Memento Mori History Nerd

07/06/2026

Remembering that time I missed seeing Franklin's grave site by a half an hour!

06/26/2026

06/23/2026

Join us as we sample way more beer than necessary! And yours truly prepares a hearth cooked lunch!

The Merchants & Drovers Tavern is hosting an early American beer making worshop on Saturday 9/26! Tickets are limited! Get yours today! The event runs from 10 am to 3. And you'll even take home your own growler of beer to finish fermenting.

I'll be at the hearth preparing a tavern style lunch for the attendees. Just look for the lady in period clothing with the sourdough and honey butter.

Stay tuned for the menu announcement!

https://www.merchantsanddrovers.org/colonial-brewing

06/07/2026

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Connecticut Farms (now Union, NJ)
The picture is the flag of Union County, NJ with it's seal. Pictured is Hannah Caldwell being killed by a British Soldier during the Battle of Connecticut Farms. Hannah was the wife of the "Fighting Pastor" Rev. James Caldwell.

06/07/2026

If you're not under the pale moonlight collecting unripe black walnuts on the evening
of San Giovanni's feast day, what are you even doing?

Welcome home, my new bottle of Nocino Americano, recommended by the wonderful !

Nocino has a long and storied history that involves witches, conversing with goblins, and a cure for what ails you!

On the eve of the summer solstice, the feast day of John the Baptist, legend says local witches in northen Italy would meet to collect unripe black walnuts by moonlight to make this bittersweet, dark liquor. The collecting must be done by hand whilst barefooted, so as to not disrupt the energy held within the walnuts. Interestingly, the nuts must be collected in odd amounts only.

Rumored to prevent plague, this intense and nutty apéritiff was made by steeping the unripe walnuts in grain alcohol and spices then adding simple syrup and letting age for up to a year.

It is known to be very intense in flavor and not for tge faint of heart!

Interestingly, enough... I know where a black walnut tree grows! I dont know about you, but I know what I'll be doing on San Giovanni's day.

https://sipmagazine.com/witches-and-walnuts-the-enchanting-history-of-nocino/

06/07/2026

My other kitchen is a circa 1795 tavern! Saturday, I had the pleasure of discussing and demonstrating ice cream making in America in the late 18th-century at the annual member meeting.

The historic foodways team spent the evening before prepping three different recipes: we used Thomas Jefferson's custard based vanilla ice cream (or perhaps more appropriately, James Hemmings' receipt) made in a traditional handmade copper sorbetiere from

We also made strawberry as well as a chocolate with a dash of cinnamon and cayenne for fun! We used a modern ice cream maker as well as the traditional sorbetiere to compare taste and consistency. And guess what! The copper sorbetiere produced a perfectly fluffy and creamy, soft serve like texture while the modern equipment was a bit flatter. 's sorbetiere for the win!

Thank you to the Historic Foodways Committee for spending 12 hours of prepping, cooking, and churning to make this delighful addition to the member meeting!

All of the flavors were a hit, but there was no unanimous conclusion as to which flavor was best! My favorite was strawberry, for sure!

Next up! We'll be experimenting with savory flavors! Oyster iced cream, anyone? No? No takers?

06/07/2026

The Rahway Cemetery by moonlight

05/15/2026

Some stories refuse to be forgotten.

This is one of those srories.

Hidden among the stones in the back of the Rahway Cemetery rests the grave of the “Unknown Woman."

She was found murdered on a lonely stretch of road in Rahway. Her throat had been slashed from ear to ear.

Once word got out about the crime, townspeople flooded the scene. Yet, no one who viewed her pretty face could identify her.

The mortician cleaned her body, dressed her in the clothes she was murdered in, sat her in a chair, pinned her eyes open, and photographed her.

Her image was circulated throughout the region and yet, still, no one could identify her. Thousand descended on the city to view her remains. But still, no definitive identification was made.

The crime itself proved puzzling as well, as no motive could be determined. And the killer, who so brutally ended her life, would never be caught.

Her name has been lost to time, but her memory remains carefully tended by those who still stop by and visit her final resting place. And one can't help but wonder: Who was she? Where was she from? And who mourned her?

Cemeteries are more than resting places. They are archives of lives once lived, mysteries unsolved, and stories waiting to be told...

05/13/2026

A hearty "bloop" let me know the blackberry mead is fermenting properly!

05/08/2026

The Old Girl Scout House or Merchants and Drovers?! Wow! We had a lot of impassioned comments over the name of the building!

We even had some questions as to whether or not the wrap-around porch was original to the building. The wrap-around porch pictured in the last post was *not* original to the building.

We believe the porch was added during the late nineteenth century, when they became fashionable during the height of the Victorian architectural movement. We cannot confirm an exact date when the porch was removed, but we do know it was not present during the Historic American Buildings Survey that was done in 1933.

Truth be told, we also like our nickname as the Old Girl Scout House and we seek to honor the legacy and impact the Girl Scouts had in the story of the building's history.

To this end, we have conducted exhibit research, compiled oral histories, and collected artifacts for an upcoming exhibit to be installed after the interior restoration is complete. Working with former scouts, this new, important exhibit will be titled: Feels Like Home: The Girl Scout House 1933-1969.

Watch this space for updates!