Recently, I was browsing Fultonhistory.com for news articles about one of my ancestors when this headline grabbed my attention. Having just celebrated Father's Day, it was particularly intriguing. Transcription from The Geneva Daily Times, Thursday, June 16, 1927: Prior to reading this, I had never given any thought to the history of Father's Day or Mother's Day, but after doing a little digging, I learned that the earliest record of both was actually in 1908. The first widely recognized...

Capturing a person’s likeness has fascinated people for centuries. Before photography, one popular way to preserve an image was through silhouettes. In colonial times, these simple yet elegant profiles became a cherished form of portraiture. They offered a quick, affordable way to capture a person’s features using just shadows and skilled hands. This blog explores how colonial silhouettes were created, their cultural significance, and how you can bring a piece of this history into your home...

George Washington has been studied from nearly every angle: soldier, statesman, surveyor, farmer, president, and founding father. Yet this old newspaper article presents him from another perspective—as a Freemason. Published in a fraternal section of the New York newspaper, The Argus, in 1902, “Washington as a Loyal Mason” preserves the story of his initiation, his Masonic honors, and the relics later treasured by the fraternity that claimed him as one of its most honored members. Notice, in...