Jenn: Time Traveler Extraordinaire

The Pledge of Allegiance: A History

2011-07-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Most of us have stood in an elementary school classroom, right hand over our hearts, staring at a flag and uttering these words before our school day started.

If, for various reasons, you did not participate in the Pledge of Allegiance as a child, you likely still know the words.

What you might not know is where the Pledge of Allegiance came from. Where did it start? Who wrote it? How long have we been saying it? Did our founding fathers stand up and pledge allegiance to a flag?

The short answer is no, our founding fathers did not pledge allegiance to a flag. The Pledge of Allegiance was written by a Baptist minister named Francis Bellamy in 1892. Bellamy wanted to do something special for the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival to America, and our nation's first ever celebration of Columbus Day, so he devised the Pledge of Allegiance for a popular children's magazine, Youth's Companion.

The original Pledge of Allegiance was wholly patriotic in nature and it read:

"I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

You'll notice the first ever Pledge of Allegiance is a little bit different from the one we say now. For Bellamy, the words to focus on were surely 'one nation, indivisible.' Our nation had just come through a horrific Civil War and Bellamy wanted to emphasize the unity of our states.

It wasn't until 1924 that our Pledge of Allegiance was first altered. A National Flag Conference held that year determined that the words 'my flag' should be replaced with the words 'to the flag of the United States of America."

It wasn't until 1954, after the Roman Catholic Knights of Columbus took up the fight to add the words 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance that the Pledge as we know it came to exist. The senate also instituted changes to our currency at this time, including the words 'In God we Trust' on all American paper money.

Why did the senate of a famously secular nation decide to add seemingly religious subtext to our Pledge of Allegiance and even our money? Well, the 1950s were during a period of U.S. History commonly referred to as The Red Scare.

We were at odds with the USSR and many people feared a communist takeover of the United States. The legislative act of 1954 that moved to add 'under God' to our Pledge of Allegiance explained that adding these words was to "acknowledge the dependence of our people and our Government...upon the Creator...[and to] deny the atheistic and materialistic concept of Communism."

As you can see, the new diction of the Pledge of Allegiance was intrinsically tied to a fear of Communist leanings. The words 'under God' were added to signify that the United States was not a Communist nation and we were setting our country apart from Communist nations by emphasizing a belief in a Creator (though our senate was careful not to emphasize any particular religion over another and it should be noted that atheism was not as readily accepted or tolerated in the 1950s as it is today--though the level of toleration today could certainly be debated).

So on this Fourth of July, our great nation's Independence Day, you can stand proud as you say the Pledge of Allegiance and know that you know the history of those words as you utter them.

Hey M/I Homes--I Love My "Money Pit"

2011-06-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

I love hot showers, showers so hot they steam up the entire bathroom. When I lived in a small apartment steam would fill the entire space with its smoky moist tendrils. I blare the radio when I bathe and sing loudly (and off key) into my shampoo bottle/hair brush/balled up panties. I enjoy bath time.

Imagine my surprise when my steamy solace was interrupted by a commercial that made me want to run naked down the street to strangle the culprit behind such nonsense! M/I homes, a local new home builder in Charlotte, paid for a radio ad that completely attacked historic homes.

Did I mention I live in a historic home? Did I mention I serve on the Historic Preservation Commission? Did I mention that I am Vice Chair of that Commission, or that I am a public historian who serves a Preservation Consultant? Did I mention any of that?

I can't find a transcript of the commercial or I'd repeat it verbatim but the gist is--"old houses" are "money pits" that are "old," "dingy," and "broken." While M/I Homes' new houses are "beautiful," "new," and "money saving."

Well let me tell you something M/I Homes: I own a 111 year old bungalow complete with gleaming hardwood floors, ceramic tile bathrooms, and a terracotta hallway LAID BY HAND. It has a built-in china cabinet, chair rails, bead-board ceilings, original wooden windows, hand carved moldings, window seats complete with benches, and a front porch deep enough to throw a freaking party on! Did I mention my porch swing?

What's that? Your homes don't have any of those things? Your artisans DON'T KNOW HOW to hand carve molding? You can't find artisan quality terracotta from 1899? Well of course they don't. Your houses are thrown up in a matter of days and I highly doubt they are built to last. My "money pit" has withstood more than a century of wear and tear, more than a century of thunderstorms and hail, more than a century of the elements. And it will withstand a hundred more--because it was built to last.

My "money pit" is energy efficient and my power bill is lower in my 1800 square foot house than it was in a 800 square foot "new" apartment. My "money pit" has age old shade trees instead of stubby little saplings. My "money pit" has a black walnut tree and a huge backyard. My "money pit" isn't so close to the other houses on my street that I could spit out my window and hit the side of my neighbor's house. My "money pit" doesn't look EXACTLY THE SAME as every other "money pit" in my TREE LINED neighborhood!

Oh yeah--and my "money pit" has character. Something your cookie cutter monstrosities know not of. My "money pit" is well insulated and has more windows than your "new" and "beautiful" homes which means I can take full advantage of natural light and my power bill is pretty darn cheap year round. My "money pit" has more than a hundred years of history beneath its roof and it was built by the first man who ever owned it--he lived here for 86 years and he loved this "old" house. He loved it and he treasured it, and now I love it and I treasure it.

So, M/I Homes, you can keep your "new" and "beautiful" cookie cutter houses for your sheep. I'd choose a historic, well-built RESPLENDENT home any day of the week.

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-05-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy over the past year that I have really been neglecting this blog! I promise I will write a new post by tomorrow and henceforth I will try to write at least one post a week here. I haven't forgotten about my fellow history buffs, and I apologize for my absence!

My blog won an award today! Can you believe it? I certainly didn't think that was going to happen. Thanks to L. Carroll for giving me this award:

Thanks L! If you haven't checked out L's blog, then click here to see what she's all about.

The Stylish Blogger Award has some rules so here they are:
1. The awardee must thank the person who bestowed the honor.
2. The awardee must list 7 random facts about his or herself. See bullets at bottom
3. The awardee must pass the award on to 5 new blogging buddies. Um....I don't really have blogging buddies on this blog, but I'll pick some from my other blog :) Winners listed under bullets.
4. The awardee must contact the winners to inform them they won.

Random facts about me:

I am currently in graduate school working on 2 separate M.A. degrees: Religious Studies (Medieval Christian history) and History (Public History concentration).
I intend to pursue further graduate study when I wrap up my current degree programs--this time in maritime archaeology.
I am fascinated by pirates (Too cliche? Maybe.).
I have presented papers at some pretty big and important academic conferences.
One day I want to write a work of creative non fiction.
When I'm completing research, my workspace looks like a library threw up. Books are stacked in the floor, on the bed, on the desk....in chairs, on shelves, pretty much everywhere. I also have random scraps of paper and several notebooks sprawled across the room and my laptop open to about seven different tabs (and Word).
I love the History International channel, but I'm not a big fan of the regular History channel.

