The deadline for submitting entries for the 2021 Directory of Traditional American Crafts has past. All entries we have recevied are being processed and will be submitted to the jurors for anonymous judging. The 2021 Directory will appear in the August 2021 edition of Early American Life. Please do not call us. We cannot report on the status of any particular entry until the Directory is published..
1,876 days until America's Sestercentennial
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Our June 2021 edition has been printed on schedule and is on its way to all of our subscribers. Because of the Covid-19 situation, postal delivery has been spotty. Email us at subscribe@firelandsmedia.com if you suspect you have had a delivery problem—because our offices remained closed for the protection of our staff, we cannot answer telephone queries at this time.
All new web subscriptions will start with the August 2021 issue. Please email us at subscribe@firelandsmedia.com if you have other subscription requirements.
June 2021 is now on the newsstand and on its way to subscribers.
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Music, Magnetism, and Mesmer
Franz Mesmer introduced the world to the science of animal magnetism, claiming he could magnetize anything from doorknobs to dogs and could cure any ailment with the mysterious power. When he sought the endorsement of Benjamin Franklin, claiming his magnetism was another form of Franklin’s electricity, Franklin instead helped disprove Mesmer’s claims. We tell the whole story (and throw in the music of the glass armonica for good measure) in our June 2021 issue.
In our Christmas 2020 issue, we promised additional recipes from Martha Washington's Mount Vernon, including Layette Gingerbread, Fairy Butter, Apple Pie, Commpn Pie Crust, Shrewsbury Cakes, Compote of Apples, and a Chocolate Tart. We've made them all available for downloading in Microsoft Word format (so you can add your own notes and changes). You can download all of the recipes by clicking here.
Bonus Recipes: For Valentines Day
Looking for a Valentine's Day treat? We posted some recipes to accompany our February 2020 issue, and for this year we've reposted them again, here. You can view or download them by clicking here.
Security Warning!
Check your credit-card bill. Hackers have spoofed our account and placed small charges in our name against a number of credit cards. If you find a charge attributed to us that you did not make, notify your credit card company of an unauthorized charge (you should not have to pay for it). But more importantly, immediately change your credit card number or cancel your account. Such a charge means that your credit card number has been stolen! Change it before your number is used for expensive purchases. [MORE]
Archive:
Coronavirus Update, Take 2: As the dire predictions for the coronavirus come true, we
Thanks and You're Welcome: We send a big "Thank You" for the warm welcome we
Sourdough Recipe: Many of our readers have taken up baking while sheltering at home and have
Wall Preservation Symposium Postponed.:
As a precautionary measure and to en
Shoenbrunn Village and Others Open June 16: Three popular museums in Ohio&rs
The Ring of Coincidence: In our August issue in the story about Gill and Patty Sanchez a
Lost Church Uncovered
Last fall, archaeologists uncovered the foundations of First Baptist Church, built in 1856—one of the first congregations founded by free and enslaved African Americans—within Colonial Williamsburg’s historic area. Archaeologist Jack Gary of Colonial Williamsburg said the excavation also uncovered the foundations of a smaller building at the site and a posthole that could date to the late 18th Century. It is not clear yet if the earlier foundation could be from the congregation’s first meeting house, built in 1818. [MORE]
Lost Painting Resurfaces
20th-Century work depicting Shays&rsquo Rebellion, a post-Revolutionary War uprising of struggling farmers in western Massachusetts, has resurfaced after six decades and is now part of the traveling exhibition Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle, organized by the Peabody Essex Museum. [MORE]
Memorial Honors Native Veterans
On Veterans’ Day, the National Native American Veterans Memorial opened on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Congress commissioned the memorial to give “all Americans the opportunity to learn of the proud and courageous tradition of service of Native Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States.” [MORE]
Barton Hall Update
Since the time we visited Bo Osborn at Barton Hall for the story in our October 2016 issue, Bo has made the hard decision to part with the hall that he and his late wife so lovingly restored (and he maintains as a tribute to her). We thought it fitting to give one last glance at the amazing restoration they accomplished over their decades of ownership—all the while working the land and paying for the work with a farmer's earnings. [MORE]
In our Christmas 2020 issue, we promised additional recipes from Martha Washington's Mount Vernon, including Layette Gingerbread, Fairy Butter, Apple Pie, Commpn Pie Crust, Shrewsbury Cakes, Compote of Apples, and a Chocolate Tart. We've made them all available for downloading in Microsoft Word format (so you can add your own notes and changes). You can download all of the recipes by 
Looking for a Valentine's Day treat? We posted some recipes to accompany our February 2020 issue, and for this year we've reposted them again, here. You can view or download them by 
20th-Century work depicting Shays&rsquo Rebellion, a post-Revolutionary War uprising of struggling farmers in western Massachusetts, has resurfaced after six decades and is now part of the traveling exhibition Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle, organized by the Peabody Essex Museum. [MORE]
On Veterans’ Day, the National Native American Veterans Memorial opened on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Congress commissioned the memorial to give “all Americans the opportunity to learn of the proud and courageous tradition of service of Native Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States.” [MORE]
Since the time we visited Bo Osborn at Barton Hall for the story in our October 2016 issue, Bo has made the hard decision to part with the hall that he and his late wife so lovingly restored (and he maintains as a tribute to her). We thought it fitting to give one last glance at the amazing restoration they accomplished over their decades of ownership—all the while working the land and paying for the work with a farmer's earnings. [MORE]