A Party In Honor of George Washington

It's been a long,  cold winter.  We literally,  in the truest sense of that word,  have had a tough few weeks in the middle of the season.  According to my Google search,   our sub-freezing streak lasted from January 21st until February 10th in this year of 2026.  During this period,  metro Detroit logged approximately 450 continuous hours below freezing.  Many of those days were single digit daytime highs and below zero nighttime lows.  While intense,  this 19-day run did not approach the all-time Detroit record of 45 consecutive days set in 1976.  So I suppose you can count your blessings.

As for snowfall,  this year,  so far at the time of the party  (for it's still February),  Detroit Metro Airport has recorded 27.2 inches of snow.  Last year,  at this point,  we had received just 12.3 inches of snow.

So it's been a heck of a winter!

Time to get rid of the winter blahs!

January started off well in the reenacting world,  with our Civil War Christmas Party and my colonial 12th Night Party.  But it's been pretty quiet since.  

Until February 21st.  

'Twas the day before George Washington's legitimate birthday when Tony Gerring and his father threw a party in honor of the Father of our Country,  celebrating his 294th birthday.  Tony's been hosting such a party ever since 2019,  and not only is it a chance to get back into our period clothing during this bleak mid-winter time of year,  but it does do us good to do honor to President Washington.

A younger George Washington...

George Washington was born in Virginia on February 11,  1731,  according to the then-used Julian calendar.  In 1752,  however,  Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar which moved Washington's birthday a year and 11 days to February 22,  1732.

A year and 11 days??

But,  how can that be?

New Year's Day had been celebrated on March 25 under the Julian calendar in Great Britain and its colonies,  but with the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in 1752,  New Year's Day was now observed on January 1.  When New Year's Day was celebrated on March 25th,  March 24 of one year was followed by March 25 of the following year.  When the Gregorian calendar reform changed New Year's Day from March 25 to January 1,  the year of George Washington's birth,  because it took place in February,  changed from 1731 to 1732.  In the Julian Calendar his birth date is Feb 11,  1731 and in the Gregorian Calendar it is Feb 22,  1732.  Double dating was used in Great Britain and its colonies including America to clarify dates occurring between January 1st and March 24th on the years between 1582,  the date of the original introduction of the Gregorian calendar,  and 1752,  when Great Britain adopted the calendar.

Jackie admires George~~~

George was the oldest son of Augustine and Mary  (Ball).  His birthplace is located in Westmoreland County,  Virginia,  at Popes Creek Plantation  (also known as Wakefield),  with the plantation house,  which was probably a simple one,  built by his father,  Augustine Washington,  in the 1720s.  Augustine,  with his wife Mary controlled a plantation of 1300 acres with several outbuildings and twenty to twenty-five slaves from this home.

It is unfortunate that the house was destroyed by fire about sixty years later,  in 1779.  Later,  Washington's step-grandson,  George Washington Parke Custis,  placed a stone marker on the site in 1815 or 1816 commemorating his grandfather's birthplace, explaining, 

"Here On the 11th of February,  1732,  Washington Was Born."

Yet despite the holiday often being referred to as  “Presidents’ Day”  in practice,  the official federal holiday is actually  “Washington’s Birthday.”   When George Washington himself was alive,  people honored the occasion with balls and banquets.  The celebration continued after his death as a way to remember what America’s first president did for the Nation.

Norm said grace and a prayer.
He has a replicated 1733 New Testament bible.

George Washington’s primary accomplishments include leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War,  presiding over the 1787 Constitutional Convention,  and serving as the first U.S.  President  (1789–1797).  He established essential,  lasting precedents for the executive branch,  including the cabinet system,  the two-term limit,  and a peaceful transfer of power. 

Ken & Greg.

Everyone here was/is a Patriotic American,  and I could not be any prouder to hang out with such people.  Plenty of conversations took place,  and not just on President Washington, but we also spoke of the many interesting scenarios numerous of us have taken part in over the years of doing living history.

