Banjo Strings and Drinking Gourds

Alcohol, as troublesome as it can be, is a prominent drink in modern society. It tends to be a large part of social interactions. But how did that happen? In this episode, we address the rise of alcohol in history, the historic beer brewing process, and other bevvies that developed along the way. Title from The Hudribrastick Brewer Or, A Preposterous Union Between Malt and Meter. A Satyr Upon the...

Do you or I or anyone know how oats and grains and barley grow? How about the more important question: why? In this episode, we discuss the use of grains, peas, and other plant matter around the world as some type of flour or meal. Some of them might surprise you! Intro and Transition Music: Zac Bell End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana Cover Art: Emily Noble Day Find us online at frontiermuseum.org...

We can all agree that 2020 was a long year. And it probably seemed like the worst year ever. That got us thinking about the people we talk about at the museum and what they might have considered as the worst years of their lives. So bear with us as we discuss some of the truly awful years of the past. Music: Zac Bell End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana Cover Art: Emily Noble Day Find us online at f...

The voyage to the New World via sail has been long been romanticized. But what kind of ships were used? Who was going where, and why? Our guest this episode discusses those issues in detail, along with fascinating bits of maritime science and history that facilitated the age of sail. Intro and Transition Music: Zac Bell End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana Cover Art: Emily Noble Day Find us online a...

March is Women's History Month, so this episode covers a critical, but often overlooked aspect of women's history: childbirth and the midwives who oversaw it. Traditionally a female trade, midwifery has been everything from a respected institution to a discipline shrouded in mystery and accusations of witchcraft. Our guest on this episode discusses the historical treatment of midwives and the deve...

February, arguably one of the dreariest times of year, is synonymous with love and romance. How did that happen? And how has the idea of love and courtship changed over time? This episode answers those burning questions, along with discussing some of the weirdest traditions and charms people have used to attract a mate. Music: Zac Bell and Davis Tierney, Haste to the Wedding, Farewell to Ireland &...

The American Colonies were often touted as a land of equality and potential, but was that really accurate? Perhaps in a sense, but not equitably across the board. In this episode, we break down the types of inequalities that were either overtly or covertly present among the disparate groups who would go on to form the United States.  Music: Zac Bell and Davis Tierney, fiddle            Jean Claude...

February is Black History Month, which celebrates the contributions and acknowledges the suffering of enslaved people forcibly brought to the American colonies and the United States.  In this bonus episode, our guest gives a short history of slavery in Virginia. Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana and Mark Mazzochi Cover Art: Emily Noble Day Find us online at frontiermuseum.org, on Facebook, and I...

You've probably seen reenactors on battlefields, recreating a moment of history. You've probably also been to a living history museum and seen interpreters carrying out daily tasks in a historic fashion. What's the difference? In this episode, our guests discuss the differences and similarities between reenacting and interpreting, and why people might do either or both.  Intro Music: Zac Bell...

Haggis gets a bad rep. Cooking with offal isn't the norm for most modern palates. But haggis endures and is considered quintessentially Scottish, largely due to poet Robert Burns. In this episode, our guest discusses making haggis, hoarding sheep stomachs, and how a poem influenced a humble haggis to become a national icon. Visit our Youtube channel to watch haggis being made traditionally on our...

In this special edition of Banjo Strings and Drinking Gourds, it is Christmas time in the Year of Our Lord, 1645. We come to you from Hartlebury in Worcestershire, bringing news of the ongoing Civil War and the Puritanical attack on Christmas.  With all due inspirational credit to WJR Detroit, Kaleidoscope, Karl Hass, and Michael Whorf Special Guests: Sam McGinty, Mark Mazzochi, Makayla Baker...

Winter is here, and with it, winter holidays. Christmas has definitely not always been the family-oriented celebration we know it as today.  This episode covers the development of Christmas over time among the cultures the museum focuses on.  Cover Art: Emily Noble Day Music: Zac Bell and Rachel Sites Visit us online at www.frontiermuseum.org, on Facebook and Instagram

History isn't always easy.  We as modern audiences can have strong emotional or physical reactions to difficult events or thoughts that underlie everyday life in the past. Our guest this episode discusses why and how interpreters incorporate hard history. N.B. This episode quotes primary sources that use period terminology. Intro Music: Zac Bell, Eighth of January Transition Music: Zac Bell,...

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we ask one of our medical historians about one of the most lingering endemics in history: malaria.  The mosquito-borne disease has had a significant impact on human history, especially the history of the frontier.  Intro Music: Zac Bell, Eighth of January  Transition Music: Zac Bell and Davis Tierney, Soldier's Joy  End Music: Jean Claude...

It's time for jack o'lanterns, pumpkin spice, apple cider, and ghost stories. In this episode, enjoy interpreters telling tales, both fact and fiction, of spooky, scary, or unnatural history. Intro Music: Zac Bell, Eighth of January  End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana  Cover Art: Emily Noble Day  Visit us online , on Facebook and Instagram

In this episode, we discuss just what exactly is interpretation. We'll bring in some of the talented interpreters from around the museum to tell you in their own words the answer to that question, and more.  Intro Music: Zac Bell, Eighth of January Transition Music: Zac Bell and Davis Tierney, Soldier's Joy End Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana Cover Art: Emily Noble Day Visit us online , on Fac...

Welcome to Banjo Strings and Drinking Gourds: How American Culture Came to Be, the podcast of the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia.  In this episode, we'll introduce you to your hosts and to the museum itself. We'll also introduce the types of content we'll cover over the course of this podcast series.  Fiddle Intro: Zac Bell, The Eighth of January Drum Ending: Jean Claude Hatungimana...