I am often asked why history is my favorite subject, and I believe that I have a very unique answer. It all started when I was 8 or 9 years old. Like nearly all other kids of my generation, I loved video games and they consumed much of my time, to my parents dismay. At
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Archivist Ash: National Blueberry Month History
Happy National Blueberry Month, everyone! 2019 marks 113 year since the blueberries we know today were domesticated. Although, the idea of domesticating the little blue dynamos originated in 1893, the brainchild of Elizabeth Coleman White. White was the daughter of cranberry farmers from Whitesbog, New Jersey. She, along with USDA botanist Frederick Colville, began experimenting
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What is That?
When in the Visitor’s Center at Allaire State Park, you may notice in the Row House exhibit’s downstairs kitchen what looks something like a set of circular pliers with a spring geared handle sitting on the table. What you see is a pair of sugar nippers, which were a common household tool until roughly the
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Origins of Santa Claus
Representations of the gift-giver from Church history and folklore, notably St Nicholas (known in Dutch as Sinterklaas), merged with the English character Father Christmas to create the character known to Americans and the rest of the English-speaking world as “Santa Claus” (a phonetic derivation of “Sinterklaas”). In the English and later British colonies of North
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The Joys of First Person Interpretation. By Timothy Brown
When people converse, magic happens: they learn about each other. When you are impersonating someone else, the other is learning about that other person. This is what historic interpreters do; teach people about another time by being someone else. It is like acting, but more – the first person interpreter actually does the things as
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Allaire History
News from the Collection – October
Last month we learned about the Tilt Top Table/Bench in the Foreman’s Cottage, The Tape Loom and the Stitching Pony and the sausage stuffer – check last month’s blog if you missed it! Some new developments in the Village are well worth a mention. The Foreman’s Cottage is receiving a face lift courtesy, in part,
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Allaire History
News from the Collection
The Historical Village at Allaire is the caretaker of an extensive collection of historical objects from the 19th century – our collection is literally all around you! Each of our historic buildings contains objects that were used by our ancestors in their daily lives – circa 1836. Although we try to stay true to the
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19th Century Life
America’s Pastime: Then to Now
Flowers are budding, birds are flying home, and baseball season is back! For nearly 200 years, Americans have anticipated spring and baseball side by side. Even though our national pastime has remained a consistent favorite from generation to generation, it has also undergone some pretty drastic changes through the years. In fact, baseball’s history goes