I informed everyone of a few newcomers who came to the gathering as well as of the upcoming reenactment of Patriot's Day in April and of America's 250th 4th of July celebration coming up this summer.
My buddy,  George,  was standing watch.

I informed everyone that at such events to please refrain from bringing modern social issues and politics into our midst.  No one's opinion is so important that they feel they have the right to ruin others'  good time.  Everyone agreed.

Toasts were also given as tributes to President Washington.

Not all but most there consider George Washington to be their favorite President.  I'm right there in agreement.  I might not agree on everything he did  (the Whiskey Rebellion comes to mind,  though he did pardon the two main perpetrators),  but I believe he set a standard.  By the way,  I really like John Adams when he was President as well.

Mill Race Village does not allow open flames inside their historic buildings,  so we used the battery-operated electric candles.
You do what you gotta do.

I believe more people came this year than in previous years.
It was a fine gathering.

At a time when so many are politically and socially divided,  I like that there was plenty of laughter and camaraderie and friendship going on.  Even amongst the newcomers.

The wonderful ladies who joined in the festivities this evening.

"18th-century women generally did not frequent taverns as casual patrons,  as these were considered male-dominated,  "unclean"  spaces for gambling and drinking.  However,  women frequently entered taverns to dine with family,  stay overnight while traveling,  or attend authorized events like balls,  often using separate parlors or doors." 
For the Washington party,  the rules were bent a bit.

Good folks I've known for quite a while. 
The three ladies are long-time Civil War reenactor friends of mine.

Tony's portrait of George Washington.

Historical analyses of George Washington's  "Farewell Address"  indicate his concern that partisan politics would divide the country and tear it apart.

Hmmm?

He was also concerned that alliances with foreign nations would corrupt American politics.

Hmmm?  Hmmm?

Washington also had worries that ambitious,  self-seeking politicians would exploit political chaos to gain power and destroy the republic.

The men who took part in the festivities.

There was a discussion about whether or not men wore their hats inside a tavern in the 18th century.  We've had this discussion before and what's been found about this etiquette is:

"Taverns,  tap-rooms,  and inns were viewed as extensions of the  "outside"  or public sphere.  In these bustling environments,  men typically kept their hats on while drinking and socializing.

While hats stayed on in taverns,  they were strictly removed in private homes,  churches,  or in the presence of social superiors as a sign of respect.

In more  "respectable"  or exclusive establishments like private clubs or high-end restaurants,  gentlemen were expected to remove their hats upon entry." 

The evening air was not too cold,  so a few of us went outside to snap a few images,  taking advantage of the nighttime shadows.

Tom Bertrand and I.

About to enter the tavern.

Another interesting Washington fact was George Washington’s greatest personal fear was taphophobia,  or the fear of being buried alive.  This was a common fear in the 18th century,  as doctors sometimes mistook the comatose for the dead. 

As he lay dying on December 14,  1799,  Washington made his secretary,  Tobias Lear,  promise to wait at least two days after his death before placing his body in the family vault to ensure he was truly deceased.

During the 18th century,  cases of premature burial were a known concern,  prompting the invention of  "safety coffins"  equipped with bells and air pipes. 

Here is a decorated redware plate made at the Greenfield Village pottery shop,  as was the mug in the bottom right corner.  The hat?  Why,  that's mine!

Thank you,  Tony,  for pulling this all together.  It was a great time.

And your dad,  I know,  helped out an awful lot.  

I am very much looking forward to celebrating and participating many of the 250 events coming up this year.  As I present as a colonial farmer as well as Paul Revere,  I have plenty of opportunities to take part in such historical outings.  And I could not be any more excited.  I was too young to do anything back in 1976,  but,  thankfully,  I'm not too old to participate here in 2026.

And I'll be doing all I can.

Until next time,  see you in time.

