Local Folklore
Nearly every small town has its own backlog of folklore, creepy occurrences, and dark history. Staunton is no different! In this episode, we bring some of those stories to you, just in time for Halloween. The Staunton train station is a central place for local spooks. Its long history has a number of troubling events.…
Obscure Conflicts: Lighting the Spark of Revolution
Most people have a passing familiarity with the years immediately leading up to the American Revolution and the events that formed the powder keg of war. But what about the conflicts that were happening before? The ones that subtly shaped the colonists’ drive and need for independence? Our guests discuss those events and how these…
Juneteenth
June 19th, 1865. This was not a date that many of us had to learn in school. In fact, many people today still don’t understand why Juneteenth is so very important and why there have been years of lobbying to have it declared a federal holiday. In this episode, we talk about the history of…
Fire and Plague: London in 1665 and 1666
In our previous podcast, Worst Years, we mentioned we could do a whole episode on how bad things were in London in the 1660s. Well, here that episode is! We discuss in more detail just what confluence of events struck to have 1666 be declared the year of the devil. This episode has it all!…
Curation at the Frontier Culture Museum
Have you ever wondered how a museum knows what kind of artifacts to display in a house? How do they know what kind of sheets and blankets to use? What should be included to show a particular time period, culture, and social class? In this episode, we chat with our curator, David Puckett, and he…
One Drink or Two?
Brewing and drinking beer was once an everyday activity. In this episode, we discuss the rise of alcohol as the most popular, and also most safe, beverage in history. How did that happen? And why? Did you know that women used to be the brewers? In 17th century England, and even earlier, housewives considered bimonthly…
Oats and Grains and Barley Grow
Flour is one of those ubiquitous aspects of human history. But it’s not all wheat! Different cultures used different grains and plant material to make their flours. Find out more in this episode! Cereal grains are the most common form of flours in use in historic Europe. Spelt, barley, rye, oat, and wheat make up…
Worst Years in History
We all feel like 2020 and 2021 were some of the worst years in our personal histories. But how do these past two years stack up against some of the worst years in history? There are many ways to classify a “worst year”. We could look at the years that negatively impact a majority of…
Age of Sail and Shipping
We tend to take nearly instant gratification with purchasing powers for granted, but what was commerce like in the age of sail? Our guest today, Mark Mazzochi, talks about the complex political struggles in the journey from exploration to exploitation, as well as explaining the scientific advances that made navigation possible. What types of ships…
Midwifery and Maternal Care
In this March episode, the Frontier Culture Museum celebrates Women’s History Month by delving deep into the history file of midwifery and maternal care with our guest host, Makayla Baker Paxton. Throughout history, women have been the primary caregivers during and afterbirth, therefore earning the name of “midwife.” Midwifery is a medical field most often…
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Hearts Aflutter: Courting and Romance
Appropriate for February, we bring you an episode about historical traditions of finding and wooing a mate. Now, some of these we can’t in good conscience actually recommend, but enjoy listening to some of the more bizarre charms and rituals used to find true love! We also talk about the history of the romance novel,…
Inequality in the New World
This episode is a bit heavier in content than some of our earlier episodes. We address the various types of inequality that existed, despite the freedoms granted by life in the New World. There are multiple types of inequality. Some are more obvious than others, while even more are insidious and interwoven into the very…
Reenactment vs Interpretation
In this behind-the-scenes episode, our panel of guests discusses the similarities and differences between volunteer reenactment and professional interpretation. You may think it’s simply a matter of dressing up in funny clothes and either working at a museum or running around a battlefield, but there’s much more to both reenacting and interpretation! Our guests today…
Banjo Strings and Drinking Gourds 