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One of the most disastrous tornadoes or hurricanes that has ever been experienced in New England occurred in Massachusetts along the Merrimac river; Saturday, August 14, 1773. It commenced its havoc a few rods above Deer island, and took its course up the northern bank of the stream.

Over a hundred years ago, there were no TV sets, stereos, or video games, but there were always people around ready to play games. Families were often large - parents & several children, as well as an aunt, uncle, or a grandparent or two, all living under one roof, so there were always people around who might be talked into playing a game. Children also played games at school, in town, and at work parties.\n

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 20th century has been well recognized as "The Steel City." However, in the 1800's it became a prosperous region for glass manufacturing. Names like Stiegel, Wistar, and Amelung are important names in the early development of glassmaking. But changes to the new method of shaping glass articles made the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania one of the longest and most flourishing glass centers in the country. Glass collectors know that some of the rarest and finest examples of glassmaking come from the Pittsburgh, Monongahela and Ohio districts.

In all great fish-markets, great fish-mongers strictly examine the gills - if the bright redness is exchanged for a low brown, they are stale; but when live fish are brought flouncing into market, you have only to select the kind most agreeable to your palate and the season.

The 3rd Annual Market at Washingtonburg was held at the US Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on September 10-12 this year. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, various demonstrations were held to reflect the the period when the Carlisle Barracks was known as Washingtonburg during the Revolutionary War. The Carlisle Barracks was established during the French and Indian War. There were demonstrations of French and Indian War field tactics, the use of an 18th century forge, and Revolutionary War tactics.

Cotton Mather thought that New England suffered as much as any other portion of the world from lightning, or, as he termed it, thunder, it being in his day generally supposed that thunder and not lightning caused the damage. Lightning had struck buildings, trees, animals and people from the time of the earliest settlement, but it does not appear to have caused very much damage in any one season until 1768. The scattered buildings and people had but slight chance of being injured by lightning on account of their small number and wide separation.

Sarah Kemble Knight, a third-generation American, was born in Boston. She was the daughter of Thomas Kemble, a Boston merchant, reportedly an agent of Cromwell in selling prisoners of war and Elizabeth Trerice. Prior to 1689 she married Captain Richard Knight, a shipmaster and a widower considerably her senior. The only record of their marriage is a document stating Richard Knight's intention to marry her in 1688.

This is not a work of fiction, as the scarcity of old American manuscripts may induce some to imagine; but it is a faithful copy from a diary in the author's own handwriting, compiled soon after her return home, as it appears, from notes recorded daily, while on the road. She was a resident of Boston, and a lady of uncommon literary attainments, as well as of great taste and strength of mind. She was called Madam Knight, out of respect to her character, according to a custom once common in New-England; but what was her family name the publishers have not been able to discover.

Visit to the Families of Friends at Burlington. Journey to Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Considerations on the State of Friends there, and the Exercise he was under in Travelling among those so generally concerned in keeping Slaves, with some Observations on this Subject. Epistle to Friends at New Garden and Crane Creek. Thoughts on the Neglect of a Religious Care in the Education of the Negroes.

New article on Colonial Sense on espalier trees; original (late 18th century) instructions, as well as modern ones...

New chapter added to "Journey to America," a journal by Heinrich Gudehus, published in 1828

New article at Colonial Sense on the upcoming Historic New England homes tour.

East Berlin, Pennsylvania held their Annual Christmas House Tour on December 12, 2010. A little bit of rain did not dampen the holiday spirits of the people who paid $12 to tour the homes, church, and buildings owned by the East Berlin Historical Preservation Society. East Berlin has its share of colonial home open to the public along with a Victorian Bed and Breakfast.

10 Questions for Gregory LeFever (Contributing Editor to Early American Life magazine, prolific writer, banjo player)

This drawing and those of figures 9 and 10 are from specifications, sketches, and photographs, now in the files of the division of transportation, U.S. National Museum, taken in 1925 by Paul E. Garber from a wagon then the property of Amos Gingrich, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This wagon is illustrated in John Omwake's Conestoga six-horse bell teams, 1750-1850, Cincinnati, 1930, pp. 57, 63, 87.

New feature! Interactive timeline, slice & dice events from 1492 to 1859 in a variety of ways. Not all data is in, though, so it may be of little use to you, depending on what you're looking for...

Journey back from Gettysburg. -Unusual night in Oxford. -Praiseworthy custom of sitting with the sick by neighbors. -Guarding of the dead at night. - Two German immigrants travel to Cincinnati. -Journey by way of Little York, -Seitsville, Susquehanna Bridge, -Columbia, -Mount Pleasant, -Lancaster. -Signs of the inns. -Long way in the dark. -Night quarters with Quakers. -Joumey over a high mountain. -Free accommodation by English planters. -Fertility of the mountain valleys. Journey in darkness through a thick forest. -Night quarters in a farmhouse. -Journey to Reading. -Many new German immigrants. -Journey to my home at the Moselem.

It takes a vision to preserve historic sites, towns, villages, like the Rockefellers of Williamsburg, or Electra Havermeyer Webb of Shelburne Museum, or the Flynts of Deerfield. Because of their vision, many towns have been saved from the eminent destruction of their existence.

Considerations on the Payment of a Tax laid for Carrying on the War against the Indians. Meetings of the Committee of the Yearly Meeting at Philadelphia. Some Notes on Thomas á Kempis and John Huss. The present Circumstances of Friends in Pennsylvania and New Jersey very Different from those of our Predecessors. The Drafting of the Militia in New Jersey to serve in the Army, with some Observations on the State of the Members of our Society at that time. Visit to Friends in Pennsylvania, accompanied by Benjamin Jones. Proceedings at the Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Meetings in Philadelphia, respecting those who keep Slaves.

Wedensday, Octobr 4th. About four in the morning, we set out for Kingston (for so was the Town called) with a french Docter in our company. Hee and ye Post put on very furiously, so that I could not keep up with them, only as now and then they'd stop till they see mee. This Rode was poorly furnished wth accommodations for Travellers, so that we were forced to ride 22 miles by the post's account, but neerer thirty by mine, before wee could bait so much as our Horses, wch I exceedingly complained of. But the post encourag'd mee, by saying wee should be well accommodated anon at mr. Devills, a few miles further. But I questioned whether we ought to go to the Devil to be helpt out of affliction. However, like the rest of Deluded souls that post to ye Infernal denn, Wee made all posible speed to this Devil's Habitation; where alliting, in full assurance of good accommodation, wee were going in. But meeting his two daughters, as I suposed twins, they so neerly resembled each other, both in features and habit, and look't as old as the Divel himselfe, and quite as Ugly, We desired entertainm't, but could hardly get a word out of 'um, till with our Importunity, telling them our necesity, &c. they call'd the old Sophister, who was as sparing of his words as his daughters had bin, and no, or none, was the reply's hee made us to our demands. Hee differed only in this from the old fellow in to'ther Country: hee let us depart. However, I thought it proper to warn poor Travailers to endeavour to Avoid falling into circumstances like ours, wch at our next Stage I sat down and did as followeth: