While growing up in Massachusetts my mom’s Toll House Cookies were a fave in our home. It was a mystery to me why my friends gave them another name: Chocolate Chip Cookies. Years later, I learned that the originator of these delicious treats filled with chocolate morsels was Ruth Wakefield. Ruth & her hubby, Kenneth, owned a historical home in Whitman, MA where they ran a restaurant, the Toll House Inn. One day in the 1930’s before baking her fave Butter Drop Do with baker’s chocolate cookies, she learned that there was no chocolate to be found in her kitchen. So, she broke a Nestle’s Chocolate Bar into small pieces and added them into the dough, expecting the pieces to melt while baking. The result was the Toll House Cookie. It became a popular recipe. Nestle still publishes it on the backside of their Nestle Semi Sweet Morsel packages. Either name you choose - Chocolate Chip or Toll House – this cookie is yummy!
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After Noah Webster graduated from Yale, he became a teacher. It was the time period after the Revolutionary War and the books that children used still came from England. Americans used words the people of England did not use and he wanted American school children to have a book containing words that they used. He included the words squash and skunk in his book, including definitions. These words were unknown in England. "Colour" was spelled "color". Many years later the Merriam Brothers in Springfield, MA purchased the rights to his 1841 edition. Today, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is a household name! Click links for more info.
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| The Lorax |
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In 1791 Vermont, our 14th state, was admitted into the Union. The following year Kentucky became our 15th state. A few years later - in 1795 our U.S. flag's design was changed to include these two new states. Our U.S. flag then had 15 stars and 15 stripes. This flag flew for the next 23 years. Time passed and by 1818 five more states were admitted. Congress then passed legislation to reduce the number of stripes back to 13 and only additional stars were added for any additional states admitted into the Union.
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| The 15 Stars/15 Stripes U.S. Flag |
Information learned while visiting Fort Moultrie
in South Carolina
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Every spring I enjoy planting Zinnias from seeds. It's wonderful to watch the small plants grow into 12", 18" or 24" plants (depending on the specific type of Zinnia). Colorful flowers fill our gardens along with the perennials. This year my Hubby & I noticed many "Monarch" Butterflies enjoying our flowers, too. However, after a closer look it appeared that the Butterflies were slightly discolored in the middle. Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens, located north of us in South Deerfield, MA, kindly answered our inquiry.
What a surprise! The numerous butterflies that were gliding in to land on our beautiful colorful Zinnias were the Painted Lady Butterfly. The Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) looks very similar
to a Monarch Butterfly, but the thorax and abdomen are paler in
color. WoW!
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| Comparison Chart |
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Over 2,200 years ago the first Emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi, prepared for his afterlife, after he became the ruler of the Qin Dynasty. (Qin pronounced "chin".) His tomb took over 40 years to build and more than 700,000 workers labored. Terracotta warriors and terracotta horses were made to be included in his tomb.
Centuries passed. In 1974 peasant farmers were digging for a well in China. They dug deeper and did strike something solid - a part of a terracotta soldier. Click here to read more. This is an interesting part of China's long history.
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| Terracotta General General wore shoes with turned up toes. |
The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620. Their goal had been to reach the Hudson River. On November 9, 1620, the Pilgrims sighted land. It was the coast of Cape Cod. After sighting land (Cape Cod) and trying to sail south, the shoals in the water forced the Mayflower to sail back north. Provincetown Harbor at the tip of the Cape was where they anchored. About one month later, the Pilgrims sailed to Plymouth, Massachusetts.
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| Information from CAPE COD Natural Seashore |
Click here to read more details.
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| Plaque across from the Coast Guard Small Boat Station, Chatham, MA |
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The Liberty Bell was given its name by the Abolitionists in the 1830's. Before that time it was known as the State House Bell.
Click on images to view.
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Esther Howland is the "the mother of the American Valentine"! Her dad owned the largest stationery/ book store in Worcester, MA during the mid 1800's. This young woman from Central Massachusetts had a great idea! To learn more about her idea that resulted in a sweet business, read this fascinating story from massmoments.org! Click here for the story!
Esther Howland is the "the mother of the American Valentine"! Her dad owned the largest stationery/ book store in Worcester, MA during the mid 1800's. This young woman from Central Massachusetts had a great idea! To learn more about her idea that resulted in a sweet business, read this fascinating story from massmoments.org! Click here for the story!
