A view from inside one of the towers of the Twin Lights Lighthouse in Highlands, New Jersey. There was a storm brewing as I made my way up and down giving tours and history talks to school groups as part of my work with Brookdale’s Ocean Institute program. It’s a lot of fun, but I…
Tag: History
Photo of the Day: September 6, 2017
After more visits to New Hope, Pennsylvania than I can count, I still have not made it into the Parry Mansion Museum. From the outside, it’s beautiful. Great landscape too. My friend Walter has been to quite a few holiday parties there (he used to work in town), and says it is a wonderful place.
Photo of the Day: August 31, 2017
The historic Revere Tavern in Paradise, Pennsylvania. This picture was taken on Easter Sunday before a really hearty brunch and some excellent Seafood Newburg.
Photo of the Day: August 29, 2017
A 1969 J.W Dant bourbon decanter picturing the battle of the Alamo from 1836. I’ve had a lifelong fascination and interest in the battle, so when I saw this in an antique shop in Keyport, New Jersey, I had to have it. Whatever the cost. Surprisingly enough, the cork was perfectly intact, meaning this becomes…
Do You Remember…Larison’s Turkey Farm Inn (Chester, NJ)
Why do certain restaurants pop into our heads? Ones that we are fond of, and some we wish we had still forgotten. That’s where this series comes in. It’s not quite in the “Restaurants We Miss” territory. These are just the places worthy of a quick reminisce, or maybe because I cannot remember enough about…
Fermented Musings: Resurrecting Andrew Bell’s Ginger Wine: The Adventure Begins
Among the traps of doing historic research has been getting lured off the path by some tangential or serendipitous discovery. I may be, for example, looking for an article in an old newspaper about some subject and then become distracted by an adjacent article on a totally unrelated yet irresistibly fascinating story. Such was my…
Introducing a New Guest Column
In addition to my friend Hunter Dillon and his “Casual Crusades” guest column, I am bringing in the husband-wife duo of Gordon Bond and Stephanie Hoagland for something new. They are going to be tackling a guest column of their own, titled “Fermented Musings”. In it, they will focus on liquor reviews, cocktail recipes, and…
Travel Guide PA: National Christmas Center to Close in 2018
It’s a museum in Lancaster County dedicated to Christmas. A place where people celebrate the holiday all year-round. I first visited the National Christmas Center back in 2010. I was taken aback by the size of the display and amount of items in the collection. Everything—and I mean everything—related to the holiday throughout history managed…
Chair from Memphis Pig Out to Reside at Atlantic Highlands Historical Society
The owners of the Memphis Pig Out have graciously donated a chair from their now-defunct restaurant of over 30 years to the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society. It will reside on display at the Strauss Mansion Museum. Since the restaurant was such an important part of the town’s dining history, it only makes sense that the…
Photo of the Day: June 8, 2017
The original baking ovens (1861) of the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Factory in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the temperature in the room matched that of an oven. No air conditioning in the original portion of the centuries-old building. Lovely tour, but keep that in mind when visiting in the summer! July 2016.
Photo of the Day: May 30, 2017
Staring up at the masts of the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, docked at historic Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. The ghost hunter in me wondered if any crew-members still lurk below deck. March 2016.
Drinking History: 10 Years Ago Today, Absinthe Re-Legalized in the USA
Happy Absinthe Day! 10 years ago today, absinthe was re-legalized in the United States after being banned for nearly 100 years. Less than a week removed from my History of Liquor course at Brookdale, I feel inclined to mention how needless the ban was in the first place. How hysteria, propaganda, and ignorance led to the…
