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In the Swan's Shadow
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Focusing mainly on topics of interest to American Civil War living historians, reenactors, or history buffs in general, this also has a habit of wandering onto seemingly random topics such as my jewelry business and anything else that crosses my mind
Recent Posts Tagged With 'historical'
For the Weavers - Martin Overholt's Receipt for Colouring
This is an excerpt from an Overholt's weaving journal, which is in the archive holdings of West Overton. This is presumed to be Martin Overholt's journal until further information tells us otherwise. Approximate date is 1849. Spelling is how I fou...
Lincoln manuscript fetches over $3 million at auction
A handwritten manuscript of an 1864 Abraham Lincoln speech sold for $3.44 million on the bicentennial of his birthday Thursday, setting a new auction record for any American historical document. The manuscript was sold to an anonymous phone bidder af...
Speaking of Lincoln's Inauguration...
About this time last year three photos that had previously been mis-identified in the Library of Congress were discovered to have been taken during Lincoln's second inauguration. These were taken March 04, 1865. All photos below are from the LoC. P...
Women in Civil War Arsenals, Part 4
Sorry about this one being so necessarily long, but I wanted to get the sequence of events together and all at once. Carry on...The news stunned the Pittsburgh area. The local press gave it more coverage than news from the front the next day, Sep...
Women in Civil War Arsenals, Part 3
September 17, 1862 was to be a fateful day for those at the Allegheny Arsenal. It was payday, and workers stood in line in small groups waiting to be paid. There was an urgent need for cartridges because General Robert E. Lee and his Army of No...
Women in Civil War Arsenals, Part 2
I'm not deliberately being a tease with the posts; I'm spreading them out so that the posts don't go on for miles. Well...any more than they already are...Anyway, continuing:The Allegheny Arsenal, established in 1814, was in Lawrenceville, PA (now...
Women in Civil War Arsenals, Part 1
This is actually my sister's paper, which she graciously allowed me to post on my blog. ::nudges gun barrel away from her head:: Actually it's a wonderful paper about a little known or discussed aspect of women's contributions to the war effort, an...
Thanksgiving - The backstory, part two
In the fall of 1789, there arrived upon the President's desk a request for a proclamation reserving a special day to be celebrated across the very new United States. It was meant to be a day to give thanks and celebrate not just the passing of the n...
Thanksgiving - The backstory, part one
The time draws near to gather with our family and friends, to sit at a common table and partake in a feast that symbolizes many things to many people. Today, we take the time out of schedules that scatter us to the four winds to spend time with our ...
The Economy Now Hits Historical Sites
AP - Economy Forces Closure of Historic Homes -- Heritage at Risk? In truth, with things as bad as they are, you sort of had to see this coming. And in truth, this is awful to see no matter when it happens. I sure am one of "those people" who find ...
I think I may have started something...
So sitting at a meeting at West Overton, we started to discuss things like what to do for "flavor" during the Christmas programming. The fire in the summer kitchen's fireplace went over very well, as could be expected really. I mean, a warm spot to...
More photos from West Overton
As promised, here's the rest of the photos that I took during the Halloween weekend at West Overton. There's actually lots more buildings/houses on the property that they currently hold, but I didn't get out to all of them with my quick walkabout wh...
Documentation, or how to prove you didn't make it up on your own
With any type of research, including that for historical interpretation, there is a huge factor that must be taken into account (and used) with just about every aspect involved. And that is documentation. For some this is the fun part, and for othe...
Civil War Letters: Corporal Nelson McGrandy, Co. B, 104th PVI
A copy of this letter is in my files, so I figured I'd share them with everyone else. It has a lot of information in one little letter.Nelson McGrandy was born October 9th, 1835 in Jamison, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was employed as a bricklay...
Are You Sure This Corset Won't Kill Me? Part 3
What luck! In perusing some varying places and seamstresses online that specialize in costuming and historic clothing, I happened to have stumbled upon a lady on Etsy who had in her arsenal of wares a beautifully made corset that is excellent for o...
From the Inside Out
Any good impression by necessity has to start from the skin out. What you wear beneath your clothing is going to shape your overall look, and hence provide a good foundation to your impression. They also are going to make your clothing not only lo...
An Introduction to Civil War Reenacting for Ladies, Part Three: Shopping!
Now understand, I'm far from telling you to drop several hundred dollars at once. In fact, I'd strongly advise against it at first. I would much rather see someone spend their money slowly and carefully than dropping a wad all at once and perhaps r...
An Introduction to Civil War Reenacting for Ladies, or Whatever Possessed Me to Do This?
If you are new to the wonderful (often strange) world of (American) Civil War re-enacting, I bid you welcome. If you're a veteran of the same, you are most welcome as well! At no point do I consider myself to be an all-encompassing expert in this f...
