Patriot's Week: Black Soldiers

The weather this week has been "seasonal," forcing the annual ball to be cancelled, and for Steve Thomas' talk about Black Soldiers and the many sides of the Revolution to be postponed to today.

Held inside the pop-up Visitor's Center, the former site of the New Jersey National Bank, we were nice and warm. The marbled lobby still retains the charm from its heyday.

Steve is the founder and president of Living History Co. Though only 32-years old, he already has over two decades of experience as a living historian. He kept encouraging to participate in his presentation -- asking a bunch of white, older people to do more than simply nod as he asked us questions. As one woman said, "this is hard for us introverts." We warmed up and left him with questions he said would be leading him down internet rabbit holes for days -- not that he was complaining!

Steve is also a member of the First Rhode Island Infantry, something he fell into before learning four or five years ago about an ancestor who was the drummer with this organization. Small world!

Back in the Revolutionary War era, Rhode Island had a large slave population. Their official name was the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, it was not changed to the State of Rhode Island until the voters on it in November 2020. I wonder if someone was bored during the COVID era and stumbled upon that fact and decided it needed to be changed in an effort to have a feel-good story. According to news stories, as of last year they were still working to change the wording to State of Rhode Island.

It is easy to go down rabbit holes.

Slave holder George Washington was not interested in allowing Negroes to be in
the army. On the other hand, they needed people to fight. The plantation owners were told by the Continental Army they could either send their enslaved men to fight (and collect their pension and pay), or sell their slave for two hundred pounds, or the militia will simply take them and offer the pension directly to the slave. 

Steve covered how Massachusetts and Virginia each handled the same situation. Meanwhile, the British suggested the Blacks should be fighting in the war and offered them freedom if they lived to the end. In Britain, though, when you signed up to be in the army it was for life.

Black men often became musicians with the army because they were not trusted with guns. They did carry swords, but often had to kit themselves.

I learned about the Battle of Great Bridge, which only lasted an hour but during that time many casualties. The soldiers were unprepared. They were not dressed in uniforms, or trained. Really they had no business being in a battle. Their next of kin did not receive a pension.

Where Steve's talk excelled was when he told us about the history of the fife and a couple of great musicians. The first, was Skippy O'Brown, who turned out to be Steve Thomas' relative. Skippy was born free, with the option to hold land and still signed up to fight. Rumor has it this man with a Native American mother and Black father was chasing a girl. He was captured by the British and enslaved. Then captured by the Americans and freed. 

The second musician was Barzillai Lew, a noted flutist of the era, and another freed Black man who volunteered to be a fifer.

Steve brought his collection of fifes and played tunes for us. The D Fife has the highest pitch. It really bounced off the marble in the visitor's center. This was favored by the Spanish, French, and Portuguese troops. 

The British used the C fife, which is bottom tuned. 

In the early 1800s, the B-flat Fife comes about. This is what they erroneously use in Williamsburg, but did not exist during the Revolutionary War era. It is the most pleasing to our ears. 

I was told to look up Otha Turner, a famous Blues fifer born in 1908. He made his own fifes out reeds, using a style that dates back to the Plantation era. 

Steve believes all music should be translated into fife music, and played tunes from different eras to prove his point.

I hope our paths cross again. There is a lot more he could teach me.

Travel Game Changers

Don and I have made it an active goal to travel more for the next few years. This year we discovered a few travel game changers. Some positive, some negative, some neutral.

1) My favorite new trick is being able to use my phone's camera to instantly translate. I tested this out in a store in Ghent, Belgium and was stunned to see how effortlessly it translated a sign about their used equipment policy.

2) More mass transit is using the tap and pay system. Rather than forcing you to buy a separate card and put money on it, you use your regular credit card to pay for each ride. This reduces the need to buy a separate card, put money on the card, and leave money behind when you leave the country. We were happy when NJPATH made the switch, and thrilled when we could use it overseas. We saw this in Canberra, Australia.

