Announcements

10 Year Anniverary & New Releases Winners: Carrie Fancett Pagels' Butterfly Cottage - Melanie B, Dogwood Plantation - Patty H R, Janet Grunst's winner is Connie S., Denise Weimer's Winner is Kay M., Naomi Musch's winner is Chappy Debbie, Angela Couch - Kathleen Maher, Pegg Thomas Beverly D. M. & Gracie Y., Christy Distler - Kailey B., Shannon McNear - Marilyn R.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Historic 1780 McGulpin House on Mackinac Island, by Carrie Fancett Pagels

McGulpin House c. 1780, Mackinac Island

So often we overlook some of our late-comers to America, prior to the American Revolution.  One such place was the area now called Michigan.  Fort Michilimackinac was on the Mackinaw City side of the straits and became part of the British territory after the French-Indian War.  The fort moved to Mackinac Island as the American Revolution continued, with the Mackinaw City fort being less defensible than one on the island.

One fascinating house on present-day Mackinac Island is the McGulpin House.  There are many theories as to who the original house belonged to (click here for Michigan State Parks post.) With the purchase of admission to Fort Mackinac and Fort Michilimackinac you are also allowed entry to the McGulpin House.  The day I visited, a lovely Girl Scout cadet from the Detroit area was responsible for visitors.  

One of the things I enjoyed most was where part of the exterior wall (of newer origin) was removed to show the original building and was covered with glass. As you can see from the photograph, beneath the clapboard exterior is a log cabin.  Given the age of the cabin I would guess its construction to have been of cedar, which is readily available in the area. (My great-grandparents' log home is part of the Taquamenon Logging Museum and is made of cedar, also.)

Here's a view of the layers of the interior of the McGilpin home as well:

Although the style of the home is referred to by Wiki as French-Canadian working class, the original log cabin structure greatly resembles those built in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia during that time period. 

Surrounding the McGuilpin property is a fence that should keep out intruders and keep animals inside. 


But the lovely lilacs that bloom on Mackinac Island are sure to draw visitors.  If you get the chance, make it a point to visit Mackinac Island during their amazing Lilac Festival, held each year in early to mid-June.

The island is full of hundreds of varieties of lilacs, all of which scent the air with a beautiful scent.  One can almost imagine being an 18th century Frenchwoman living on the newly-occupied Mackinac Island. My research for my manuscript, set on Mackinac Island, truly could not have been any sweeter!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest Retreat by Cynthia Howerter


Poplar Forest, view from the rear of the house

Say the word “Monticello” and one immediately thinks of Thomas Jefferson’s stately home. Lesser known is Jefferson’s retreat “Poplar Forest,” located about 70 miles south of Monticello, near Lynchburg, Virginia.

Jefferson first visited the Poplar Forest plantation in 1773 after he and his wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson inherited the 4,800-acre working farm from her father, John Wayles. For many years, because of Jefferson’s involvement in government, it was necessary for him to manage the estate from afar.

During the Revolutionary War, the British wanted to capture Jefferson who was then Governor of Virginia. In 1781, as British soldiers closed in on Monticello, Jefferson and his family fled their home near Charlottesville and sought refuge at this distant plantation for two months until danger passed. Because no house existed at Poplar Forest, the Jefferson family most likely stayed in the overseer’s house. 

A student of architecture, Jefferson designed the brick octagonal house to be a small private retreat for himself. Like many inventive individuals, Jefferson needed time alone to rejuvenate his creativity. While serving as President in Washington, D.C., Jefferson traveled to Poplar Forest in 1806 to supervise the laying of the house’s foundation. 

The completed house consisted of two small chambers that adjoined each of the two bedrooms, a dining room, and library. A number of features found at Monticello are also found at Poplar Forest, such as the liberal use of windows for natural lighting, alcove beds, and floor-to-ceiling windows. A one hundred foot-long wing adjoining the basement of the house contains the kitchen, cook's room, laundry, and smokehouse. Covering this “wing of offices,” as Jefferson referred to it, is a flat roof that provided recreational evening walks.   


