introducing myself

ok so this is basically a place where i'm going to talk about anything and everything to do with history. a blog full of random history facts, if you will.

as someone who frequently spends hours combing through history posts finding random facts i had no clue about, i thought i'd give this a go myself, because why not?

there isn't really a specific time frame or era that i plan on talking about so this might get quite chaotic. i may be obsessed with really recent, 90's type stuff one second, and then be ranting about ancient greece the next. however, i will try to keep this semi-organised and vaguely entertaining.

also, i might include some book reviews or book recs, so, you know, varied content.

my name is cristina, and let's see how this goes :)

Written in stoneware: The potteries of Summersite

By Jonathan Monfiletto

A Yates County native who has collected pieces of pottery from various local stoneware manufacturers and researched the history of many of these companies recently reached out to me with a question about the succession of these producers in the Penn Yan area. She had found a stoneware batter pail marked “Conklin & Heimburger, Penn Yan” and wondered how this company might have related to the Mantell stoneware business.

This woman had previously sparked my interest in learning about Byron Ansley and Ansley’s Dairy after she asked me about the company behind an Ansley’s Dairy milk bottle she had come across. Naturally, she now sparked my interest in learning about stoneware manufacturers in Yates County; we have traded messages to share the information we have uncovered in our research, and now I present that research here.

In fact, my research into stoneware manufacturing overlapped with another topic I had begun researching at the time. You see, as it turns out, stoneware production in Yates County appears to have been concentrated around the foot of Keuka Lake – on the east branch, where the outlet flows out of the lake and heads toward Seneca Lake – because of “a choice bed of clay” in that area, according to a May 30, 1958 article in The Chronicle-Express. This area, now incorporated into the village of Penn Yan, was once its own separate settlement outside of the village proper. It was known as Summersite.

In 1832, George Campbell founded the first pottery at Summersite – in modern-day terms, think of the intersection of Lake Street and South Avenue and the location of Red Jacket Park – after possibly working at potteries in Manhattan before arriving in Penn Yan. Another source states John Campbell established a redware pottery in the area before 1830, while his son George took over the business by 1850. This source indicates John and George came from New York City. However, a newspaper advertisement dated February 20, 1832 announces George Campbell producing earthen water pipes, candle molds, and other earthenware at his factory at the foot of Crooked Lake.

The 1958 article, written by former Yates County Historian Frank Swann, mentions the firm of Savage & Knapp operating around the same time in the same area. That appears to have been a partnership of Joseph L. Savage and Samuel Knapp, who advertised in 1846 the sale of flint ware, bricks, and earthenware pieces. According to a chapter titled “The Dundee Connection” in a book titled Stoneware of Havana, NY, Savage also enjoyed a partnership in making stoneware in Dundee with James Holmes, of Barrington, who had discovered a bed of clay on Washington Street in Dundee. The Holmes & Savage partnership lasted just a short time – as did, presumably, the firm of Savage & Knapp – as Savage formed another partnership in the village of Havana (the former name of Montour Falls) by August 1850. In 1848, Holmes had already acquired another partner by the name of Purdee, and they continued making stoneware in Dundee.

Meanwhile, George Campbell sold his pottery in 1855 to James Mantell, who had come to Penn Yan from Lyons the year before. Mantell had been a potter in Lyons from 1840 to 1853 and thus was well prepared to keep Campbell’s business going. For a brief time, Mantell had a partner in Shem Thomas, who had arrived in Penn Yan in 1853 but moved on to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1856. Mantell continued his business on his own until around 1876, apparently concluding his work with his death. By this point, Swann states, the original clay deposit had been exhausted and “suitable supplies for pottery were brought from New Jersey as ballast in canal boats.”

Nevertheless, the pottery industry in Summersite remained strong, with Oscar Conklin, Mantel’s son-in-law, taking over the business. He worked with at least three partners during this time in business – his firms were known as Conklin & Patterson, Conklin & Mingay, and Conklin & Heimburger. F.J. Elliott & Co. purchased the business sometime in the 1880s – a handwritten note in our subject file dates this purchase as May 1883 – though I have not uncovered an end date for this firm or a successor to this business. At some point, this may have represented the end of the stoneware pottery industry in the Summersite area of Penn Yan.

Much like this major industry in the area, the end of Summersite is also not clear to me. I assume the settlement melded into the village of Penn Yan over time as the village grew up, but I have not yet found concrete evidence for this. What I have found, though, is concrete evidence for the start of this lakeside settlement.

