h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I felt this entry was very successful at distilling the local flavor. Hicksville sounds like most small towns throughout the US -- only moreso.

Sorry, I know this probably sounds terrible of me, but I couldn't help being amused where you wrote:

"St Paul's Episcopal Church, built in 1883... and still stands as an official historic landmark."

The idea of a church built in the 1880s being considered historic isn't something that had occured to me. I've recently been trying to research Anglo-Saxon churches on the Island (those built between 600-1066) and found so many young ones built in the 1070s and 1080s that I'd began to take for granted the idea that most churches are at least 600 years old, at least in foundation.

Your article was a shock and an eye-opener for me.

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But BB, there aren't any 600-year-old churches in the Americas! Unless you count Mayan temples...

And even then, the original owners aren't exactly around to give you a tour...

It's true, there aren't any 600 year old churches etc., I realise that, but that doesn't mean that finding the conflict of views isn't shocking. In America, the 19th Century is modern. In Britain, the 19th Century is when the Victorians decided they didn't like all our thousand year old churches, knocked a lot of them down, and built new ones.

It probably all helps spread the stereotype of American's worshipping anything over 5 years old as being historic.

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