(Excerpt transcribed from Daily Mountain Eagle, Jasper, Alabama, January 6, 1886) HOE CAKES 1886 RECIPE Stir into a pint of milk, a teaspoonful of salt, half a pint of corn meal and a teaspoonful of molasses; mix, pour it on a hot tin, and bake before the fire. Sugar may be used if preferred, and […]
DYK: Did you know? The old saying to ‘Win Hands Down’ comes from horse racing. If a jockey was a long way ahead of his competitors and sure to win the race he could relax and put his hands down at his sides. Three complete historical novels in one book Tapestry of Love Historical Series […]
DYK: Did you know? Knuckle under means to give way or submit. The word knuckle in the 18th century, was used used to mean ‘acknowledge oneself beaten; submit to another’s authority’ Dyche and Pardon, in their A dictionary of all the words commonly us’d in the English tongue, 1740, defined ‘knuckle’ like this: “Knuckle or knuckle down: […]
The stores of downtown Circleville, Ohio have probably changed many times over the years. The photographs below show Main and Court Street businesses in 1938 when taken by photographer Ben Shahn. Grand clock This is a grand clock outside the entrance of Butch Jewelers. L. P. Butch Jewelers was established by L. C. Butch, on […]
The source of the idiom – LAUGHING STOCK is unclear. Stocks were a means of punishment in use at the time the phrase was coined, by which people were tortured or ridiculed. Victims were held by having their ankles, and occasionally the wrists too, trapped in holes between two sliding boards. The punishment, although not as harsh […]
First Fourth of July Unlike today, the first July 4, 1776 was a quiet and solemn day in Philadelphia. Pleasant morning in 1776 Thomas Jefferson even noted in his account book that at 6 a.m., July 4, 1776, “it was a ‘pleasant morning.” He also included the price of a doll for his daughter and […]
The Dust Bowl, also known as the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the US and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The migrants moved from terrible living conditions back home to not much better living conditions in California. The photographs below were taken by […]
Two more fish recipes from the 1920s to try. Salt-Codfish Salad Soak one pound of salt cod in cold water overnight. Drain water, put more cold water on it, just cover and simmer for 30 minutes; drain; cool; flake with a fork, and to this add equal quantities of cold boiled potatoes and three medium-sized […]
During the 17th century, much of the land in Tidewater Maryland was patented in huge tracts to the first settlers. The acreage of these often being more than one family could farm, they were divided into smaller tracts during the 18th century. On these parcels, the colonial planters built their homes, usually dwellings of frame […]
Most Americans probably do not know the reason behind the celebration of Cinco de Mayo, yet t’s one of the biggest nights of the year for many Mexican restaurants in America. Some people believe it is Mexican Independence Day, but that is incorrect. Mexico declared its independence from Spain on September 15, 1810, and south […]