According to Stafford Cleveland in his History and Directory of Yates County, the first settler at the foot of Keuka Lake was John McDowell in 1803 on land belonging to Abraham Wagener, building a double log house on the bank of the lake on the east side of the outlet. A year later, William Wall purchased a tract of land on the west side of the outlet – the present-day Indian Pines area – and took steps to form a village, including surveying the ground into lots. However, Wall died soon after, Wagener took possession of the property, and the proposed village never came to fruition.

However, on the east side of the outlet, a village did come into being with the name of Elizabethtown. By 1817, Meredith Mallory had built a flour or gristmill in the area at the head of the outlet, depending on the low fall of water near that location. However, during the construction of Mallory’s mill, Wagener raised the level of the dam at his mill at the foot of Main Street so there was insufficient water to turn the wheels at Mallory’s mill. By September 1818, Gilman Lovering was operating the Bath, Painted Post, and Geneva stagecoach line. The construction of the highway led to the establishment of several taverns in this area. Zara L. Walton purchased the line on January 1, 1819 and kept it going. Exactly one month after Walton’s purchase of the highway, on February 1, 1819, a group of citizens met at Peter Heltibidal’s tavern and approved a resolution naming the community Summersite.

No matter the name of the settlement, it did seem to hold promise for a major village. In addition to the taverns – Wallace Finch started the first one and was succeeded in its ownership by Heltibidal, George and Robert Shearman, and William Kimble – there were mechanics and a grocery, both presumably serving the stagecoach passengers and workers. In addition to the potteries, other industries sprang up in the area. Isaiah Kimble manufactured augurs and bits; later on, Azor Kimble established a carriage shop. When the Crooked Lake Steamboat Company was incorporated in April 1826, there were hopes for a boom in the village. However, the company never got off the ground – or out on the water.

The Crooked Lake Canal opened a few years later, and the age of the steamboats on Keuka Lake soon dawned. However, by that point, the sun seems to have set on Summersite. “The prospective city of Summersite has faded away,” Cleveland wrote in 1873, while Swann noted the community has been encompassed into the village of Penn Yan.

HP Lovecraft lived a hard life after his family's fall from wealth. He struggled throughout his life and died in agony while writing in his diary. What was the mystery illness that claimed him?

#lovecraft #cosmichorror #author #biography #history

L'arte Mesopotamica

La Mesopotamia, con la sua ricca storia artistica, ci offre un insight prezioso sullo sviluppo delle prime civiltà organizzate. Questa regione, parte della cosiddetta mezzaluna fertile, ha giocato un ruolo cruciale nello scambio di idee e influenze culturali tra varie comunità antiche. Attraverso opere d’arte straordinarie, possiamo cogliere la complessità delle società mesopotamiche, la loro…

