A journal of rediscovery
During one of my many travels through abandoned insane asylums, I stumbled upon a forgotten object that now calls my antique armoire home. Rockland County Psychiatric Center holds a special place in my heart as it’s one of the first abandoned insane asylums I’ve ever explored. But its history is
I. John Naeher, director of operations at Christian Heritage School of Trumbull, Connecticut, was in balmy Orlando on a school errand in April 2015 when he received a distressing call. Bob Dunn, the building inspector in Trumbull, had stopped over to look at the dilapidated house on the edge of
Grandma always blamed the pain in her arthritic knees on the diner. Anna was a small-framed, round-shouldered, stately old woman dressed in black. She had sunken cheeks on a round, wrinkled face, topped with thinning white hair made a bit blue during Easter and Christmas. Her small, dark eyes, sharply
A common household annoyance begins with a flash and a small puff of smoke. It’s time to change a light bulb. However, imagine if you had a light bulb that never burned out. My mother has one of those in our family home. She says it’s an original carbon filament
When I was sixteen, a European exchange student enrolled at my small-town high school for the year. I was, of course, instantly infatuated and placed myself front and center to gain his favor. He was from Germany and we were together for a year and a half. The latter fifty
I found a toy that may have belonged to your great-grandparents once upon a time. A little thrift store called Safe Haven sells items that were once held so dear to someone that they were pristinely cleaned and cared for, and they stood the test of time. Located in the
My boyfriend Travis’s family can trace its lineage all the way back to Sybil Ludington. Having the blood of an original patriot like her running through their veins makes it no surprise that his family’s other ancestors have played their parts in history. They have fought in multiple wars, including
A direct ancestor of a friend was hanged as a witch in Salem, Mass. “My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother,” said Mary Broas, “was accused twice.” Susannah Martin was hanged on July 19, 1692 after being found guilty of causing damages through witchcraft by those who did not like her. Her husband successfully
A film recently came out starring Steve Carell and Emma Stone titled Battle of the Sexes. It’s a dramatization of a famous tennis match in 1973 between men’s tennis player Bobby Riggs and women’s tennis player Billie Jean King. Spoiler alert: King won the match, and that victory was a
While I was staying at the Roosevelt in New York for a writers’ conference, courtesy of my dad donating his vacation points, I stumbled upon a U.S. Mail letter chute. It was showcased almost like a piece of art in between the various elevators in the hotel. I became curious