On the frontier, tallow candles were expensive to make and used sparingly
History writer Paul Locher delves into the expense of making tallow candles on the frontiers of Ohio Country in the 1800s.
Johnny Appleseed’s trees gave rise to J.M. Smucker Company
Paul Locher provides a history of how Johnathan “Appleseed” Chapman's orchards became used by Jerome Monroe Smucker to create the J.M. Smucker Co.
Corn husking bees brought neighbors together for work, socializing
Paul Locher details one of the great seasonal traditions among settlers in the Ohio Country — the husking bee or husking frolic.
With trees cut down, firewood takes center stage
How did settlers chop fire wood and heat their homes in 1800s Ohio Country? Paul Locher offers insight in the latest installment of An American Tale.
Recollections and observations on hunting in the Ohio Country
From squirrel hunts to rabbit pot pies, pioneer life in Ohio meant hunting not for sport, but survival — with skill, dogs and a trusty Kentucky rifle.
Hunting deer and foxes was the stuff of legend for settlers
Major Gen. David Sloane Stanley’s memoirs offer vivid stories of hunting fox, deer and more in 1800s Wayne County, capturing pioneer life in Ohio.
Bringing out the broadaxe and hewing to the line
Once early settlers had felled, sectioned and de-barked trees, it was time for the hewing process to begin, which required a broadaxe and a marking axe.
Conestoga wagons hauled possessions and dreams of early settlers
The Conestoga wagon was a sturdy, dependable vehicle that could handle the rugged and virtually non-existent trails to carry early settlers west.
From stalk to shock to fodder, harvesting the corn crop required a myriad of...
Paul Locher explains how early settlers of Ohio country would have harvested corn, detailing the tools they would have used.
Corn was staff of life for settlers, but was always labor intensive
After corn was husked, it had to be shelled and processed before it could be cooked into a meal in the early 1800s in Ohio Country.
