Historical Tidbits — Louis XVI Guillotined

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. January 21, 1793               Louis XVI Guillotined In October 1789, a mob marched on Versailles and forced the royal couple to move to Tuileries; in June 1791, opposition to the …

Historical Tidbits — Pompton Mutiny

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. January 20, 1781               Pompton Mutiny — revolt of New Jersey troops On January 20, about 200-300 of the soldiers at Pompton mutinied. According to eyewitness accounts, they were also …

A Short History of Mapmaking in the Americas

Maps of land surfaces and charts of the sea coasts are scaled down representations of the earth’s surface. They are ideal documents to prove that a discovery has taken place and provide the means for the exploration to be repeated by others.  They are tremendous assets to the military and are a great aid to …

Second Annual Cast Iron Chef at Fort Mifflin

On January 28th, Fort Mifflin on the Delaware (www.fortmifflin.us) and the Regimental Brewmeister (www.colonialbrewer.com) will be conducting a very unique program at Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia.  This is our second annual Cast Iron Chef program and it promises to be spectacular.  Cast Iron Chef is an opportunity our guest to gain hands on experience working …

Dirty Business and Politics are Often Bedfellows

We all think of Benjamin Franklin as a grandfatherly type who invented and published things, sort of that eccentric neighbor who was everyone’s friend, but there was a ruthless side to Franklin.  In 1728, a printer named Samuel Keimer founded the Pennsylvania Gazette, the second newspaper ever printed in the colony. It did not do …

Historical Tidbits — Battle of Golden Hill

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. The Battle of Golden Hill was a clash between British soldiers and the Sons of Liberty in the American colonies that occurred on January 19, 1770, in New York City. Along with the Boston Massacre and the Gaspée Affair, the event …

Making Gunpowder

Gunpowder that was of vital to the success of the American soldiers in the American Revolution.  Bunker Hill was lost not because of overwhelming British superiority but rather because the militia entrenched on Breeds Hill ran out of ammunition.  In all of England, including the colonies, making black powder was legally a Crown monopoly. While …

“Beer” Recipe — Black Cider

One of the biggest atrocities of the Revolutionary War was committed not by our enemies the British or even the Hessians, it was committed within our hallowed halls and ultimately enshrined in the Constitution and that atrocity was slavery.  Eighteenth Century white men all felt that they were morally and intellectually superior to men of …