Winners:
1. Rebekah: Identity Crisis
2. Ginger: Green Tea Ginger
3. Adrianne May: On the Road Less Taken
4. Bettina: Bettina's Wonderland
5. Jessica Lei: Metahypnosis

Congratulations to the winners! I wanted to draw attention to some blogs I think are great that many of you may not have ever read before. So go ahead and take a peek at the winning blogs!

Twitter(history)pated...

2010-09-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

You can now follow me on twitter, if you are so inclined.....

@historychickjp

You know you're curious....

New Pages!

2010-06-01T19:47:00.001-07:00

If you look at the top of the page, you will find three new links. The first link will return you to the home page (newest blog post). The next two links are for my most popular blog entries to date. Hundreds of people have read both post, and in order to make these blogs more easily available I have added direct links to both. Enjoy!

Cleopatra VII: Female Pharoh

2010-03-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

March is Women's History Month. Rather than bore you with tales of women's suffrage and Rosie the Riveter as other sites are sure to do, Ihave decided to focus my attention upon famous female rulers. The first in this series will be Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt.

In 69 B.C.E. an Egyptian woman gave birth to a beautiful baby, a baby who would grow up to be a notorious and powerful woman. This infant's name was Cleopatra, and she was daughter of Ptolmey XII, King of Egypt. The woman who brought this child into the world has been long forgotten. History does not know her name. The name of her daughter, however, has not been forgotten.

Cleopatra VII led a remarkable life. In 51 B.C.E. her father died, bequeathing his kingdom to Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolmey XIV. Under Egyptian law a woman could not rule the kingdom without a male consort who was either her brother or her own son. Thus an eighteen year old Cleopatra married her twelve year old brother (something not unheard of in ancient Egypt) and gained the Egyptian throne.

Cleopatra quickly made it clear that she was in charge, omitting her brother's name from all legal documents and replacing it with her own. She also placed her portrait on all administrative and legal records, further establishing her claim to the kingdom. She ruled uncontested for three years.

When her brother was 15 years old his advisers helped him stage a coup. Cleopatra lost the throne and was thrust into exile along the Syrian border. She would not go quietly. Cleopatra amassed an army and set about allying herself with the Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar.

As the story goes, Cleopatra concealed herself inside a rolled rug that she then had delivered as a gift to Caesar. When the rug was unrolled, Cleopatra was revealed. She seduced the married emperor and he returned her to her throne.

Once restored as Pharoh, Cleopatra again follwed Egyptian custom and married her youngest brother, another Ptolmey. At some point during this period Cleopatra gave birth to a son. Her son was Ptolmey XV, also known as Caesarion, or "Little Caesar." In 44 B.C.E. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death inside the Roman senate. Egypt was once again insecure.

Cleopatra, however, knew what to do. Two short years later she met and seduced Mark Antony. By all accounts, Mark Antony and Cleopatra were madly in love. Mark Antony began spending every winter in Egypt with Cleopatra. The Roman senate became enraged by Antony's behavior and declared war on Egypt.

The Egyptian forces were no match for the might of the Roman army. Egypt fell to Rome some time around 30 B.C.E. Mark Antony fell upon his own sword, ending his life. Upon hearing of her lover's demise, Cleopatra famously killed herself by allowing a poisonous asp to bite her. She was dead at the age of 39. Cleopatra was Egypt's last Pharoh.

History of Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T07:33:00.000-08:00

Today many of us in the United States and Canada will be gathering with friends and family to consume copious amounts of turkey and "give thanks" for those things in life we are grateful for. A vast majority of Thanksgiving Day participants probably know very little about the history of this holiday. Allow me to enlighten you!

In 1620 a group of English Separatists, now commonly referred to as "pilgrims," arrived at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. The original pilgrims were mostly upper class folks who did not know much about farming or life outside of Mother England.

The winter of 1620 was harsh and it devastated the new colony, wiping out about half of their meager population. Following the death of most of their loved ones, the pilgrims decided that they needed some help. So they established a tenuous relationship with the neighboring Wampanoag tribe.

The Wampanoags spent much of the next year teaching the pilgrims how to survive Massachusetts' harsh winters. They taught the newcomers how to hunt, fish, and farm for food. By the autumn of 1621 the pilgrims had learned a great deal, and the colony had harvested enough food to last them through the winter. As a thank you to the native americans who had helped them with this monumental task, the settlers invited the Wampanoag to a three day feast to celebrate their harvest. Though the original participants certainly did not do so, this feast is now commonly referred to as "The first Thanksgiving."

Shortly after this feast relations with the neighboring Wampanoag began to unravel, and many bloody attacks resulted from the pilgrims' attempt to push their colony outward. By the time the 1700s rolled around the Puritans had settled much of the Northeast and unsurprisingly they held feasts of "Thanksgiving to the Lord" throughout the year. These feasts celebrated everything from a good harvest to a battle won against neighboring "indians." These feasts were religious in nature, in large part due to Puritan society itself in which the sacred and the secular were mixed and melded so that each seemed inextricably connected to the other.

In the fall of 1789, following the rousing defeat of the British at Saratoga, George Washington decreed that Thursday November 26th would be "A day of publick thanksgiving and prayer" to commemorate this particular victory. The nation celebrated the battle that year, but the holiday of Thanksgiving did not become an annual event until much later.

In the mid-nineteenth century America was on the brink of Civil War. A young woman named Sarah Hale became convinced that setting aside a national day to give thanks would help unite the country. She began a campaign of letter writing, contacting politicians all over the United States.

By 1863 Hale's idea had reached Abraham Lincoln. Following the Battle of Gettysberg in the same year, Lincoln instituted that a "Day of Thanksgiving" should be set aside and that this day would occur annually on the last Thursday of November. Lincoln believed that Thanksgiving would serve to unite our country and bring a stop to the Civil War.

It didn't. Yet this holiday is still celebrated annually. In 1924 Macy's threw their first Thanksgiving Day parade, and the tradition has continued ever since. So Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Hello 19th Amendment!

2009-08-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Right: Photo of suffragists at the Seneca Falls Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. Photo courtesy of University of Nebraska Omaha archives.

