Tag: antiques
Finale: Civil War letters home
A chance discovery of Civil War letters in a local library uncovers the poignant story of Jeromesville's Boyd brothers. Through their own words, a local writer traces the brothers' service, the tragedy of wartime disease, and the lasting legacy marked on a hilltop cemetery monument.
Pressing clothes was an onerous chore for pioneer women
Before electric appliances, pressing clothes was a backbreaking pioneer chore. Columnist Paul Locher explores the history of early laundry technology, from heavy cast-iron sad irons and interchangeable slug irons to specialized tabletop gophering irons used for fluting ruffles.
Do you know what this mystery item from Kelleys Island is?
Give us your best guess for this new mystery item that sits outside a cottage on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie.
The many lives of Fort Laurens
Fort Laurens, Ohio’s only Revolutionary War fort, reveals soldiers’ hardships and new excavations as crews work to rebuild part of the stockade by 2028.
How the 1833 washboard patent changed early American laundry
The patenting of the washboard in 1833 inspired tinsmiths, potters, and wood turners across Ohio to craft early laundry devices. Explore the history of handmade washboards, possers, and the weekly frontier tradition of "Blue Monday."
Coming clean about clothes washing chores in the early Ohio Country
Before modern washing machines, early Ohio Country pioneers faced the grueling task of cleaning clothes in creeks and iron kettles. Columnist Paul Locher dives into the smelly history of 19th-century laundry chores and the evolution of the scrub sticks and patented washboards that followed.
Ohio pioneers made cheese to preserve milk without refrigeration
Without refrigeration, early Ohio Country farmers relied on traditional cheesemaking to extend their winter milk supply. Historian Paul Locher breaks down the step-by-step pioneer process of using rennet, straining whey and pressing hard cheeses to preserve dairy for months.
How pioneer families finished butter for market in early Ohio
From Scotch hands and butter-working tables to saffron coloring and decorative butter stamps, discover how Ohio pioneers finished, packaged and sold homemade butter.
Variety of butter churns attempted to make a very arduous task...
Churning butter was an arduous pioneer task that sparked a wave of American ingenuity. Antique expert Paul Locher explores the evolution of the churn—from simple wooden dashers and decorated pottery to rocking "cradles" and crank-powered models that transformed a chore into a science.
Wooden water pipes were hard to make, but a boon to...
Paul Locher explores the fascinating history and labor-intensive craft of early wooden water pipes—a testament to pioneer ingenuity and infrastructure.