To learn more about Washington's death,  click HERE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harper's Ferry Vacation: I've Gone To Look For America

~~~Earlier this winter there were two British guys who came to America when their fellow Englishmen said they should not,  that America was a horrible and unsafe place.  Well,  they came anyway.  And do you know they had the time of their lives!  They fell in love with our great country.  They posted daily on their TikTok page,  and those wonderful videos made it to You Tube.  They fell in love with every state and area they visited,  and people lined up to meet them.  All the while they unwittingly became a part of contemporary American folklore.

So,  in that same spirit,  I am now posting about another of my American vacations - Harper's Ferry,  West Virginia.

I hope you enjoy it~~~

I've Gone To Look For America indeed

......

Compared to many I know,  I certainly am not much of an out-of-state traveler.

Heck!  I'm  not even much of an in-state traveler.

But over the course of time I've seen some very cool historical locations,  such as Boston's Freedom Trail,  Lexington & Concord,  and Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  Colonial Williamsburg ,  Virginia,  and Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania.

Well,  I've also been to Antietam in Maryland and Harper's Ferry in West Virginia.

My Antietam visit will be posted sometime a couple months from now,  so this week I'll concentrate on Harper's Ferry.

It was the week following Easter,  in 2006,  and with the kids off for Easter break,  we went on this wonderful holiday,  which included meeting up with some of our reenacting friends upon arriving - all members of the 21st Michigan Civil War reenacting group I've reenacted with.

Originally starting in Gettysburg,  we did plenty of touring there...and you can check that out by clicking HERE.  

For this week's post,  let's mostly remain in the 19th century - - and I would like to point out that on the way to Harper's Ferry we crossed The Potomac River!  I had absolutely no idea we were going to do that!

Crossing the Potomac
See the bird?

"The Potomac River is famous for its deep ties to American history,  particularly with George Washington  (who lived on its banks and envisioned it as a trade route),  its role as the backdrop for the nation's capital,  and pivotal Civil War moments."
Everyone of us in the van were awestruck that we were crossing this historical river with a George Washington connection.  George Washington's connection to the Potomac River spanned his life from surveying it in his youth to managing his estate,  Mount Vernon,  along its banks.

Plus...didn't he throw a silver dollar clear across?  Well...okay...the legend that George Washington threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River is a myth;  if he threw anything at all  (like most boys would at least try),  he would have likely thrown a piece of slate or stone across the much narrower Rappahannock River near his childhood home.  The story,  popularized to highlight his strength,  is more than likely simply not true,  for the first U.S.  silver dollar was minted in 1794 when he was 62. 

But I wanted to include this famous piece of American lore...just because.  The story,  from what I read,  was popularized by Washington's adopted grandson,  George Washington Parke Custis,  as a display of his strength.  Just lore,  like wooden teeth and chopping down the cherry tree.

But we still crossed the Potomac!

Okay,  so we were quite aways away from Mount Vernon,  but it didn't matter to any of us.

Crossing the Potomac - not the same picture as above.  There are slight differences.
Okay,  so we were nowhere near George Washington's Mount Vernon,  but still... 

Harpers Ferry is located at the junction of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers,  which was a key area of interest for Washington's projects to improve navigation,  and,  from what I've read,  in 1785 he took the Potomac,  of which his Mount Vernon sits upon the banks,  to Harper's Ferry.

We didn't take the same route - we took Highway 15 instead.

Harpers Ferry,  West Virginia

"Filled with history,  natural beauty,  and plenty of Appalachian charm,  Harpers Ferry is a Mountain State gem."

The town of Harpers Ferry witnessed the arrival of the first successful American railroad,  John Brown's attack on slavery,  the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War,  and the education of former slaves.  Harpers Ferry was used by freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad.  African Americans fought with John Brown to end American slavery.  Colonel Tubman,  as Brown called Harriet Tubman,  helped to recruit and raise funds for the attack.

