Join David Rittenhouse as he observes the SOLAR ECLIPSE Richard Wall House1 Wall Park Drive, Elkins Park, PA 19027Sunday, April 7 11:00 – 3:00 and Historic Rittenhouse Town208 Lincoln Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19144Monday, April 81:00 – 4:00 pm There were two total eclipses of the sun visible in the occupied regions of North America during …
Monthly Archives: January 2024
What’s with the Short Pants?
For those of us involved in 18th Century reenactments, men in knee breeches are de rigor. Outside of formal equestrian events, however, you rarely see such garments today. Similarly, pants were considered foreign attire, even uncouth attire before the 14th Century in Europe. Many names have been used for men’s leg coverings through history: Latin …
THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A BRIEF HISTORY #2
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 …
How to Survey Land with 18th Century Tools – The Artificial Horizon
When taking a sight with a celestial object, the observer uses the natural or sea horizon as the line of departure. When, however, that horizon is obscured by darkness or inclement weather such as fog, an instrument known as an “artificial horizon” is used to serve as an alternative to obtain accurate altitude readings. Just …
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US Marines in the American Revolution
Flag Raising at New Providence 28 January 1778 Shortly after his arrival at Georgetown, South Carolina, Captain John Peck Rathbun of the sloop Providence was informed by a merchant captain who had just returned from the Bahamas that the Mary had put into Nassau for repairs. The news immediately brought back memories of his brief …
Supply Chain Issues? — The Bread Famine in 18th-century France.
Yesterday, I was dismayed at the lack of stocking in my local Giant supermarket. Voltaire once remarked that Parisians required only “the comic opera and white bread.” But bread has also played a dark role in French history and, namely, the French Revolution. The storming of the medieval fortress of Bastille on July 14, 1789 …
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Join the Regimental Brewmeister in 2024
People are always welcome to come to my events and if you come in 18th Century kit, you can be part of the program or just hang out in the tent as you see fit. However, if you are truly interested in really learning the process, teaching the public, and being the brewer, you should …
Join the Regimental Brewmeister
People are always welcome to come to my events and if you come in 18th Century kit, you can be part of the program or just hang out in the tent as you see fit. However, if you are truly interested in really learning the process, teaching the public, and being the brewer, you should …
Either Fly the Flag or Don’t
Okay, this is a rant but I’ve had enough. First, under the guise of “honor” the right-wing extremist mutilated our flag with selective discoloration and even the pictures of hate mongers. Then they took the Betsy Ross Flag and imbued it with connotations of hate (alluding to a time when slavery was legal), then those …
Making Copies in the 18th Century
Today when we want to make a copy of a letter or a map all we do is strike a few keys on a computer or place the document on a Xerox Copier screen and within a few seconds, we have a near perfect duplicate. A few decades ago, the process was a bit more …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 