As a boy, George Washington strongly considered a career in the Royal Navy and studying geometry and celestial navigation. To improve his skills, he took up surveying using a set of surveyor’s instruments his father owned for his farm. Early in 1748, Washington accompanied George Fairfax and James Genn, the Royal Surveyor of Prince William …
Category Archives: Ideas
Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#7)
No one would suspect “little ole me” of being a spy — Ann Bates Ann Bates was Philadelphia schoolteacher with Loyalist sympathies. She was also married to a British soldier and gunsmith, posted in New York. At the British camp, she met Major Duncan Drummond, the intelligence chief for the British commanding general, who preceded …
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The EIC and Opium, a Deadly Combination
Next time you hear some politician blaming China for all the problems in the world, remember our friends in the East India Company. Unregulated, government and military backed capitalist that they were, started a WAR in order to extract a trade balance with China. Even though Europeans were eager to acquire Chinese tea, silk, and …
Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#6)
The Black Freeman and his Slave were BOTH Spies! — Hercules and Cato Mulligan Many know Hercules Mulligan as a character in the play Hamilton and ironically, he is the only personae in that play who actually was black. He was also a very successful spy for the American cause. Mulligan was one of the …
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NO, We Didn’t All Write with Quills in the 18th Century. Some Used Pencils.
People began using pencils in Europe in the early 17th century. Graphite was discovered in England’s Lake District and it was soon discovered that this mineral made marks on paper and other surfaces that could be easily rubbed away. Early pencils were often a bit of graphite held in some sort of holder that allowed …
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In 1797 Henry Cavendish Used Small Metal Spheres to Weigh the Earth
In 1768, through careful observation and lots of computations, the Royal Society was able to compute the distance of the Earth from the Sun. Armed with this information, and using Newtons universal law of gravitation (1687), it should be possible to understand the behavior of the planets. There remained, however, just one problem. How much …
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Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#5)
Spying for his Freedom — James Armistead “Lafayette” James Armistead was an enslaved African American who served the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War under the Marquis de Lafayette. Acting as a double agent, he reported the activities of Benedict Arnold after he had defected to the British, and of Lord Charles Cornwallis during …
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Evening on the Green
June 29, 202410 AM – 10 PMDaniel Boone Homestead400 Daniel Boone RdBirdsboro, PA 19508 Perhaps you are an accomplished homebrewer and you want to appreciate the challenges faced by brewers in the 18th Century who brewed good beer without all the instrumentation and modern equipment we rely on, perhaps you are a history buff and …
Hire the Regimental Brewmeister for your Event or Site
Add excitement and authentic color to your special event, or create one for your site, with Philadelphia’s best Colonial Brewer and tradesman. Whether it is a reenactment, motion picture, a tavern night for a private event, or other endeavor, I can bring can bring a real sense of authenticity and fun to your event and …
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Spy vs Spy: George Washington’s and King George’s Spies (#4)
A Master of Disguise — Sarah Fulton As a member of the Daughters of Liberty, Sarah Fulton became involved in protests and the planning of the Boston Tea Party. Sarah is credited with disguising the Sons of Liberty as Native Americans. After the protest, the men returned to Fulton’s home, where she helped remove face …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 