I have been asked to talk about “the Stories of Everyday People in the War of 1812,” as part of the College of Southern Maryland’s 2012-13 professional speakers series. The free program takes place at the La Plata campus, 8730 Mitchell Road, BI-113, La Plata on Oct. 22, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. During the lecture I will largely draw on unpublished stories of…
Category: War of 1812
Sold Out Walking Tour Shares War of 1812 Living history interpretations
As the region celebrates the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, I worked with the Cecil County Office of Tourism to design a living history walking tour that explored the Upper Chesapeake’s stories during that dangerous time. Working with a group of costumed performers, we strolled around an old colonial river town, Charlestown, exploring thrilling tales. The living…
An Old Man Recalled the British Attack on Fredericktown and Georgetown During War of 1812
In constructing the annals of a time when harrowing warfare came to communities all along the Chesapeake Bay I’ve spent lots of time searching for long forgotten manuscripts and newspapers that were penned long ago. These aging letters, newspaper accounts, diaries and other sources from everyday people open a window on history, providing glimpses of…
Searching for the First Draft of History: Overseeing the Process of Finding Lessons About the War of 1812 in Stacks of Old Newspapers
Local papers have brought up-to-date information to residents of Havre de Grace since the early 1800s. But on that day in May 1813 when the British stormed into the fishing village, almost completely destroying it, there wasn’t a local weekly to tell people about one of the biggest stories in the annals of the town’s history. As…