Tavern Night at Fort Mifflin is March 26 at 6:00pm

Experience the ambiance of a colonial-era tavern in Philadelphia when Fort Mifflin transforms the Soldier’s Barracks into the Cannonball Tavern, complete with authentic beverages and hearty tavern fare. Enjoy tavern games, the warm glow of a cozy fire and the company of civilians and soldiers of the era. Outdoor fire pit and cannon demonstrations complete …

Origin of the Tricorned Hat

Well its Purim and many of us taught that we eat hamantaschen because Haman, the villain of the Megillah, wore a tri-cornered hat but there is no evidence that Haman wore a triangular hat.  You might also be surprise to learn that Swedes have a suspiciously similar cookie, called Napoleon’s Hats or Napoleonhattar, which are traditionally filled with …

Historical Tidbits

When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. March 16, 1780                 Battle of Guilford Courthouse The Battle of Guilford Court House was fought at a site which is now in Greensboro, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British …

A Gentle Reminder from the Regimental Brewmeister

I brew beer for events and with very few exceptions (generally fundraisers), I GIVE beer to reenactors (especially soldiers and camp followers). All I ask is that you drink responsibly and RETURN THE BOTTLES. These bottles are expensive and difficult to find. Sure, I could use cheap disposables but that disrupts the image we want …

Historical Tidbits

When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. March 15, 1783                 Newburgh Address General George Washington, having learned that his officers planned to meet to discuss a fiery petition to mutiny if Congress failed to provide them …

Beer Recipe: Air and Exercise — Rattleskull

“Air and Exercise” = being whipped with a Cat-o-Nine-Tails. Prior to the arrival of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, American officers often imitated their British peers. In a rather startling example, George Washington once lobbied congress for permission to allow 500 lashes — “Air and Exercise”– as punishment to maintain discipline the Continental soldiers! Congress …

Moonshiners @ Fort Mifflin

March 13 — All Day We survived! There were times I was not sure this would come off. Not the best planned event but we survived. I want to express a very special thanks to: Chuck Faust and the Donegal Township Riflemen, 6th PA Regt, 3rd NJ, and 1st Delaware.Wendy Lucas and the 1NJVGreg O’BrianSandi …

Eli Whitney Patented the Cotton Gin on March 14, 1794

In 1794, U.S.-born inventor Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin, a machine that revolutionized the production of cotton by greatly speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. By the mid-19th century, cotton had become America’s leading export. Despite its success, the gin made little money for Whitney due to patent-infringement issues. Also, …

THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A BRIEF HISTORY #8

Insurrections often are propagated upon misinformation.   So too are the most recent band of domestic terrorist who like to hide behind our most sacred American institutions.  In this series, I want to explore the Bill of Rights and why some of the hype and hyperbole thrown around by the extremist is not just wrong but …