal clear mountain lake. 

"Green Lake, looking south. "The New York Public Library Digital Collections 1850 - 1930.

 

       

"Green Lake, 3 miles above Georgetown." New York Public Library Digital Collections 1850 -1930

Green Lake Georgetown, Colorado 2015 ID 57686598 Dreamstime 

In August 1877, the Colorado Central Railroad completed its track to Georgetown, and by the end of May 1878, Georgetown gained the title of the "handsomest city in the Rockies," as people flocked to the region by train and made their way up the canyon and over the Guanella Pass to Green Lake. A new luxury hotel under the ownership of French-born Louis Dupuy had opened, the Hotel de Paris, which replaced the Barton in first-class luxury. Today, the Hotel De Paris Musuem is considered one of the best preserved Gilded Age luxury hotels in the United States.

Hotel De Paris, Georgetown Colorado: Donna's Gallery, December 2019

Today, Georgetown thrives on tourism and still welcomes visitors from across the world. Recognizing Georgetown as a uniquely preserved nineteenth-century Victorian silver mining boom town in 1966, the National Park Service designated Georgetown, Silver Plume, the intervening Loop Valley, and the surrounding mountainsides the Georgetown Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District. Four years later, on May 7, 1970, members of the community formed the Georgetown Society, which eventually became Historic Georgetown, Inc., to begin a historic preservation effort that continues until now.

In addition to an ordinance specifying building design reviews, there are numerous museums and properties that have been under renovation. These include the Hamill House Museum 1867/79, the Kneisel House 1870, the Bowman-White House 1892, the Tucker-Rutherford Cottage 1870s, 1880s, 1890s (used as my cottage for Anna Sullivan in A Song of Deliverance), the Hotel De Paris, the Georgetown Firefighting Museum, Alpine Hose No. 2, and others.

The Tucker Rutherford Housem, aka known as Anna Sullivan's House in A Song of Deliverance

Donna's Gallery, August 2024

 

Hamill House Museum: Donna's Gallery, August 2024

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic--an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before writing full-time. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. Her Gilded Age historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, released on December 3, 2024.

Donna and her husband of forty years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.

How the Tradition of Taking Afternoon Tea Began

By Donna Wichelman

In my Gilded Age Historical Romance, A Song of Deliverance, my Irish-born protagonist, Anna Sullivan, hosts the Victorian tradition of Afternoon Tea for several prominent ladies of Georgetown to garner their support for a community fundraiser. But how did this tradition of taking Afternoon Tea start?

Victorian Woman Taking Tea: iStock Photo Stock photo ID:455164257

It's no surprise the Chinese drank tea for millennia before the English discovered the pleasure of its taste. Only in the sixteenth century, when Portugal established a trade route with China through Macao, did Europe see its first shipment. But England did not acquire tea until the seventeenth century, during the Cromwell years, 1653 - 1658.

Drinking tea didn't become a popular pastime in England until King Charles II brought it into fashion in the 1660s with his marriage to Portugal's Princess Catherine of Braganza. It had to be green without milk or sugar and drunk with blue and white handleless porcelain from China. The proper way to make it was in the traditional Chinese method of pouring hot water over the leaves from a red-brown stoneware pot.

Taking Tea was primarily a practice of the wealthier class due to its expense and the need to acquire all the accompanying paraphernalia, including a tea service. The most proper way to serve tea required Chinese porcelain, because the Europeans hadn’t yet discovered how to make porcelain. Less expensive options were pewter, Dutch Delftware, or faïence, a fine tin-glazed pottery.

Blue and White Porcelain Tea Cups Compliments of Pixabay

In addition, tea had to be stored in a tea caddy with compartments for different varieties of tea, a crystal blending bowl, and a lock. When serving tea, the mistress would use the paraphernalia to perform a ritual of blending the tea at a table and would often add liqueurs, such as orange brandy, to accompany the offering.

Victorian Tea Caddy, Ebay

This ceremony became so popular that the female character in The Lady’s Last Stake, by Colley Cibber (1708), practically swooned. “Tea! Though soft, though sober, sage, and venerable liquid, though a female tongue-running, smile-smoothing, heart-opening, wink-tipping cordial, to whose glorious insipidity I owe the happiest moment of my life, let me fall prostrate.”

The tradition of the English Afternoon Tea that we know today didn’t emerge until 1840, when Anna Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, a Lady in Waiting of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria, introduced the concept. The Duchess often felt hungry around four o’clock in the afternoon and couldn’t wait for the evening meal at eight o’clock, so she would ask for a tray of tea, bread, butter, and cake.

But soon, Anna’s habit became a regular ritual, and she invited friends to join her in her room, adding finger sandwiches and various sweets. By the late nineteenth century, the concept caught on among the upper classes of both England and America, and society women adopted the trend, wearing their most fashionable gowns, gloves, and hats in the drawing rooms of their social circles.

Eventually, the tradition became so popular by the late 1800s that upscale inns, hotels and tea rooms offered afternoon tea. One such hotel is the Ritz in London, where they would stage their afternoon tea at the Palm Court with its soft lighting and luxurious chairs.

By the turn of the century, tea became more affordable, and the middle class joined in the tradition. Music became a part of afternoon tea events in the 1920s, and one could be seen enjoying a late afternoon of dance and merriment along with their tea.

 

Many political movements have been discussed over tea. The Revolutionary War started, in part, because of the high taxes imposed on tea. Many conversations about women’s suffrage in England and the United States took place over Afternoon Tea. And Americans wanting to socialize during Prohibition did so over a cup of tea.

 

All over the world, historic hotels, resorts, and inns still serve Afternoon Tea. In the United States, a resurgence of traditional afternoon tea has taken place since the 1990s. Traditional fare includes but is not limited to cucumber sandwiches, egg sandwiches, watercress sandwiches, smoked salmon sandwiches, scones with lemon curd or strawberry jam and clotted cream, Madeira cake, marble cake, and brandy snaps. Americans have also added items like little quiches, chicken, walnut, and cranberry sandwiches, scones with dried fruits, truffles, and brownie bites.

Traditional Scones: Compliments of Pixabay Image by GX6 from Pixabay

Donna and Jim Having a Twentieth Anniversary Tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia: Donna's Gallery 2004

In September 2024, the Historic Hotels of America® announced their list of the 2024 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Afternoon Tea Experiences where people can “immerse themselves in a Victorian tradition being preserved and revived across the United States …” Two of the historic hotels on their list exist in my home state of Colorado—The Boulderado in Boulder and the Brown Palace in Denver. View the entire list at Historic Hotels of America®.

Donna and Friends at the Brown Palace Taking Afternoon Tea in Denver: Donna's Gallery 2008

However, if you are a Gen Zer and you’re rolling your eyes at the stuffy traditions of your ancestors, never fear. According to a recent article by Kristy Alpert, published on October 8, 2024 in Food and Wine Magazine, Gen Zers have rediscovered the art of taking afternoon tea. But they've added their own unique flair, reimagining the types of food and varieties of tea offered in a more casual atmosphere than their predecessors. Gen Zers have opted for this more inclusive way of enjoying tea, considering it a more suitable alternative to the traditional ways of the past.

If you'd like to host your own Afternoon Tea in your drawing room, as they did in the Victorian Era, I direct you to my Book Clubs page on my website at https://donnawichelman.com/book-clubs/. You don’t have to belong to a book club to use these suggestions for hosting your own Afternoon Tea, though it may be a great time to start a book club of your own.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic--an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before writing full-time. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. Her Gilded Age historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, released on December 3, 2024.

Donna and her husband of forty years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.