Banjo Strings and Drinking Gourds

Alcohol, as troublesome as it can be, is a prominent drink in modern society. It tends to be a large part of social interactions. But how did that happen? In this episode, we address the rise of alcohol in history, the historic beer brewing process, and other bevvies that developed along the way.

Title from The Hudribrastick Brewer Or, A Preposterous Union Between Malt and Meter. A Satyr Upon the suppos'd Author of the Republican Procession; or the Tumultuous Cavalcade, by Edward Ward, 1714

Intro and Transition Music: Zac Bell

End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

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Do you or I or anyone know how oats and grains and barley grow? How about the more important question: why? In this episode, we discuss the use of grains, peas, and other plant matter around the world as some type of flour or meal. Some of them might surprise you!

Intro and Transition Music: Zac Bell

End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

Find us online at frontiermuseum.org, on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

We can all agree that 2020 was a long year. And it probably seemed like the worst year ever. That got us thinking about the people we talk about at the museum and what they might have considered as the worst years of their lives. So bear with us as we discuss some of the truly awful years of the past.

Music: Zac Bell

End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

Find us online at frontiermuseum.org, on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube 

The voyage to the New World via sail has been long been romanticized. But what kind of ships were used? Who was going where, and why? Our guest this episode discusses those issues in detail, along with fascinating bits of maritime science and history that facilitated the age of sail.

Intro and Transition Music: Zac Bell

End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

Find us online at frontiermuseum.org, on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

March is Women's History Month, so this episode covers a critical, but often overlooked aspect of women's history: childbirth and the midwives who oversaw it. Traditionally a female trade, midwifery has been everything from a respected institution to a discipline shrouded in mystery and accusations of witchcraft. Our guest on this episode discusses the historical treatment of midwives and the development of knowledge of childbirth among white, African, and Indian populations of early America.

Intro and Transition Music: Zac Bell

End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

Find us online at frontiermuseum.org, on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

February, arguably one of the dreariest times of year, is synonymous with love and romance. How did that happen? And how has the idea of love and courtship changed over time? This episode answers those burning questions, along with discussing some of the weirdest traditions and charms people have used to attract a mate.

Music: Zac Bell and Davis Tierney, Haste to the Wedding, Farewell to Ireland

          Jean Claude Hatungimana and Mark Mazzochi, drums

          Sláinte, Mairi's Wedding courtesy Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0) and the Free Music Archive. The original work has been modified.

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

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The American Colonies were often touted as a land of equality and potential, but was that really accurate? Perhaps in a sense, but not equitably across the board. In this episode, we break down the types of inequalities that were either overtly or covertly present among the disparate groups who would go on to form the United States. 

Music: Zac Bell and Davis Tierney, fiddle

           Jean Claude Hatungimana, drums

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

Find us online at frontiermuseum.org, on Facebook, and Instagram

February is Black History Month, which celebrates the contributions and acknowledges the suffering of enslaved people forcibly brought to the American colonies and the United States.  In this bonus episode, our guest gives a short history of slavery in Virginia.

Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana and Mark Mazzochi

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

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You've probably seen reenactors on battlefields, recreating a moment of history. You've probably also been to a living history museum and seen interpreters carrying out daily tasks in a historic fashion. What's the difference? In this episode, our guests discuss the differences and similarities between reenacting and interpreting, and why people might do either or both. 

Intro Music: Zac Bell, The Eighth of January

End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

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Haggis gets a bad rep. Cooking with offal isn't the norm for most modern palates. But haggis endures and is considered quintessentially Scottish, largely due to poet Robert Burns. In this episode, our guest discusses making haggis, hoarding sheep stomachs, and how a poem influenced a humble haggis to become a national icon.

Visit our Youtube channel to watch haggis being made traditionally on our 18th century Ulster farm.

Music: Zac Bell

Cover Art: Emily Noble Day

Find us at www.frontiermuseum.org, on Facebook, and Instagram