So much history here...and yet,  I don't think I've ever heard anyone ever say,  "Hey - let's take a vacation to Haper's Ferry!"  Including us.

Back around April 2006 we were in Gettysburg and a friend mentioned about going to Harper's Ferry,  which was not a long drive - an easy day trip.  I'm certainly glad we went,  for I honestly did not realize the history here.

Well,  here are three presidents who have visited  (two before they were president):
Thomas Jefferson

George Washington  (as mentioned earlier)

and Abraham Lincoln.

How about a few famous Americans who were not presidents:
Lewis & Clark

John Brown

Robert E.  Lee

Frederick Douglas

Stonewall Jackson

Now that's  American History!

And I'm happy to say that,  though I am not famous,  I was there,  too,  as were my wife and kids!

I took a number of  "town shots"  while there.

Some of the scenes in the movie,  Gods & Generals,  were filmed here in Harpers Ferry.

Do you see the Dry Goods store?

That's where we're headed next~

"Step through the doors of this exhibit and be taken back in time

to an 1860s store where you could buy anything from cloth and

hats to spices and household items."

Although Harpers Ferry was in a slave state,  whites and African-Americans,  slave and free,  patronized these stores together.

The merchandise shown in the pictures here includes typical items of the 1850's including fabrics,  decanters,  patent medicines,  writing implements,  hardware,  and general notions. 

As I've heard said at another historic general store:  "the Amazon.com of its time."

Then there's Jefferson Rock:

Thomas Jefferson stood on the rock on October 25th,  1783,  enjoying the view so much that he wrote about its beauty in his famous work,  'Notes on the State of Virginia.'   According to Jefferson,  the view alone was  “worth a voyage across the Atlantic."

Yes,  that is the Potomac River there.

The structure now known as John Brown’s Fort was erected in 1848.  It was in this building that John Brown and several of his followers barricaded themselves during the final hours of their ill-fated raid of October 16,  17,  and 18,  1859.  

On July 3, 1859,  Brown arrived in Harpers Ferry,  accompanied by his sons.  In the preceding months,  Brown raised money from other abolitionists and ordered weapons — pikes and guns — to be used in his war against slavery.  

John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was an ultimately failed effort by the abolitionist;  from October 16 to 18, 1859,  Brown tried to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states by taking over the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry,  Virginia.  His goal was to instigate a major slave rebellion in the South. 

The main reason John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry failed was because the armory that he attacked was surrounded by a regiment.  As a result,  he was easily discovered by the soldiers patrolling the area. He was arrested and later executed.

During the Civil War,  the John Brown Fort was used as a prison,  a powder magazine,  and perhaps a quartermaster supply house.  Union troops admired the fort as they passed while Confederate troops cursed it.  Many troops broke pieces of brick and wood off the fort as souvenirs.  It was the only Armory building to escape destruction during the Civil War.

Early in 1803,  Meriwether Lewis traveled to Harpers Ferry for supplies needed for his journey.  He relied on the U.S. Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry for guns and hardware - among other things - that would meet his unique requirements.  In addition to procuring supplies,  Lewis also attended to the construction of a collapsible iron boat frame.

Lewis had only expected to stay in Harpers Ferry for a week,  but instead

was forced to stay over a month as the boat frame was built. 

On April 20, 1803,  Lewis wrote President Jefferson:

“My detention at Harper's Ferry was unavoidable for one month,  a period much greater than could reasonably have been calculated on;  my greatest difficulty was the frame of the canoe,  which could not be completed without my personal attention to such portions of it as would enable the workmen to understand the design perfectly. -My Rifles, Tomahawks & knives are already in a state of forwardness that leaves me little doubt of their being in readiness in due time.”

By April 18,  1803,  when the boat frame was finished,  Lewis left Harpers Ferry for Lancaster and Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  Eleven weeks later,  on July 7,  Lewis returned to Harpers Ferry to pick up his supplies.  

