History
On Memorial Day: Remembering Elias Sweet and more than 1 million others
by Ben Fidler Elias strung together his sack filled with boots and woolen socks, maybe fresh bread from his mother Eunice. His father, Lamech, may have hugged him so tightly it held back their tears. Behind the family, at the Sweet Farm in Waterloo Twp., the dairy cows bellowed. Elias turned one last time to […]
Clyde’s Corner: Rediscovering a special ‘Everyday Diary’ from 1936
by Clyde Whitaker Well, admittedly, I don’t think I can top my story from last month about my grandfather, but this story is special, too. It’s about a local educator from long ago—Emma L. Smith—and her beloved 1936 diary. Many, many years ago, my mother-in-law, Alice McGinn, was at a garage sale in Chelsea and […]
Clyde’s Corner: Cheaper by the dozen…but what about 2 dozen!
by Clyde Whitaker As you read this, you may think it’s a case of “Believe It or Not.” Let me assure you, it is a true story—to the best of my research and recollections—about my grandfather, Morgan C. Whitaker, and his two wives named Mollie. (Yes, you read that correctly!) Morgan was born in Magoffin, […]
PACT Act ups eligibility for VA health care for millions of Veterans exposed to toxins while serving
Information provided by Veterans Affairs Beginning March 5, 2024, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made all Veterans who meet the basic service and discharge requirements and were exposed to toxins while serving our country eligible to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. This expansion of care means […]
Woah Nellie!
The concept of meal planning endures, the meals, not so much. by Mary Jo David Looking through last century’s Nellie Maxwell columns, I noticed she has started taking a somewhat different approach. Instead of just recipes, in 1924, Nellie began including some weekly meal plans with her recipes. My first thought was, “Some things never […]
Volunteers needed at area history museums
by Arlene Kaiser Do you remember when you were in the second, third or fourth grade? Do you remember when your class went on a field trip to the Waterloo Farm and Dewey School Museums? Do you remember the fun you had making butter, grinding corn, sawing wood, or hauling water so you could do […]
Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia
What war is the song ‘Sky Pilot’ about? by John Robinson Q: Was The Animals’ song “Sky Pilot” about the Vietnam War? A: I suppose it could be taken that way; but whenever I heard it, I thought of World War II. So maybe it’s just supposed to be about war in general. Because the […]
Clyde’s Corner: Small-town doctor sure did leave his mark on Stockbridge
by Clyde Whitaker This month I have a special story to share with you about Dr. Sidney Beckwith, who started practicing general medicine in Stockbridge right around 1941. I had a special bond with Dr. Beckwith you see because he brought me into this world, along with hundreds of others, at the Rowe Memorial Hospital […]
Woah Nellie!
‘Brown Bread’ jumps off the page and into the oven by Mary Jo David Settling in after the holidays, I started looking through the February 1924 issues of old Stockbridge Brief-Sun newspapers to determine what 100-year-old Nellie Maxwell recipe to try this month. As I came across a few recipes that I recalled seeing last […]
Clyde’s Corner
Ralph ‘Buster’ Myer: Still open for business after all these years by Clyde Whitaker I was out the other day, doing what I love, taking pictures of the great outdoors, when I came upon the place of business of an old friend, Ralph “Buster” Myer. I have known Buster, as most of us who went […]