Poplar Forest

Jefferson began visiting the retreat several times a year when his presidency ended in 1809, often staying several weeks or months at a time. He tried to keep the existence of his retreat a secret in order to guard and guarantee his privacy.

Jefferson’s grandson Francis Eppes inherited Poplar Forest upon Jefferson’s death in 1826, but neither he nor his wife cared for the rural retreat. Two years later, they sold the property to a neighboring farmer, William Cobbs.    

In 1845, a fire destroyed the house's interior and roof although the original walls survived. The Cobbs family rebuilt the house and modified its original design to suit the needs of their large family, adding a second-floor dormitory. The result was that Jefferson's meticulously-designed architectural masterpiece was nearly unrecognizable.

Through the years, various owners of the house implemented their own renovations, and by 1984, when a group of citizens purchased the property with the intent to restore the house to its original design, very little of Jefferson's structure existed. The beautiful eight-sided house now appears much as it did when Thomas Jefferson owned it. Restoration of the house and grounds continues today.

Archaeological excavation on Poplar Forest's circular drive 
In the photograph above, an archaeologist is carefully removing layers of soil to learn what type of road was originally laid in front of the house.


All Photographs ©2013 Cynthia Howerter



Award-winning author Cynthia Howerter loves using her training in education, research, writing, and speaking to teach and inspire others about a time in America that was anything but boring. A member of the Daughters of the American revolution (DAR), Cynthia believes history should be alive and personal.

Visit Cynthia's website: Cynthia Howerter - all things historical





For additional information on Poplar Forest:   www.poplarforest.org.    






Sunday, July 28, 2013

ANOTHER “AMAZING” HYMN

ANOTHER “AMAZING” HYMN

John Newton is probably best known for being the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace”. However, this Anglican Clergyman, and once prosperous slave trader, also authored many more hymns including “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” considered one of his finest.

John Newton was the son of an English shipmaster. After a few years of boarding school and going to sea with his father, he was conscripted into the British Royal Navy. When he attempted desertion, he was reduced in rank to a common seaman and was transferred to a slave ship headed to West Africa.

In 1748 his father sent a sea captain to rescue him from West Africa. It was during the return voyage to England that John experienced a religious conversion after reading Thomas à Kempis and being on board a ship that nearly sank. He began reading the Bible and by the time his ship reached port, he had accepted Christ and was transformed, repenting his sinful habits and renouncing his role in the African slave business. He eventually became an advocate of the abolition of slavery.

John Newton
(In the public domain)
He gave his life to God and returned to England in 1750, and married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Catlett. In 1755 he became renowned as an evangelical lay minister. For the next two years he studied to be ordained as an Anglican priest, but was initially denied. He applied to other denominations as well but met with the same results. In 1764 he finally became an Anglican priest at Olney, Buckinghamshire where he would spend the next sixteen years as the rector at Olney. It was while he was there that he collaborated with the English poet William Cowper on a number of hymns. His desire was to teach his illiterate congregation spiritual songs they could memorize and sing as they went about their daily tasks.  In 1779 these hymns were published as "Olney's Hymns". Among them was "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”.

In 1779 he became the rector of Saint Mary Woolnoth Church in London, England, and served there twenty-eight years until his death at the age of 82. In 1788 he spoke against the slave trade and apologized for his participation. He became a supporter and friend to William Wilberforce, the leader of the Parliamentary campaign to abolish slavery. After the death of his wife in 1790, he began to suffer poor health and failing eyesight. John Newton died in London and was originally buried next to his wife in the Saint Mary Woolnoth Church cemetery. However, due to the extension of the London Underground rapid transit system in 1893, their remains were re-interred in Saint Peter and Paul Church cemetery.