Here is a representative listing of Meriwether Lewis's Harper's Ferry Acquisitions  (taken from a placard at the site):

1)  40 Fish Gigs with a single Barb point

2)  36 pipe tomahawks  "for Indian presents"

3)  24 pipe tomahawks

4)  24 large knives

5)  15 rifles

6)  15 powder horns and pouches

7)  15 pairs of bullet molds

8)  15 wiper or gun worms

9)  15 ball screws

10)  15 gun slings

11)  1 small grindstone

12)  1 collapsible iron frame boat

13)  Extra parts of locks

14)  Tools for repairing arms

On July 7,  Lewis returned to Harpers Ferry to pick up his supplies.  The following day he wrote President Jefferson:

"Yesterday, I shot my guns and examined the several articles which had been manufactured for me at this place; they appear to be well executed."

He secured a driver,  team,  and wagon to haul the supplies to Pittsburgh,  and Lewis finally left for the last time on July 8,  1803.

Thank you to Pearl & Bill Jones for convincing us to go to Harper's Ferry,  for this was quite an unexpected pleasurable stop while vacationing at Gettysburg.

Coming up in the not too distant future here on Passion For the Past I will highlight our adventures at the Antietam Battlefield in Sharpsburg,  Maryland.

Looking for America indeed!

Until next time,  see you in time.

Here is a listing of our other American History vacation visits:
You just read about Harper's Ferry,  West Virginia

Gettysburg

Antietam Battlefield - Coming Soon!

Colonial Williamsburg

Boston's Freedom Trail

Lexington & Concord

Concord Museum

Plimoth Patuxet

Pilgrim Hall Museum

Mayflower II

Then,  near where I live in Michigan,  let's go to Deaborn to the Henry Ford Museum to see American History there:

With Liberty & Justice For All

Revolutionary Greenfield Village

And we even have a bonafide battlefield here in Monroe,  Michigan!

River Rain Battlefield  (War of 1812)

I've gone to look for America......

..................................

America 250 - Detroit During the Revolutionary War

I've written on my birth city of Detroit multiple times.  What makes today's post different is I am focusing on Detroit during the Revolutionary War years.  Another Semiquincentennial commemoration~~~ 

~Hello Detroit!~
The  "Hollywood-style"  Detroit sign was installed along eastbound I-94 back in April 2024.
Though I know there are those who don't really care for it,  I still love the Detroit letter sign  ("Detroit Gateway Sign")  and I give a great big smile everytime I see it.

~~ . ~~

And before we get into the  "guts"  of this post,  a little background here on how Detroit celebrated the Revolutionary War and our Nation's 200th birthday back in 1976:

The Sunday Detroit News. 

It's the full paper,  so as I glanced through it, 

I took only a few snaps of the many articles packed inside:

The date - - so cool!

A look at how our President at the time celebrated.

An interesting article on the veterans of  '76!

If you recall,  I wrote a posting about this HERE

And here is a bit of a different take:

this shows how many radio stations were celebrating that day.

Now these were not the local top 40 or rock stations,  but,  rather,

the local news and information stations.

But,  in case you are interested, 

these are the US Top 10 singles for the week ending July 3rd/4th,  1976:

1  SILLY LOVE SONGS –•– Wings  (5 weeks at #1)

2  AFTERNOON DELIGHT –•– The Starland Vocal Band 

3  MISTY BLUE –•– Dorothy Moore 

4  SARA SMILE –•– Daryl Hall and John Oates 

5  SHOP AROUND –•– The Captain and Tennille 

6  MORE,  MORE,  MORE  (Part 1) –•– The Andrea True Connection 

7  GET UP AND BOOGIE  (That’s Right) –•– Silver Convention 

8  I’LL BE GOOD TO YOU –•– The Brothers Johnson 

9  KISS AND SAY GOODBYE –•– The Manhattans 

10  LOVE IS ALIVE –•– Gary Wright

And what albums were in the top ten? 

Here they are,  based on Billboard's weekly data for early July 1976:

1. Wings at the Speed of Sound – Wings

2. Frampton Comes Alive! – Peter Frampton

3. Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) – Eagles

4. Dreamboat Annie – Heart

5. A Night at the Opera – Queen

6. Misty Blue – Dorothy Moore (based on top songs of the week)

7. Run with the Pack – Bad Company

8. Presence – Led Zeppelin

9. Desire – Bob Dylan

10. Saddle Tramp – Charlie Daniels Band 

"Crowley's Department Store was one of Detroit's Big Three of downtown retailers and Hudson’s fiercest rival in the department store business.  Generations of Detroiters glided down its famous wooden escalator and suited themselves in the latest fashions."

And then---------

I found this to be very interesting.