3) Google Maps. This one has been around for a couple of years, it really helps when trying to figure out the best path on mass transit. I still can't believe all the bus and train routs are searchable that quickly! That said, I found the local transit app is better than Google Maps when the trainline I wanted to take was closed unexpectedly in Belgium.

4) Google Flights: There is an option to "find cheap flights from anywhere in the United States." I found a flight for under $1,000 RT to Sydney this way.

5) A negative one is airline clamping down on who can bring carryon bags with them. Flights are filling up again, meaning overhead bin space is, too. Our last flight capped the carryon at 10 kilos (22 pounds), which was fine, but then they added in the weight of our personal item and I like to travel with a couple of books. Fortunately they were not charging for gate checking, and the bags arrived with us. Some are as low as 7 kilos (15 pounds). My carryon empty (with attached wheels) is a few pounds.

6) TSA Precheck, Global Entry, and NEXUS. I'm on the fence with these. TSA Precheck is not always available, and more people have it. Our trips to Canada since getting NEXUS have had very short lines for entry, or no special NEXUS lane, so it hasn't saved us much. Similar with Global Entry. All has to do with timing. 

Drop any travel advice in the comments or send me a message.

Petty's Run Tour

Petty's Run is a creek located between the New Jersey State House and the Old Barracks in Trenton. The creek, now hidden beneath streets in a muddy culvert, was the center of the capital's industrial history. 

From 2008 to 2013, Hunter Research
conducted an urban archaeological study of the area using some paid staff, and a bunch of college students. Today Richard Hunter, owner of Hunter Research, gave us a brief tour of the site as part of Patriot's Week. As it was drizzling through most of the tour, and he kept getting interrupted by questions it was not the best presentation. I did leave with a better understanding of what I was seeing. Hunter said he has given this tour during past Patriot's Weeks, which hopefully means he will give it again on a drier, warmer day in 2026. His offices are located across the street.

In the mid 18th century, the creek powered a plating mill steel furnace (a plating mill means the furnace was water-powered). They were lucky to build it prior to 1750 because after that, England (yes, we were still under The Crown's control) decreed no new steel mills could be built. As this one was already finished, it was allowed to continue operating. At the time there were only five in operation, and this is the only one that has been found.

Fast forward to the early 19th century, cotton and paper were the industries. Their mills were located on the other side of the creek. After the culvert was capped in the late 19th century, it was row homes. What we see now are the walls from the row homes, some of which were original steel mill walls.

The fence is surrounded by six interpretive signs. Now that I have a basic foundation, I plan to return on a warm day and read the signs. I feel like I've spent more time down here this year than in past years.

I spy Don (in orange) and me (in blue).
Photo from the Patriot's Week FB page.

Falconry in Village Park

I took a snowy stroll through my local park when I noticed a woman under the giant pine trees with a large bird on her arm. She was hanging out with two friends. From about 20 feet away I admired her bird and asked if I could take a picture. She offered to come closer and let me meet Halsey, a red-tailed hawk she has been raising.

I did not get Halsey's owner's name. She said she has been studying falconry for nine years, and is a master falconer. Her friend is two, or else she said she has had Halsey for two years. Halsey was very well behaved and absolutely beautiful. She is also very chatty.

Talking to her I had flashbacks to when we would take Sandy Claws Dragon out in public. People would be surprised that we had a dragon with us. At first they would look a bit horrified or scared, but after a few minutes I could see their hearts melting. 

I'm glad Halsey gets to leave her cage and stretch her wings.

Resolutions

As the year draws to an end I think about my resolutions. How did I do with this year's resolutions?

Some were easy because they were already in place. I'm thinking of my goal to take a photography class and to become a theater reviewer. Others were holdouts from the past, such as redoing some albums to make them smaller, have not happened because who wants to redo work?

The roller skating goal took a hard thud when I fell. I didn't break anything, but it was enough to show me I could have really hurt myself.

I did really well with my anti-goal (not spending time in Red States). Yes, the year was as bad if not worse than I expected on the political scene. I just started reading Kamala Harris's book called 107 Days and wish we could have had a different outcome. I still doubt he won fair and square, but he is in office and I keep protesting until the outlook improves.

