Medusa Ring?

Is there such a thing as a Medusa ring? That was one of the first questions a few of us had as we viewed this ring last week. I stopped by the Middletown Historical Society Museum on Friday and was surprised and curious, as many of us were, about this ring pictured. Not much is known about this ring except as to who found it and where it was as.  Sean McMenamin a local resident and metal detector enthusiast, who also runs a group called Tri State Hunters here in Delaware.  While working on a piece of proper in Odessa, Delaware he came across this piece. He knows the property that he was working on dates back to 1782. He had spent many hours going over this property finding bottle caps, buttons even some coins but this was defiantly unique. That’s one of the reasons he stopped by to see if we had any thoughts on the piece. He did verify that it’s silver and the stone is jade and at one point it was sized because you could see the section on the back of the band.

The area in Odessa that he was searching was at one time believed to be the location of a tannery. There was an archaeological dig in the area but no proof of the tannery.  One of the other items found within the same area was a 1694 William & Mary copper coin.   He also shared that about 30 yards from the location of the ring was a 1662 Spanish 1 Reale Cob.  So I can’t help but wonder how long has that ring been there. It appears to me that they are two different faces; the hair is different on both faces and the size of the eyes and nose look different also. Now granted some of this could be from wear and tear but the direction of the hair is defiantly different on each face.

We have one member of our society who took a look at the photographs and believes it is Art Nouveau about 1885-1910. She does confirm that it is a female and often a “goddess”, “mermaid” or “woman in the wind” was common on some pieces of jewelry. 

Take a close look at it and let me know your thoughts, he is hoping to find out as much information as he can, quite honestly so am I. I'm attaching his YouTube video that was shot during this dig please feel free to view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzalkCAmeYM

Importance of Historical Societies

Middletown Historical Society

Historical Societies can be found in most towns, communities and cities. They are a unique type of organization that offer a wealth of historical information and some of these societies unfortunately go unnoticed.  As a genealogist and a member of numerous societies, it always shocks me when I mention a visit to a historical society meeting or even one of the museums that they maintain and others aren't aware they exist. In most, not all, societies are established to preserve history and educate us of years past, which include preserving building with historical meaning, statues and even some of the local cemeteries.  I know there are many other accomplishments out there achieved by historical societies. I wanted to take a few days to introduce you to some of the historical societies here in the New Castle County area of Delaware. I will be spotlighting some of these societies and introduce you to some of these members. At times you might find, just like I have, there are some great pieces of information to be found to aid in your research.    

 

Historic Odessa Foundation

A visit to Odessa, Delaware

Wow, what can I say except I’ve been a little on the busy side with the passing holiday, yes I do consider Halloween a holiday, plus we had a great visit with my parents. Now I’m looking ahead to the coming holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. As I’m sure most of you are thinking about the great smell of pumpkin pies, turkey, stuffing and I must not forget the traditional green been casserole. But hold on I need to back up some, back up to the visit with my parents.

After they completed a surprise make over for my daughter’s bedroom, which I might add we LOVE. We were trying to figure out what to do the next day. We haven’t been here long enough to know the “neat” places to go, except the mall. After driving them around and showing them the schools, some shops downtown and yes I did point out a cemetery. Then a light bulb went off, I remembered a brief drive that my husband and I took to a really interesting town, Odessa. So I decided to head that way and experience some of the sites with my parents. I’m so glad that we went, there was so much to see, hear and learn, plus I must mention the food at the local tavern was wonderful.

Cantwell’s Tavern is located in the Historic Brick Hotel, on the end of Main Street just before you cross the Appoquinimink Creek. Such a wonderful piece of history this tavern holds for those in Odessa. Of course I had so many questions that had to be answered, just like a kid in a candy store. The staff is very well educated on the some of the history of the town and the tavern itself. It was built in 1822 by William Polk who knew the location of the hotel and tavern would welcome many visitors that traveled by water or land.  

After enjoying a perfectly timed lunch at the tavern we took a home tour with the Historic Odessa Society. They were in the process of setting up the displays and decorating the homes for the upcoming “Christmas in Odessa” that will be taking place on the 6^th of December so we got a quick peek at some decorations.  We started out at The Bank of Odessa it was built as the First National Bank of Odessa in 1855 and now serves as the visitor’s center for the Historic Odessa Foundation.  

The first home we were shown was one with character, history and even some mystery. The Collins-Sharp House is one home that has traveled from one location to another. A log home that dates back to 1700’s and is one of Delaware’s oldest residences. After an informative tour it was time to step back out in to that chilly breeze and visit the Corbit-Sharp house. This home is located on Main Street across from the Cantwell’s Tavern. The home currently serves as a museum and is owned by the Historic Houses of Odessa. Built in 1774 by William Corbit, he was a very well-known and established citizen in the community. It was later taken over by the Sharp family in the late 1930’s.

Unfortunately our tour had to stop short of visiting the Wilson-Warner House, but no worries I plan on making another visit to the Odessa community and picking up where we left off. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of history that can be found when you venture out into some of these towns. I believe I have also found a new interest in my work of genealogy and research. The homes and business you enter have a unique kind of history themselves. If the walls could talk, the stories they could tell you about the family’s that lived there and all of their history.

I know the descriptions of these homes might seem brief and that’s for a good reason. I hope to share more information along with photographs, about these homes, the families who lived in the homes and hopefully some additional homes in the Odessa area.