Eighty-nine years ago today the 19th amendment was formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women their right to vote. By 1920 more than 70 years had passed since the beginnings of the women's suffrage movement. Women had famously rallied in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848. In 1850 the first ever national women's rights conference was held, and this conference was repeated annually ever after. Women wanted equal rights in employment, finances, and politics. They wanted their voices to be heard, and in 1869 led by Susan B. Anthony, women founded the National Women's Suffrage Association. By 1890 only one state, Wyoming, had changed its laws in order to allow women to vote.

In 1916 women suffragist had been fighting long and hard to no avail (only 4 states in total allowed women to vote: Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho), so they changed their tactics. Women picketed the White House and staged acts of civil disobedience across the U.S.

Finally on August 26, 1920 Congress heard these women's cries and instituted a law that would allow them to vote. Many of the early suffragist leaders had by this time passed away, but their work was carried on without them and their dreams were finally a reality. In the 2009 presidential election more women voted than men. A woman even ran in the presidential primary.

As women we have a long line of suffragist, some like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton whose names we know, some whose names we will never know, to thank for our right to be heard in a political election. Unfortunately, there are still places in this world where women either lack the right to vote or possess only partial suffrage. Women in the United States certainly owe a debt of gratitude to the suffragettes who came before us, and it is the purpose of this blog to remember those women with thanks.

Available online source for more information can be found here.

2,700 Year Old Tablets Found

2009-08-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

(Photo by J. Jackson)

A University of Toronto led excavation in Tall Tayinate, the capital city of a Neo-Hittite kingdom in ancient Palastine, located in modern Turkey, has turned up a cache of 2,700 year old cuneiform tablets. The tablets were located in a recently discovered temple, inside the temple's cella, or a room called the holy of holies. The writings appear to be part of some kind of archive and are remarkably intact. The tablets date to the Iron Age and may provide insight into Assryian religious and political life. The team also unearthed libation vessels, ornamented ritual objects, and implements made of gold, bronze, and iron.

Timothy Harrison, professor of Near Eastern Archeology and director of the University of Toronto's Tall Tayinate Archaeological Project, was quoted by Science Daily as saying, "The tablets, and the information they contain, may possibly highlight the imperial ambitions of one of the great powers of the ancient world, and its lasting influence on the political culture of the middle east."

Tayinate was once destroyed by the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III, and was thereafter converted into an Assyrian provincial capital. Dr. Harrison says that Tayinate was, "equipped with its own governor and imperial administration." It was a very important city in the ancient Near East. This discovery may even hint at Biblical proportions.

Dr. Harrison informed reporters, "Scholars have long speculated that the reference to Calneh in Isaiah's oracle against Assyria alludes to Tiglath-pileser's devastation of Kunulua--i.e. Tayinate. The destruction of the Luwian monuments and conversion of the sacred precinct into an Assyrian religious complex may represent the physical manifestation of this historical event."

In any case, the artifacts were well preserved and tablets should reveal interesting data soon.

Titanic Goes Down: April 14, 1912

2009-04-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sometime prior to midnight on April 14, 1912 the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg. Five of the ship's sixteen compartments were ruptured and the ocean liner began to fill with water. A few short hours later (sometime around 2:30 a.m) the Titanic sank to the bottom of the icy Atlantic.

Due to a shortage of life boats most of the passengers and crew drowned. 1,500 people lost their lives as the world's first "unsinkable ship" sank.

Many passengers displayed unfaltering bravery as they forsook their own lives in order to save others. The captain, as captain's should, "went down with his ship". The band bravely played until they too drowned. Mr. and Mrs. Earnest Courtenay Carter famously refused to board lifeboats saying, "let the others go first," and the childless couple bravely died together. Miss Edith Corse Evans let another woman, Mrs. John Murray Brown, take the last remaining spot aboard lifeboat D, saying, "You go first, you have children waiting at home." Miss Evans never found space aboard another lifeboat and drowned when the Titanic sank. Many of the 700 survivors were "given" their seats aboard lifeboats by brave individuals who opted to stay aboard and help others to safety.

Then of course there is the famous "Unsinkable Molly Brown" who forced her lifeboat to turn around and help pull other survivors from the icy Atlantic. Miss Brown is credited with saving several lives and with keeping spirits up when all else failed.

These remarkable stories of heroism and bravery resonate with us today and keep the memory of the Titanic alive.

Dancin' Voodoo Queen

2009-03-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

This painting is the image most often associated with
famed Voodoo (Voudou) Queen Marie Leveau. The original painting can
be seen in the Cabildo in New Orleans, LA.

Marie Leveau was born sometime between 1790 and 1801 in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Lousiana. The exact date of her birth is unknown as the documentation of such things was rather casual during this period, often taking several days for someone to jot down a birth or death date (thus resulting in conflicting records of both). It is believed that Marie was born to a wealthy white planter and free creole woman. The rest of her life is shrouded in mystery, and what we do know is sporadic and fascinating.

From all accounts it appears that our dear Marie Leveau, soon to be Voodoo Queen, was raised a devout Roman Catholic. She never really let go of her Catholic roots, as Voodoo is a syncretic religion blending traditional African religions with Roman Catholicism to create something that reflects varying aspects of two seemingly unconnected spiritual paths. So our cajun Voodoo Queen was also devoutly Catholic.

It also seems that Marie married twice and had a total of 15 children between her two husbands. Her daughter, also named Marie Leveau, is often confused with her mother, making the history of this fascinating woman even harder to nail down. Her first husband, Jacques Paris, died sometime around 1820 under unexplained circumstances. Some accounts actually say he disappeared and was never found. In any case Leveau became involved with another man, Christophe Glapion, and bore him children as well.

Leveau became a hairdresser for affluent white families after her first husband's disappearance/death. She made powerful connections and many historians believe that she exploited these connections to create her own power in New Orlean's society. Some claim she had a vast network of spies within her wealthy clients' homes and these spies fed her information about her clients.

White and Black, rich and poor, came to Marie Leveau with their problems. They bought her potions and charms, and according to most accounts those potions and charms worked. People held Leveau in awe and many feared her. She is best known for her St. John's Day rituals on the banks of the Bayou St. John. Thousands flocked to see Marie Leveau, Voodoo Queen, dance with her powerful snake Zombi and perform Voodoo "magic" in celebration of the holiday.

It is recorded that Leveau cared for injured soldiers following the Battle of New Orleans, and again during the Yellow Fever epidemic of the 1850's. She owned a house in New Orleans. Some claim she also owned a brothel. She prayed with rosary beads, danced with a snake named for the African God Zombi, revived Voodoo in America, gained a following of thousands, was loved and feared, and had powerful white allies. She died in 1881. Followers of Voodoo still visit her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery, leaving her gifts and tokens of appreciation. She is revered in death as she was revered in life. Her "magic" still echoes today.

