Non-Profit Dedicated to Historical Education of the American Revolution and the Colonial Period
Royal Colonies were established in North America by England, France, Netherlands and Sweden. Spain launched earlier settlements and claimed lands south of the present Canadian border clear to the Pacific Ocean, but only established outposts and missionaries, particularly in Florida, which they maintained until 1763 when British took control. Different nations claimed many of the …
Wigs were considered of great important in dress in the eighteenth century. The military was no exception. However the fashion of large, curled wigs common among civilians was not practical for the soldier. These periwigs, or perukes, were constantly infested with bugs, were extremely expensive, and unbearably hot. They came in black, brown, or grey, …
The vast majority of music performed and heard in the colonies of America was melodies carried down from generation to generation over the centuries; ballads and bawdy drinking songs that told stories of love, adventures, battles, political strife, and humorous tales. Hymns both secular and sacred were always popular and many new ones were composed …
The Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia compiled the most extensive report about diseases and success rates of doctors during the Revolutionary War Period. Aside from mental disorders which affected nearly one fifth of all patients, half of the hospital’s cases concerned seven disorders: scurvy – 15%, fevers – 9%, venereal disease – 9%, dropsy – 6%, …
Contrary to general belief, the term ‘rebel’ was not used solely when referring to Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. It was first commonly applied to Americans who fought for independence from Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. The British often referred to the rebellious rabble that formed a new government and army …
The American colonies produced much of the raw material used to manufacture fine linen. Up to the time of the Revolution, the finest materials traditionally came from overseas; American-made was scorned as homespun and worn only during work or by those of lesser means. This reputation was altered drastically during the time of the Revolutionary …
Most historians agree that the Native Americans introduced maple sugaring to the European settlers. When the first immigrants arrived, they traded with the indigenous people for many necessities, including maple sugar. Sugaring was known in America long before the land was colonized, as evidenced by old myths that describe how sugaring was discovered. The sap …
Many early mattresses were not mattresses at all. Straw, often available after cereal crops had been harvested, was piled in either outhouse or residence and made do for sleeping, as it was far better than a hard wooden floor. Sometimes straw was layered into a wooden bed with sides. However, loose straw strewn about living …
Keeping food fresh (or even edible) was a problem in colonial times, since neither refrigeration nor tin cans had been invented yet. Preservation and packaging by pickling, smoking, and other means were crude and careless. It was discovered early on that the kinds of provisions which would stand the long voyage on a slow sailing …
Cato Alexander (1781 – 1858) was a freed African American slave who, in the early 1800’s, opened a tavern at the four mile stone north of New York City just west of the Boston Post Road (present day 54th and 2nd Ave.). The house/Inn was built in 1712 and was close to the famed Beekman …
There was no such thing as refrigeration or canning during the 18th century. Fresh meat and vegetables could not survive the months-long sea voyages from Europe. Colonists and British soldiers had to rely on local game and planted crops. Vegetables, both native and seed transported from Europe, were grown in the new land and provided …
Throughout the eighteenth century, upper and lower classes both shared the same woes when it came to decaying teeth and the somewhat primitive, even barbaric means of dental care. Diseases like smallpox, malaria, scurvy, and syphilis (to name a few) were rampant. So too were the diets heavy on sugar, sweetened teas, fortified wines, and …