WWII Museums in the United States & A Giveaway

by Cindy K. Stewart

From All of Us at HHHistory to All of You, Our Dear Readers,

Happy New Year 2021!

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WWII Museums in the USA

There are many WWII museums and memorials to be found throughout the USA. I've included many of the major ones in this blog post. Be sure to check out the links to obtain detailed information and to determine if the museums are currently open for visitors.

The National WWII Museum - New Orleans, Louisiana

"Ranked by TripAdvisor as the #1 Attraction in New Orleans, named by USA Today as a top-ranking Best Place to Learn US Military History, and designated by Congress as America’s official museum about World War II, The National WWII Museum features a rich collection of artifacts that bring history to life" (The National WWII Museum Website).

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National Museum of the Pacific War - Fredericksburg, Texas

"Discover the human story of World War II in the Pacific in more than 55,000 square feet of exhibit space spread over three galleries located on six acres in the heart of Fredericksburg, Texas. The National Museum of the Pacific War is the only museum in the continental U.S. solely dedicated to telling the story of WWII in the Pacific" (National Museum of the Pacific War Website).

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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Washington, DC

The museum documents the Holocaust, "the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and collaborators" (USHMM website). Photos, artifacts, and testimonials give evidence to Holocaust events.

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American Heritage Museum - Hudson, MA

WWII artifacts, including over 15 tanks, are displayed as a part of the museum's exhibitions. 

"At the American Heritage Museum you explore America’s conflicts, beginning with the Revolutionary War to today. You’ll discover, and interact with, our heritage through the History, the national effort developing new technologies of warfare, and the Human Impact of America’s fight to preserve the freedom we all hold dear" (American Heritage Museum Website).

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National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force - Pooler, GA

Exhibits display aircraft flown by the Eighth Air Force, including a B-17 in the process of being restored. 

The mission of this museum is "to preserve for all Americans the stories of courage, character and patriotism displayed by the men and women of the Eighth Air Force from World War II to the present" (National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Sir Force Website).

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Florida's WWII Heritage Trail

"The Florida World War II Heritage Trail, a 72-page guidebook, includes color and archival photographs of Florida sites related to World War II, and biographical sketches of many men and women who played a significant role during the war. Produced by the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources in association with the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs World War II Memorial Project, Florida World War II Heritage Trail features more than 150 Florida World War II-related sites and military assets in 74 Florida cities from Pensacola to Key West" (Florida Division of Historical Resources Website).


                                            

On February 1st we'll take a look at some of the best WWII museums in France. 

Have you visited any of these museums shared today? Have you enjoyed visiting other WWII museums which are not included in today's blog?

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Cindy Stewart, a high school social studies teacher, church pianist, and inspirational historical romance author, was a 2020 finalist for the Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award of Excellence, placed second in the 2019 North Texas Romance Writers Great Expectations contest, semi-finaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Genesis contest, and won ACFW’s First Impressions contest in the historical category. Cindy is passionate about revealing God’s handiwork in history. She resides in North Georgia with her college sweetheart and husband of thirty-nine years. Their married daughter, son-in-law, and four adorable grandchildren live only an hour away. Cindy’s currently writing a fiction series set in WWII Europe.

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**Giveaway: Leave a comment below by Sunday, 1/3, at 8:00 PM and earn a chance to win Lynn Austin's WWII novel If I Were You (your ychoice of paperback or e-book). Share this blog post on social media and earn an extra entry in the contest. Don't forget to leave your e-mail address and let me know if you've shared the post.

New Year's Day Food

My family often eats black-eyed peas and ham on New Year's Day. I can’t remember how that tradition got started, but most years we dine on the Southern dish because we like it not because we hope it will bring us wealth.

However, many people do believe eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day will bring them luck. Throughout history, people have eaten certain foods on New Year's Day, hoping to gain riches, love, or other kinds of good fortune during the rest of the year. 

For some nationalities, ham or pork is the luckiest thing to eat on January 1st. That leads one to wonder how a pig became associated with the idea of good luck. Hundreds of years ago in Europe, wild boars were caught in the forests and killed on the first day of the year. Also, a pig uses its snout to dig in the ground in a forward motion. Maybe people liked the idea of moving forward as the new year began, especially since pigs are also associated with plumpness and getting plenty to eat. 