Rosie the Riveter

2009-03-08T13:12:00.001-07:00

March is women's history month. In honor of all the women that came before me, I am going to try to write at least one article a week regarding women's history. This week I chose Rosie the Riveter!

This particular image by J. Howard Miller is actually entitled "We Can Do It!", and happens to be the image most associated with "Rosie the Riveter". This painting, however, was actually based on a woman named Geraldine Doyle.

Rosie the Riveter came to represent women in the United States during World War II. "Rosie" left behind the traditional women's role as only wife and only mother to work in factories building everything from B-29 bombers to warships. This iconic character convinced women that it was their patriotic duty to enter the workforce and participate in the "war effort at home".

Many women's studies scholars believe that Rosie the Riveter forever changed gender norms in the U.S., finally opening the door for women to join the workforce. Other disagree. Whatever you think, you have to admire the real life "Rosies" who were forced to forgo nylon stockings for the war effort and instead painted their legs with pancake batter and drew a seam down their calves with eyeliner, who slapped overalls over their skirts and dresses, and wielded heavy machinery in a grueling factory for hours on end all to play their part in the world's greatest war. Below is an image of a real life "Rosie". Enjoy!

Step By Step: Ancient Footprint Found in Kenya

2009-03-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

Several fossilized footprints were discovered in Kenya near Ileret earlier this week. Scientists estimate that these footprints were made nearly 1.5 million years ago by our early humanoid ancestors, Homo erectus. Most of the ancient footprints appear to be adult, however one set of footprints is believed to have been made by a child.

Archaeologists were able to calculate the approximate height of these early bipeds and it seems that the ancient people who left these footprints were around 5'7" tall. They also estimate that they were similar in weight to modern humans.

This find provides solid evidence that Homo sapiens, our species, which first appeared around 200,000 years ago were not the first bipeds. It proves that our ancient ancestors, the Homo erectus, were bipedal 1.5 million years ago. The impressions themselves are also astounding in their preservation. Many of these footprints appear to have been made just yesterday. These footprints are literally a walk in the past.

Valentine's Day: A Brief History

2009-02-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

According to Christian legend, St. Valentine was a priest in the third century A.D. He lived under the reign of the Emperor Claudius Gothicus, so named because he had famously conquered the Goths in 268 B.C.E. Claudius Gothicus needed an army so sometime after he conquered the Goths he outlawed marriage. Well not all marriage, he just made it illegal for young men who were the right age to join the army to marry. Well St. Valentine reportedly ignored this new law and continued to marry these army-aged fellas' in secret. He was caught and imprisoned. While imprisoned Valentine wrote a letter to his jailer's daughter, whom he had fallen madly in love with, and signed it "From your Valentine". Thus Valentine's Day was born.

However, it is important to note that this legend might just be bunk. Early Christians often hijacked Pagan Festivals and gave them a Christian twist to legitimize them. Likely this was because early Christian converts weren't likely to give up celebrations they had been enjoying since birth. If giving up these celebrations was a prerequisite to conversion then most would have simply remained closet Pagans for the rest of their days, and the Church knew it. So they hijacked these popular festivals, gave them a Christian twist, and made them legitimate Christian holidays.

This is likely where the Valentine's Day myth comes from. You see every year in mid February, usually around February 14th, Mediterranean pagans celebrated a festival called Lupercalia. Lupercalia was an ancient fertility festival. It was celebrated in honor of Pan, God of Animals and Wilderness. Gifts were exchanged by couples and young unmarried couples were ritually paired off for the day.

Of course if you've noticed Cupid at all then you should have already suspected this. Cupid is nothing more than the Roman God of Lust, Eros, in disguise. He even has the bow and arrow to prove it.

So happy Lupercalia/St. Valentine's Day. Now you know where it came from.

New Chamber of Mummies Found in Egypt

2009-02-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities for Egypt and Chief Archaeologist of the Giza Pyramid excavation, has done it again folks! This man has located more hidden tombs, unidentified mummies, and secret chambers than anyone else in his field.

Earlier this month 22 mummies were discovered in a burial chamber at the Saqqara necropolis just south of Cairo. Hawass informed the BBC that eight stone and wooden sarcophagi were also unearthed. He was, as always, very excited by his latest discovery.

The mummies and chamber were located inside a tomb dating to around 640 B.C.E. The mummies therefore date to Egypt's 26th dynasty, the last independent Egyptian dynasty before they were overthrown by the Persians.

The artifacts located within this burial chamber were remarkably in tact, undisturbed for nearly 2,600 years. Over the years looters have destroyed similar sites long before experts were able to locate them. Though it does show signs that an ancient grave-robber may have disturbed some of the material artifacts hundreds of years prior to Hawass finding the chamber again, the ancient robber appears to have left most of the chamber completely in tact, making this a very significant find.

The mummies themselves were located in niches along the wall of the same room and were reportedly poorly preserved. Archaeologist have thus far been unable to determine why so many mummies were placed in the same room, or for that matter to identify any of the remains.

Hawass also indicated that during the 26th dynasty Egyptians did not usually bury their dead in communal niches. He told the Associated Press, "Niches were known in the very early dynasties, so to find one for the 26th dynasty is something rare."

This find is sure to spawn a television special and some interesting articles. I will do my best to keep you updated.

February is Black History Month: Underground Railroad

2009-02-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

February is Black History Month and I have decided to write a brief article daily regarding Black History. I hope you all will enjoy these articles!

The Underground Railroad:

Many people seem to have a misconception that the underground railroad refers to an actual railway, train, or literal underground system of tunnels leading from American South to the safer American North during the nineteenth century. It doesn't.

The underground railroad was actually a network of brave people throughout the country that assisted escaped slaves in reaching the North and Canada. These people often offered their own homes to escaped slaves as a safe haven for a night or a few nights on their journey northward. The "conductors" of the underground railroad were both freed blacks and whites. Escaped slaves often traveled between 10 and 20 miles a night, usually on foot, to reach these safe houses. The slaves hid in barns, hidden rooms, and even closets during the day. They would be given a small provision of food and while they rested during daytime hours the next "station master" would be contacted, and that night the slaves would be sent to the next safe house on their route. Most homes on the route hung a quilt on the door with a particular color and design as a kind of flag that escaped slaves recognized as a symbol of the underground railroad and a safe house.

The journey was long and arduous. The slaves and those assisting their escape risked their lives by participating in the underground railroad. Once escaped slaves reached the North they were "free" in a sense. However, racism was prevalent in the North and escaped slaves often found it difficult to procure employment and a stable home in the Northern states. Yet this new sense of freedom was worth any hardship encountered to most of the escaped slaves.

