The Weekend Historian
One of my many responsibilities at work includes tending the boiler and boiler equipment at the Winnebago County Courthouse. Our building is heated with steam boilers. The boilers are not nearly as old as our condensate pumps--which are original equipment to the building. We have a pair of Chicago Pump Company "Condo-Vac" condensation pumps. As… Continue reading “Condo-Vac” Pump Overhaul
Check out the new "My Work" tab in the About Me section on the menu bar. I've had inquiries from people in the last couple of months asking for my help with research requests on family members or other local historical information. I've decided to put my skills and history degree to use to help… Continue reading Historian for Hire
My Father-in-Law gave me his dad's old Mercury II camera a couple of years. His dad, John, bought this camera while serving in the US Navy in the late 1940s; it has his initials, serial number, and "USN" engraved on the camera. This one is a little more sophisticated than other vintage cameras I have used, but… Continue reading Snapshots with Mercury II Camera
April 6, 2017, will mark the 100th anniversary of the United States of America officially entering World War I. The US was hardly prepared to fight a war in 1917. When war was declared, there were only 208,000 men in its standing army--80,000 of them were part of the national guard. Additionally, weapons and munitions were in short… Continue reading Winnebago County’s Gold Stars of WWI
I've been a board member of the Winnebago County Historical & Archaeological Society here in Oshkosh for the last three years. We have an awesome facility in the old John Morgan house. The Morgans were the founders of one of the reputable sash and door factories back in Oshkosh's heyday of the lumber industry. Our society… Continue reading Archival Organization Project
Fall is here again, and soon winter will bring snow. Colder weather means more time to sit down and write--or at least that is my plan. It has been a busy but short summer here at the Frederick house. Molly and I have had quite a few weddings to go to this year, and Molly even stood up… Continue reading Sunday Evening Reflections
I've been keeping myself busy these past few months with all sorts of historical projects and am finally getting a chance to blog again. I would say a lot of people out there go to work, put in their time, and punch out at the end of the day. Lately, my line of work has… Continue reading Winnebago County Courthouse Preservation: Part I