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The History of the Cravat The cravat has a long lineage. These beautiful garments make for a comfortable and stylish finish to a collar or suit. Its origins however are somewhat shrouded in mystery. When trying to ascertain the origin of what we know as the cravat, it’s important to acknowledge one thing - there’s a great deal of debate! Cravats are generally known to be an evolution of the neckerchief, and the tie is said to be a development of the cravat - but where do you draw the line? Read our latest blog post here: https://www.cravat-club.com/blogs/news/the-history-of-the-cravat . . . . . #history #historyofthecravat #croat #french #cravat #ascot #steinkirkcravat #ascotties #historyblog #blog #menswear #mensstyle #mensblog #militaryhistory #cravathistory #scarf #neckerchief #mensfashion #fashionhistory #historyoffashion #mensfashionhistory https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn3xVXoMQv8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Multidisciplinary Art at the unique "EITAMstudio Fantasymation" Art class, with New-MedaArt varieties titles, since July 2015. Original Artwork: @eitamstudio and, first shown on September 2019 until today, at school and private art mentoring. סדנאות, שיעורים ולימודי ציור שהחלו ב-2015 ומועברים עד היום, "סטודיו'עיטם פנטזימציה", בנושאי אומנות רב-תחומית ובטכניקות שונים ברישום, בציור ובקולנוע, הנקראים: "נְיוּ-מֶדְיַאָרְט". ~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~ בתמונה: פעילות מבוא- אומנות ותנ"ך. 1. בחירת נושא מתוך השלושה: ✓"קנאת אחים" ✓"טבע והאדם" ✓"בריאת האדם" לאחר-מכן, בחירת משפט שקשור לנושא הנבחר: ✓"עם שוך הסערה" ✓"איש כמתנת ידו" ✓"עזר כנגדו" 2. לחפש ברשת מה אומר המשפט שבחרת (מתוך פסוק במקרא). 3. הכנת יצירה בזוגות עד שלושה, ציור למשל, שמבטא את מה שבחרת. משך השיעור: שיעור כפול. הנחיה: @eitamstudio ❤🧡💛💚היה שיעור אליפות💙💜💖💗 #school #schoolmemes #schooldays #portraitart #school2015 #newmedia #newmediaart #flowers🌸 #instagram #historyblog #historyblogger #blogger #bloggerlife #historyartanddesign #8thgrade #historyfacts #artanddrawings #historymemes #historyart ∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞~∞ רוצים גם ללמוד לציייר? לפרטים לקבלת שיעור פרטי: השאירו פרטים בלינק הבא ותקבלו עוד היום הנחה עד 20%. Personal site: http://chooshme3.wix.com/tzoor-eitam Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tzoor.Eitam.Amichay Eitam Studio Fantasymation -facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/eitamstudio/ צוּר עיטם עמיחי Art: https://www.facebook.com/tzoor1eitam/ ACIA link: https://acia.org.il/artist/11757/ YouTube and animations Eitam Studio Fantasymation -YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/hooshme22 ־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־ ©הנחיה: צוּר עֵיטָם עַמִּיחַי, מורה לחדשנות פדגוגית באומנות. תחום רב-תחומי, "נְיוּ מֶדְיַאָרְט"-שילוב אומנות פלסטית, רישום וציור בשפת הדיגיטל, וידאו ואני��ציה. דוא"ל: [email protected] סלולרי: 054-6342027 ־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־־ ©Mentored by: @eitamstudio A.c.t (art, creativity and technology) is the main term as an art teacher working at משרד החינוך. @____artisart____ @history.art_ @hist_oryandart @historical_art_sexual @arthistoryfeed @artnews @artworldnewsen (at קריית חינוך דרור) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClBWL_pqQtz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

*New Blog Post* Check out my latest blog post; a review of ‘Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders: Simnel, Warbeck and Warwick’ by Nathen Amin @nathenamin - thanks to @amberleypublishing for the gifted copy! #amberleypublishing #historygirls #nathenamin #henryvii #tudors #tudor #pretenders #lambertsimnel #perkinwarbeck #tudorblogger #tudorblog #historyblogger #historyblog #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #blogger #womenshistorycircle https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck5nxv6I_Rt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo is undoubtedly the Philippines' most misunderstood hero, a figure marked by both admiration and controversy. Revered for his persona, courage, and military prowess, he stands as a key historical enigma. Scrutiny has intensified due to alleged connections to the deaths of fellow national icons like Gen. Luna and Andres Bonifacio, fueling debates about his hero status.

Determining Aguinaldo's legacy is no simple task. Amid pivotal historical junctures, he made decisions that stirred moral and political discontent. Nonetheless, his undeniable contributions to the nation's pursuit of autonomy cannot be ignored. He bestowed upon us our national flag and anthem, proclaimed a fleeting yet symbolic independence from Spanish rule, and emerged victorious in multiple battles for freedom. Despite his dictatorial presidency in the backdrop of war, he exhibited a strong liberal and democratic streak.

The charge that he orchestrated the deaths of Bonifacio and Luna is frequently raised, but Aguinaldo's presence during the Tejeros Convention of 1897, coupled with a lack of direct evidence, muddies the waters of his involvement. Modern evidence implies his complicity, although his level of culpability remains debated.

In my view, Aguinaldo must be held accountable for his decisions, though the moral assessment falls beyond our purview. A fervent patriot, he was burdened with the weight of critical choices for the sake of his homeland and its people. Regarding his worthiness as the first President and a hero, I firmly affirm it. Aguinaldo's struggles spanned battles against both Spain and the United States, underscoring his pivotal role in advancing the Philippines toward independent republic status in 1898.

It's imperative to grasp that Filipino heroes are not flawless paragons. They are human, prone to error, existing in stark contrast to cinematic or fictional idols. Embracing this realism is essential in comprehending the tapestry of their contributions.

