In the town of Lancaster inside Kentucky's Bluegrass region, lies a veteran's memorial outside of Lancaster Elementary School. It consists of two large naval guns....
Celebrating Polish Armed Forces Day at the American Czestochowa, 2024
On the morning of August 18, the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, in Doylestown, PA, teemed with life. A throng...
Poland decorates a 102-year-old World War II veteran in Chicago
On the morning of Friday, March 8, 2024, the Polish Consul General in Chicago visited the home of local resident Zofia Biernadska. The 102-year-old veteran...
Giving a living history presentation to Polish school students in Des Plaines
On a Saturday morning, students at General Wladyslaw Anders Polish School in Des Plaines received a special treat. Visiting them was a group of Polish...
The Last Survivor: meeting Col. Cieszkowski, a Polish WWII veteran of the Battle of France
On a recent education course in Poland, I became friends with a teacher who offered me the opportunity of a lifetime. He asked if I...
Finding a Cheap Tiffany Studios Lamp at an Estate Sale? It’s possible!
Finding a cheap antique Tiffany Studios lamp at an estate sale is a collector's or reseller's dream! What easily is a once-in-a-lifetime find, it did...
Uncrating a WWII Veteran’s War Trophies from the Pacific
Working estate sales, I sometimes come across war trophies, aka souvenirs, that veterans brought back from World War II. Rarer is to find war trophies...
Workplace discoveries (#6): a pennant signed by players from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueÂ
The pennant hung on the wall above the bed in a plastic sleeve. Its colors somewhat faded from exposure to the sun. Still, both the...
Workplace discoveries (#5): the tale of two wartime light devices
Two light sources sit idle side-by-side. In appearance they are dissimilar, in utility they had different functions, and in origin, produced in separate countries. What...
An unexpected surprise in the mail from a customer
This past Wednesday I came home from running errands to find a package sticking out from my mailbox. I was not expecting anything, but it...
Kentucky to Kansas: my 2025 in the National Park Service
In December 2024, I had no idea what the next year would bring me. After working a season at Fort Wadsworth, Gateway National Recreation Area,...
Rolling up the reunion flag of a Civil War regiment, the 116th U.S. Colored Troops
What makes a retired 48-star American flag even more special? A story that goes along with it! In the case of one flag in the...
Coming onboard with National Park Service in a hiring freeze
On Monday January 27, 2025, I checked into work at Camp Nelson National Monument, in Nicholasville, Kentucky, starting a new season with the National Park...
Gold Star mother reunited with son’s lost military medals
On the afternoon of Sunday, December 15, 2024, Chicago’s Polish Army Veteran's Association Post 90, in conjunction with the Chicagoland Combined Veterans Museum, conducted a...
Curating a special display of war trophies from the war in Ukraine
In November, a new display debuted at the Chicagoland Combined Veterans Museum, Library & Honor Wall in River Grove, Illinois. It features twenty-two objects from...
Hidden Secrets of Chicago’s Navy Pier in World War II
Private detective Leonard C.M. Johnson had a career that could fill countless crime thrillers. Working the streets of Chicago since 1919, he was at the...
Beating out the Nazis in Mechernich, Germany, 1945
March 15, 1945. The war in Europe is coming to an end. Although Germany's surrender is just weeks away, its troops continue to put up...
Leader of war-torn Poland speaks at Chicago’s Soldier Field, 1941
On a brisk Sunday afternoon, April 20, 1941, the roar of 75,000 voices filled Chicago’s Soldier Field- not for a game, but a wartime rally....
Uncrating a WWII Veteran’s War Trophies from the Pacific
Working estate sales, I sometimes come across war trophies, aka souvenirs, that veterans brought back from World War II. Rarer is to find war trophies...
Target Des Plaines: Local Police Hunt Down Wartime “Saboteurs,” 1943
On the dark and stormy night of August 2, 1943, the Des Plaines police department prowled the city's dimly lit streets. Their mission: stop three...
Latest Posts
Finding a Cheap Tiffany Studios Lamp at an Estate Sale? It’s possible!
Finding a cheap antique Tiffany Studios lamp at an estate sale is a collector's or... Finding a Cheap Tiffany Studios Lamp at an Estate Sale? It’s possible! Read More
Kentucky to Kansas: my 2025 in the National Park Service
In December 2024, I had no idea what the next year would bring me. After... Kentucky to Kansas: my 2025 in the National Park Service Read More
Hidden Secrets of Chicago’s Navy Pier in World War II
Private detective Leonard C.M. Johnson had a career that could fill countless crime thrillers. Working... Hidden Secrets of Chicago’s Navy Pier in World War II Read More