Austrians, Swedes, and Germans also choose pork or ham for their New Year's meal, and they brought this tradition with them when they settled in different regions of the United States. People in New England often combine their pork with sauerkraut to guarantee luck and prosperity for the coming year. Germans and Swedes tend to choose red cabbage as a lucky side dish, too. While folks in the Southern U.S. choose black-eyed peas.

In other countries, turkey is the meat of choice. Bolivians and some people in New Orleans follow this custom. But others claim that eating fowl (such as turkey, goose, or chicken) on New Year's Day will result in bad luck. Fowl scratch backward as they search for their food, and who wants to have to "scratch for a living"? 

People in the northwestern part of the United States may eat salmon to get lucky. Some Germans and Poles choose herring, which may be served in a cream sauce or pickled. Other Germans eat carp. 

 

vasilopeta

Sometimes sweets or pastries are eaten for luck. In the colony of New Amsterdam, now New York, the Dutch settlers enjoyed sweet treats. Sometimes a special cake was made with a coin baked inside. Such cakes are traditional in Greece, which celebrates Saint Basil's Day and New Year's at the same time. The Saint Basil's Day cake (vasilopeta) is made of yeast dough and flavored with lemon. The person who gets the slice with the silver or gold coin is considered very lucky! 

Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John is eaten in many southern states. Hoppin' John is made with black-eyed peas or dried red peas, combined with hog jowls, bacon, or salt pork. Rice, butter, salt, or vegetables like celery, onions and green peppers may be added. The children in the family might even hop around the table before the family sits down to eat this lucky dish. 

toshikoshi soba

In Brazil, lentils are a symbol of prosperity, so lentil soup or lentils with rice is prepared for the first meal of the New Year. Thousands of miles away, the Japanese observe their New Year's tradition by eating a noodle called toshikoshi soba. (This means "sending out the old year.") This buckwheat noodle is quite long, and those who can swallow at least one of them without chewing or breaking it are supposed to enjoy good luck and a long life. 

Portugal and Spain have an interesting custom. As the clock strikes midnight and the new year begins, people in these countries may follow the custom of eating twelve grapes or raisins to bring them luck for all twelve months of the coming year"

I wish you good things for 2021. It’s got to be better than this year, right?

Do you have a special New Year’s Day dinner? Share with us what it is.

USA Word Find

by Vickie McDonough

USA Word Find is an entertaining word search book that will also test your knowledge of USA information and includes hours of mentally stimulating word search fun! USA Word Find contains 75 easy-to-read large print word search puzzles. These engaging puzzles feature United States topics such as state capitals, state nicknames, animals and birds found in the U.S., actors born in the U.S., and much more. Test your knowledge of the United States while enjoying hours of word find fun.

This word search is great for all ages and makes a wonderful birthday gift.

https://www.amazon.com/USA-Word-Find-Vickie-McDonough/dp/0997176725

HHH Book Day!

 

A broken heart, a controlling father, and an intrusive Scot leave Charlotte Jackson reeling. Accused of stealing an heirloom pin, she must choose between an unwanted marriage and the ruin of her family name. With the futures of her three younger sisters at stake, as well as her own reputation, Charlotte must navigate through injustice to find forgiveness and true happiness.

Eager to find the traitor that caused the death of his brother, Duncan Mackenzie comes to America and attempts to fit in with Charleston society. But when the headstrong Charlotte catches his eye, Duncan takes on a second mission—acquiring the lass's hand. After being spurned several times, he uses unconventional ways of winning her heart.

Meg Stratton is excited about having her boys for the holidays for the first time in seven years. But her ex-husband sweeps in and takes them with no warning. Wade Palmer knows Meg is trouble waiting to happen with her history of drug use, but he can’t fight his attraction to her.

When Wade and Meg agree to help an elderly woman with her nonprofit business to the home bound residents, Wade sees Meg’s strength of character, while she longs for the peace and steadiness of his faith. But, when Meg’s former drug dealer comes to town looking for her, and her ex refuses to let her have contact with her boys, what will that stress do to their budding relationship? And how can a small prayer quilt help?

