This small park on Main Street in Nashua, New Hampshire was dedicated during the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976. The NH state motto, "Live Free or Die" comes from a toast written by the state's Revolutionary War hero General John Stark on July 31, 1809. Health issues forced the aging General to miss a Battle of Bennington reunion, and along with his regrets he sent the following written toast: "Live free or die: death is not the worst of evils." The motto is similarly adopted by several countries including Greece, Macedonia, Uruguay, Brazil, Turkey, and Nepal. It's likely, though, that General Stark was influenced by the famous speech delivered by Patrick Henry before the House of Burgesses, the colonial legislature of Virginia, on March 23, 1775 in which he said, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
Post processing today started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, details, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. A levels, brightness and contrast adjustment, and a sepia photo filter were added in PSE.
