THE WENHAM MUSEUM IN WENHAM, MASSACHUSETTS is running a special exhibition through the summer.  Rescue Me:  Firefighting in America explores great fires in America’s past and the evolution of firefighting equipment from buckets and horses to hydrants and fire engines.

The exhibit opened on June 6 and will run through September 21.  Visitors will get to view many old artifacts such as speaking trumpets, a wooden fire rattle, antique extinguishers and an 1840’s hand-tub pumping engine.

Salem News photo

On June 28 there will be a special 1-day exhibit when several antique fire engines will be on display by their owners.

Wenham is northeast of Boston and not far from Salem.  If you’ll be touring the Boston area this summer, pencil Wenham in for one of your stops.

View the Wenham Museum’s website HERE for more information and directions.

AH, YES….. THOSE WONDERFUL ESTIMATING TOOLS that make life more efficient.  Now they are being assembled into one website for easy reference.

You know, things like:

• When digging a grave by hand, haul away 17 wheelbarrow loads of dirt and pile the rest by the hole. You will have just the right amount to backfill.
• When ants travel in a straight line, expect rain. When they scatter, expect fair weather.
• Count the number of times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds, and add 37. That’s the temperature in Fahrenheit.

Just to make sure you understand, the term “Rule of Thumb” is defined:

“A rule of thumb is a homemade recipe for making a guess. It is an easy-to-remember guide that falls somewhere between a mathematical formula and a shot in the dark. Rules of thumb are a kind of tool. They help you appraise a problem or situation. They make it easier to consider the subtleties of the topic at hand; they give you a feel for a subject. A rule of thumb is not a joke or a ditty. It is not a Murphy’s Law. Murphy says that things will take longer than we think; a rule of thumb says how much longer. While a proverb says that a stitch in time saves nine, a rule of thumb says to allow one inch of yarn for every stitch on a knitting needle.”

Once this project is completed, then you can honestly say that everything there is, is on the Web.

So far there are nearly 3,700 rules of thumb delineated on the website with more arriving constantly.  Read them all (and send in your favorite) at RulesofThumb.org HERE.

 Update:  video added.

OR MORE PRECISELY:  The North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center.

Today’s Charleston Post and Courier has a feature article on this new museum that just opened this Fall.  It’s a good, comprehensive story on the educational center and is especially interesting because of the new and innovative educational exhibits that are incorporated into the ALF antique fire engine displays.

George Spaulding image

Grant Mishoe, who is the publisher of the fire blog SConFire.com, is the Curator of History of the museum.

Read the entire STORY.

Click to play Video