My friend Joanna has started a cool blog over at the Montgomery County (Md.) Historical Society – every week she takes a different object from their collection and writes about it, like this late-19th-century butter mold. Here’s an excerpt:

Making butter was an important chore, and is referenced several times a month in Carrie’s diaries. A sample entry: “October 15^th, 1885: Roger & I made 47 ½ lbs Butter this morning. The rest of the day I sewed. M.H. Brooke called in the aft[ernoon].”  Next time you think your day is a little boring or tedious, remind yourself that at least you’re not making 47 pounds of butter (unless that’s your thing, of course).

Neat, huh? I love that she not only has the thing, she has the diary of the person who used it. Yay history.