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. September 16, 1779 Failed Siege of Savannah The Siege of Savannah was also known as the Second Battle of Savannah. The year before, the city had been captured by …
Author Archives: Michael Carver
MEXICAN Independence Day
Mexico was a colony of Spain for over 300 years. The native population was oppressed, farmland and personal wealth were confiscated and only Spaniards were allowed to hold political posts. On September 16, 1810, a Catholic priest in the town of Dolores named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang his church’s bell and delivered a speech …
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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Apples and Honey Mead
Shlomo Latis wrote “The Collection of Hoshaanot, Songs and Prayers, Annulments of Vows, Tashlichs and Other Things” in Italy around 1790. The name describes the book well; a collection of various prayers and descriptions of Jewish ceremonies that were compiled into one manuscript. A careful look at the one existent copy, however, reveals to interesting …
Washington’s Visit to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, R.I. 18 August 1790 Gentlemen,While I receive, with much satisfaction, your Address replete with expressions of affection and esteem; I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you, that I shall always retain a grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced in my visit to Newport, from all classes of Citizens. The reflection on the days of difficulty …
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Is This the Way it Was Really Done? My Policies on Historical Accuracy.
Okay, we are not LARPing. I know there are some out there who are gung-ho for the fantasy or mythical reality of the American Revolution but we are trying to teach history so historical accuracy is a must. At my events, I strive to be as accurate as possible with the following caveats: When being …
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Blowing Smoke Up Someone’s Arse‡
Maybe I’m just having a bad day but after several government meetings, the term “Blowing smoke up someone’s ass” has been used way too much. Just to set the record straight, this was not always a simple figure of speech indicating someone was being an insincere flatterer. Tobacco smoke enemas became a mainstream medical practice …
What Language is that written in? Understanding 18th Century Handwriting
Several years ago, I was giving tours at Independence Hall when one of the guests approached me outside Congress Hall to ask questions about the Articles of Confederations (BTW, volunteers love to be asked questions, that’s why we do this so don’t hold back. If you ask us a question that we don’t know the …
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The Star-Spangled Banner
On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key pens a titled “The Defence of Fort M’Henry,” after he witnessed the fort being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S. flag still flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak, as reflected in the now-famous words of the …
Historical Tidbits — US Congress chooses New York City as the Federal Capital
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. September 13, 1788 – The US Congress chooses New York City as the Federal Capital under the new US Constitution. Through the American Revolution the Continental Congress met in …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 