First off, put some lubricant on your stone. You need to use a lubricant when sharpening your tools because doing it dry will generate enough heat that it will actually warp the blade. Typically, you should use mineral oil as a lubricating agent because it can effectively reduce the heat produced by friction, but if …
Category Archives: Events and Programs
Dying at Battle Reenactments
I was recently taken aback by one of the reenactors at an event (who did not participate in the skirmish) told people in the crowd that portrayal was not realistic “because reenactors refuse to die in the mud….” Okay yeah, nobody wants to fall in the mud and then have to clean up afterwards. We …
Happy Birthday General Washington
General Washington had the first public celebration of his birthday done by his wife, Martha, at the encampment at Valley Forge in the winter of 1778. The next official acknowledgement of Washington’s birthday would not occur for fifty-four years. At the recommendation of Henry Clay of the Senate and Philemon Thomas of the House, Congress …
UPCOMING EVENT — Tavern Night
Historic Rittenhouse Town206 Lincoln DrivePhiladelphia, PA 19144 Saturday, February 8th Join Historic RittenhouseTown for Tavern Night! Come join us as the buildings and grounds of our historic 18th-century homestead are transformed into a tavern from the 1770s, where the simple pleasures of good food, drink, and fellowship collide. Tavern Night will feature an evening of …
UPCOMING EVENT — Tavern Night
Historic Rittenhouse Town206 Lincoln DrivePhiladelphia, PA 19144 Saturday, February 8th Join Historic RittenhouseTown for Tavern Night! Come join us as the buildings and grounds of our historic 18th-century homestead are transformed into a tavern from the 1770s, where the simple pleasures of good food, drink, and fellowship collide. Tavern Night will feature an evening of …
UPCOMING EVENT — Tavern Night
Historic Rittenhouse Town206 Lincoln DrivePhiladelphia, PA 19144 Saturday, February 8th Join Historic RittenhouseTown for Tavern Night! Come join us as the buildings and grounds of our historic 18th-century homestead are transformed into a tavern from the 1770s, where the simple pleasures of good food, drink, and fellowship collide. Tavern Night will feature an evening of …
Texas and the American Revolution
In discussions on the American Revolutionary War, the contributions of Texas are seldom brought up.[1] But in the 1770s, Texas, inhabited by Spaniards and Native Americans, was a hub of activity. While the signing of the Declaration of Independence occurred on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia, Tejanos (Texans) manned outposts, guarded New Spain’s claims, and reconnoitered neighboring …
America’s First True Disaster Area — New Madrid, MO
In the early hours of December 16, 1811, the residents of New Madrid, a Mississippi River town once part of the Louisiana Territory, rushed from their homes as the ground rolled beneath their feet. Trees were uprooted and thrown to the ground. Huge chasms opened in the earth, and the Mississippi River ran backward! Somewhere …
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Prescription Julep
Most people in the United States associate Julips drinks with The Kentucky Derby and certainly mint juleps have a storied history in that event but julep drinks have been around a lot longer and there are more julep drinks than the mint julep. This cocktail has origins back to the late 1700s, and ‘Julep’ is based …
“Colonials were a despicable people — hardly worthy to call themselves the king’s subjects.”
The French and Indian War gave many British aristocrats their first view into what their American colonists were like. They were not impressed! War thrust people of diverse backgrounds and views into close contact, the French and Indian War was no exception. Britons and Americans learned first-hand that many of the commonalities that they believed …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 