What’s on your Christmas list this year? Song of Return spans from September 1946 to May 1948, and Christmas was as merry in those years...

Have you eaten any home grown vegetables lately? I must admit that I haven’t. After trying to grow my own tomatoes two summers in a row,...

The United States would not have won World War II without the millions of soldiers, nurses, and factory defense workers who served during...

​ This is bizarre story from World War II! In 1942, Lucille Ball, actress and future star of I Love Lucy, had several lead fillings put...

For those of you who have read Songbird and Song of Return, do you have an image of Ava in your mind? If you are like me, I am always...

Before Songbird began in May 1943 and Edwin, Barry, and Sydney ever saw Ft. McClellan, the real-life 27th Division from New York made the...

Today, we have women’s bunko groups, mommy and me groups, and painting parties. In the 1940s, they had garden clubs! I love reading old...

Women sacrificed many things during World War II, including their nylon stockings! DuPont began producing the popular hosiery in 1939,...

A new year always makes me reflect on new beginnings and think back to old beginnings. Songbird begins on May 28, 1943. As we look...

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? If you were buying for a World War II soldier, what would you buy? According to a 1941...

Even in war, art must go on! Edouard Patte, a Red Cross Inspector, was surprised to find an art studio when he visited Fort McClellan’s...

German soldiers in Alabama! For those living in the state during World War II, it was a startling realty. In the summer of 1943,...

In 1939, Gone with the Wind premiered, and women began to wear fuller skirted and more romantic feeling clothing. Nylon stockings were...

When World War II began, television sets were just emerging onto the scene. Manufacturers were busy figuring out how to make the...

In the 1940s, radio was entertainment! I asked my grandfather, James Barry, about his favorite radio shows growing up. One of the first...

Have you ever wondered just what exactly “Rosie the Riveter” did for the war effort? This fictional wartime heroine based on hundreds of...

While World War II produced innumerable soldiers, tanks, and warships, it also produced something else – marriages! With the...

When Jason and I talked to older adults at the Fair on the Square a few weeks ago, they all had the same thing to say about Anniston, AL...

In an earlier post, we learned about the burning of the Alabama Hotel in 1944 and the tragic death of a young war bride. We had the honor...

I will be in Jacksonville, AL this weekend for the city’s Fair on the Square Living Museum. At my table, I am excited to have my...