By Maureen Timm  Gorgeous Glass Grenades and Bottles Extinguished Fires of Yesteryear. Have you ever wondered what they had to quench a fire with in the old days, before the invention of flame-retardant chemicals and foam filled canisters? As a matter of fact, they had an arsenal of their own in the form of liquid-filled fire grenades.  Fire grenades originated […]

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 […]

By Tom Cotter Photos by Tom Cotter  Sometimes from tragedy is born beauty.  Following the great Potato Famine in the 1840s, John Caldwell Bloomfield decided to help the populace on the Castle Caldwell Estate along River Erne at the village of Belleek, Northern Ireland.  He had found pottery and china quality materials and identified peat, water power, and available labor […]

 It is very hard to believe that 10 years has gone by, it seems to have happened so very quickly and we are going strong!  Andy and Leanne, the owners of Homestead, had a vision to create a great store and an even better shopping experience. For us, It all started way back when we would go and spend the […]

 On February 14, lovers, friends and family members exchange Valentine cards or gifts as tokens of caring and love. Valentine’s Day is one of the most romantic days of the year.  Its history, however, is shrouded in mystery. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that […]