When I grew up in the ‘40s on Peaks Island, ME, these were the telephones found in the homes of those who could afford them. In a small shed-like building, an older woman sat all day wearing primitive earphones and had a speaker-horn hanging around her neck. In front of her was a large board, full of “holes,” and when a call came in for a family on the island, she would insert a prong into the hole containing a wire that went to our phone. Each circuit served eight homes, and

Every antique tractor had a seat. Most were simple and bore no inscriptions. Often, the more well-known manufacturers would have the steel seat cast with their logoi i.e., JOHN DEERE. MCCORMICK, OLIVER, WHITE, ALLIS CHARMLER, FARMALL, etc. Occasionally, and at great extra expense, a large, proud, and prosperous farmer would have the seat cast with the farmer’s name and location of the farm. These are sought after and quite collectable. The tractor seat in my shop is illustra

This primitive plank and box houses what appear to be a medieval torture device. Be careful wen touching the “spikes” for they are needle sharp! This explains the need for the clever box. Well, no, it is not a torture device but a very old “Yarn Carder”, a device for pulling raw wool through, to begin the process of preparing the mess to produce usable wool for yarn.

Used to shovel dirt? Snow? Grain? Sh--, Guess again! Who needs a shovel that won’ hold anything? This shovel was invented and manufactured in the USA by ingenious metal workers and wood craftsman in late 1800s through early 30s. During this period many homes were heated by anthracite coal and just as it is today, fuel was a major financial outlay. Coal stoves and furnaces all had “grates” which had to be “shaken,” to dump the ash into a lower receiver. Chunks of unburned coal

A FLASHBACK FOR WE ELDERS AND RARE TRIVIA FOR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. Ice-cream has always delighted a youngster. My dad referred to the practice as “taking your tongue for a sleighride.” One of my mischievous delights was to sneak up on the neighbor’s porch on a frosty morning on the way to school, and break the “creamsicle” sticking out of the milk bottle delivered earlier. When milk was left at the door in glass bottles and began to freeze the cream in the milk having

I enjoy a collection of antique and vintage men’s hats and especially Top Hats and Bowlers. Shown in my reel is a Regent (1825) Beaver pelt (made in Belfast Maine), two nice Bowlers, a Stetson Silver Belly, and a Stetson Hunt Club. Whenever you visit a yard sale, flea market, garage sale, or used clothing shop, don’t overlook the hat racks and coat hooks where used fashions hang. You might just discover yesterday’s styles that are today’s treasures. When I find a hat that I l