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Monday, July 27, 2015
Learn about antiques and collectibles with Georgia Caraway Other almanacs you might find are the New England Almanac, Poor Job’s Almanac, the Rough and Ready Almanac, the Rawleigh’s Products, Almanac, the Watkins’ Home Doctor Almanac, and Lum and Abners’ Family Almanac and Helpful Hints.
Agricultural Almanacs (Old Farmers Almanacs) contained weather forecasts and moon phases for planting and harvesting information, household hints, astrological data, jokes, railroad schedules, medical advice, postal rates, recipes, and a wealth of other information.
The Shaker Almanac seed catalogs and garden manuals provided subtle outreach methods to introduce the Shaker way to outsiders. Shaker almanacs shared weather forecasts, planting advice, and recipes alongside testimonials and tales of salvation. “If you would have a lovely garden, you should live a lovely life” went a famous Shaker saying. Garden manuals provided tips on all aspects of cultivation. A successful harvest, led to more orders for seeds, and greater profits for the Believers.
The earliest almanacs date back to Ancient Egypt. The first Almanac to be published in the United States was by Almanacs are an affordable collectible. If a William Pierce Mariner in 1639. family in the 1800s or early 1900s owned two Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s books, they were probably the Bible and an Almanack,” first published in 1732, almanac. The almanac was an annual was full of wit, wisdom, and useful publication that adds to the high number of hints that delighted Franklin’s fellow available copies. John Baer’s Sons began citizens for the next 25 years. His words publishing the Agricultural Almanacs in the of wisdom continue to inspire new 1830s. The Howe Mercantile has dozens of generations of Americans with his Baer’s almanacs from the 1850s to the 1960s. humor and practicality. Some of the Wouldn’t it be fun to buy one as a birthday gift best quotes from old Ben include, “Fish for someone from his or her “birth year?” and visitors stink after three days,” “People who are wrapped up in And remember to heed Baer’s almanac advice themselves make small packages,” and from an epitaph on a scolding wife by her “One good husband is worth two good husband: “Here my poor Bridget’s corpse doth wives, for the scarcer things are the lie, she is a rest – and so am I.” more they are valued.” A 1749 issue of PRA recently brought $3,000 at an Dr. Georgia Caraway, former director of the auction! Denton County Museums for 14 years, and her friends opened the Howe Mercantile on April The Old Farmers Almanac first 25. Store hours are Thursday through Saturday, appeared in 1793 and is perhaps the noon until 8 p.m. In addition to Tips, Tools, & best known. Each almanac is filled with Techniques: Caring for Your Antiques and dozens of sometimes useful, and often Collectibles, she has written four Denton history strange, information. STILIN PRIT?? books and is working on a 5th history about the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo. www.securestreamllc.com www.acequalityfencing.com
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Howe All-School Reunion is Homecoming September 18-19