Newton himself wrote his own epitaph:


JOHN NEWTON  Clerk
ONCE AN INFIDEL AND LIBERTINE
A SERVANT OF SLAVES IN AFRICA WAS
BY THE RICH MERCY OF OUR
LORD AND SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST
PRESERVED, RESTORED, PARDONED
AND APPOINTED TO PREACH THE FAITH HE
HAD LONG LABOURED TO DESTROY
NEAR 16 YEARS AS CURATE OF THIS PARISH
AND 28 YEARS AS RECTOR OF St MARY WOOLNOTH

Scripture references for “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”
 Exodus 13:21-22, 16:16,   Isaiah 33:20-21,   Psalms 87:3,   John 10:35,   Matthew 16:18

GLORIOUS THINGS OF THEE ARE SPOKEN

Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
he whose word cannot be broken
formed thee for his own abode;
on the Rock of Ages founded,
what can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
thou may'st smile at all thy foes.

See! the streams of living waters,
spring form eternal love,
well supply thy sons and daughters
and all fear of want remove.
Who can faint, when such a river
ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace which, like the Lord, the Giver,
never fails from age to age.

Round each habitation hovering,
see the cloud and fire appear
for a glory and a covering,
showing that the Lord is near.
Thus they march, their pillar leading,
light by night, and shade by day;
daily on the manna feeding
which he gives them when they pray.

Blest inhabitants of Zion,
washed in the Redeemer's blood!
Jesus, whom their souls rely on,
makes them kings and priests to God.
'Tis his love his people raises
over self to reign as kings:
and as priests, his solemn praises
each for a thank-offering brings.

Savior, if of Zion's city,
I through grace a member am,
let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy Name.
Fading is the worldling's pleasure,
all his boasted pomp and show;
solid joys and lasting treasure
none but Zion's children know.

Words: John Newton, 1779     Tune: “Austrian Hymn” composed by Franz Joseph Hayden

Franz Joseph Hayden, the composer of the hymn was an eighteenth century Austrian who wrote music for numerous symphonies, operas, masses and chamber music. He was also a devout Christian.


To listen to the melody:  http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/g/g051.html

Friday, July 26, 2013

Playing Dress Up. Reenacting History.




One of my favorite ways to research a setting is visiting an historic site. While there, we all have access to seeing how a certain culture in specific decades or centuries lived and worked. Probably two of the most well-known on the east coast are Colonial Williamsburg and Old Sturbridge Village.
I can’t imagine a better place to immerse yourself in Colonial history than a visit to Williamsburg. This is the real deal. Not a re-created village but the original site and populated with hundreds of staff that take their history VERY seriously.

But large sites and museums are not the only way to experience history thanks to the thousands of people in the United States and Canada that do reenactments. One perfect example was the incredible influx of Civil War Reenactors to Gettysburg at the beginning of the month to mark the 150th anniversay of those three bloody days in U.S. History.

I imagine that any reader of Colonial Quills, whether contributor, commenter or lurker, has been to a historic site in their area or while traveling. So... do tell!
Many of the people you meet at museums and historic sites are paid staff, some are volunteers. During a specific reenactment event, you can meet hundreds of people who simply want to be involved just for the love of history!

There is a definite cost to “play”dress-up! Hundreds of dollars for uniforms and accoutrements of war if you are involved in a military group. (an authentic musket may cost nearly a thousand dollars!) Yet, the largest presence of reenactors at any historical event, be it French/Indian, Colonial, Revolutionary, War of 1812 and more recent, are military "regiments".

Sometimes events are cultural, like the many Celtic/Highland gatherings across the continent. Full Highland regalia is not cheap!

Next month, I’m going to participate, in costume, in the largest War of 1812 reenactment gatherings in North America when Fort Erie, in Ontario, Canada, does their annual “Seige of  Fort Erie”. Given the fact we are at the 200th anniversary, this promises to be completely amazing! I won't be part of any group, but last year when I attended, I found I was in the minority by not being in costume.  YES I PROMISE PHOTOS!

Tell me, what are your favorite living history sites?

