Writer of Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry and Master Photographer
“Dixie” — the song and the term itself — has fallen on hard times. Once a popular name for things from fairs and events as well as a catchy tune, the term has been a casualty of cancel culture. The song was actually written in 1859 by Daniel Decatur Emmett for Bryant’s Minstrel Shows, a…
Coca-Cola is imbedded in American history and culture in many ways. One of the most famous is the portrayal of Santa Claus. In 1931, the company paid illustrator Haddon Sundblom to paint variations of Santa Claus for Christmas advertisements. Prior to that time, Santa was depicted in many ways across the globe — some were…
A hundred and fifty eight years ago, the Union army was in New Bern and threatening to move west unchecked. The Confederate leadership showed little interest in making the defense of North Carolina a priority. Gen. John Foster of the Union army started making moves in November New Bern and the 47th North Carolina —…
It’s easy to think that America was widely known as the U.S. all the way back to Revolutionary times. Many people didn’t really call themselves Americans, they considered themselves citizens of their states, and their state was associated with others. In the War of 1812, a contractor named Sam Wilson, a meat packer from New…
Admittedly, I am a George Washington fan. The book 1776 is among my favorites of all time, I believe Washington might have been our greatest president, and I even have a GW bobblehead on my Christmas Wish List. He was our first president elected under the Constitution, but prior to that, America existed for eight…