The Fishing Industry in Pennsylvania: Part Two

Shad Fishing (con't)

In the early 1800s, the construction of the three dams hurt the shad fishing. The Shawmont and Reading Dams on the Schuylkill River were built to make the river more travelable by boat. The Fairmount Dam also on the Schuylkill made a reservoir for a water works company that provided water for Philadelphia.

The dams prevented Read More

The Fishing Industry in Pennsylvania

American Shad

            The American shad is a silver-colored fish with a greenish band along its back and dark spots along the top of its sides. This species is the largest member of the herring family. In weight, American shad average from four to seven pounds and can be anywhere between 16 and 30 inches long.

Prior to the late 1800s, large groups of American shad grew to maturity in the Atlantic Ocean, and then made their way up rivers in April and May. After reaching the Pennsylvania waters Read More

Jobs from the Past

I haven’t posted in a while. The local homeschool group asked me to help with their co-op this fall. I found that preparing took all my extra time, and my writing took a back seat for a while. We had about 70 people attend from babies through to the oldest, me! What fun I had Read More

York Agricultural & Industrial Museum

           Years ago I wrote about my favorite museum, the Jimmy Stewart Museum. I just found my second favorite, the York Agricultural and Industrial Museum. Read More

Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Show

We took our grandson to his Dillsburg home and noticed a sign nearby that said Read More

Tailor

"Young Man with a Flute" by George Romney
shows a garment that would have been made
at a tailor's shop

Until the mid-1800s, American people didn’t have factories that made cloth or sewing machines to sew that cloth. The process of spinning thread, weaving cloth, and sewing proved to be too much for most folks. More men, women, and children, rich or poor, needed Read More

Silversmith

          When one of our children was teething, my mother-in-law gave me three silver spoons which had been in her family. She told me that her mother had given them to her to teethe on when she was a baby since they were softer than the silver-plated silverware her family owned. 

        I looked up the silversmith marks on the backs of the spoons. Read More