New Findings about the Lost Colony of Roanoke?

It's the week of finals and unfortunately, I haven't been doing much posting! I have a bunch of posts lined up some of them are half written, but my brain is being consumed by my finals and won't be available for my own use until next week. :D

But I did find this really cool article about the lost colony of Roanoke that I think merits sharing:

Drawn in invisible ink, is this the site of Walter Raleigh's lost colony?

Roanoke Colony was late 16th century attempt to establish a colony in the New World. The fort and colony are surrounded in mystery as it disappeared with few indications of what happened to the population. John White, an artist and later governor of the colony painted many detailed maps of the area but never indicated exactly where the fort was. Now it's been discovered that a flap on one of his maps covers a drawn fort.

Was this lozenge (the cartographer term for a fort on a map) a mistake? The real location of the fort? :D I can't wait to find out. People have been searching for it since its disappearance. Union soldiers even dug around the area during the Civil War. You can read about some of the location attempts here: America's Lost Colony.

Civil War Paper Bags

Today we are used to going to a store, having them bag out items and hand them to us. During the mid-1800s, You would go to the store, point out what you wanted and the clerk would hand it to you to put in your own bags, boxes and barrels brought from home. Some shops in the city would wrap up your parcel in paper and have it delivered to your home as a courtesy.

People complained of shop owners wrapping purchases in newspaper only to have the ink ruin their purchase but more expensive shops used plain or brown paper to prevent this. Newspaper covered parcels were considered low class and few wealthy ladies wanted to be seen carrying one.

In 1852 Francis Wolle patented a paper bag making machine but his bags weren't widely available until 1869, when he founded the Union Paper Bag Machine Company. Before that, if you wanted a paper bag, you'd have to make it yourself or rely on mass handmade bags that some products came in. Little paper bags were popular for holding seeds and tiny foodstuffs like raisins, dried herbs, small cakes, nuts ect. Thick, brown paper was common for paper bag making.

Making paper bags is a pretty simple endeavor. 

How to make paper bags, the 1850s way: 

 -Cut 1 piece of paper the size you want the final bag to be, adding an extra 1/2 inch on 3 sides. Cut a second piece without the extra 1/2 inch. 

-Put glue on the "extra" flaps of paper and place the smaller piece of paper on top of the larger one, making sure that the two top edges are even.

-Press down the side edges and allow a minute to dry.

-Glue the bottom flap and fold to the top, fold the flap over and let it dry. Once dry, fill it with your favorite goodies!




This is very low tech but one way they did it. These instructions were taken from the book Rollo's Vacation, where a girl is teaching her little brother how to make bags to keep seeds in. The book recommends powdered gum-arabic, which can still be purchased in art stores, but is very expensive. 

Happy Earth Day!

It's pretty rainy here, but I thought I'd put together a list of fun Earth friendly tutorials and websites! I can't wait to get started on the garden this year. I am scaling down this year. I am only going to grow herbs, a few tomato plants and leeks. Andy is going to grow a few tomatoes and corn in his garden. Neither of us have tried corn before but it should be fun. 

 Tutorials:

-Make Your Own Seed Bombs- This tutorial uses newspaper to make biodegradable seed "tokens." I'm thinking that this would be a really neat thing to use to trade heirloom seeds for herbs with friends.
-Vertical Gardens- Vertical gardening mixed with aquaponics. Garden inspiration to save space.
-Birdseed Wreath- Tutorial for a very cool wreath made from birdseed, gelatin and corn syrup.   
-Pea Trellis- Make a simple plant trellis with string and sticks. This website has a lot of garden projects and recipes. 
-12 Vertical Gardens- Very creative gardens, designed to save garden space.

Websites:

-Urban Homesteading: Heirloom skills for sustainable living
. This is the website and blog of the author of the book "Urban Homesteading." There is lots of useful information here, even if you don't buy her book.
-Growing Tomatoes- This website has a lot of good information on growing tomatoes. I have never had a lot of luck with tomatoes but this site is really helpful.    
-The Good Acre: Surviving Hard Times With a Family Garden: An account of victory gardens during WWII.
- Aspiring Homemaker- If you haven't been over to Mia's blog, her family is a homesteading inspiration.

Does anyone have any favorite websites, tutorials, or books on gardening, homesteading, self-sufficiency etc.? Please share!

Changes on the Farm

I'm finally back at work and happy to see some of the changes that occurred over the winter.

The green and newly blossoming trees.

A new baby calf.

Lighting the beehive oven, the first time since I've worked here.

A new baby lamb with a protective new mama.

New friends. :)

I'm so excited to be back on the farm again. Even with all of the stressful things that happen there and the physical labor, it is still the most relaxing place I ever go. In the early mornings, when the fog hangs low and there's dew on everything, I find myself crossing the bridge that leads from the 21st century into the 18th century. I always take a moment before I step off the bridge to look over the beauty of the farm and remind myself to "never take it for granted."

I'd like to think the farm misses us too after being shut up all winter. :)

Mummified Forearm from Antietam

An arm was purportedly dug up on a farm by a farmer shortly after the Battle of Antietam. This arm was pickled by the farmer in a brine then embalmed by a doctor and has been on display for years. Its current home is the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, where scientists are trying to verify the story as well as figure out what caused the arm wound, the possible soldier's age and nationality.

Antietam was a particularly violent, battle with 23,000 casualties in one day. As with many battlefields, remains at Antietam still become exposed from time to time, like when a visitor found the remains of a New York soldier in 2008.

It is very likely that the arm really did belong to a soldier. Scientists have already confirmed that the arm came from a young soldier, possibly younger than 20.  

Read the full story at Md. Civil War Museum Gives Severed Arm a Good Look. 

The dead at Antietam are of personal interest to me as my ancestor with the 124th PA was among the burial detail after the battle only one month after he joined the army.

Library of Congress

 These photos are surreal to look at as the landscape looks so similar today. The rolling hills and farms look so peaceful today.

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

There is a discussion now as to whether the arm should be respectfully buried instead of being a macabre museum display. I think it should still remain on display as you only need to see something like that once to instantly understand the horrors of war. I can only imagine what that soldier would want to tell future generations about war.