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. Charles Mason buried at Christ Church in PhiladelphiaOctober 26, 1786 On October 26, 1786, English astronomer Charles Mason, who along with Jeremiah Dixon surveyed a line in 1763 which …
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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. October 26, 1774 – The First Continental Congress convenes at Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia to discuss how to best respond to a series of taxes and governmental usurpations enacted …
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Canals played a major part in commerce in the history of the early United States as they opened the western territories to settlement and trade. But our story WILL begin in the years leading up to the Revolution with efforts of George Washington to promote travel to western Virginia. During his lifetime Washington devoted much …
It’s raining — AGAIN. We are entering the winter season and that is generally the time when we most question the wisdom of 18th Century clothing. A couple of years ago, I was smart enough to purchase a great black wool cape. To be honest, this is perhaps the warmest overcoat I own and on …
Continue reading “Outerwear – Capes are the Height of Gentlemanly Fashion”
It’s raining — AGAIN. We are entering the winter season and that is generally the time when we most question the wisdom of 18th Century clothing. A couple of years ago, I was smart enough to purchase a great black wool cape. To be honest, this is perhaps the warmest overcoat I own and on …
Continue reading “Outerwear – Capes are the Height of Gentlemanly Fashion”
I am in the planning stages for three big projects where I need to actively recruit support. If you are interested in participating in either of these projects, please let me know soon. TAVERN NIGHT at Rittenhouse Town — February 2025 This is the birthplace of David Rittenhouse, and we are basically taking over the entire …
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Juan de Córdoba of Seville became the first merchant to send an African slave to the New World in 1502. By 1504, a small group of Africans, likely slaves, who were captured from a Portuguese vessel, made their way to the court of King James IV of Scotland but the English will not join the …
Stubbins Ffirth Bathed in Vomit to Prove Yellow Fever Wasn’t Contagious Doctor Stubbins Ffirth, an American doctor began to investigate the causes and communicability of yellow fever in 1793. A yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia in July 1793 and peaked during the first weeks of October. It is estimated that 5,000 of a population of 45,000 …
Continue reading “Doctor Heal Thyself — 18th Century Medicine Gone Wrong”
A common question poised to those of us who reenact the 18th Century — “Is it true that they never bathed?” It’s unfair to assume that just because hygiene standards were different in the 18th Century, people didn’t care about cleanliness. People DID bathe in the 18th Century. There is a widespread assumption that before …
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. On October 22, 1797, French balloonist André Garnerin, made the first safe descent with a silk parachute from a balloon André-Jacques Garnerin was ballooning pioneer of great regard and …
Continue reading “Historical Tidbits — First Parachute Descent”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 