I'm still mulling over the 2026 goals/resolutions. Writing a book should be on it, and actually happen.

Will post my plans in a few days. In the meantime, I am accepting suggestions.

Small Protest

As the year draws to a close I realize I have attended more protests this year than in all previous years combined. As Nicaragua is bombed, Venezuelan ships are destroyed, and ICE continues to capture people without due process, the need to protest is not going away. The last large protest was in October (No Kings Day). 

Tanager, a new friend, told me her mother protests on the West Coast with her singing group. It was the nudge I needed to stand on a street corner in Hopewell, NJ with like-minded people and remind the passing drivers the need is still strong.

I've marked my calendar for every Saturday afternoon from 1-3. Standing on the corners of Broad and Greenwood in Hopwell, NJ commiserating with people old enough to remember the protests of the 1960s. One, Doug, said he has only missed one date since this began. Helps to know I won't be alone, but even if I am -- one is better than none.

May a year from now we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Perfect Fit

When Ashley was a baby I was given this set of napkin rings. 

Winnie the Pooh.

Tigger.

Eeyore.

Piglet.

Don has always loved tigers, so he was Tigger.

I've always loved Eeyore.

I thought of Ashley as our Piglet.

That left Pooh unclaimed.

On Christmas Eve as Anna chose a Tigger mug to use, I asked her which is her favorite character from Winnie the Pooh. I purposely left if open. I did not prompt.

When she answered Pooh it was the same feeling as when the glass slipper fits on Cinderella's dainty foot. 

Perfect.

Now I need some cloth napkins so we can use these.

Touring Revolutionary Churches in Trenton

Once again, the weather turned cold just as Patriot's Week 2025 started. Patriot's Week celebrates the Ten Crucial Days in the Revolutionary War when the tide changed from the Patriot's losing in December 1775 to being on the winning side. After General Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River on their Durham boats on Christmas Eve, they regrouped up hill from the Hessians in what is today marked by the Battle Monument. They moved their men, horses, and cannons to beat the Hessians. Huzzah!

I'm not sure when Patriot's Week began with a scheduled of events ranging from puppet shows, to walking tours, to a special Planetarium show, to walking tours, and more, but we started participating in 2008 by attending the Colonial Ball. Each year I eye up the list, make plans, and stay home because it is just too cold, or other plans take its place.

The day after Christmas with a storm in the forecast for 4 pm, I braved the bitter cold for a walking tour that would take us in three historic Trenton churches: Trenton Meeting of Friends, First Presbyterian Church of Trenton, and St. Michael's Church. The appeal of this tour was that we would spend part of the time inside. I didn't realize until too late that only two of the churches are currently heated.

Last month I went on a Ten Crucial Days walking tour, which is basically the tour offered during Patriot's Week but when the weather is a little warmer. During the tour I was told if I ever had the chance to go inside St. Michael's I should. Today's walk promised such an opportunity.

I've lived in the area nearly 40 years, since 1988. It is only recently that I've spent much time in the city. I tend to drive to a place. Park. Go inside. Leave. Go home. I don't have a map in my head of how places are connected. With Downtown Fit runs, and Trenton Walks that is changing. 

I took 13 pages of notes during our three hour walk, plus took pictures. As usual, I missed the start.

Trenton Meeting of Friends

In 1739 the Quaker Meeting House was a square building. The oldest picture they have dates back to 1860, after an 1841 addition made it modern for the day. It is the oldest standing church in Trenton. Our guide pointed out the additions. The galleries were added. In the 1840's the outside was changed to plaster and brick to make it look more finished. The 1860's added a "meeting parlor" gallery. In 1876 the entry hall was added, as well as an apse. In 1896 the open area next to the sanctuary was added. With each addition came a basement. The original square space only has a crawl space beneath it. 

Harry, our tour leader, in an effort to rein in the 19th century history lesson asked about the history of the church during the Revolutionary War. 