After a life-threatening accident causes Joshua Thornton to rethink his life as a riverboat gambler, he has a chance encounter with the one man, a minister in is home town, whose unforgiving spirit chased Joshua away from his home after a foolish prank injured the minister and damaged the church. With the reverend is his daughter, Alicia, the one girl who captured Joshua’s heart years ago and has never left it. When Joshua learns his father’s shipping company may be in financial trouble, he decides to return to Havens Port in hopes of helping his father save the business. Alicia, who has always loved Joshua, is forbidden to have anything to do with Joshua because of his sinful past life. When tragedy strikes the town, Joshua proves himself to be a hero, but is it enough to transform the heart of the man Joshua scarred for life and allow two young people to follow their hearts.

2020 Selah Fiction Book of the Year
One woman with a deep desire to serve and help. One brave who will stop at nothing to save his people. Each willing to die for their beliefs and love for one another. Will their sacrifice be enough? As a female medical doctor in 1864, Sadie Hoppner is no stranger to tragedy and loss. While she grapples with the difficulties of practicing medicine at a Colorado outpost, she learns that finding acceptance and respect proves especially difficult at Fort Lyon. Cheyenne brave Five Kills wants peace between his people and the American Army. But a chance encounter with their female doctor ignites memories from his upbringing among the whites … along with a growing fondness for the one person who seems to understand him and his people. As two cultures collide with differing beliefs of right and wrong, of what constitutes justice and savagery, blood spills on the Great Plains. When the inevitable war reaches Fort Lyon, the young couple's fledgling love is put to the test.

Waltz with Destiny made it as a finalist in the 2020 Best Book Awards!
A story-book romance swirls into a rendezvous with destiny as the McConnell legacy is threatened.

The splendors of Detroit's ballrooms spin Esther (McConnell) Meir around like a princess in a fairy tale when she meets the handsome Eric Erhardt. Japan bombs Pearl Harbor and suddenly it’s a battle for survival. Eric is drafted into the Army and faces insurmountable odds traveling up the boot of Italy and Esther wonders if she'll have the grit to carry on the McConnell legacy.

“…I loved the suspenseful and well-crafted twists, turns, and vivid war scenes. They left me reading nonstop while biting my nails. Catherine’s lovely prose, sense of humor, and historical accuracy deliver an unmistakable wow factor…” Deb Gardner Allard AKA Taylor Jaxon, author of Before the Apocalypse

On the verge of starting her own company—and a fling with the hot star of a TV saga—Atlanta film makeup artist Ashlyn Jennings is willed a mysterious box containing a key from her grandmother’s estate. Mamie Lou, the former Hollywood B-lister who inspired Ashlyn’s path in life, always demonstrated a flair for the dramatic. But did Mamie Lou really expect her to put everything on hold to clean out a mountain cabin no one even knew about? And right at Christmas?

When Ashlyn arrives at White Falls Lodge armed with cosmetic bags and designer shoes, little is she prepared to be stranded by a snow storm, irritated by the handsome resort owner who seems determined to peel away her facade, and redirected by a God Ashlyn wants to forget, through Mamie Lou’s real gift … the secret story of her grandmother’s past.

NOW IN AUDIO!!!
Can Nicole learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?
Nicole Waterby heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband, not realizing women don’t wear trousers or carry a gun. She has a lot to learn. Rancher Shane Keegan has drifted from one location to another to find a place to belong. When Nicole crosses his path, he wonders if he can have love, but he soon realizes she’s destined for someone better than a saddle tramp. Will love stand a chance while both Nicole and Shane try to be people they’re not?

A widower and his two daughters; a boy lost in the woods -- all in desperate need of a Christmas miracle. This sweet Christmas story weaves a tale of yesteryear into a current day life lesson for all.

 

Escaping Boston to avoid a marriage of convenience aimed at garnering society’s respect for her family name in the shadow of her father’s war profiteering, Meg Underwood settles in Spruce Hill, Oregon. Despite leaving behind the comforts of wealth, she’s happy. Then the handsome Pinkerton agent, Reuben Jessop, arrives with news that she’s inherited her aunt’s significant estate, and she must return home to claim the bequest. Meg refuses to make the trip. Unwilling to fail at his mission, Reuben gives her until Christmas to prove why she should remain in Spruce Hill and give up the opportunity to become a woman of means. When he seems to want more than friendship, she wonders if her new-found wealth is the basis of his attraction.

