Saturday, September 910am – 4pmHistoric Rittenhouse Town6034 Wissahickon AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19144 In order to finance some of his scientific projects, David Rittenhouse made topographic surveys for roads, rivers, and various properties as City Surveyor of Philadelphia in 1774. The most significant and widely known of his field work dealt with laying out boundaries and jurisdictional …
Monthly Archives: August 2023
Captain James Cook Dies while trying to Kidnap the Hawaiian King in 1779
The Hawaiian flag still has a union jack in its canton and we often celebrate Captain James Cook as a great English explorer who discovered the Hawaiian Islands. Cook was a great explorer and scientist and he is known for his discovery of New Zealand, Tahiti, the observations of the Transit of Venus in 1769, …
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Edward Jenner did not “Invent” Vaccination
We often refer to Edward Jenner as the ‘father of vaccination.’ He was not, however, the inventor of the process. Jenner reported his famous story about inoculating young James Phipps with cowpox and then demonstrating immunity to smallpox. Taken the pus from a smallpox blister and introducing into a scratch in the skin of an …
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Hire the Regimental Brewmeister for your Event or Site
Add excitement and authentic color to your special event, or create one for your site, with Philadelphia’s best Colonial Brewer and tradesman. Whether it is a reenactment, motion picture, a tavern night for a private event, or other endeavor, I can bring can bring a real sense of authenticity and fun to your event and …
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Historical Tidbits — General Howe enters Chesapeake
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. August 21, 1777 General Howe enters Chesapeake and lands 16000 men The largest armada ever assembled in America set sail off of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. It was carrying …
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“New Wales?”
Pennsylvania isn’t named after William Penn. And if you’re confused, he deliberately wanted you to be. William Penn preferred the name “New Wales” for Pennsylvania to avoid the appearance that the commonwealth was named after him. It’s pretty to think that Pennsylvania was named after its founder, William Penn, who started the commonwealth as a …
The Surveyor’s Artificial Horizon
Much of what you read about celestial navigation is focused on ocean navigation where you have a reasonably unrestricted line of sight to the horizon. Terrestial navigators and surveyors often do not have this and must make adjustments in their technique. One very common approach is to use an ARTIFICIAL HORIZON. An “artificial horizon” is …
Basic Colonial Brewing #15 — Necessary Anachronisms in Colonial Brewing
One question I frequently get asked at reenactments is “is that the really the way beer was made in the 1770’s?” For the most part, the answer is “yes” but there are some very necessary exceptions. Not all “Colonial Beers” are good and some of the methods used in the 18th Century were unsafe by …
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UPCOMING EVENT
Saturday, September 910am – 4pmHistoric Rittenhouse Town6034 Wissahickon AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19144 In order to finance some of his scientific projects, David Rittenhouse made topographic surveys for roads, rivers, and various properties as City Surveyor of Philadelphia in 1774. The most significant and widely known of his field work dealt with laying out boundaries and jurisdictional …
Britain’s Wonkiest Pub
Known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub”, the Crooked House was a pub in South Staffordshire, England with a truly unique appear appearance. Because of 19th-century mining subsidence, one side of the building is approximately 4 feet lower than the other causing all sorts of optical illusions inside the building. This is a pub where you might …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 