By Robert Reed    The beautiful brooch traditionally had been one of the most enduring types of jewelry as well as one of the most varied.    Women have affixed these large and decorative ornamental pins on their clothing for centuries. Some brooches could be fashioned from cardboard or human hair and be fairly plain, or they could be adorned with gold […]

By Sandy Dale    I can’t believe September is here already. With it comes a passel of great things to do. I’ll start the list with our own Tour de Florence, or to be more correct, a bicycle tour sponsored by the Florence Pioneer Museum called Tour de Coal Camps, Sept. 8. For more info check the museum website. Get a […]

By Barry Krause    Letter openers have been known since the 18th century, but became a popular tool after envelopes were mass produced starting in the mid-19th century when postage rates were reduced for letters mailed inside envelopes.    Before that time, almost all letters were simply folded to leave a blank portion where the address was written and postmarks applied, and […]

By Tom Cotter Cambridge, Diamond, Fenton, Tiffin photos by Barb Garrison Fostoria photo by Alex Kizewski, Cambridge Rubina photos by Tom Cotter    The grand and glorious 1920s. The United States dominated the world in nearly every phase of life. Glass was a big part of that dominance; glass for automobiles, airplanes, trains, homes, radios, and on and on. 1920 marked […]