Yes,  Detroit was settled already in 1776  (founded in 1701)  but had not played a major role in the Revolution.   However,  based on the spread of information from Philadelphia in July 1776,  it likely took several weeks for news of the Declaration of Independence to reach the British-controlled outpost of Detroit,  placing the arrival of the news around late July 1776.   As you shall soon read,  some very interesting occurences took place.

~~ . ~~

Fort Detroit,  originally Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit,  was a square structure with a palisade   (wooden stakes fixed in the ground,  forming an enclosure.  Kind of a heavy-duty type of fence or defensive wall)  with corner bastions  ("a projecting part of a fortification built at an angle to the line of a wall,  so as to allow defensive fire in several directions").  It housed a garrison,  fur traders,  and warehouses for provisions within its 25-foot tall log palisade walls.  The fort was located along the Detroit River at the gateway between Lake Erie and the three largest Great Lakes. 

This illustration by John Gelsavage depicts the fort in the 1700s.

Courtesy of Detroit Historical Society

Detroit was not directly involved in the American Revolution;  a fort,  it was a strategic stronghold for the British in North America,  housing American prisoners of war.  It also served,  as it had the French a generation earlier,  as an important staging area for Indian raiding parties.  Although the Indians had risen in revolt against the British in 1763,  a decade later they understood that an independent thirteen colonies disposed to aggressively settle western lands was far more of a threat to them.  Indeed,  the British government since 1763 had made significant efforts to limit white settlement and mollify tribal sentiment.

Henry Hamilton
"the hair buyer"~

During the war colonists felt particular animosity toward the British command at Detroit because of the activities of Henry Hamilton,  the city's lieutenant governor and military commander.  Hamilton not only supplied arms and ammunition for Indian raiding parties but also agreed to pay a bounty for scalps.  Kentuckians,  who were the particular victims of this policy,  labeled him  "the hair buyer"  and loathed him.  It seems to have mattered little that Hamilton did not actively encourage scalping,  and was in fact following orders from his commanders.  Other British officers in the region also implemented the same policy,  but Kentuckians characterized Hamilton as a war criminal.  George Rogers Clark,  a Kentucky militia officer,  eventually persuaded the Americans to undertake a daring plan to put an end to Hamilton's raiding parties by capturing various British outposts in the West.  After Clark won several initial victories,  Hamilton personally led an expedition from Detroit to stop the upstart Kentuckian.  The British expedition failed,  and in 1779 Clark captured Hamilton at Vincennes.  Hamilton spent the rest of the war as a prisoner in Williamsburg,  Virginia  (now known as Colonial Williamsburg),  while Clark's victory created a new military situation in the West.   According to Hamilton's own account,  a-waiting him in Williamsburg was  "a considerable Mob  (that had)  gather'd about us."   The governor of Williamsburg,  Patrick Henry  (yes,  the  'give me liberty or give me death'   Patrick Henry!)  ordered that Hamilton be shackled in the gaol  (jail).

As a result of Hamilton's defeat,  several of the Indian tribes'  loyalty to the British wavered.  The Odawa and Ojibwe announced their neutrality in the war.  The Wyandot,  camped near Detroit,  announced that they planned to seek a peace treaty with the Americans.  The British garrison in Detroit,  worried over losing their Indian allies and fearing attack by Clark,  decided to abandon the old French fort.  They built a new fortress on a hill located behind the town which they believed gave them superior military advantage.  The new bastion was named Fort Lernoult,  after Captain Richard Lernoult,  who had succeeded Hamilton as commander in Detroit.  It was designed to withstand an attack by an enemy equipped with cannon,  a concern that Cadillac,  who saw the fort's primary responsibility as resisting Indian warriors,  had not taken into consideration when he placed the original fort along the river.

In October of 1779,  Colonel Arent Schuyler de Peyster assumed command of Fort Detroit,  after Lernoult was sent to Niagra.  de Peyster continued the practice of sending raiding parties into Kentucky.  He and his wife took an active part in the social life of Detroit during their stay.  In dealing with the Indians,  he expressed his displeasure at their tactics and urged them to bring in more prisoners and less scalps.  During the coarse of the war,  over 500 prisoners,  including Daniel Boone,  were held at Detroit.