PBS has an interesting article that goes more in depth located here. National Geographic offers an interactive online game based on Harriet Tubman's underground railway route. I highly recommend playing it!

The Lovely Lavinia: America's Prettiest Serial Killer

2009-02-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

Lavinia Fisher is perhaps the most notable female serial killer in Carolina history. Lavina was indeed lovely. According to all accounts she was a startlingly beautiful woman with milky white skin, big blue eyes, and curly raven hair. We don't know what her husband looked like, he is largely forgotten, but the Lovely Lavinia lives on in fantastical tales and local legend. Lavinia, however, was never convicted of murder. Neither was her husband. Perhaps the legend is more interesting than the truth, but I don't think so.

According to local legend John and Lavinia Fisher owned and operated an inn on the outskirts of Charleston, SC in the 1800s. There is, however, no evidence that the Fishers actually owned or operated an inn. They did, nonetheless, frequent an inn known as the Six Mile House just outside of town. This inn was a favorite stop for wagon traders carrying their goods to Charleston, SC to sale. It was also a favorite haunt of a local anonymous gang of highway robbers. This gang was responsible for the brutal robbery of multiple wagon traders, and their enterprise threatened the prosperous Charleston wagon trade. As a result "lynch's law" was put into affect, and a mob of angry citizens set out to put an end to highway robbery.

Five Mile House, you guessed it--a neighbor of Six Mile House, happened to be the inn the gang had hunkered down in that night in the early months 1819. The angry mob forced the gang and other occupants out of doors and gave them 15 minutes to depart the premises before burning the Five Mile House to the ground. The gang of highwaymen were outnumbered and they knew it. They left without much fuss.

The next day the angry highwaymen set out to get their vengeance. They had heard that some of the mob members were staying at Six Mile House and sure enough when they showed up at Six Mile House, David Ross, one of the men from the mob, was outside guarding the premises. The highwaymen rode on up to Six Mile House accompanied by a beautiful woman. The unsuspecting Ross greeting this woman and was stunned by her reaction. She smiled and leaning down from her horse she wrapped her lovely white fingers around Ross' neck and began choking him. She also apparently ran his head through a window. This woman was none other than our Lovely Lavinia.

Shortly after Ross was accosted another man, John Peoples, rode up to Six Mile House to water his horse. One of the highwaymen asked to borrow Peoples' bucket and when Peoples refused the man flew into a rage. Nine or ten men and a woman then flew out of Six Mile House and beat Peoples pretty severely. According to Peoples the "beautiful woman" took a "large stick" and beat him over the head with it. She also stole about $40 from him.

Peoples barely managed to escape, and when he did he went straight into town and alerted the local police force. Lavinia, her husband, and 2 other men were arrested for highway robbery. Upon the searching the grounds of Six Mile House 2 bodies were found. The body of a white man and the body of a black woman, both suspected to have been in the ground for at least 2 years. There wasn't enough to proof to convict either Lavinia or her companions of these murders. The authorities knew that Lavinia and John frequented both Five and Six Mile House and they were both suspected of the murders. However, after 2 years of decomp, the bodies offered little evidence with which to prove it.

John and Lavinia Fisher were convicted of highway robbery, a hanging offense in 1819. John was convicted to hang. So was Lavinia. That is, until she said, "You can't hang me. I'm a woman." Well that caused quite a stir. A woman had never been hanged in South Carolina and there were quite a few people opposed to the idea. So Lavinia set smugly in her jail cell fully expecting to be pardoned for her crimes. On February 4th gallows were erected just past Meeting Street and the Fishers were marched to their deaths. Lavinia realized she would hang, regardless of her gender, and she was angry about it too. While John spent his last moments pleading for his life, Lavinia watched her husband hang with nary a tear in her eye. She cursed and screamed amazing profanities at the crowd and the governor. She pitched a royal fit and shocked the crowd into silence. Her last words, the most shocking of all, are perhaps the fuel behind the legend and are undoubtedly the reason that everyone remembers the Lovely Lavinia Fisher. She stared angrily down at the crowd and said, "If you have a message you want to send to hell, give it to me--I'll carry it!" And then she hanged. The crowd, a crowd that usually jeered and cheered while someone hanged, was silent and horrified. Lavinia died in seconds. Her legend, however, lives on.

9/1/2009 Update: I did all of the research on this article myself, simply because I am a history buff and I like spending time in dusty archives. One of my readers just emailed me. Apparently there is a book out that chronicles Lavinia's story, as well as a few others. The book is Wicked Charleston by Mark R. Jones. It can be purchased online or at the Preservation Society of Charleston.

History of Christmas Traditions

2008-12-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Trees: Decorating trees for Christmas is a custom that dates all the way back to the mid 16th Century! A popular passion play performed annually on December 24 in medieval Germany retold the story of Adam and Eve. This production called for a tree decorated with apples. Locals found the tree so pretty that they began putting trees in their own homes every December.

Lights: Martin Luther is actually credited with the idea of Christmas tree lights. According to legend the Sainted Luther was taking a walk one night and looking at all the stars in the sky. The stars in the sky made him think of the Christmas Star and the night the three wise men saw that star and it led them to the Holy Child. He brought a small tree home from the forest and decorated it with candles, to symbolize the stars in the night sky, and told his family the story of the Christmas Star. Candles in the window at Christmas is also a medieval custom, not credited to Luther by the way. In the Middle Ages candles came to symbolize Christ as the "light of the world". Candles were left in the window at Christmas to guide the Christ Child to the home so that he could leave his blessings for those inside. The Christ Child also left gifts in some medieval towns, possibly leading to custom of gift giving

Gift Giving: The tradition of gift giving is traditionally attributed to the three wise men who offered the baby Jesus gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh. However, gift giving was not really very popular until after the American Civil War. Queen Victoria, who expected gifts on all occasions, may have had something to do with the growth of the gift-giving tradition.

Stockings Hung By the Chimney With Care: According to Christian legend the tradition of hanging stockings by the chimney dates all the way back to 300 C.E. According to the legend a poor miller had three daughters, none of whom could afford to get married because their father was so poor he could not offer a dowry for the girls. The sisters were quite upset about this. St. Nicholas somehow heard of their situation and was touched by their plight. He traveled to their house in the middle of the night and tossed three bags filled with gold coins through their open window. The coins landed in the stockings the girls had hung by the fire to dry.

