Today marks the 247th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and while a better date for the founding of our great nation is September 17th, 1787, this is America’s birthday. Since the country was founded, it has grown from 13 independent states with about 2.5 million people to 50 states and 14 territories with a …
Category Archives: Ideas
If we tried to have a revolution today, would we succeed?
If we tried to have a revolution today, would we succeed? Do we have what it takes? I hear boasts at reenactments all the time and everyone thinks they have what it takes to rebel but are we willing to “dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,”[1] or are we more likely …
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Heidelbeerewasser
Schnapps is a generic name for brandy and the best schnapps come from Austria. Often referred to as “Obstler” (the German word ‘Obst’ means fruit), Austria, Schnapps has its roots in the Roman Empire. The Ancient Romans brought the art of fruit cultivation to Austria where fruits could easily grow in the Alpine regions. Austria …
Want to be a Brewer for the Day?
Washington’s Crossing — July 4th CelebrationWashington’s Crossing Historic Park July 4, 2023 10:00pm – 4:00 pm Event Announcement: https://wordpress.com/post/colonialbrewer.com/54489 Volunteer Sign-up: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/volunteering/7ff92cbb-be49-4a78-817c-8063ef7b46b5 In the market we will gather in the Historic Village and sell our wares, soldiers will drill 18th-century military tactics, the park’s fife and drum corps will perform, and I will be running my …
No Beer for You!
Well, its official, we are now a theocracy according to SCOTUS. They have placed us on the same shaky footing as Iran, Syria, Al Qa’ida, Al Shabaab, Hizballah, Hamas, the LRA, and all those other supporters of social and political terror in the world. As of yesterday, it is now legal to use your religion …
The “Third Rail” of Reenacting – The Regimental Brewmeister will attempt a First Person Presentation
Saturday, July 8thIndependence National Historical Parkby the Commodore Barry Statuein Philadelphia 11:00 – 4:00(Multiple presentations) The Regimental Brewmeister will try his hand at a 1st person impression – David Rittenhouse. In the world of Living History there are three distinct impressions people tend to assume when presenting people from the past. When we act as …
The Problem of True North vs Compass North
Private ownership of land in the British colonies of North America, provided self-sufficiency for many and extravagant wealth for a few. The idea of land as property came from England and accurate descriptions of property and its boundaries are essential. For this reason, surveyors were essential not just in the newly acquired lands of North …
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Excise is defined as a “hateful tax levied upon commodities, and adjudged not by the common judges of property, but wretches hired by those to whom excise is paid.”
There remains a stubborn perception that somehow Noah Webster wrote the first American dictionary. This is actually not true. There were many dictionaries written in the 18th Century and the premier edition was written by Samuel Johnson. In June 1746, Samuel Johnson signed the contract with a group of booksellers in London to write A …
David Rittenhouse was a Surveyor and Maker of Surveying Tools
Rittenhouse moved to Philadelphia in 1770, where he set up shop on the corner of Seventh and Mulberry (now Arch) streets and later became the city surveyor of Philadelphia. Rittenhouse was contracted as a surveyor for Great Britain in 1763. His first public service was a boundary survey for William Penn in 1763-64 to settle …
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Like Newton, Rittenhouse Ran the Mint
On February 24, 1775, Rittenhouse delivered a lecture on the history of astronomy to the American Philosophical Society, in which he linked the structure of nature to the rights of man, liberty and self-government. Rittenhouse also used the occasion to decry slavery. So impressed were those in attendance that the American Philosophical Society commissioned the …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 