With the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown,  Virginia,  on October 19,  1781,  fighting on the east coast came to a halt.  The war in the west continued,  with skirmishes occurring throughout the Ohio Valley,  while peace talks were held in Paris. 
(The above italicized print came from David Lee Poremba's book called  "Detroit: A Motor City History,"  a fascinating and easy read that doesn't become over-wrought with minute political details to drag it down.  I highly recommend it for the reader who would rather choose something a bit lighter rather than a more deeper serious tome.)

Daniel Boone

Painted from life in 1820 

by Chester Harding

But we can speak a bit about Daniel Boone and his coming to Detroit during the Revolutionary War.  

At the time the war broke out,  Boone was living in Boonesborough,  a town he’d founded in Kentucky west of the Appalachian Mountains.  Relations between the white settlers and the Shawnee who lived in the area were tense,  with frequent skirmishes breaking out between the two.

When the American Revolution began, the Shawnee weren’t sympathetic to the settlers’ cause.  In 1778,  Boonesborough,  Kentucky,  lay under constant attack from Indian allies of the British.  Boone,  a captain in the local militia,  led the defense.  

On Feb. 7,  1778,  Shawnee warriors came across Boone and about 30 of his men,  who were away from their settlement to gather salt and food.  Boone quickly determined that he and his men would lose a fight against the Shawnee,  and he ordered his men to surrender as prisoners of war.

Daniel Boone was a prisoner in Detroit for a short period,  specifically from March 30th to April 10th.  The men were put into the hands of Governor Hamilton,  who,  to his credit,  treated them with kindness.  Boone himself declared that he was,  “treated by Governor Hamilton,  the British commander at that post,  with great humanity.”  Boone did not forget this kindness and afterwards,  when Hamilton was an execrated prisoner in the hands of the Americans,  Boone befriended him to the best of his ability.

The men who had been brought to Detroit in company with their captain were readily ransomed by the British,  but the Indians declined to dispose of Boone in the same manner.  The Governor offered one hundred pounds sterling—an extraordinary sum—for his release,  intending to liberate him on parole.  The offer must have been an extremely tempting one,  but the Shawnees resolutely refused it.  Boone had created a deep impression on their chiefs,  and it had been determined,  although the fact was not then announced,  to adopt him into the tribe.
Some of the officers at Detroit pressed gifts of money and various useful articles upon Boone,  but he declined them all,  saying that so far as he could foresee,  the opportunity to repay their proffered kindness would never occur and he could not allow himself to lie under a perpetual obligation to them.  Their good wishes he thankfully acknowledged,  and left them with feelings of respect and admiration for him.  In fact,  some of Boone’s men said that they heard Boone talking with Hamilton and believed he’d taken a loyalty oath to the British.
After this brief stay,  his captors took him to Ohio,  where he later escaped.  It was early in April that the Shawnees turned homeward with the prisoner upon whom they set so high a value.  Their satisfaction in the possession of him prompted them to guard him with the utmost care,  but he soon discovered that he had risen in their estimation and regard since the visit to Detroit.

Two make a long story short,  after a total of four months in captivity,  in June 1778,  when Boone learned the British and Shawnee were about to attack Boonesborough again,  he fled - escaped - and raced home.  However,  another man who had been captured along with Boone got there before him,  and told the settlers that he believed Boone had turned traitor against the American cause.  Boone was later brought up on charges of treason because some settlers believed Boone didn’t put up enough resistance against the Shawnee and the British.  Though he was found not guilty,  Daniel Boone was humiliated by the experience and rarely spoke of it.

Trading with the Adawa~

At the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783,  Detroit was part of the territory ceded to the United States by Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris.  However,  the British maintained a military presence and control of Fort Detroit for another 13 years,  until 1796,  for it was the Jay Treaty of 1795,  negotiated between the US and Britain,  that finally resolved the issue of British occupation of Fort Detroit. 

