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 …
Category Archives: General history
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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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. 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 …
Did they Bathe?
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 …
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. 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 …
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. 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 …
Hayim Solomon’s personal reward for his services to the Continental Army
On the rear of the One Dollar bill, you will see two circles. Together, they comprise the Great Seal of the United States. In 1775, the First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two …
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Supplying the Army with Muskets – The birth of Mass Production in America
“A good musket is a complicated engine and difficult to make — difficult of execution because the conformation of most of its parts correspond with no regular geometrical figure.” – Eli Whitney We all know Eli Whitney for his invention of the Cotton Gin but it was his contribution to industrial engineering and the manufacture …
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John Jay Appointed 1st US Chief Justice
After the Constitution was ratified, President Washington needed to make several political appointments. In September 1789, he offered John Jay the position of Secretary of State. Though a new title, it would’ve been the same duties he was already performing as Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Jay turned down the offer. Still eager to put Jay …
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. October 19, 1780 Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown In April 1781 British General Lord Cornwallis led his weary and battered troops toward the Virginia coast, where he could maintain seaborne …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 