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. May 10, 1775 Fort Ticonderoga taken by Ethan Allen. When Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, accompanied by Benedict Arnold, silently rowed across Lake Champlain and captured the …
Continue reading “Historical Tidbits — Fort Ticonderoga taken by Ethan Allen”
Today we celebrated the French Alliance with our new nation. Born of difficult negotiation by Benjamin Franklin with King Louis and his court, the US alliance with France is one of the oldest relationships between our country and another nation. In fact, it is hard to imagine how the underarmed, undermanned, and frequently defeated Continental …
Almost all of the Abrahamic religions have a huge focus on the idea of peace. In fact, common greetings in Hebrew (שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם — shalom aleichem) and in Arabic (ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ — as-salamu alaykum) quite literally mean “peace be upon you.” In the Anglican Church ceremony celebrating the French Alliance yesterday they opened their proceedings with …
In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed up the river that would one day bear his name. The Englishman was an emissary of the Dutch and had been dispatched to chart a new passage to Asia, where the Dutch West India Company wanted to expand its trade. Hudson ultimately failed at that task, but his journey laid …
Continue reading “Manhattan bought for 60 Guilder then given up for some spices”
Saturday, April 26, 202510 am – 4pmKeith Valley Middle School227 Meetinghouse Rd, Horsham, PA In my persona as “David Rittenhouse,” I will be conducting hands-on surveying demonstrations at this years Crooked Billet History Fair in Horsham. The first surveyors in America arrived with the Jamestown Company in 1621. Given the goal of quickly settling Virginia …
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Der Vollkommene Deutsche Jäger (The perfect German hunter) describes a game called Fuchsprellen or “fox tossing.” Fox Tossing was a competitive sport mostly practiced by members of the upper classes. The sport was held on a closed patch of land where people threw live foxes and other animals up high using slings, with a person …
Continue reading “There was no SPCA in the 18th Century – Fox Tossing”
I need your help with the Moland House. This will be my second year planning the annual reenactment at Moland House. Last year, I took reins of organizing the event after Jo-Anne Mullen has decided to step down from organizing the event. We’ve had some growing pains trying to live up to the 15 years of tireless …
So, I took my wife to DC to view the Cherry Blossoms. We were a bit early as they look like peak blooming will be late this week, but the phenomenon is not to be missed. Spectacular! Cherries have a special place in American History. We’ve all heard the story of George Washington who as …
Let’s start this article out with an absolute disclaimer. THIS IS NOT A COLONIAL BEVERAGE, it’s a very modern 21st Century invention but still fun. You won’t see the Regimental Brewmeister serving this or making it at demonstrations but sometimes we drink this at home. Most of us associate hops with beer, and unfortunately beer …
Recently there has been a lot of unjustified animosity against Islam and its followers. As we enter the month of Ramadan, the month when our Muslim brothers celebrate Muhammad’s revelation of the first verses the Quran, it is important to remember that when the fledgling United States most needed allies and friends, the nation that …
Continue reading “Our Nation’s Oldest Friend is in the Arabic-speaking Muslim world”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 