By Barry Krause  If the hurricane season has ever seriously damaged your family or property, you may not be in a mood to “collect” any hurricane memorabilia, preferring not to be constantly reminded of your personal loss with such artifacts sitting around forever. However, a fascinating range of objects can be collected and studied as hurricane-themed collectibles, not because we […]

By Carol J. Perry  I was a lucky little kid. My Dad worked for Parker Brothers, the famous Salem, Massachusetts game manufacturer. I was raised, it seems now, amidst a cheerful, colorful clutter of wonderful games.  Sometimes I was allowed to visit the big old rambling factory where Daddy was foreman of the Box Department. I watched, fascinated, as bright, […]

By Ann Brandt  Artus Van Briggle lived only 35 years, but he left behind an artistic legacy. Van Briggle has been called a genius, an artist and a potter. He was all those things, working with intensity, fueled in the last five years of his life by the knowledge of impending death from tuberculosis. Before Van Briggle’s work became widely […]

By Carol Mobley  There are many famous tourist traps in every State in these United States.  Some are more well known than others.  This article is about none of them.  Instead, this article is dedicated to the independent men and women who, through their hard work and dedication, have created a small piece of heaven here on Earth generally called […]

By Robert Reed  At the height of the county’s quest for independence and freedom from foreign domination, America’s leaders selected the eagle as its national symbol.  Historians note that the American eagle was officially adopted in June of 1782 by an act of the Continental Congress. It was a suitable choice.  In writing suggestions earlier to the selection committee Philadelphia […]