With the war ended,  more settlers and farmers began entering the frontier.  

It's also in David LeePoremba's book that I have found some contemporary descriptions of the citizens of Detroit as well as the surrounding land in an official report written by Captain Henry Hamilton on September 2,  1776,  that is most likely apt to be the same after the war.  Here are a few snippets from that letter: 
"The new settlers manage their farms to the last advantage."
"The river is plentifully stocked with fish."
"Hunting and fowling afford food to numbers who are nearly as lazy as the savage."
"The soil is so good that the most ignorant farmers raise good crops."
"There is no limit to the number of traders here."

And the group of citizens who made up this growing village were,  as Joseph Moore,  a Quaker visitor from Philadelphia,  quite diverse,  as seen in his remarks from 1793,  "The inhabitants of the town are as great a mixture,  I think,  as ever I knew in any one place.  English,  Scotts,  Irish,  Dutch  (German),  French,  Americans from different states,  with black and yellow,  and seldom clear of Indians of different tribes in the daytime."

As Poremba writes:  The town continued to be a center for commercial activity as the fur trade was still prospering.  Detroit was well supplied with taverns and stores where travelers could lodge,  quench their thirst,  and trade their goods.

There were coopers,  blacksmiths,  and,  as mentioned,  storekeepers and tavern keepers. 

Taverns were the pulse of 18th century urban life,  and their importance to the local community cannot be overstated.  The main difference from today to an 18th century tavern is that the colonial taverns were also usually a stage coach stop for travelers;  a patron could spend the night and eat breakfast,  dinner,  and supper,  should the need arise.  Taverns were also the main source of information for the locals.

Alice Morse Earle wrote in her 1901 book,  Stage Coach and Tavern Days:  "Though today somewhat shadowed by a formless reputation of being frequently applied to hostelries of vulgar resort and coarse fare & ways,  the word  "tavern"  is neverless a good one..."

These  "publick houses"  (or  'ordinaries,'  as they were also known)  have played an important part in social,  political,  and even military life,  though we see them taking more of a back seat in their role in our Nation's history.

Detroit's first known taverns appeared right around 1760. 

Typically,  a large house known by sign and reputation was opened to the public by its owner,  who,  as mentioned,  offered food,  drink,  and lodging for a fee.  The owner's family usually lived on the premises and worked the business.  The fact that taverns do not appear in the records until,  nearer the end of the 18th century,  should not lead to the assumption that Detroit did not have these  'publick houses.'  Detroit founder Antoine Cadillac summoned a brewer from Montreal soon after his arrival in 1701,  and wines were an important part of every cargo arriving on the frontier. 

But it was William Forsyth's tavern,  which opened in 1771,  that was the first on record.  It was located approximately at the southwest corner of today's Jefferson Avenue and Washington Boulevard.

No,  this is not William Forsth's tavern.  Nor is it a replication,  for there are no images of any kind of that very first known  'publick house'  in Detroit.  However,  we are inside a building - the only original-to-Michigan 18th century structure that still stands in the lower Peninsula.  And to give it som realism,  you'll note the men being served are of the military persuasion.

Detroit and Michigan played a large role in the forming of the United States.  We were a part of the French & Indian War,  the Revolutionary War,  and the War of 1812 - see links toward the bottom of this post.

It's here - America's 250th is finally here - and I've been looking forward to the commemorations and celebrations for quite a long time. 

Until next time,  see you in time.

Here is the Detroit sign all lit up on I-94 as we headed home late one evening from Greenfield Village - I absolutely LOVE this sign!
 Yes,  it's that same Detroit sign at the top of this post at night...all lit up.
Good night...

Much of the Daniel Boone information came directly - word for word - from THIS site.

For links to other posts that you may enjoy in connection with this one:
Colonial Michigan:  Mackinac,  Detroit,  and Monroe - There Are Stories to Tell  (click HERE)

The local War of 1812 - HERE

Colonial Detroit and the French & Indian War - HERE

  

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