In June, 1791, a private turnpike company was formed ‘for making an artificial road from the City of Philadelphia to the Borough of Lancaster’ — a distance of sixty-six miles. It was the first stone paved turnpike of substantial length in the country, and the most costly and ambitious public works project undertaken up to …
Author Archives: Michael Carver
A Gentleman, Scholar, Soldier and a BREWER!
Timothy Matlack (March 28, 1736 – April 14, 1829) was a brewer and beer bottler who emerged as a popular and powerful leader in the American Revolutionary War, Secretary of Pennsylvania during the war, and a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1780. He became one of Pennsylvania’s most provocative and influential political figures, …
Continue reading “A Gentleman, Scholar, Soldier and a BREWER!”
The Cordwainer
The English term cordwainer first appears in 1100. Since this date the term cordouan, or cordovan leather, has been applied to several varieties of leather. Today cordovan leather is a vegetable tanned horse “shell,” and like the Medieval cordwain is used only for the highest quality shoes. Since the Middle Ages the title of cordwainer …
Bier is der Wein dieses Landes
Most of us are familiar with the Jewish practice of Kiddush (blessing over wine). We even see remnants of this traditions in our Christian bother’s traditions of Eucharist. Wine stands for life that is good, joyful, and sociable. Throughout much of history, wine was a luxury good that was only consumed on certain days. What …
Want to be a Brewer for the Day?
Washington’s Crossing — July 4th CelebrationWashington’s Crossing Historic Park July 4, 2023 10:00pm – 4:00 pm Event Announcement: https://wordpress.com/post/colonialbrewer.com/54489 Volunteer Sign-up: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/volunteering/7ff92cbb-be49-4a78-817c-8063ef7b46b5 In the market we will gather in the Historic Village and sell our wares, soldiers will drill 18th-century military tactics, the park’s fife and drum corps will perform, and I will be running my …
Why the US Capitol is in Washington DC and Washington DC is not one of the US States.
The American Revolutionary War, officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in September of 1783 but most of the fighting ended with the Siege of Yorktown in October of 1781. Because of the treaty negotiations, the Continental Army did not fully disband until 1783. Army service does not pay well and in …
Historical Tidbits — The Lightning Experiment
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 10, 1752 – Benjamin Franklin demonstrates that lightning is a form of electricity. This kite experiment will make Mr. Franklin one of the most famous men in the …
Continue reading “Historical Tidbits — The Lightning Experiment”
FREE BEER — sort of
Come root for the Regimental Brewmeister as we submit our Spruce Beer to the judges. This will be the beer that we brew on the green at historic Old New Castle on May 20 so there is time to see it brewed the drink as much of it as you like in Norristown on July …
Basic Colonial Brewing #11 — Managing Heat
A friend of mine recently comment that my 18th Century brewing demonstrations are so much more relaxed than what they see when modern methods are used. WOW! It must be like the duck on a pond – calm above and paddling like mad below. Even when you ignore the added complexity of simultaneously speaking to …
Continue reading “Basic Colonial Brewing #11 — Managing Heat”
The Regimental Brewmeister is Seeking a New Billet
Well, after many years of faithfully serving Fort Mifflin, I sent them my notification that I am moving on to new opportunities. For most of you, this will mean that the libations at Cannonball tavern and Siege Weekend will be different. I am sure alternative arrangements will be made. If, however, your site, unit or …
Continue reading “The Regimental Brewmeister is Seeking a New Billet”
