If you hang around Fort Mifflin very long you will, no doubt, be regaled with stories of the supernatural and the pseudoscience that supports its existence. These are all good fun but let’s be clear, SOME people actually believe these things and even though the scientifically minded dismiss THESE beliefs, they are quick to then …
Category Archives: General history
Grave Robbers
As science shifted from the “exact sciences” pushed forward by the church and based not on observation but on theological premise toward “empirical sciences” focused on observation, experimentation, and challenge, new problems arose. Throughout antiquity, doctors need not sully themselves with knowing the form and structure of the body, they delt in elegant theories like …
Historical Tidbits — Tattoo and Taps
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. “Tattoo” is played in the evening signaling that all light in squad rooms should be extinguished and that all loud talking and other disturbances be discontinued within 15 minutes, …
The Headless Hessian – Perhaps the Real-Life Inspiration Behind the Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Following defeats in Brooklyn and Manhattan, the American army was forced to flee into Westchester County, New York (AKA Sleepy Hollow) after having been routed by William Howe’s combined British and Hessian forces in New York City. General Howe has sailed a formidable force up the Hudson River and landed several thousand troops behind Washington’s …
Which Witch?
The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. As a wave of hysteria spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court convened in Salem to hear the cases; the …
Historical Tidbits — Battle of White Plains
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, 1776 Battle of White Plains. Pursued by General Howe and his Hessian allies, George Washington retreated from New York following his defeats in Brooklyn and Manhattan. When …
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“Gulliver’s Travels” is first published on October 28th, 1726
Gulliver’s Travels, or Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships is Jonathan Swift’s best known work, and a classic of English literature but the Irish writer and clergyman didn’t write his “traveler’s tale” as a children’s book. Swift …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 