Valentown greetings,

June is proving to be very interesting as far as the weather.
We wonder what the Old Farmers Almanac thinks about the heat still coming on in some houses. It safe when they say "sunny and cool". No one can fault that sort of forecast. The Almanac was first published in 1792 under Washington's first term as president and was an instant success. It is recorded astronomical events, weather and a mysterious formula perfected by the first editor, Robert B. Thomas. https://www.almanac.com/content/history-old-farmers-almanac

As we approach the Independence celebration, the Historic Valentown collection is a good reminder of our heritage of things that were once made right here in the community and in the towns and cities in America. Today we see some of the same gadgets and useful things but forget that those items were probably designed, made and even invented by American ingenuity in the past. And very often these great ideas came from people who were not educated in the traditional sense but just thought of a better way to do something. Yes!

Historic Valentown is full of stoves, cheese cutters and tools that were all designed to make work easier and economize time on every level of American life. The items and the need for their use also sparked larger businesses and factories to mass produce many goods to meet demands. As the markets changed, the simple devices were often left behind for the "new and improved" version. The production system became more complex with a greater need to find resources beyond once familiar borders to meet the demand. But many of the items in our collection are just as useful today as they were over 100 years ago. We are proud to be a part of this American history that represents so many changes. As always if you would like to help us tell and demonstrate this great story let us know.

Discover your Made in America Past at Historic Valentown!

Kathryn White, President

Happy 4th of July

Quote of the Month
"If we can somehow retain places where we can always sense the mystery of the unknown, our lives will be richer."
Sigurd F. Olson, "Mystery and the Unknown"