There is a persistent myth that Spruce was added to beer in lieu of hops. Let me set the record straight, Spruce Beer is NOT Gruit! Gruit ale is an herbed beer, originating in the Low Countries (Netherlands, Flanders, and Rhineland Germany) and common in the 10th to 15th centuries. It was largely displaced by …
Category Archives: Ideas
Historical Tidbits — Attack on Sullivan’s Island
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. June 28, 1776 Attack on Sullivan’s Island In early 1776, the British organized an expedition for operations in the southern colonies. Delayed by logistical concerns and bad weather, the …
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Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#18)
The Other Spy Ring — Mersereau Ring Because of the AMC Series TURN, everybody knows about the Culper Ring but there was another spy ring operating in New York at the same time — The Mersereau Ring. Like the Culper Ring, the Mersereau Ring operated throughout the New Brunswick and New York regions that gathered …
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Historical Tidbits — Molly Pitcher
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. June 28, 1778 Molly Pitcher “Molly Pitcher” was not a single historical figure, but a composite folk hero inspired by the actions of different people, most of them women …
Brewing Jargon of 18th Century
Its always frustrating to start a conversation and realize that the audience you are speaking to has no idea what the terms you are using mean. I assure you I have not relapsed into a more comfortable language (like Dutch or German) but am in fact speaking English when I give my beer talks. What …
Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#17)
“Q” — Benjamin Talmadge In the James Bond films, the spymaster is never known by their name, only their codename. In 1777, America’s master spy was Benjamin Talmadge. Major Benjamin Tallmadge was an American Continental Army officer who oversaw the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution. In November 1778, Gen. George Washington directed Tallmadge …
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Edmund Halley, the famous astronomer. also designed the world’s first diving bell
Although best known for his proof that comets follow regular orbits around the sun, Edmond Halley was also an inventor. Halley invented and tested one of the world’s first submersible. In this diving bell as many as four men could descend beneath the surface of water and spend hours observing life on the bottom or …
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The Longitude Prize
Most of us are comfortable with pilotage. This is the practice of navigating from one landmark to the next in a sequence to find your way to your destination. In fact, most of us have given directions like, “go down Main Street to the third light and turn left, then …” But what do you …
Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#16)
“M” — John André In the James Bond films, the spymaster is never known by their name, only their codename. In 1777, Britain’s master spy was John André. John André was a British Major officer on the staff of General Henry Clinton (Commander in Chief of British Forces in North America). In 1774, André was …
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Swearing and Profanity in 18th Century England
Well, sometimes you just have to let someone know what you think and polite words don’t work. We’ve all been at events when we wanted to let loose on one or more of the “brilliant” attendees who “know everything.” Well, its just a matter of speaking the right language (Ik mompel gewoon in het Nederlands …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 