Recent Posts
History of the Urine Jar Spell (Witch Bottles)
In folk magic and in alchemy, it was believed that pee retained a magical connection to the person who peed it (the pee-er?). This is…
1897 Instructions for Making a Barrel Smokehouse
These basic instructions for making a barrel smokehouse come from 1897. The smokehouse was intended for smoking small batches of meat for the family. Barrel…
8 True Horrors About the Camp Sumter Prison Camp – Civil War
During the early part of the Civil War, Union and Confederate soldiers were exchanged, but by 1863, the exchanges dropped to a mere trickle and…
Family Lost on the Empress of Ireland and the Lusitania
It was 1914 and William Mounsey’s wife, Fanny Sewell, took the Empress of Ireland to visit her family in England. The ship sank and Fanny’s…
Old Woman Starved and Put into the Poorhouse
Eighty-year-old Sarah Nary lived in her New York City home with her 12-year-old grandson back in 1913. The boy sold newspapers on the street corners…
Understanding the Plague Doctor’s Mask and Costume
The Black Death wiped out roughly 50 percent of Europe’s population in the fourteenth century. Its victims first showed flu-like symptoms. They had fever and…
Victim and Sacrifice: Origin of the Word Victim
When we use the word victim, we often think of a person or animal who is subjected to harm against his or her will. The…
Point Lookout POW Prison Camp of the Civil War
None of the prisons during the Civil War were pleasant places to be kept in, but some may argue that the POW prison at Point…
Russian Insane Asylum Inmates Become Cannibals
The title of this 1922 newspaper article hints at the cannibalism that took place during one of Russia’s famines, but does not mention it elsewhere….
Pincushion and Safety Pin Holder
If you ever need to store safety pins and needles in the same place, here is a handy pincushion craft that was originally published in…