In 1778 Rhode Island, the American Revolution rallies the Patriots to fight for freedom. But the slavery of black men and women from Africa, bartered for rum, is a travesty that many in America cannot ignore. The seeds of abolition are planted even as the laws allowing slavery in the north still exist.

Lydia Saunders, the daughter of a slave ship owner, grew up with the horror of slavery. It became more of a nightmare when, at a young age, she is confronted with the truth about her father’s occupation. She is burdened with the guilt of her family’s sin, as she struggles to make a difference in whatever way she can. When she loses her husband in the battle for freedom from England, she makes a difficult decision that will change her life forever.

Sergeant Micah Hughes is too dedicated to serving the fledgling country of America to consider falling in love. When he carries the tragic news to Lydia Saunders about her husband’s death, he is appalled by his attraction to the young widow. Micah wrestles with his feelings for Lydia while he tries to focus on helping the cause of freedom. He trains a group of former slaves to become capable soldiers on the battlefield.

Tensions both on the battlefield and on the home front bring hardship and turmoil that threaten to endanger them all. When Lydia and Micah are faced with saving the life of a black infant in danger, can they survive this turning point in their lives?

Can a young widow hide her secret shame from the Irish preacher bent on helping her survive?

In an Idaho Territory boom town, America Liberty Reed overhears circuit preacher Shane Hayes try to persuade a hotel owner to close his saloon on Sunday. Shane lands facedown in the mud for his trouble, and there’s talk of shooting him. America intervenes and finds herself in an unexpectedly personal conversation with the blue-eyed preacher. Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, Hills of Nevermore explores faith, love, and courage in the wild West.

Sixteen-year-old Lorena Leland’s dreams of a rich and fulfilling life as a writer are dashed when the stock market crashes in 1929. Seven years into the Great Depression, Rena’s banker father has retreated into the bottle, her sister is married to a lazy charlatan and gambler, and Rena is an unemployed newspaper reporter. Eager for any writing job, Rena accepts a position interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers’ Project. There, she meets Frankie Washington, a 101-year-old woman whose honest yet tragic past captivates Rena.

As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured―especially because Rena’s ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie’s story challenges Rena’s preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?

The Pandemic of Smallpox

Elaine Marie Cooper 

In this unfortunate year of a pandemic, much comparison has been made to the 1918 Spanish Flu. But there have been other deadly pandemics through the ages, most notably smallpox. Many contemporary medical experts have not even seen a patient with that disease. Its eradication has to do with the vaccine that was developed by Edward Jenner in 1796. But even prior to Jenner’s vaccination, another type of immunity-producing method known as variolation was devised. This was a crude method of inserting the infectious pustule of an individual suffering from smallpox into a scratch or laceration on the arm of a well person. The procedure was crude, painful and could lead to death. Yet the chances of surviving the process were greater than if the individual caught smallpox. The disease caught from another individual would increase one’s chances of dying of the disease. Variolation was first practiced in Eastern Europe and the western Asian countries. (That is where the virus seems to have reared its ugly head first, in the years B.C.) Western travelers who were afraid of contracting the terrible illness often requested their local doctors perform the procedure on them.

 

Symptoms of smallpox usually began with a fever, then progressed to eruption of pustules on the skin. These were no ordinary pox, however. They could destroy eyesight, disfigure someone’s face and leave cavernous evidence of their destruction. Some of the images online were so grotesque, I declined to add them to this post. Evidence of smallpox pustules was discovered on the mummified body of Pharaoh Ramses V of Egypt, perhaps indicating his cause of death. With Global travel emerging in the 1400’s, the disease spread to southern Africa and the America’s. While it was often accidental, the contagious nature of the illness made it a perfect tool for a biological weapon. The native peoples of the Americas had no immunity to smallpox and often succumbed. The Spanish were able to conquer the Incas and Aztecs due to the susceptibility of the natives. By the 18th century, smallpox had, unfortunately, found a comfortable home in America, killing about 30% of its victims. Then the American Revolution broke out, along with an upsurge in cases of smallpox due to enemy troops from England and Germany carrying the disease. When the American troops gathered in Boston, cases among the militia soared. At a time when General Washington needed a fit army, many were seriously ill. Washington considered the crude method of variolation to immunize the soldiers but could little afford to have the enemy find out that large numbers of his army were incapacitated while they recovered from the process. He realized that timing was everything and he devised a plan to have all new recruits undergo the procedure. According to history.com, George Washington pulled off the first massive, state-funded immunization campaign in American history. This risky decision likely saved the day for America in the Revolutionary War. Fortunately, this disfiguring disease has been eradicated due to worldwide immunizations. It is considered the most successful achievement in international public health.