— Mark Manansala, August 24th 2023

#PhilippineHistory #EmilioAguinaldo #History #HistoryBlog #HistoricalCommentary

shoutout to my old Texas history blog and Soviet history blog. I had no interest in either I have no idea why I even made them.

and then my Ukrainian Insurgent Army blog that only has like 5 posts on it. truly the height of my historyblogging tumblrina career.

https://creativehistorystories.blogspot.com/2023/04/saint-thomas-christians-story-of-how.html. #historyblog #blogger #history #Christian #catholic #ancient #roman

I absolutely love the calligraphy here, especially the initial! What kind of animals do you think they are? I think one might be an eagle based on its beak, but I’m not 100% sure. The beginning of chapter 42 of The Rule of Saint Benedict

Harley MS 5431 f.69v 

Source: The British Library

#medieval #manuscript #illuminatedmanuscript #medievalart #medievaltimes #middleages  #medievalworld #medievalhistory #illuminated #medievalmanuscript #medievalmanuscripts #medievallife #medievalmonday #historyblog  #manuscriptmonday #manuscriptillumination #medievalmarginalia #medievalbook #marginalia #historyblogger #themediaevalmonk 

Dolores “Lolita” Lebrón-Sotomayor: An Early [Rad]ical Feminist Puertorriqueña

“Here you have the leader of the group being a very petite, well-dressed Puerto Rican woman who was out there, and to me, that was amazing. It's left such an impression.”

    -          ANGELO FALCON (President of the National Institute for Latino Policy)

While this week has been a bit busier in terms of research assignments, I wanted to close out Women’s History Month taking from last week’s post and expanding on one of the icons whose imagery was used to open the video and convey a powerful message from the punch: Lolita Lebrón.

Though many Boricuas know about her and her legacy, many US Americans don’t even know about the attack on Capitol Hill for which she is most remembered for.

The story has been retold many times, and often sounds the same:

In 1954, Four Puerto Rican nationalists [which at the time Universal International News called a “gang” rather than a “party”], led by Lolita Lebrón, opened fire (some “15 to 30 shots) from the gallery of the US House of Representatives, upon 244 congressmen with only handguns.

The 1954 Universal International News Breaking News broadcast by Fred Maness announced it as “blind”, even “wanton”, violence to “arouse anti-United States feeling in Latin America” (citing the coinciding start of the Inter-American Conference in Venezuela). However, this is a severe trivialization of their true motives, for who could believe that nationalist Puerto Rican rage toward the United States is “unprovoked”.

While I don’t condone violence as means to most ends, the desperation for independence was still more palpable than it is today, as Boricuas watched in 1952 (only two years earlier) as the United States redefined its colonial grip on the island to something more subtle and modern: a commonwealth.

This did not sit well with much of Puerto Rico, the last of the ex-Spanish colonies without its independence. This is what the four independistas stood for on that balcony: the immediate independence of Puerto Rico.

Some reported hearing Lebrón’s voice above the clamor and chaos, ‘…and it was a shrill, chilling sound. "Viva Puerto Rico Libre!" Long live free Puerto Rico, she yelled as she and her compatriots unfurled a Puerto Rican flag and blasted away with Lugers and an automatic pistol.’.

Although five congressmen were injured - “Ben F. Jensen of Iowa, Clifford Davis of Tennessee, Kenneth Roberts of Alabama, George H. Fallon of Maryland, and Albert Bentley of Michigan.”, the latter leaving severely injured – Lebrón was also witnessed crying out: “¡No vine a matar a nadie, vine a morir por Puerto Rico!” (“I did not come to kill anyone, I came to die for Puerto Rico.”)

After the attack, the four were each sentenced to 50 to 70 years in prison. However, given clemency by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, Lebrón and her compatriots were released. Following her release, she continued her fervent fight for Puerto Rico’s independence, leading her to other arrests including one in her 80s ‘for crossing unauthorized into the navy-occupied land in Vieques’ along with Al Sharpton and Robert Kennedy Jr.

Lolita Lebrón’s lifelong conviction and subsequent commitment to the autonomy of her land and her people, and stance against any government looking to hold Boricuas shackled, make her an appropriate symbol for the current global move toward intellectual decolonization.

In Residente’s video, This is Not America, Lebrón’s image transcends Puerto Rico’s fight within the video’s wider Pan American context, representing rage against hypocrisy and erasure of the whole truth of who, what, and where makeup America and its history.

