From 1745 to 1996, the Kingdom of Great Britain considered the bagpipes weapons of war, not instruments played in battle, like the fife and drum that is used to direct troops, but an actual physical weapon, like a sword or a musket. Those of you who have heard bagpipes may not be completely shocked, but …
Author Archives: Michael Carver
Historical Tidbits
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. May 4, 1776 Rhode Island declares independence. Rhode Island, the colony founded by the most radical religious dissenters from the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony, becomes the first North …
Peace or War? What ARE we talking about?
Almost all of the Abrahamic religions have a huge focus on the idea of peace. In fact, common greetings in Hebrew (שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם — shalom aleichem) and in Arabic (ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ — as-salamu alaykum) quite literally mean “peace be upon you.” In the Anglican Church ceremony celebrating the French Alliance yesterday they opened their proceedings with …
Vive la France
Today we celebrated the French Alliance with our new nation. Born of difficult negotiation by Benjamin Franklin with King Louis and his court, the US alliance with France is one of the oldest relationships between our country and another nation. In fact, it is hard to imagine how the underarmed, undermanned, and frequently defeated Continental …
“Beer” Recipe: John Adams — Breakfast Cider
Apple juice was fermented because before we had refrigeration, it was hard to stop that from happening — apples would just ferment naturally. When English colonists first arrived in North America, they enthusiastically embraced the wide range of wild fruits they found growing, from grapes to berries and of course, begam to make wines and …
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Historical Tidbits
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. May 1, 1778 Battle of Crooked Billet The Battle of Crooked Billet was fought near the Crooked Billet Tavern (present-day Hatboro, Pennsylvania). In the skirmish action, British forces under …
There was no SPCA in the 18th Century – Fox Tossing
Der Vollkommene Deutsche Jäger (The perfect German hunter) describes a game called Fuchsprellen or “fox tossing.” Fox Tossing was a competitive sport mostly practiced by members of the upper classes. The sport was held on a closed patch of land where people threw live foxes and other animals up high using slings, with a person …
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Basic Colonial Brewing #8 — Malting the Grain
Before grain can be used to make beer, the starches stored in the kernel must be converted to fermentable sugars. The grain does this naturally as part of the germination process, so the brewer need only harness this process and then stop it before the grain sprouts to capture the sugars they need for their …
Continue reading “Basic Colonial Brewing #8 — Malting the Grain”
Historical Tidbits
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. April 30, 1789Washington sworn in as 1st President of the United States under the US Constitution On April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City, the first …
Upcoming Event
May 1, 2021 — 11:00 am to 5:00 pmAnnual Colonial Mayfair — Pottsgrove Manor A great event with lots of period demonstrations and vendors including me as the Regimental Brewmiester. see https://montcopa.org/930/Pottsgrove-Manor for details.
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 