by Kary Pardy Consider the humble blanket chest: a piece of furniture that might travel with its owners across an ocean or a country. Such a solid, practical item seems like the last place for surprising features, but without fancy safe deposit boxes or other high-end precautions, the average person needed a place to […]
Category Archives: Features
02
Jul
Jul
by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher Museums, in their many forms, are a universal experience shared by most people in this country, whether it is an art gallery, natural history museum, living history museum, or historic home. Every state, city, and almost every town in America has a museum of some sort – a space that […]
14
Jun
Jun
by Melody Amsel-Arieli In 1921, Atlantic City, New Jersey offered East Coast vacationers far more than sun, sand, and sea. In addition to thrilling mechanical rides and pre-Broadway shows, it hosted the first “Inter-City Beauty Pageant,” an exuberant extravaganza celebrating the fairer sex. This seaside competition launched with the dramatic entry of King Neptune (its […]
08
Jun
Jun
by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher Atlantic City, New Jersey is home to one of the most famous and oldest boardwalks in America. This initially mile-long wooden walkway from the beach into the town was erected in 1870 to solve a problem not anticipated by the Town’s developers in the building of this seaside resort […]
31
May
May
By Donald-Brian Johnson A lady of my acquaintance collects souvenirs with a vengeance. If she’s seen it, visited it, or done it, she has the refrigerator magnet (or T-shirt, or coffee mug, or snow globe, or … well, you get the idea), to show for it. Sometimes those souvenirs are (presumably) free for the […]
24
May
May
By Erica Lome, Ph.D. In the 1930s, no road trip across America was complete without a travel guide from the widely popular American Guide Series, published by the Federal Writers’ Project. Intended to stimulate the economy and boost national pride, these travel guides featured history-laden itineraries, photographs of major cultural icons, and directed access to […]
17
May
May
by Zoë Peate Who doesn’t love to find a postcard from somewhere far away, waiting for them inside their mailbox? It’s such a rare occasion in this digital era, which only makes it an even more delightful surprise. While the Golden Age of postcards is long past, like the travel posters of yesteryear, vintage postcards […]
10
May
May
by Maxine Carter-Lome In the first decades of the 20th century, nothing was more novel than the automobile. The idea of personal transportation with the freedom and ability to go where the road took you without all the limitations inherent in train travel was inspiring. Now, people could take motor trips in their leisure […]
03
May
May
by Jessica Kosinski For as long as there have been people on the Earth, hand-crafted goods have existed. People have had to learn to make their own shelters, tools, clothing, weapons, and so much more throughout the centuries. Certain hand-made goods have remarkably shaped the world with their innovative designs and functions. There are few […]
26
Apr
Apr
by Melody Amsel-Arieli Under a spreading chestnut-tree The village smithy stands; The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands – The Village Blacksmith, Longfellow, 1842 Blacksmiths have wrought objects from iron for thousands of years. Metalworking, however, harks […]