Ask someone to list traditional summertime activities and they will probably mention picnics, family reunions, beach vacations, mountain getaways, and baseball games. Their list is likely to include going to the fair as well. The fair as a summer pastime is a long tradition and like many American traditions can be traced back to the … Continue reading Fredericksburg’s June Fair
Daily Life in the 1700s
Some Tax Myths… Busted!
Benjamin Franklin once wrote that “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” And with the deadline to pay the federal income tax only days away it would be difficult to disagree with the founding father. However in the 200 years since the American Revolution, a few popular misconceptions attach themselves to that universal truth. This blog … Continue reading Some Tax Myths… Busted!
Video: How to Play Whist
Colonial Americans often played cards for leisure and enjoyment and one of the most popular card games of the period was Whist. In this video we show you how to play this game. You can read a bit about the history of playing cards themselves here.
How Washington Relaxed: A Short History of Playing Cards
As modern people, we tend to assume the past is a foreign land where residents’ lives are alien to our own. Would the founding fathers balk at how we dither away our time? Or would they recognize that life without its moments of levity is foolish? Eighteenth century America was a time of growing leisure … Continue reading How Washington Relaxed: A Short History of Playing Cards
Lives & Legacies 