St. Nick to some, Santa Claus to others!: For those of you who are unaware, there actually was a real life St. Nicholas. He was born in 280 C.E. in a small town called Patara located in Asia Minor. Several miracles were attributed to St. Nicholas. According to legend his prayers often healed the sick, helped an old man conceive a child, brought a ship safely to harbor through a severe storm, and saved three separate individuals from execution. It is also said that St. Nicholas often gave gifts to needy children.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Robert May, a copywriter at Montgomery Ward Department Store in Chicago, was assigned the task of writing a Christmas story that could be given to children visiting Santa Clause in the store. It was a genius advertising ploy, but Ward struggled to complete his task. He was told the tale must be about an animal and he decided that there was no better animal for a Christmas story than a reindeer, and thus Rudolph was born. Over 2 million copies were given away at the Montgomery Ward department stores in 1939. 10 years later Johnny Marks, May's brother-in-law wrote the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was later recorded by Gene Autry.

I hope you have enjoyed learning where popular American Christmas traditions come from. Pass the information on to someone else and keep these valued traditions alive.

Stone Age Burial Site Yields Social Clues

2008-11-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

Researchers discovered a 4,600 year old burial site in Germany earlier this month, a find that is especially significant as it yields the earliest known evidence of people living together in family units.

Four nearly identical Stone Age burial sites were located in Eulau, Saxony-Anhalt. Through DNA analysis researchers were able to prove that the graves were actually family burials. The remains of a mother, father, and two children were found carefully buried together. Another grave contained two siblings and an unrelated female. Researchers believe this female was likely a paternal aunt. The individuals were buried facing each other and all remains dated to the same time period.

Wolfgang Haak of the University of Adelaide commented, "By establishing the genetic links between the two adults and two children buried together in one grave, we have established the presence of the classic nuclear family in a prehistoric context in Central Europe--to our knowledge the oldest authentic molecular genetic evidence so far."

While tools and artifacts dating to the Stone Age have been studied in depth, not much is currently known about the societal norms of Stone Age life. This find is particularly significant because it proves that early peoples recognized nuclear families, and perhaps even resided in nuclear family units.

Furthermore, the evidence suggests that the individuals located were victims of a raid. Researchers believe that the survivors of this raid returned once their attackers had left in order to bury their dead. Burial is significant because it often suggests a belief in the afterlife, or in the very least a reverence for the dead. Burying family units together suggests that such units were recognized and important to early peoples. The uniformity of the burials suggests that the ritual of burying the dead had already been established, something previously unknown.

This find is incredible. If you would like to read more please click here.

History Trivia: Today in History...

2008-11-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

On November 18th:

1863--President Lincoln began his journey to Gettysburg to deliver his famous Address on November 19, 1863.

1883-- Due to railroads, the United States adopted time zones for the first time in history.

1928--The very first successful animated cartoon with sound was released by Walt Disney. It was called "Steamboat Willy", starred Mickey Mouse, and premiered in NYC!

1966--Roman Catholic Bishops in the United States repealed the Catholic rule against eating meat on Fridays. Nowadays most Roman Catholics revert back to meatless Fridays during Lent.

The Jack-O-Lantern

2008-10-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin carving as become a kind of modern art. People take it seriously. This year people are even carving images of presidential candidates in their pumpkins to make political statements. A girl I went to high school with carved Barak Obama into her pumpkin. Others stick to the traditional scary faces with triangular eyes and leering toothy grins.

Some places like Keene, NH for instance even have pumpkin festivals. Carving Jack O'Lanterns has become an integral part of American Culture.

The annual festival in Keene draws tourists from all over the world. The locals take their festival seriously, carving hundreds of pumpkins up to create a glowing spectacle not seen elsewhere.

Aren't those Jack O'Lanterns fabulous?

But where did this tradition come from? Why do we carve pumpkins into leering monsters on Halloween? Do other people do it?

Turns out the tradition of carving gourds into sneering leering monstrous faces comes from medieval Scotland and Ireland. The Irish have a folk tale called "Stingy Jack" and most historians believe this particular tradition arose in response to this little story.

Stingy Jack, as it turns out, was a very stingy man. He didn't like to spend his money. One night he invited the devil to have a drink with him at a local tavern. So they drink their ale and wracked up a hefty tab, and Stingy Jack being stingy as he was did not want to pay the barkeep. So he tricked the devil into turning himself into a coin to pay for their ale. And the devil did. And Stingy Jack stole the coin back and placed it in his pocket next to silver cross so that the devil couldn't change himself back. Jack eventually decided to free the devil, but only under the condition that the devil would not bother Jack again for at least one whole year and that if Jack died the devil would not claim his soul. The devil agreed and left good old Stingy Jack alone. A year later the two came into contact once more. This time Stingy Jack tricked the devil into climbing up a tree to pick some fruit. While the devil was high up in the tree Jack decided it would be funny to carve a cross into the trunk, neatly trapping the devil up in that fruit tree. Again Jack bargained with the devil and the devil agreed to the same terms as before: to leave Jack alone for a year and not to claim his soul if he died. So Jack helped the devil get down from the tree. Then one day Jack died. God didn't want such a conniving and dishonest soul in heaven so he refused to take him. The devil, bound by his original pledge, refused to claim Jack too. And so the devil sent Jack off into the inky blackness of the night with naught but a burning coal to light his way. Jack, being the smart man he was, put the coal into a carved out turnip. And so Jack roams the earth with his glowing turnip because neither God nor the Devil wants him.

The Irish began calling Jack "Jack of the Lantern" or "Jack O'Lantern". The Irish and Scottish started to carve frightening faces into turnips and potatoes, which they stuck a candle in, to ward off Jack and other wandering souls like him. These "Jack O'Lanterns" were placed near doors and windows to keep evil spirits out of Scotch-Irish homes. When the Scottish and Irish migrated to the other places, like the United States where native pumpkins replaced turnips, they brought their folk tale and the tradition of carving Jack O'Lanterns with them. The story of "Stingy Jack" has since faded, but leering faces of Jack O'Lanterns glow brightly on doorsteps across the United States every October.

Big Find Off Coast of Namibia

2008-09-29T06:43:00.001-07:00

A 500 year old shipwreck was recently discovered off the coast of Southern Namibia. This find may possibly be the 2nd largest find in Africa, the pyramids in Egypt remaining the largest. The ship is believed to be Portuguese in origin and Francisco Alves, maritime archaeologist, stated that "the cultural uniqueness of this find is priceless".

The ship is remarkably well preserved and contains many historical treasures. The ships cargo included elephant tusks, a variety of weaponry, pewter tableware, several tonnes of copper and tin, and navigational instrument. The ship also contained more than $100 million dollars worth of gold and silver coins. The coins were minted in both Spain and Portugal as late as 1525. The coinage makes this find more significant, and is the reason archaeologists are speculating that this ship may be the "largest" (meaning wealthiest) find since Egypt.

