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. February 6, 1778 ALLIANCE with FRANCE Treaty of Alliance The most Christian King and the United States of North America, to wit, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhodes island, Connecticut, …
Category Archives: Ideas
Come Help Us Create a Unique Portable Bar at Fort Mifflin
February 12 at 10:30 at Fort Mifflin! We are moving forward with our plans to build a bar wagon. Our first work day is February 12 and we plan to make big changes to the structure of the wagon so that it transforms from a carriage into a bar back that can be placed anywhere …
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Can’t afford a painted portrait – Make a Silhouette
In the 1st century, Pliny the Elder told the story of Dibutade, a 5th century Corinthian girl, who traced her lover’s shadow, cast by candlelight, because she wanted to keep the image of her lover with her when he went away on a journey. A renaissance of this art form occurred in the 18th century …
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THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A BRIEF HISTORY #3
Insurrections often are propagated upon misinformation. So too are the most recent band of domestic terrorist who like to hide behind our most sacred American institutions. In this series, I want to explore the Bill of Rights and why some of the hype and hyperbole thrown around by the extremist is not just wrong but …
Basic Colonial Brewing #3 — What is a “Colonial Beer?”
Reenactors seem to revel in the debate over historical accuracy. We either passionately focus on authenticity or we bristle at those who do. Colonial brewers are reenactors and we run the gamut from casual historical entertainers to passionate academic historians. There is a place for everyone but we need to acknowledge the range of expression …
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“Beer” Recipe: Edenton Tea Party Mead
We all know the story of the Sons of Liberty boarding the Eleanor, Dartmouth, and Beaver on December 16, 1773 and dumping their cargo of 45 tons of East India Company tea in to Boston Harbor. What you might not know is that this simple act of civil disobedience and the then decade old Nonimportation …
Evolution from Breeches to Gaitered Trousers
Breeches are a bifurcated garment covering the lower body from waist to knees or just below the knees. These garments were standard everyday attire for European and American men from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Breeches were worn for both evening wear and day wear. They might be made of leather or buckskin for laborers …
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A Colonial Orator: True Revolution is Fought with Words not Bullets
Does “Freedom of Speech” mean you can say anything you want about anyone you choose? Our Founding Fathers would certainly not agree! You can, of course, say anything you want but there must be consequences for malicious defamation of individuals and even in revolutionary America libel and slander laws were enforced. There is, however, one …
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What’s with the Short Pants?
For those of us involved in 18th Century reenactments, men in knee breeches are de rigor. Outside of formal equestrian events, however, you rarely see such garments today. Similarly, pants were considered foreign attire, even uncouth attire before the 14th Century in Europe. Many names have been used for men’s leg coverings through history: Latin …
THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A BRIEF HISTORY #2
Insurrections often are propagated upon misinformation. So too are the most recent band of domestic terrorist who like to hide behind our most sacred American institutions. In this series, I want to explore the Bill of Rights and why some of the hype and hyperbole thrown around by the extremist is not just wrong but …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 