Quakers were (and are) against war. They do not believe in killing people.
Founded by George Fox in England in the 1660s during an era when there were revolutions taking place in England, Quakers decided to not take sides during wars. At first that was easy to do in this country as the wars were between England and France, or England and the Native Americans, then came the 1770s. 

There was the option of paying someone to take your place to fight, but that still went against the beliefs of the Quakers. John Pemberton wrote a letter in Philadelphia on December 20, 1775 (six days before the battle of Trenton) lecturing everyone to not fight. They were urged to block their doors and make the Hessians and Patriot troops break them down in order to come in. Eventually they left the doors unlocked. The church was used by both sides (at different times) as a place to board.

Outside we saw George Clymer's grave. George was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was not a Quaker, but he was married to one. Mary was disowned by the Quakers because she married someone outside the faith, even though his mother was a Quaker (also disowned for marrying outside the faith). They moved across the river to Morrisville, PA. After he died, his son (George Jr.) wanted him buried at the meeting house.

We walked to the former site of the First Presbyterian Church of Trenton, from the back entrance.

First Presbyterian Church of Trenton

The first building was erected in 1626 (before the Quaker Meeting House) as a small log church. From 1805-1839 they worshipped in their second church. The current building came about in the 1830s. In 2022 the congregation moved out of the church and started worshipping in two houses behind the white steepled building. The physical church has been turned into a non-profit so they can apply for (and receive) public funding. They have raised $3.5 million from NJ Trust, $250,000 from National Parks (for the cemetery), and other grants. The hope is to restore the building and use it as a public space. 

We saw a copy of their 1759 charter. The original, on animal hide, is located in Philadelphia.

I was surprised to learn many of the early church leaders were affiliated with Princeton. Today the towns are about a twenty minute apart (a twelve-mile drive). In an era using horses, it must have been longer. 

The 1839 church is built on top of the cemetery. Things don't really change. Our church recently built an addition on top of their 200-year old cemetery. Space is limited.

Up until 1900 (or so), people paid to have their seat in the sanctuary. Their names appeared on their pew. Their peak membership was around 1890 when they had 700 members in a sanctuary that fit 500 people. What a good problem to have!

In 1973 the organ was replaced. The congregation was still active at that time.

Back outside we had a brief cemetery tour. The temperature had already dropped.

Many of the early pastors are buried here, including Elahu Spencer and David Cowell. Four out of Trenton's first five mayors were members of this church, including Charles Ewing  and Aaron Woodruff.

Hessian Commander Col. Johann Gottlieb Rall has a modern memorial here. At the time, they were protected by being buried in unmarked graves. 

Rev. John  Rosbrugh was the first pastor to be killed in the Revolutionary War at the Second Battle of Trenton. He lived in Allentown, NJ. He was bayonetted walking back to the barracks from the Blazing Star Tavern when his horse disappeared. 

Presbyterians disputed with the British since the Reformation. They came here to get away from them. They were in favor of spiritual freedom. They were active in the forming of our new government.

The wrought iron fence out front was installed in 1866 and was seen by President Abraham Lincoln. Our tour including the following presidential name drops: Washington, Adams, Van Buren, and then Lincoln. If those walls could talk!

St. Michael's Church

During the Revolutionary War, this was the largest building in Trenton. Snipers hid in upper windows, attacking the Hessians.  Being able to shoot at long distances, the rifles were effective, but they took a long time to reload. Each sniper had two people reloading as he took a shot. 

As with the other churches, we heard about the storied history, and saw some cool artifacts. In the office are two paintings that once hung at Joseph Bonapart's home, Joseph's brother was Napoleon. Joseph's daughter is buried in the cemetery. Also buried here is David Brearley, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and an early clerk of session (a role now held by a prominent Black Lawrencian, Fred Vereen). 

In the sanctuary three flags fly: the Union Jack, the Betsy Ross 13-star flag, and the current United States flag all factor into the history of St. Michael's. The organ is played by Clipper Erickson, a world-class organist. They also have a Tiffany window that photographs brighter than it looks in person. The website has a history of all of the windows. During the Revolution, these windows would have been as plain as the ones still in the Quaker Meeting House.