Have you visited smaller sites during “re-enactments”?

Are you or would you like to take part in some way?

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Guest Marian Baay Reviews Roseanna White's Whispers from the Shadows


Whispers from the Shadows by Roseanna M. White

WHISPERS FROM THE SHADOWS
Culper Ring Series #2
By Roseanna White
Harvest House, August 1, 2013

Reviewed by Marian Baay
~5 stars~*****

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!
Do I have your attention now? Yes? Good!

Roseanna White takes the reader back to 1814, to the war of 1812, where we meet again with the main characters from the first book in this series Ring of Secrets—Winter and Bennet Lane. Their son Thaddeus Lane is our hero and he also is Mr. Culper now.

Our heroine is the daughter of the British General Fairchild—we met him in the first book as Colonel Fairchild. Gwyneth Fairchild is being sent away by her father to America. He believes their lives are in danger and he wants Gwyn to leave immediately. He sends her to his American friends—the Lanes. Just before she enters the carriage to leave, her British suitor – Sir Arthur Hart – asks for her hand in marriage. Excitedly Gwyn runs back to the house to talk to her father. But instead of talking to him she is a witness to his murder. Panicked, she runs back to the waiting carriage and leaves England and Sir Arthur behind.

After a long and horrendous sea journey, Gwyn finally arrives in America. She has been sick and has had terrible nightmares. She did not tell anyone that she saw her father being murdered. Fear that the killer might follow her to America has kept her awake and made her sick. Her servants thought she was seasick, but she cannot tell anyone what is really plaguing her.

When she finally meets Thad – the  only person she knows she can trust because her father trusted him – she falls asleep in his arms.

Captain Thaddeus Lane – or Thad – has received a letter from General Fairchild, but the content doesn’t make any sense. He assumes there must be a hidden message in it, but he can’t figure it out. Not even his parents can break the code—if there is one.
When Gwyn arrives at his doorstep, he doesn’t know what to do with her. Can he trust her? She is British after all…and America is at war with England.

Back in England Sir Arthur and Gwyn’s uncle are looking for Gwyn, but they don’t know where she went. When Arthur finds a letter from the Lanes in General Fairchild’s study, her uncle believes that is where the general has sent her. Together they follow Gwyn to America—Arthur in hopes to claim her as his bride and Uncle with another purpose.

Gwyn’s trust for Thad – because her father trusted him – runs deep. She will have to learn to put her trust in Someone else to find peace and healing from the monsters in her nightmares.

Thad is a widower, but doesn’t talk much about his deceased wife. For some reason it is a sensitive subject. While he starts to care more and more for Gwyn – and his feelings are returned – he neglects to tell her why it is such a sensitive topic. When his best friend, Alain, spills it all out during a fight, Gwyn is shocked to learn what happened and runs away to hide in her bedroom. Before he has a chance to talk to Gwyn, Thad is called away on a dangerous sea journey to spy on the British fleet approaching America.

Can an American Captain and the daughter of a British General find love?
Will Gwyn understand that he had to leave before they could talk it all out? Will she forgive him?
And what about Sir Arthur? Will he find Gwyn to claim her for his own?
Will her father’s killer find Gwyn?
And General Fairchild’s letter…will they ever break the code and learn what secret message is hidden inside it?

There’s a lot of suspense and intrigue in this fabulous book. Murder, spies, secrets, war, love, grief, forgiveness, faith... There’s so much to enjoy in this story. The characters and plot were very well developed and the writing is clear and exciting. I’m already looking forward to the next book in this series. Fantastic job, Roseanna!

*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley.*

Roseanna's books can be found at AmazonCBDBarnes & Noble, and other book stores.
________________________________________________________

GIVEAWAY: A copy of Roseanna's new book, choice of format.  (Outside of USA ebook only.)  "Like" Roseanna's Author Facebook Page and leave a comment to enter.  

Watch the book trailer!


