The Federal Procession of 1788
The Federal Procession of 1788 was a community parade. It was held on July 4th, 1788, in honor of the newly ratified US Constitution.
Constitution Day – The Day A Miracle Occurred on Philadelphia’s Chestnut Street
Sunday, September 17, 2023, is Constitution Day. It marks the two hundred and thirty-fifth anniversary of the final day of the U.S. Constitutional Convention—the day a miracle occurred on Philadelphia’s Chestnut Street. On this day a gathering of men set aside their...
18th-Century Style Shrub
18th-Century Style Shrub 4th July by Linda Lee Graham This 4th of July, party like a colonial. Drink shrub! Shrub? It's a blend of fruit, sugar, and vinegar, and it was a colonial favorite. It’s thought the word derives from the Arabic word meaning “drink.” Granted,...
Popular Pastime of the Past – Ice Skating
Ice skating was a popular pastime for Philadelphians in the 18th century. The easily accessible Delaware River often froze, as did the Schuylkill. And even if the rivers didn't, the neighborhood ponds invariably iced over. Early accounts claim the Delaware River was...
Single Malt with Rules!
Is He “Clapt or Poxed”?
Interpreting an eighteenth century reference to the pox can be confusing. There are a number of infections referred to as poxes, and all result in pockmarks that scar the victim. However, if the context hints at some sort of “sinful” activity, it is probably safe to...
Seven Steps to Folding Your Own Condom
An Eighteenth-Century Armour Known as redingotes d’Anglaise (English raincoats) by the French, and baudruches (French letters), armour, sheaths, and machines by the English, condoms were a booming trade in eighteenth-century London. No matter the dire warnings from...
Crossing the Atlantic
I booked airline tickets to Glasgow recently, from the comfort of my office chair, with the convenience of my charge card. No sooner had I clicked the 'book it' button, did I begin to dread the thought of the inconvenient delays at the airport, the long security...
The Industry
The cast of characters in Voices Beckon crossed the Atlantic in the winter of 1783-4, on a ship named the Industry. The ship itself was real enough. She sailed out of Bristol, England on November 7, 1783, destined for Philadelphia. She was a brig: a two-masted,...
Man Full of Trouble Tavern
by Linda Lee Graham The Man Full of Trouble Tavern is the only pre-Revolutionary tavern surviving in Philadelphia today. The Neighborhood Built in 1759 on the banks of the swampy, mosquito-infested Dock Creek, the Man Full of Trouble was a humble establishment. It...
David Graham
Voices Beckon begins with David Graham sailing to America in the winter of 1783. While I do know he served a six year apprenticeship for the Philadelphia firm Hall & Sellers beginning in 1784, I don’t know if he was a current resident of America at the time, or if...