The ship is located in a mining district and the costs of sea-walling to protect the excavation site cannot be maintained after October 10th. Archaeologists believe there is still more to be found, but they are running out of time.

The Namibian government intends to open a museum to display this rare find.

Mythical City Found!

2008-09-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

A Russian archaeologist claims to have discovered the capital city of a mythical tribe, the Khazars. The Khazars were a nomadic tribe that roamed from Russia to the Aral Sea in Central Asia more than 1,000 years ago. According to Russian legend the Khazars adopted Judaism and became an imperial superpower. Under Soviet rule study of the Khazars was strictly discouraged and it is only recently that scholars have begun digging into this part of the Russian past.

Dmitri Vasilyev, who has been excavating along the Caspian Sea for nine years, discovered a triangular fortress of flamed brick and knew he had hit pay dirt. It was illegal to use flamed brick anywhere but the Khazarian capital city of Itil. So far his team has unearthed jewelery, decorative ceramics and pottery, armor, and lamps. They have yet to locate any Jewish artifacts.

Other archaeologists remain skeptical, awaiting further evidence that this city is indeed Itil.

For more information see the article below:

Scholar claims to find medieval Jewish capital

By MANSUR MIROVALEV, Associated Press Writer Sat Sep 20, 2:13 PM ET

MOSCOW - A Russian archaeologist says he has found the lost capital of the Khazars, a powerful nation that adopted Judaism as its official religion more than 1,000 years ago, only to disappear leaving little trace of its culture.

Dmitry Vasilyev, a professor at Astrakhan State University, said his nine-year excavation near the Caspian Sea has finally unearthed the foundations of a triangular fortress of flamed brick, along with modest yurt-shaped dwellings, and he believes these are part of what was once Itil, the Khazar capital.

By law Khazars could use flamed bricks only in the capital, Vasilyev said. The general location of the city on the Silk Road was confirmed in medieval chronicles by Arab, Jewish and European authors.

"The discovery of the capital of Eastern Europe's first feudal state is of great significance," he told The Associated Press. "We should view it as part of Russian history."

Kevin Brook, the American author of "The Jews of Khazaria," e-mailed Wednesday that he has followed the Itil dig over the years, and even though it has yielded no Jewish artifacts, "Now I'm as confident as the archaeological team is that they've truly found the long-lost city,

The Khazars were a Turkic tribe that roamed the steppes from Northern China to the Black Sea. Between the 7th and 10th centuries they conquered huge swaths of what is now southern Russia and Ukraine, the Caucasus Mountains and Central Asia as far as the Aral Sea.

Itil, about 800 miles south of Moscow, had a population of up to 60,000 and occupied 0.8 square miles of marshy plains southwest of the Russian Caspian Sea port of Astrakhan, Vasilyev said.

It lay at a major junction of the Silk Road, the trade route between Europe and China, which "helped Khazars amass giant profits," he said.

The Khazar empire was once a regional superpower, and Vasilyev said his team has found "luxurious collections" of well-preserved ceramics that help identify cultural ties of the Khazar state with Europe, the Byzantine Empire and even Northern Africa. They also found armor, wooden kitchenware, glass lamps and cups, jewelry and vessels for transporting precious balms dating back to the eighth and ninth centuries, he said.

But a scholar in Israel, while calling the excavations interesting, said the challenge was to find Khazar inscriptions.

"If they found a few buildings, or remains of buildings, that's interesting but does not make a big difference," said Dr. Simon Kraiz, an expert on Eastern European Jewry at Haifa University. "If they found Khazar writings, that would be very important."

Vasilyev says no Jewish artifacts have been found at the site, and in general, most of what is known about the Khazars comes from chroniclers from other, sometimes competing cultures and empires.

"We know a lot about them, and yet we know almost nothing: Jews wrote about them, and so did Russians, Georgians, and Armenians, to name a few," said Kraiz. "But from the Khazars themselves we have nearly nothing."

The Khazars' ruling dynasty and nobility converted to Judaism sometime in the 8th or 9th centuries. Vasilyev said the limited number of Jewish religious artifacts such as mezuzas and Stars of David found at other Khazar sites prove that ordinary Khazars preferred traditional beliefs such as shamanism, or newly introduced religions including Islam.

Yevgeny Satanovsky, director of the Middle Eastern Institute in Moscow, said he believes the Khazar elite chose Judaism out of political expediency — to remain independent of neighboring Muslim and Christian states. "They embraced Judaism because they wanted to remain neutral, like Switzerland these days," he said.

In particular, he said, the Khazars opposed the Arab advance into the Caucasus Mountains and were instrumental in containing a Muslim push toward eastern Europe. He compared their role in eastern Europe to that of the French knights who defeated Arab forces at the Battle of Tours in France in 732.

The Khazars succeeded in holding off the Arabs, but a young, expanding Russian state vanquished the Khazar empire in the late 10th century. Medieval Russian epic poems mention Russian warriors fighting the "Jewish Giant."

"In many ways, Russia is a successor of the Khazar state," Vasilyev said.

He said his dig revealed traces of a large fire that was probably caused by the Russian conquest. He said Itil was rebuilt following the fall of the Khazar empire, when ethnic Khazars were slowly assimilated by Turkic-speaking tribes, Tatars and Mongols, who inhabited the city until it was flooded by the rising Caspian Sea around the 14th century.

The study of the Khazar empire was discouraged in the Soviet Union. The dictator Josef Stalin, in particular, detested the idea that a Jewish empire had come before Russia's own. He ordered references to Khazar history removed from textbooks because they "disproved his theory of Russian statehood," Satanovsky said.

Only now are Russian scholars free to explore Khazar culture. The Itil excavations have been sponsored by the Russian-Jewish Congress, a nonprofit organization that supports cultural projects in Russia.

"Khazar studies are just beginning," Satanovsky said.

The Sea Queen

2008-09-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

Grainne Ni Mhaille was born in Connaught, Ireland sometime between 1520 and 1530. Over time Grainne Ni Mhaille's actions grew to legend and her name became the anglicized Grace O'Malley.

Grace was the daughter of a clan chief and her family controlled much of modern Murrisk near Clew Bay. Her father taxed anyone who wanted to fish off their coast. Grace's father taught her about international trade and often took her aboard his many vessels. At an early age Grace became an adept seafarer and it is likely this familiarity with sailing had much to do with her later career as one of the most notorious pirates England ever saw.

