Poor Richard’s Almanack, which Franklin began publishing at the end of 1732, espoused his greatest life goals: the making of money and the promotion of virtue. It became, in the course of its twenty-five-year run, America’s first great humor classic. The fictional Poor Richard Saunders and his nagging wife, Bridget, helped to define what would …
Category Archives: Ideas
Winning the War with Beer
More 18th Century soldiers died of malnutrition and disease than by the hands of their enemies. For the British, each soldier was an investment of a nation’s time and resources so keeping them “fit for duty” was not just a humanitarian concern, it was protecting the nations investment. Getting soldiers trained and transported North America …
Basic Colonial Brewing #1 — The Importance of Beer in the 1700’s Colonial America
Today we think of beer as a luxury item, something to enjoy during our leisure times and beverage known and imbibed for its intoxicating properties. This was not always true. In fact, beer was once considered the most healthy drink to give to children and vital to survival. To understand this, you must first understand …
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Historical Tidbits — 2nd Battle of Trenton
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. January 7, 1777 2nd Battle of Trenton On New Year’s Day, Washington’s force of 5,000 massed again in Trenton. The next day Cornwallis arrived with an army 5,500. After …
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Becoming a Colonial Brewer
In 1994, I became interested in the someone rebellious and definitely an anachronistic hobby of home-brewing. Brewing beer at home became legal (again) in 1979 so by the time I got involved it was a weird mix of semi-commercial home-brew supply stores that sold malt, yeast, and hops in various forms plus a hodgepodge of …
Historical Tidbits — Battle of Princeton
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. January 5, 1777 Battle of Princeton Preparing to crush Washington’s Army at Assunpink Creek, Cornwallis ordered reinforcements brought down to his position at Trenton. This left only a small …
Second Annual Cast Iron Chef at Fort Mifflin
On January 28th, Fort Mifflin on the Delaware (www.fortmifflin.us) and the Regimental Brewmeister (www.colonialbrewer.com) will be conducting a very unique program at Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia. This is our second annual Cast Iron Chef program and it promises to be spectacular. Cast Iron Chef is an opportunity our guest to gain hands on experience working …
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Freedom From Religion was needed even in the 18th Century.
The wonder of lightning has captivated and intrigued humans throughout history, often sparking mythological interpretations (eg Thor is the Norse god of thunder). These interpretations occurred long before science could answer some of the questions that kept humans in awe. Even in more traditional religions, thunder and lightning have spiritual connotations. In Judaism, it’s customary …
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Are you a Yankee Doodle Dandy?
We all know the song … “Yankee Doodle went to town.” They teach it to our children. Well, thankfully not! The British sang Yankee Doodle to berate the Americans during the Revolutionary War. It not the nice little dittle we all sang as kids, when you get to the later verses, it quite profane. A …
“Beer” Recipe: Battle of the Bees Mead
Bees played a small role in the Revolutionary War on two notable occasions. The first is “The Battle of the Bees” that occurred Oct. 3, 1780 at McIntyre’s Farm, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Loyalists, led by Capt. John Doyle, were traveling down Beattie’s Ford Road with 60 wagons. Their mission: to plunder area farms …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 