(Depicted above: [1] Actress in Residente’s music video, This is Not America (see my last post for context), as famous Puerto Rican nationalist leader and activist, Lolita Lebrón [2] Famously circulated picture of 3 out 4 of the 1954 Capitol Hill attack protestors Lolita Lebrón, Rafael C. Miranda, and Andres F. Cordero who were apprehended at the scene. Irving Flores was arrested some hours later. [3] Mugshots of the fours nationalists from a newspaper clipping [4] A newspaper article covering their release.)

The first 2 pictures above were taken from a Twitter thread by @biencatalino where they point out and explain several other symbols and images throughout the video that point to the many (involuntary) sacrifices Latin American countries and their people have suffered due to a US-centric view of the West and “America”. To view the thought-provoking thread, follow the link below this paragraph:

https://twitter.com/biencatalino/status/1504614114466930692

For more on Lolita Lebrón and/or the events of March 1st, 1954 at Capitol Hill, check out some of these sources below:

“1954 Shooting in the House Chamber” – brief description of events + a collection of oral histories, reports, recollections, and accounts of the event by witnesses and news sources including the news broadcast clip by Universal International News (this oral history collection process was begun in 2019, 9 years after Lolita’s passing, and unfortunately relies on a one-sided perspective on the events):

https://history.house.gov/Oral-History/Events/1954-Shooting/

Timeline of Events

https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/1954-Shooting/Essays/Timeline/

“What happened to Lolita Lebrón in 1954 and not insurrectionists on Jan. 6” – an article by Brittany Valentine for Al Día News examining the contrasting unfolding of events, motives, and consequences between the attack on capitol Hill involving Lebrón and the Jan. 6 insurrection of 2021. I used this for more on how things transpired:

https://www.aldianews.com/thought-leaders/thought-leaders/white-privilege-then-now

An interesting online collection of archives that I also used for context and content but that features a voice clip of Lolita Lebrón speaking of Puertorriqueños’ vulnerable position within the wider US system.

https://www.freedomarchives.org/audio_samples/Lolita_Lebron.html

Brief Bio on Lebrón:

https://www.afcanatura.org/lolita-lebron

NPR covers Lebrón’s passing by interviewing Angelo Falcon, President of the National Institute for Latino Policy, on her legacy as a controversial, revolutionary figure in Puerto Rican history. In it, he describes her change of views on protesting from taking drastic measures to advocating civil disobedience.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128959759

The last 2 pictures were taken from the Library of Congress website:

https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2020/05/1954-shooting-at-the-u-s-capitol/

The early history of the Yates County grape industry

By Jonathan Monfiletto

Of New York State’s 62 counties, Yates County holds the distinction of being the only one whose borders touch three of the 11 Finger Lakes – Canandaigua Lake makes up the western boundary of Yates County, while Seneca Lake makes up the eastern boundary, and Keuka Lake sits right in the middle of the county and forms part of its southern boundary. That means Yates County also hosts portions of three Finger Lakes region wine trails along the three respective lakes.

Grape growing and wine producing might seem like modern-day phenomena to the untrained eye – especially since it seems new vineyards and wineries start up in the region every year. In fact, the tradition of raising grapes and turning them into wine stretches back nearly two centuries in the Finger Lakes region as a whole and almost as long in Yates County. A 1927 article in The Chronicle-Express credits the Rev. William Bostwick, of Hammondsport, with growing the first grapes in what writer Everett Wright called the Keuka Lake District. A 1974 newspaper article dates Bostwick’s achievement as 1829 but also notes the Episcopalian minister came to the Keuka Lake shore from Connecticut with some grape root stocks that he planted in a garden behind his rectory.

“It is said that the early settlers in this county found vines growing luxuriantly in the thickets, where soil and moisture were congenial,” states a newspaper article titled “Lake Keuka Grape History.” With the perfect combination and settings of soil, moisture, and air, from Bostwick’s achievement at St. James Episcopal Church in Hammondsport arose an industry around the cultivation and harvesting of grapes.

According to Lewis Cass Aldrich in his 1892 History of Yates County, New York, J.W. Prentiss grew the first crop of grapes for wine in the Finger Lakes region, in the town of Pulteney in Steuben County – four miles south of the Yates County line – in 1836. The first vineyard planted in Yates County happened in November 1855 by W.W. Shirland on a property in Benton where the towns of Benton, Torrey, and Milo meet.

