You’re no Spring chicken – Before incubators, chickens couldn’t be raised during winter. New England growers found that those born in the spring brought premium prices in the summer market places. When these Yankee traders tried to pass off old birds as part of the spring crop, smart buyers would protest that the bird was “no […]
Asbestos wall board was used in building this town The photographs below reveal that asbestos wall board was used in building this town in Ohio. The men working on the Greenhills Resettlement project in 1937 were exposed to asbestos. I wonder if they became ill later and if the wallboard has been removed. Greenhills alone cost $11.5 […]
Creamed Oysters Recipe from 1897 Drain 50 oysters: wash by pouring gradually over them a pitcher of cold water; put them in a saucepan stir carefully until they reach the boiling point; drain again, this time saving the liquor. Measure, and add to the liquor thus obtained sufficient milk to make one pint. Put two […]
Mules, tractors and shovels built this town When construction started on the town, there was no heavy equipment to move the earth, only tractors and men with shovels and the project provided work for them. The village of Greenhills, a greenbelt community in northern Hamilton County was built by the federal government as part of President Franklin […]
The idiom IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE is from the Bible – 1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Three historical fiction novels by Donna R. Causey or All three […]
Alabama contributing author, Clifford Dobyns provides a history on the bugle call Taps. “TAPS” by Clifford Dobyns My brother, Kenley died in April 2008 at the age of 77. At his funeral, a pastor other than my brother’s pastor told me that my brother was the most outstanding Christian that he knew in the entire […]
Light-Colored Gingerbread from 1875 recipe Fresh butter, melted, ½ lb., flour, dried and sifted, 1 ¼ lb., brown sugar, 1 ¼ lb., bruised sugar, ¼ lb., 9 eggs, the yolks and whites beaten separately, rosewater, two tablespoonfuls, white wine, two tablespoonfuls Mix all these well together. Bake one hour. Then with a spoon spread it […]
Little remains of the Lake Dick Project from Roosevelt’s New Deal. All that is left are a few houses. The area is currently on the National Register of Historic Places. When it was active, there was considerable work for everyone as seen by the photographs taken in 1938 by Russell Lee and Dorothea Lange. Dairy […]
The saying ‘spick and span’ once meant new, but means extra clean today. A span was a wood shaving. If something was newly built it would have tell-tale wood chips so it was ‘span new’, Spick is an old word for a nail. New spicks or nails would be shiny. However words and phrases often […]
GIFTS OF GOLD by Clifford Dobyns At thirteen years old I was fortunate to be in a Boy Scout troop that took a trip to the Smoky Mountains. On returning home I wanted to make the gift giving a special event. I decided that we would ride our bicycles to a beautiful spot on a golf […]