As custom dictated, Grace was married to Donal O'Flaherty, heir to the O'Flaherty Chieftain title. She was 16. She bore him three children: Owen, Murrough, and Maeve. When Donal was killed in battle Grace was expected to give up the O'Flaherty castles and return home. Grace rarely did what anyone expected. When the Joyce clan (part of the O'Flaherty line) came to reclaim "Cock's Castle", Grace's favorite, Grace successfully defended it against them. The Joyce's were so impressed with Grace that they renamed the castle "Hen's Castle", which it is called to this day. When she finally left she returned to her family lands and having earned the loyalty of many O'Flaherty's many of her husband's kin went with her.

Shortly after her father's death Grace set up headquarters at Clare Island in Clew Bay.
She continued to tax ships that wanted to sail in O'Malley waters, but there was a catch: Grace expanded O'Malley nautical territory. For the most part the crown turned a blind eye to Grace's activity. Well they did until she started attacking English vessels. She was known for boarding ships in and around Clew Bay, sometimes as far away as Waterford, and "taxing" the ship's captain by taking most of his cargo. Sometimes she even acquired his ship in return for his life, a fair bargain she thought.

Grace O'Malley's exploits were so legendary that she caught the notice of Queen Elizabeth. When Grace's son was taken captive by Richard Bingham, English governor of Connaught, O'Malley sailed to England to petition good Queen Elizabeth herself. During the meeting the two women spoke Latin, as Grace did not speak English and the Queen did not speak Gaelic. Grace did not recognize Elizabeth as the Queen of Ireland and as a result she refused to bow to the Queen as custom dictated. Elizabeth took it all in stride. The meeting was successful, her son was released and Bingham was temporarily removed from his post in Connaught.

Grace's courage, her lack of regard for convention, her odd choice of career have all made Grace O'Malley an Irish legend.

If you are interested in learning more about Grace O'Malley try reading The Pirate Queen: In Search of Grace O'Malley and Other Legendary Women of the Sea by Barbara Sjoholm printed by Seal Press.

Today in History

2008-09-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

On September 14, 1814 Francis Scott Key penned "The Star Spangled Banner" as he watched the Battle of Baltimore at Fort McHenry unfold. This poem later became our national anthem.

Key was a prominent lawyer, son to a prominent Maryland judge. He traveled to Fort McHenry to negotiate the release of an American prisoner, Dr. William Beanes, from the British. The British released Beanes into Francis Scott Key and Col. John Skinner's custody, but because the three men were now privy to the British plan to attack America they were not permitted to leave their sloop. Key, Skinner, and Beanes had no course of action but to sit and watch the surprise British attack on America. But as Key so famously wrote when the smoke cleared, "the flag was still there."

And so the American National Anthem was born from a little known battle in history on this day in 1814.

My Favorite Hooker

2008-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

I recently visited Charleston, SC. Charleston just happens to be one of my favorite places in the world. It was also home to my favorite prostitute (in history of course): Grace Piexotto.

Grace Piexotto was likely born sometime in the late 1700s, but we cannot really be sure of the exact date. In fact, Grace herself may not have known the exact date of her birth. We know from Grace's own recollections that she witnessed a speech by George Washington at a young age and this particular appearance by our first president occurred after the Revolutionary war. Thus Grace must have been born sometime in the late 1700s. According to some records Grace was the daughter of Selomoh Piexotto, a music leader at Beth Elohim Synagogue in Charleston, SC. According to others, Grace did not know who her parents were and she was raised in a brothel. Then again Grace was fairly notorious in her time and notoriety breeds legend. It is much more likely that Grace was the daughter of a religious Jew than that she was raised in a brothel.

In any case Grace grew up to be a brazen and bold businesswoman. She defied convention. She did what society forbade her. By 1852 Grace had somehow come up with enough money to build a brothel. This was no small feat my friends. First, it was very difficult for a woman to have anything constructed in the mid 1800s. Women simply did not have buildings built and should a woman decide she wanted to have a building constructed gender norms of the time made it nearly impossible for her to do so. Second, Grace hardly hid the fact that she intended to use this new building as a brothel. She would have had to possess not only enough money to construct the building, buy the materials, and pay the laborers; Grace would have needed enough money to bribe city officials for a building permit. Somehow, despite all the obstacles against her, Grace had one of the most infamous brothels in all of Charleston, SC raised from the ground up in 1852.

This brothel came to be called the "Big Brick", likely because the structure itself was made of big red bricks. So in 1852 Grace opened the doors of 11 Beresford Street, currently called Fulton Street, and set her girls to work. The Big Brick offered patrons something most other brothels did not: privacy. The upper floors were divided into several very small rooms. These rooms were just large enough for a bed, after all Grace was a wise businesswoman and she knew a bed was all her clients required. She also knew that the men who frequented her establishment would appreciate the privacy afforded by a wall. Most brothels had several beds crammed in larger rooms and such an arrangement often meant that men would quite literally see their friends and relatives "going about their business" if you will. Of course no man wanted his comrades to know that he frequented a whore house, so you can see why Grace's innovation was much appreciated.

Grace also required discretion of all her girls. She would fire anyone foolish enough to publicly greet a client. Upper crust gentleman appreciated such discretion and Grace's Red Brick was soon the brothel of choice among the higher classes. The Red Brick quickly became a popular port of call for sailors and free blacks as well. If you could pay Grace would give you a good time. If you couldn't pay--well Grace would just see to it that you didn't come back. In fact, brazen Grace Piexotto was so upset by students from the College of Charleston that she wrote the faculty of the college a letter asking them to keep their students away from her establishment.

City leaders turned a blind eye to Grace's establishment, likely because many of them were frequent customers. Grace was well educated and pretty savvy so she became quite wealthy. She lived in style.

Grace also died in style. When Grace died the local churches argued over who was going to have to bury her. None of the churches wanted to be responsible for burying the most notorious Madam in the South. The Unitarian Church finally stepped up and paid for Grace to have a funerary service. Of course who could attend a hooker's funeral? No man could dare show his face at Grace's service because then the whole town would know how he knew her. No woman would socialize with a prostitute, even a wealthy one. What about the "ladies" who worked for Grace? Well they figured the men in the town would need consoling so they went to work and were otherwise disposed at the time of her service. They figured Grace would understand, and she probably would have too.

So no one came to Grace's funeral. However, Charleston has a quite a strange tradition. If you find yourself unable to attend a friend's funeral then you can send your empty carriage to be a part of the funeral procession in your place. The longer the funeral procession, the more loved you were by the town. Apparently local men saw nothing wrong with sending their empty carriages to be part of Grace's procession. Grace had the 2nd longest funeral procession in the history of Charleston, SC--topped only by John Calhoun, a politician.

The Big Brick was the hub of Charlestonian prostitution until the 1940s when the city finally shut it down. The infamous building still stands and is currently home to an upscale retailer.