Shirland planted Isabella grapes in his first crop, but he switched to the Concord variety in 1866. “The vineyard is one of the best and most productive of the many in the county,” Aldrich wrote nearly 40 years after Shirland’s first crop. However, Aldrich calls John Mead “one of the pioneers of the business,” planting his first vineyard in 1861 also in Benton near the Torrey line. Mead’s vineyard measured three acres; Isabellas made up half an acre and Concords made up “a large proportion of the balance,” while some Catawbas were also planted. Eventually, Concords replaced the Isabellas and the Catawbas were abandoned – “The Concords are still in full vigor,” Aldrich wrote. Henry Rose, planting three acres of one of the earliest crop of Delaware grapes in 1861, was another pioneer grape grower in Benton, though his vineyard was located within the Penn Yan corporate limits. “This vineyard is still in good bearing, the original vines bearing good crops annually,” Aldrich wrote.

Aldrich describes several other early vineyards – among them Franklin Culver in Kinney’s Corners (now the hamlet of Bluff Point) in 1861 and Anson Dunlap on the Seneca Lake shore at Starkey Station in 1862; William F. VanTuyl with the first grapes on Bluff Point in 1862; and Joseph F. Crosby in Barrington in 1864, surprising his neighbors by planting a whopping six acres of grapes (though Frances Dumas’ A Good Country, A Pleasant Habitation states Shirland’s vineyard also amounted to six acres). “But few grapes were planted previous to 1865 and only in small vineyards,” Aldrich wrote. “The results warranted larger, until the valley is literally filled with good productive vineyards covering hundreds of acres. Between the years 1865 and 1870 planting was done at a rapid rate; land that had previously been counted of little value, in close proximity to the shores of the lakes, some of it steep and covered with a dense growth of young timber, being counted the best for grapes.”

Riding this post-Civil War wave was the Seneca Lake Grape and Wine Company, which bought property that included a vineyard James Valentine planted in 1862 and by 1867 extended the planting to 125 acres – “probably the largest vineyard in the State of New York,” at the time, according to Aldrich. According to Dumas, the company also formed the first winery in Yates County when in 1870 it built a large stone building to manufacture wines. “The business had already been started in another building now used for a barn,” Aldrich wrote. Several other large-scale vineyards followed suit – H.P. Sturtevant & Co. starting in 1865 at the end of Bluff Point, Pratt & Jillett beginning in 1864, and the McDowell vineyard and “many others … within a year or two succeeding,” Aldrich wrote. This included Eli R. Stever planting 25 acres of the first Iona vineyard on Bluff Point in 1867; Aldrich also notes the Gulick Brown vineyards and that of J. Warren Brown.

By 1872, more than 400 acres of grapes were planted in Jerusalem alone and 140 acres in the aptly-named Vine Valley area of Middlesex, “while J.T. Henderson, C.N. Wixom, the Seneca Lake Wine and Grape Company, together with many others, kept pace on the Seneca Lake,” according to Aldrich. However, at the same time, a surplus of grapes caused the price of the fruit to drop, and Aldrich wrote, “It looked as though enough grapes had been planted to supply all demands for a long time to come.” Many people who thought about growing grapes reconsidered; vineyard lands decreased in value. Within a few years, though, the demand for grapes – and thus the price of them – began going up again, and Yates County certainly established itself as a leader among the Finger Lakes region’s grape-growing counties. By 1892, as Aldrich noted, the county hosted 7,000 acres of vineyards with an average yearly yield of 10,000 tons.

When George C. Snow planted the first Niagara grapes in 1881 on the Esperanza Vineyards on the west branch of Keuka Lake, he shipped the fruit in what Aldrich described as “a box made of wood, holding ten pounds placed in crates holding six boxes.” Later, this became a configuration of five-pound boxes with eight boxes in a crate and then three-pound boxes with 12 in a crate. Hopkins Brothers – with their factory in Penn Yan – began the first grape box operation in Yates County, selling five-pound boxes in crates and three-pound boxes in crates. James W. Stever, in Branchport, and George W. Fenton, in Barrington, soon began manufacturing baskets that quickly replaced boxes for grapes. At first, 10-pound boxes were used to ship grapes until five-pound pony baskets became the standard. In Aldrich’s time, eight basket factories operated in Yates County with an annual output of 3 million baskets.