Monday, July 22, 2013

Rebecca Motte, A Revolutionary War Heroine

Susan F. Craft

Rebecca Brewton Motte

     During their occupation of Charlestown (now Charleston), SC, the British under Sir Henry Clinton chose the home of Rebecca Motte as their headquarters. Imprisoned in her home, Mrs. Motte found a clever way to hide her daughters in the attic from the soldiers for seven months. In January 1781, after her husband died, Mrs. Motte was granted permission to leave Charleston to go with her daughters to her Mount Joseph Plantation in Calhoun County, near the Congaree River.
     Ironically, the British took over the plantation, which became a principal supply depot for the British campaign in the South. Known as Fort Motte, it garrisoned about 200 soldiers under the command of Lt. Donald McPherson.
     American forces sought to destroy the British interior chain of military posts, including Fort Motte, to gain control of everything within thirty miles of the sea. Before General Francis Marion and Lt. Colonel Lighthorse Harry Lee attacked the plantation on May 8, 1781, the Motte family was asked to retreat to a farmhouse nearby. When American forces failed to take the fort, they decided to burn the British out.
Mrs. Motte encouraged the Americans to set the main house afire in order to dislodge the British. She herself is said to have provided the arrows used to ignite the roof. (One firsthand account of the siege says that Nathan Savage, a private in Marion's brigade, made up a ball of rosin and brimstone, to which he set fire and slung it on the roof of the house.) The British surrendered when the fire broke out, and tradition has it that both sides assisted in putting out the fire, saving the house.
The Capture of Fort Motte
Mort Kunstler, Artist
Brigadier General Francis Marion
      Following the successful American siege, Mrs. Motte graciously hosted a dinner for officers of both armies. Their dinner was interrupted with such a noise that General Marion raced outside to find his men mistreating and threatening to hang British soldiers. Marion became enraged that his men would treat their prisoners in such a manner and ordered his men to desist.




Rebecca and The Fox
Chris Weatherhead as Rebecca Motte

     Chris Weatherhead, film/TV/stage star, film director and author, was so taken with Rebecca’s story that she created a one-woman, one-act play, Rebecca and The Fox.

