Historical Tidbits — Liberty Bell Commissioned

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 28, 1751              Liberty Bell Commissioned The Liberty Bell started out simply as the bell commissioned by the colonial legislature of Pennsylvania to hang in the steeple of the …

Historical Tidbits — The militia attack on Fort Wilson – October 4, 1779

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 4, 1779, the home of James Wilson, a noted Pennsylvania lawyer, was attacked by the Pennsylvania militia.   Wilson was accused of profiteering and being sympathetic to the …

Philadelphia is founded on October 27, 1682

When people think of Philadelphia, images of Independence Hall, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, come to mind. Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and for most of the 18th Century the third largest city in the British Empire. At the time of the American Revolution, it was clearly the …

Historical Tidbits — PINCKNEY’S TREATY

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 27, 1795 – PINCKNEY’S TREATY established the border between Spanish Florida and the United States, an issue that had been in dispute at the time of the Treaty …

Historical Tidbits — First Continental Congress

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 …

Historical Tidbits — Attack on Red Bank

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 22, 1777              Attack on Red Bank In late fall of 1776 James Whithall is approached by delegates of the Continental Congress with a request to erect a Fort …

Benjamin Rush’s Educational Campaign for Temperance Actually ENCOURAGED the Drinking of Beer, Cider, and Wine!

On September 16, 1808, Benjamin Rush, generally considered THE MOST IMPORTANT PHYSICIAN in North America, wrote a long letter to former President John Adams describing a dream in which he had been elected president of the United States. At the beginning of this dream, Rush is reluctant to accept the office; but he then realizes …

The black naturalist, astronomer, surveyor, and almanac-writer Benjamin Banneker took issue with Thomas Jefferson’s attitude toward free black men.

Benjamin Banneker was born free in 1731 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  He was gifted in the sciences and became a naturalist and almanac-maker. Banneker lived near the Ellicott family gristmills, and Andrew Ellicott’s cousin had encouraged Banneker’s talent for computing.  These talents ultimately led to his being a critical part of the team that did …

Historical Tidbits — USS Constitution launched

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 21, 1797 – “Huzzah, her sides are made of iron!” — USS Constitution launched October 21, 1797 in Boston When the United States won independence from Britain, the …