Outdoor Entertainments – Quoits, The Sport of a Virginia Gentleman.
As a child growing up in the Ohio River Valley, I remember being given a game of “quoits” to play with out in the yard. It consisted of...
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Here is where we publish articles about the social, political and military history of American society during the Colonial and Early Republic Eras. Where we feel it is needed, we also examine the origins of the subject. From time to time, we will also publish articles regarding Living History interpretative skills.
Please let us know in the comments if you enjoy our posts.
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- Feb 11, 2022
- 13 min
Every Gentleman's Duty - Toasting in the 18th and Early 19th Century
“A Toast or Sentiment very frequently excites good humor, and revives languid conversation; often does it, when properly applied, cool...
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- Jan 28, 2022
- 10 min
The Most Popular Beverage in Early America
Throughout the late summer, fall, and early winter, apple cider (also known as cyder in the past) is everywhere. It is a mainstay of...
108 views0 comments
- Dec 30, 2021
- 9 min
Wine in Early-19th Century America
New Year’s Eve is upon us. Although it is a time usually associated with champagne and other sparkling wines, we thought we would take...
91 views0 comments
- Dec 17, 2021
- 11 min
Christmas Carols in the Early 19th Century
Due to our video-centered culture today, almost any adult, and many children, are familiar with the scene from Charles Dickens’ “A...
3,772 views0 comments
- May 7, 2021
- 15 min
The Old Northwest Territory: America’s First Great Westward Expansion
If I were to speak of the Northwest Territories today, most people would assume I was either talking about the Canadian province or the...
693 views0 comments
- Mar 26, 2021
- 19 min
Building the Republic: National Banking and Finance
Today, most of us give little thought to banks. If we want to deposit our paycheck, get cash, a mortgage loan, a consumer loan, or...
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- Mar 13, 2021
- 13 min
Lotteries as Public Finance
These days, when we want to fund building a public project such as roads, bridges, schools, etc., governments usually to look to issuing...
233 views0 comments
- Feb 27, 2021
- 20 min
Dolley Madison: The Nation's "First" Lady.
Monday marks the beginning of Women’s History Month 2021. The focus of this blog is always history, and so, we do not usually theme our...
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- Jan 18, 2021
- 15 min
EDUCATION IN VIRGINIA DURING THE COLONIAL ERA AND THE EARLY REPUBLIC
Throughout 2020 and into the new year, our ideas of what education should look like here in Virginia have been challenged by the effects...
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- Jan 4, 2021
- 17 min
Let Us Share a Bowl Together – Punch, the Forerunner of the Modern Cocktail
“A merry Christmas, Bob!” said Scrooge, with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. “A merrier...
435 views0 comments
- Nov 6, 2020
- 13 min
1804 - Mass Destruction and a "Snow Hurricane"
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane, now winding down, has arguably been one of the most active ever. With this in mind, I thought it might be...
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- Oct 23, 2020
- 9 min
The Unconquered Lord of the Card Room: Whist-its history and play
In life, as in whist, hope nothing from the way cards may be dealt to you. Play the cards, whatever they be, to the best of your skill....
860 views1 comment
- Sep 25, 2020
- 15 min
All the World's a Stage: Theatre in Colonial and Early America
Publisher’s Note: I originally authored this article in 2015 for another blog that I was writing for at the time. I have since rewritten...
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- Sep 11, 2020
- 17 min
“There we were entertained with scenes romantic and delightful beyond the power of description"
The Amusement Parks of Early America; Pleasure Gardens in America and their roots in England Before we begin our discussion of Pleasure...
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- Aug 15, 2020
- 12 min
“We have made trial of our owne English seedes, kitchen hearbes, and rootes”:
KITCHEN GARDENS IN COLONIAL AMERICA AND THE EARLY REPUBLIC This year, with shortages caused at least in part by the COVID-19 Pandemic,...
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- Aug 1, 2020
- 17 min
Horse Racing in Colonial America and the Early Republic
I was born and raised in the Louisville, Kentucky area and, even though I left the area when I was about 17, I think there are still...
2,503 views0 comments
- Jul 16, 2020
- 15 min
I’ll Be at My Club – Gentlemen’s Clubs in Georgian England and America
The most natural privilege of man, next to the right of acting for himself, is that of combining his [energy, ideas and dreams] with...
2,656 views1 comment
- Jul 2, 2020
- 16 min
The Tropical Import That "Plagued" Early America
For the last several months we have all been living in the shadow of the COVID-19 virus. For those of us with the Norfolk Towne Assembly...
88 views0 comments
- May 9, 2020
- 14 min
Agrarianism, Jefferson, and Westward Expansion
In Thomas Jefferson’s book, "Notes on the State of Virginia", he argued for a United States founded on an agrarian ideology. But just...
2,259 views0 comments
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