     Chris, what was it about Rebecca that drew you to her story?
Rebecca Brewton Motte embodied the greatest attributes a person can have; extraordinary courage, uncanny wit, wisdom, kindness, generosity, humility and amazing patience.  Her contributions to the cause of freedom as well as those of her husband, Jacob, are difficult to measure as they were supporting liberty in so many ways prior to and during the war. 
During the occupation in Charleston, Rebecca was aware the British were notorious for raping women at their whim, and having three daughters, she found a clever way to hide them – she courteously kept telling the British leaders that the back stairway was “under repair” and could not be used. These “repairs” went on for seven months while she had servants and herself, sneaking up to the attic room with food and supplies for the girls! I have such respect for Rebecca Motte and I long to have such a resourceful mind and diplomatic ability if I ever had to handle such a crisis!!
     The idea for a play about Rebecca sprang from the feature film I directed and co-starred in, All for Liberty, about a little known extraordinary hero of the backcountry of South Carolina, Captain Henry Felder, who happens to be the sixth-great grandfather of my nationally recognized actor/writer/producer husband, Clarence Felder. We spent years on the project and so much research that we have enough to do various projects on the American Revolution for the rest of our lives!
What research did you do for the play?
I read a ton of books – the bibliography is as long as my arm! Also, Tony Youmans, the wonderful director of the Old Exchange Building was extremely helpful as an Historical Advisor and steered us to uncover surprising connections between Mrs. Motte, her husband, and many heroes of that dangerous time. She was a friend and great supporter to many military leaders during the war years. The show includes Rebecca’s experiences with General ‘Swamp Fox’ Francis Marion, Isaac Hayne, William Moultrie, “Lighthorse” Harry Lee, and Lt. Colonel John Laurens, who were dedicated patriots, fighting the British in South Carolina, using every resource, even some mysterious, deadly arrows. It’s a great way to truly entertain our audiences as well as illuminate our rich heritage and the cost of freedom.
Who designed your costume for the play?
(right) Chris Weatherhead as Rebecca Motte
and assistant Erica Magtira
The costume was conceived in a meeting with long-time designer and historical living historian, Jean Robertson Hutchinson, who has designed and built exceptionally beautiful period clothing for Actors’ Theatre of South Carolina for 16 years – she creates in many periods of female dress and is a member of the Colonial Ladies Society as well. Because I can only wear one outfit for a whole show – I am the only one onstage – we had to find an iconic gown and shoes and make it so lovely people could enjoy it throughout the show as I moved about the stage. We love getting a great idea and then going shopping to find exactly the right fabrics. As we laughed and got a chance to talk as we looked at every piece of fabric in about three stores – touching them all several times - we finally found an exceptional cotton of an intense blue for the skirt that is a type of Indigo color, for which South Carolina was so famous! And a cotton Colonial printed Chintz with a very complimentary and popular pattern typical of the times for a lady of Rebecca’s social status – we were so happy! The audience raves about the gown with its delightful bright blue and bows, and the red leather period shoes with bows too!
Tell us about yourself.
I had a lot of classical training in England, California, and New York as I had become an actress originally to be as versatile as I could. So, I’ve performed many periods of history and modern characters as a professional actress for decades on stage, TV and film.  And now I can say I’ve gone from a daytime series star to American Revolutionary War Heroine! In my New York City years, I played a super evil and power-hungry vixen, Alicia Van Dine, on location in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for “THE EDGE OF NIGHT” for ABC. I co-starred on the daytime TV series for 2 years, before realizing I was getting too much fan mail from inmates in prisons across the country who seemed to want to be like me. I was becoming a committed Christian and did not want to glorify criminal behavior, so I soon left the show. I moved to California where in between acting on TV, films and stage in LA, I began seven years of writing, producing and visiting in the prison system there for Match-Two Prisoner Outreach. [For movie listings visit IMDB Movie Data Base and type in name.]
Moving to South Carolina to help care for a family member, I co-founded Actors' Theatre of South Carolina with my husband, Clarence Felder, producing 70 productions and performing many roles including Mary Chesnut’s War For Independence! and portrayed Mary Chesnut for C-SPAN's American Writer’s Series.  I co-starred, co-wrote and directed the feature film, All for Liberty, which has won nine international film festival awards and three national historical awards [from Sons & Daughters of the American Revolution]. It is now distributed worldwide to buy or rent from Bridgestone Multimedia Group. (www.gobmg.com)



Reviews for Rebecca and The Fox
…elegantly and persuasively captures the essence of SC's Revolutionary heroine, Rebecca Motte, and her turbulent times.
Alexia Jones Helsley, Historian, Archivist & Author

…multi-talented Chris Weatherhead wrote and stars as the Revolutionary War heroine, Rebecca Motte, under the masterful direction of Clarence Felder…Weatherhead is gracious…full of the kind of theatrical chemistry which captures the audience on her historical adventure…fighting battles using charm, wit, kindness and extraordinary courage…willing to do anything to save her family…obviously much research went into the script…kudos also to Jean Robinson Hutchinson’s costuming talents…Bravo to Rebecca and the Fox! Sandy Katz, national entertainment journalist

     Theater at its best - plunks you in the maelstrom of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina…heroes come alive…brilliant acting…
provokes thought long after the curtain falls.
Susan F. Craft, Author of award winning Revolutionary War novel, The Chamomile

“…a perfect performance…charming and realistic… Rebecca was proud, brave, clever and resilient… shares friendship with General Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox," and other patriots around her… Brava!”     Diane Scher, entertainment journalist
 
(My thanks to Bridgestone Multimedia Group for permission to use the DVD cover for All for Liberty)
 
Susan F. Craft is the author of The Chamomile, a Revolutionary War romantic suspense. which won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Fall 2011 Okra Pick.