The growth of the grape industry in Yates County contributed toward the growth of the shipping industry. Aldrich points to three main rail companies that transported Yates County grapes: the Northern Central Railroad, which hosted its own fruit shipping business, from Canandaigua to beyond; the Barnes Fruit Line that carried grapes from Hammondsport along the Erie Railroad, and the Hollowell & Wise Fast Fruit Line that traveled over the Fall Brook Railroad. Yates County grapes were generally transported by steamboat over the lakes to the various railroad hubs.

From there, the grape and wine industry in Yates County and the Finger Lakes region continued to thrive. By the end of the 19th century, according to a 2011 article in the Finger Lakes Times, the whole region boasted more than 20,000 acres of vineyards and more than 50 wineries.

Ambiorix, King of the Eburones was a man who would not bow to Julius Caesar's rule. He led a temporarily successful rebellion before his whole tribe succumbed to genocide.

#belgium #folkhero #Ambiorix #gaul #celt #rome #rebel #war #history #Europe

A Changing World, Steam and coal in Britain

*I will be talking about the 3 inventions that were made in the old days in a storytelling form. 

JAMES WATT’S STEAM ENGINE

Back In 1769, a Scotsman, James Watt invented a machine called a “steam engine”.

The Steam Engine was invented a hundred years ago by a French Scientist. But James Watt figured out how to make the steam engine put out more power for less fuel. This changed the West because it could run so many more machines quickly. But there was one problem = steam engines need coal to work.

MINERS GETTING COAL

So they started to dig coal. Miners suffered from lack of air “choke damp”. Miners also started having black lungs which brought dust and toxic chemicals to their lungs. After digging the coal they needed, there was another problem brought up. “How would the coal be carried to the machines?” The answer: Railroads! A steam engine hooked to a train would burn coal to keep itself running. By using a little bit of coal, it could pull tons more all the way across the country.

THE INFLUENCE OF STEAM ENGINES

Steam engines grew more popular and railroads were built across more land. Millions of people began to use trains and to travel farther away from home. Steam power began to change life in England and it started to spread across Europe and North America.

COTTON AND GUNS IN AMERICA

THE PERFECT PLACE

The warm, damp fields of the southern United States were perfect for cotton plants. But cotton balls weren’t as smooth like the ones we buy in stores these days. It was filled with seeds and all of them had to be pulled out one at a time. It took so much time and effort to get these cottons. 

NEW INVENTION

A college boy from Massachusetts named Eli Whitney came south and thought, “There must be a better way to get the seeds out.” He started to do diverse experiments. He built a metal roller and he pulled up cotton and scraped it across the grill. He had succeeded! Now, a slave could clean 15-20 pounds of cotton per day. Unlike before, when they could get a single pound of cotton done everyday. With this invention called the “cotton gin”, cotton growers made so much more money than they have ever dreamed. 

NEW WAY OF MAKING GUNS The United States Army wanted their army to have better guns. The parts of each gun could fit only that gun and no other. Eli Whitney wondered, “Why can’t guns be designed so that every gun had the same size barrel, the same size trigger, and the same size bayonet?” These days, it is very obvious and common that a new light bulb will fit into any lamp or ceiling light in your house but at that time, no one thought of doing that. So the way of making everything the same was called, standardization. All the officials were very glad about this new idea! They told Eli Whitney to build a gin factory which could make guns for the whole United States Army. Soon, this way of making products was called the “American system”. Just like steam power, Whitney’s two inventions would help to change everyday life forever. 

Thank you for reading!

The city was founded by Rajendra Chola I to commemorate his victory over the Pala Dynasty. The name means “The Town of The Chola Who Took Over Ganga”. It is now a small village, its past eminence only remembered by the existence of the Great Lord Maha Shiva Temple. The Chola Empire included the whole of Southern India to the River Tungabhadra in the North. For administrative and strategic purposes they built another capital and named it Gangaikonda Cholapuram.

The city seems to have had 2 fortifications, one inner and the other outer. The outer one was probably wider. The remains of the outer fortification can be seen as a mound running all around the palace.

Rajendra I built the entire capital with several temples using plans and infrastructure recommended in Tamil Vastu and Agama Sastra Texts. These included a Dharma Sasta, Vishnu and other temples. 

Other Chola landmarks are evidenced by soil covered mounds and excavated broken pillar stumps and brick walls found over an area of several kilometers from the surviving temple.

The reasons for the city’s destruction are unclear. According to Vansanthi, The Pandyas who defeated the Cholas during the later part of the 13th Century “may have razed the city to the ground” to avenge their previous defeats