Monday, June 19, 2023

Powell House

 



"Benjamin Powell was a carpenter who became a contractor, built a couple of Williamsburg landmarks, and enjoyed the company and counsel of some of 18th-century Williamsburg's leading gentlemen. He acquired his property at the east end of the city in 1763, and for nearly 20 years pursued from there the career of an 'undertaker' – as contractors were called in those days." -- Colonial Williamsburg

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Bottlebrush Buckeye

 

"The naturalist, explorer and plant collector William Bartram first noted this . . . shrub on his travels through Carolina, Georgia and Florida in 1773–78. An old example was still to be found in Bartram's Garden, Philadelphia, in 1930." -- Wikipedia

Saturday, June 17, 2023

Diary Keepers

 


"For this book, I intentionally chose not to excerpt the best-known diaries . . . by Anne Frank, Etty Hillesum, Abel J. Herzberg, or other worthy diaries . . . More diaries, more perspectives, help us to get a far better sense . . . . I was seeking a range of perspectives, not many but various. I wanted to juxtapose and balance voices from the occupation period and provide a rounded view of the war." -- Nina Siegal