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Hijacking Cotton: Lunch and Learn Week Six
With the Lunch and Learn series in full swing, Suzanne Swenson presents “What Happened to Cotton and Quilting During the Civil War?” on February 13th at 11:30 am. A historical perspective look at the...
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Unlock your Past: Lunch and Learn Week Seven
What is genealogy ?Do the Ancestory.com advertisements spark your interest? Ever wonder how to look into your history? Wonder who may be hidden in your family tree? In our seventh Lunch and Learn...
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Rosie the Riveter in Rockford: Lunch and Learn Week Eight
You have seen her iconic image before. Rosie the Riveter, the image of a strong female during WWII. She symbolized women during the time of war, those mothers, sisters, and daughters that left behind...
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The Boston Massacre: The Real Story
Have you ever really thought about all the reasons why the colonists decided to fight against the tyranny of England? The American people understand that we were colonies, we rose up, and we had a...
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Revisiting the Future Workforce
by: American Alliance of Museums http://ht.ly/2EvVjo This week’s Dispatches from the Future of Museums features a story about a report from the Labor Department that shows the rate of volunteerism in...
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A Cure for Cholera
Cure for Cholera- The Sun -A great many years ago, when cholera was being fought in New York, the Sun published the following receipt which has been successfully used since in cases of bowel trouble:...
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The Tinker Conical Mound
Excerpts from the Contract Archaeology Program Project Completion Report 1995 One conical mound occurs within the Phase I study area. Testing of the mound was limited to posthole testing and Oakfield...
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Tinker’s Cabinet of Curiosities
By: Gail Ravitts In the northeast corner of the library balcony in the Cottage, behind glass doors, is Mr. tinker’s collection of curiosities. he had traveled in Hawaii, England, North Africa and...
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POW of Camp Douglas
POW of the Civil War at Camp Douglas David Keller February 14, 2015 Opened in 1861, Camp Douglas was a Union training and reception facility for over 40,000 Union soldiers in Chicago. Camp Douglas...
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Domestic Servants in the 19th Century
Domestic Servants in the 19th Century Erika Holst February 21, 2015 Having live-in domestic servants seems like the height of luxury today, but in the nineteenth century, “hired girls” were common in...
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Exploring Rockford’s Roots by Thinking Outside the Box
All too often, we forget the beauty, history and culture that is in our own backyards. We frequently think of visiting these cultural treasures but regretfully do not. Lack of time or money seem to get...
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Are You Curious?: Tinker’s Cabinet of Curiosity Opens
What is a cabinet of curiosity anyway? From the Renaissance to the 19th century, the cabinet of curiosities showcased the hobby that was collecting. During the Victorian era, people who were...
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Saving Our Silver- one piece at a time!
On March 5, 2016 Tinker hosted our first CPR for Your Silver Workshop! The workshop was an interactive discussion and hands-on demonstration on how to properly clean your silver pieces using simple...
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The Beauty of Bobbin Lace
On Sunday April 3rd, we were happy to conduct an introduction to bobbin lace workshop with instructor Sylvie Nguyen. Sylvie, a life-long educator (secondary through adult education) has had a life-long...
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All That Glitters: A Silver Showcase
What is more stunning than a table full of silver pieces? Silver pieces can be very simple or exceptionally intricate with engravings and etchings. The new exhibit, All That Glitters, showcases the...
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Entertaining Victorian Children
Many are familiar with the stricter ways children in the Victorian era were raised. Children from poorer families worked hard with their families, while wealthier children focused more on their...
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Victorian Kitchens
Many homes today are situated with an open floor plan. One of the main draws to this layout is the ability to see and interact with friends and family as you prepare meals in the kitchen. While we see...
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Why Museums Matter
Whenever you meet new people, everyone tends to ask you where you work. For us, when we tell people we work at Tinker the majority of the time we get people telling us they’ve either never been through...
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From Rockford with Love: Postcards of the Victorians
Have you heard? Tinker Swiss Cottage has opened its latest exhibit in the Cottage: From Rockford with Love: Postcards of the Victorians. Between the Red and Yellow rooms, you will find a fun collection...
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Native American Tribes of the Rockford Area
November is Native American Heritage Month, and we’d like to take some time to acknowledge the woodland tribes that once lived where our bustling city sits today. Before the 1700s, Northern Illinois...
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