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. July 28, 1779 Americans defeated at Penobscot The British sent about 700 men aboard three small warships to land in Penobscot Bay. They intended to establish the province of New Ireland and to hold the coast for Britain.

28 July 1779 In spring of 1779 the British commander-in-chief in North America, General Sir Henry Clinton, directed that a strong outpost be established on the tip of the Bagaduce Peninsula in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Brigadier General Francis McLean, military commander of Nova Scotia, led 700 troops of the 74th Foot (Argyle Highlanders) and 82d Foot (Hamilton Regiment) ashore in mid-June to begin work on what became Fort George .

The Constitution of the United States, drafted in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 and ratified by the states the following year, gave the President responsibility for the conduct of the nation's foreign relations. It soon became clear, however, that additional resources and formal structures were necessary to support President Washington in the conduct of the affairs of the new Federal Government.

On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress declared "...that a Postmaster General be appointed for the United States, who shall hold his office at Philadelphia, and shall be allowed a salary of 1,000 dollars per annum..." Benjamin Franklin was not, however, the first Postmaster in America nor was this the first time he would be responsible for managing mail within the colonies.

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. Jacques Cartier Establishes Canada as a French Colony July 24, 1534 Okay, if you have attended one of my spruce beer brewing demos, you undoubtedly have heard the name Jacques Cartier. It was Cartier who was taught by the Hurons to brew spruce tea which would evolve into spruce ale which we all love.

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 effort and superb leadership, Jo Anne put into this event but we are making sure this event continues uninterrupted.

I know Reinheitsgebot permits only water, hops, and malt as ingredients in beer but if you want to make beer, mead, cider or any other alcoholic brew, you need to add yeast. In the 21st Century, many homebrewers just rip open an envelope of dried yeast from the local homebrew shop and add it to the wort. This is certainly not how it was done in the 18th Century.

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. The Rosetta Stone was Found July 19, 1799by Napoleon's Army During Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign, a French soldier discovered and unusual stone while tearing down an old wall.  This stone was discovered to be the key to actually reading the inscription in the pyramids.

Franklin wrote this satirical piece while serving in London as the colonial agent for several colonies. His numerous letters to London newspapers presenting the colonists’ point of view were often reprinted in colonial newspapers. “Rules by which a GREAT EMPIRE may be reduced to a SMALL ONE” ---The Public Advertiser, London, 11 September 1773(as printed in the Pennsylvania Gazette, 15 December 1773)

The Regimental Brewmeister is happy to give talks and lectures at your site to audiences of any size. I ask that you provide appropriate auto visual projection equipment and event promotion. I typically come in 18th Century attire and conduct interactive discussions. While I am happy to consider talks on other subjects, I have delivered very successful presentations on the following:

People are always welcome to come to my events and if you come in 18th Century kit, you can be part of the program or just hang out in the tent as you see fit.  However, if you are truly interested in really learning the process, teaching the public, and being the brewer, you should join the team. The Regimental Brewmeister and the Admiral of the Blue Apron Tavern are a non-profit, educational organization created in 2015 to accurately depict the trade of brewing and tavern keeping during the American Revolution. 

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. July 15, 1715 – The Riot Act took effect in Britain. Assemblies of more than a dozen people could be forcibly dispersed in order to maintain the peace. The Riot Act was often used and abused by merchants and factory owners to maintain control and prevent unionization.

Okay, TECHNICALLY this is not a beer. According to Reinheitsgebot, beer must be made with malted BARLEY and this beer uses corn but AMERICAN beer is often made with whatever grain is available. I have dedicated this to the Whiskey Rebellion. During the American Revolution, individual states incurred significant debt. In 1790 Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton pushed for the federal government to take over that debt.

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. July 15, 1779 Stony Point taken by General Wayne In a well planned and executed nighttime attack, a highly trained select group of Continental Army troops under the command of Brigadier General Anthony Wayne defeated British troops in quick and daring assault on their outpost in Stony Point, New York, approximately 30 miles north of New York City.

So, this summer while I have been looking for my next corporate role, which I just landed BTW, I have been supporting Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia as one of Historic Philadelphia’s history makers. Not only is this a great way to keep my historical personae sharp, history makers are 1st person interpreters, but you get to interact with tourist from all over the world and discuss history.

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. July 14, 1789 – BASTILE DAY: The crowd gathered outside the Bastille, a medieval armory, fortress, and political prison near the center of Paris, calling for the surrender of the prison, the removal of the cannon and the release of the arms and gunpowder.

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. July 13, 1787 NORTHWEST ORDINANCE The Northwest Ordinance provided for the settlement and sale of lands acquired from Quebec in the Treaty of Paris. The ordinance required the land be divided into geographical miles square.

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. July 11, 1780 Washington meets with Rochambeau in Hartford France supported the American war effort with money and material and formally joined as an ally in 1778. The French wanted to avenge their loss to the British in the French and Indian War and to stop British expansionism.

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. July 11, 1780 French Fleet arrives at Newport Approximately 5,000 – 6,000 French soldiers commanded by Rochambeau arrived at Newport, Rhode Island. The code name given by the French government for the plan was “

Perhaps it has something to do with the week I am spending in Texas or perhaps it is the fall-out from having watched The Serpent Queen on STARZ but my mind is stuck on “Bloody Mary.” I’m absolutely talking about the cocktail (I need 3 right now) but also the first Queen of England to rule in her own right -- Mary I of England – also known only as “

An orrery is a mechanical model of the Solar System that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons. The first orrery that was a planetarium of the modern era was produced in 1704, and one was presented to Charles Boyle (who penned the Ideal Gas Law), the 4th Earl of Orrery. These models are typically driven by a clockwork mechanism with a globe representing the Sun at the center and planet rotating about that sphere on small arms.

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. July 9, 1790 – RESIDENCE ACT was passed by Congress creating a new national capital on the Potomac River in a site selected by President George Washington and carved out of lands from and independent from Maryland and Virginia.

Private ownership of land in the British colonies of North America, provided self-sufficiency for many and extravagant wealth for a few. The idea of land as property came from England and accurate descriptions of property and its boundaries are essential. For this reason, surveyors were essential not just in the newly acquired lands of North America (and other British Colonies) be even in the home country.

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. Last week, we celebrated Ceasar Rodney’s infamous ride to Philadelphia so that he could vote for independence in July 2. We take it for granted that Delaware was a sovereign colony in its own right before the American Revolution but that was not always true.

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. July 8, 1780 American and French forces join at Dobbs Ferry Expédition Particulière was the code name given by the French government for the plan to sail French land forces to North America to support the American rebel forces against Britain in the American Revolutionary War.