Well, you would think that the Candlelight Tour season at Fort Mifflin would be more than enough “ghost stories” for one year but, alas, I have found another. In October, November, and December of 1803, a number of people in the Hammersmith area of London claimed they had seen and, in some cases, even been …
Category Archives: Ideas
Mathew Hopkins — Witchfinder General under King James
In James I’s England, the witch became a powerful symbol of those hated forces that opposed the king. During the English Civil War, the “Witchfinder General,” Matthew Hopkins, was responsible for the hanging more than 300 women between 1644 and 1646. James I, linked religious subversion with political subversion, usurpation, and the attack on monarchical …
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The New Guy Fawkes — the real legacy of Donald Trump
On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob sought to keep Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes. While still President …
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Join the Regimental Brewmeister in 2024
People are always welcome to come to my events and if you come in 18th Century kit, you can be part of the program or just hang out in the tent as you see fit. However, if you are truly interested in really learning the process, teaching the public, and being the brewer, you should …
“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 — Federalist Papers
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, 1787 – The first of 85 Federalist Papers would be published. These essays, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, presented the argument for abandoning …
Justification for Electoral College vs “Mob Rule”
The Electoral College is undoubtedly the least appreciated element of the U.S. Constitution. Unlike most modern Americans, the authors of the Constitution did not want the public to directly elect the President or even the US Senators. Previous experiments in direct elections of state officials reinforced their arguments that pure democracy was just too dangerous. …
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Historical Tidbits — Charles Mason Buried in an Unmarked Grave
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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I was asked: “Can you Join the Regimental Brewmeister?”
At the Richard Wall House last weekend, I was asked how one “joins” the Regimental Brewmeister. Its an interesting question and one I must admit I have not really put any thought toward. People are always welcome to come to my events and if you come in 18th C kit, you can be part of …
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Erie Canal opens October 26, 1825
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 …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 