19th Century Recipes for a Hearty Breakfast
When we were young, Mom and Dad used to send my brothers and I to Grandma’s house for a few weeks at a time during the summer. My Grandparents lived …
Stories
Hotel Advertising: A History of Guest Welcome Amenities
There was once a time when hotels lacked television or booking websites to advertise. Instead, providing well-designed guest welcome amenities that were hard to pass up, guests did the advertising …
6 Dark Stories Behind Classic Childhood Games
Nothing seems as innocent as a family gathering around the table to play their favorite game. Yet, many childhood classics rose from dark tales or suspicious circumstances. So, if you …
Mind Your Own Bee’s Wax: Old-Timey Sayings Part II
(This is Part II in our series about the meanings of Old-Timey sayings we still use today. Check out Part I here). As I wrote earlier, my Grandparents lived on a …
The Well-Appointed Antique Desk: 11 Essential Items
I’ve always been a sucker for stationary stores. So is my Mother. I grew up in a small town in northeast Ohio near Oberlin, where Oberlin College is. Mom and …
Ice Breakers: 5 Vintage Ice Tools for the Old-Timey Bartender
Ice has always been a sought after commodity. In the early days, ice was collected from frozen lakes and rivers during the winter, chipped into huge blocks and stored underground …
Decanting History: Learning More About Drinking Vessels
For wine and liquor enthusiasts, using a decanter is often the preferred way to serve their drink of choice. A decanter is a decorative vessel for serving and storing alcohol …
The Typewriter: Evolution of a Newfangled Writing Machine
In 1875, Mark Twain described the typewriter as a “new fangled writing machine”. In this post, we look at the earliest models and recent innovations.