AKA Samuel Culper Sr — Abraham Woodhull Abraham Woodhull was the main spy in a spy network that would eventually be known as the Culper Spy Ring. He was recruited by Benjamin Tallmadge, who after the death of Nathan Hale, sought to create a well-organized and TRAINED set of spies that could evade detection while …
Continue reading “Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#13)”
We first met Andrew Ellicott in my earlier article on Benjamin Banneker. A commissioned officer in the Maryland militia, by the time Ellicott was given the job of surveying Washington DC, he was a highly accomplished surveyor having gained experience by working on the survey which extended the Mason-Dixon line westward to its originally intended terminus …
Perhaps its just that sort of week for me but its definitely 5:00 HERE so here are some terms to take with you to your local watering hole to show you understand the drinking habits of we merry 18th Century barmen… Bene Bowse — good beer, or other strong liquor Bingo — brandy or other …
Tavernkeeper is the ideal cover — Jonas Hawkins and Austin Roe Jonas Hawkins ran a general store in Stony Brook New York. He and his wife made a number of trips into New York City to purchase dry goods and other items for their general store and this cover allowed him to gather information on …
Continue reading “Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#12)”
Lets just take a look at how simple the British Imperial System that everyone loves is: British Imperial and U.S. Customary systems of weights and measures Standard Measuresshort ton20 short hundredweight, or 2,000 poundslong ton20 long hundredweight, or 2,240 poundsshort hundredweight100 pounds, or 0.05 short tonlong hundredweight112 pounds, or 0.05 long tonpound16 ounces, or 7,000 …
Continue reading “Oh yeah, Metric Units Are Just Too Complicated”
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. June 22, 1774 – THE QUEBEC ACT established the Royal Province of Quebec and expanded its territory into much of what is now southern Ontario, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, …
Summer (in the Northern Hemisphere, for those of you in the real south, this will be winter but the timing is the same) officially begins this year June 21, 2023 at 10:50 am. This is when the when the sun is at its zenith along the northernmost path in the sky. Of course, it’s felt …
Continue reading “Weird Celtic Holidays? Maybe but Maybe not.”
July 4, 202410 AM – 6 PMWashington Crossing Historic Park1112 River RdWashington Crossing, PA 18977 Okay, we are going back to Washington’s Crossing. Not to invade New Jersey (we’ll do that later) but to brew beer. Military expeditions were not possible in the 18th Century without vast quantities of beer (DON”T DRINK THE WATER!). I will, therefore, …
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June 29, 202410 AM – 10 PMDaniel Boone Homestead400 Daniel Boone RdBirdsboro, PA 19508 Perhaps you are an accomplished homebrewer and you want to appreciate the challenges faced by brewers in the 18th Century who brewed good beer without all the instrumentation and modern equipment we rely on, perhaps you are a history buff and …
Master Courier — Caleb Brewster Caleb Brewster was born in Setauket, New York and signed on to a whaling boat as a young man. A personal friend of Abraham Woodhull, he was an expert seaman and especially familiar with the many intricacies of the northern Long Island coastline, as well as the 18-mile stretch north …
Continue reading “Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#11)”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 