 

                                                                                                        Elaine Marie Cooper has a recent release, Scarred Vessels, which features the black soldiers in the American Revolution as well as some little-known history of Rhode Island. Her newly contracted Dawn of America series will begin releasing this April with Love’s Kindling. The series is set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and HomeLife magazine. She also penned the three-book historical series, Deer Run Saga. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

Christmas on the Prairies in the 1860s-1880s – by Donna Schlachter

 

Christmas, 1876

Many of the images we conjure regarding Christmas have been around for a long time, including Christmas trees, Christmas pudding, fruitcake, and Santa Claus. Some are strictly American in origin, including the notion of Santa as a jolly, old elf. Most were brought to this country by immigrants from primarily Europe, including Germany, England, and France.

Cattle in snow storm

 

And while much of the more civilized parts of America were enjoying many of these traditions, life was much harder on the prairies, where a single winter storm or a poor crop due to insects or drought could mean the difference between life and death.

Farming and ranching still require attention to fields and stock every single day of the year, leaving no room for the week-long festivities we often enjoy today. Neglecting chores could mean no food tomorrow—or even today.

Plenty of food, with enough to share

Still, many families, particularly those with children, endeavored to set apart the day and celebrate Jesus’ birth. Laura Ingalls Wilder, who famously catalogued life on the prairies in her series, Little House on the Prairie, says that her mother cooked all day long, baking bread, beans, and pies.

In the forts, soldiers caroled while venison roasted over an open hearth. Depending on their country of origin, a family might bring in a Christmas tree, although perhaps they’d have hung it by the trunk from a beam. Children gathered at the kitchen table to make homemade decorations, including miniature corn husk dolls or yarn angels. If there was a little extra cookie dough available, they cut out gingerbread men and punched a hole in the raw dough, stringing a piece of ribbon or yarn through after it was baked before hanging it on the tree.

Preserved fruit and vegetables were enjoyed, with the women often beginning the process weeks in advance.

Yarn doll

 

Gifts were simple, usually homemade, and most often something the person needed. Knitted and sewn items such as caps, mitts, and scarves were favorites, as well as occasionally socks or a sweater. Knit or carved toys for the little ones were also enjoyed, and if the family enjoyed a good year financially, perhaps a few candies, fresh fruit, or a small gift from the mercantile in town would appear in their stockings, which were hung on Christmas Eve, often after church service or a time of family singing in their own home.

Carved toys

 

Following is a recipe used by Mrs. Isabel Beeton, a native of England:

Victoria Sandwiches

4 eggs (weigh them in their shells)

Caster sugar, equal to the weight of the eggs

Butter, equal to the weight of the eggs

Flour, equal to the weight of the eggs

¼ teaspoon salt

Jam or marmalade, of any kind

Cream the butter for about five minutes then add the sugar and beat for about two-three minutes. Add the eggs and beat for three minutes. Add the flour and salt and beat for an additional five minutes.

Butter a 9”x9” baking tin and pour in the batter. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Allow to cool on a cake rack.

Cut the cake in half and spread the jam over the bottom of the cake. Place the other half of the cake on top and gently press the pieces together. Cut them into long finger pieces. Pile them in crossbars on a glass dish and serve.

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Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery and Household Management, Isabella Beeton,
1874, London.

 

However you celebrate your Christmas this year, despite the changing world we live in and restrictions on numbers permitted in a group, I pray you’ll find the true meaning and joy of the season—Jesus becoming Emmanuel, God with us—and carry that with you all year through.

 

 

Resources:

https://truewestmagazine.com/christmas-on-the-frontier/

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-christmas/

 

 

About Donna:

Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick. As a hybrid author, she writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts, and they have been published more than 30 times in novellas, full-length novels, devotional books, and books on the writing craft. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Writers on the Rock, Sisters In Crime, Pikes Peak Writers, and Christian Authors Network; facilitates a critique group; and teaches writing classes online and in person. Donna also ghostwrites, edits, and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.

 

Where to find me online:

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