During the Revolutionary War the church shut its doors due to the divisiveness of the congregation over being Loyalists vs. Patriots. Rather than taking sides, the church closed on July 7, 1776. During the war, the building was occupied by the Hessians. Later it was a hospital where inoculations against Small Pox took place. They did not reopen until 1783, after the war ended. 

Today they have twelve. Due to the lack of heat, they have been meeting in the chapel with a space heater. They expect to be returning to the sanctuary once it is warmer.

I was fascinated to learn David Brearley. The Brearley House, which was built by his father and uncle, is the most historic house in Lawrenceville. Don and I have participated in their fundraising race the past two Junes. Brearley was known as the great "conciliar" because he was able to get people to come together and agree. We could use more of his type of personality these days. He is instrumental in getting the delegates from the Constitutional Convention to agree. The men were meeting to hammer out the details of how our new nation would run. How long would people serve? The idea of having one chamber based on population (instead of based on income) and the other to have two representatives for each state stems from these debates. The other representatives were ready to scrap it all and go home, but he got them to sit for extra meetings each night for nearly a week. Without him, we likely would have been thirteen different countries making different treaties, having different currencies, and having different laws instead of being one united country.

In 1801 the Episcopal Church of America was founded in this church when they held their national convention. There is an early book of common prayer dating back to the 1740s with handwritten notes with changes pinned inside, especially anything relating to the King of England. Many of the original church documents can be found on the website for the Philadelphia Congregations. The first American Book of Common Prayer was published in 1790, the same year David Brearley passed away at the age of 45.

We took a sneak peak into their basement where several people are buried. 

As the tour ended at 4, the first snowflakes began to fall. The timing was perfect. 

Christmas Letter

If you are reading this, chances are you received our annual Christmas card with the link. If this is your first time reading our blog, welcome! I started the blog in 2010 after Don and I grew tired of spending November writing an beloved annual family newsletter also called The Pillsbury Press. The first posts were stories we included in our last edition.

Fifteen years later, the writing thrives. The readership is low. Most stories are only read by a dozen people, which if fine. It further justifies why we don't spend a month writing a newsletter. The chronically of our lives is mostly for me, but I do like to share our news with everyone. 

You didn't type the URL in for a history lesson, so here is the 2025 news that did not get printed on the Christmas card:

Don

Don continues to work at REI. He calls it his retirement gig, but this time of year he works nearly every day, except the days we have other plans. His manager is excellent at not scheduling him when we have plans.

Don is part of the Tech Team at church that provides the livestream of each worship service. They have enough men on the team that he usually only has one worship service a month.

Don went to Omaha, Nebraska with his friend C for the annual Berkshire Hathaway stockholders meeting. He went on a long bike ride in Cape May with Gordon, Jeff, and a couple of their friends.

His other big news is he decided to grow a beard this year. It changes his look.

Don does commute to work by bicycle. Unlike past commutes, this one is barely five miles, half of which is on the D&R canal, and other parts are on the Johnson Trolley Line. 

Jacquie

I spent much of 2025 getting dirty. I've met a great group of people who dig at Newlin Grist Mill each Wednesday. Unlike other sites, this one does not have a hard deadline. We are exploring the hidden history of the site. We started 2025 with a mini archaeology school, which I did not appreciate until it was over. In the fall I learned about another dig site meeting Fridays and Saturdays at Fort Mifflin. They are on hiatus until March, but hope to continue longer in 2026. Both sites helped keep me in shape.

I also volunteer with Alliance Française as their newsletter writer. Reviewing plays for NJ ACT also counts as volunteer work. Volunteers don't get paid, so we might as well have fun with it.

I attended a lot of protests, as I'm sure many of you reading this did this year. It is exhausting to think how much work is ahead of us to recover our place on the global stage. I've temporarily lost steam in my fight. Fortunately others are stepping up.

I did minimal freelance work last year. Franky, I would like more. If you have any writing or editing leads, please share them. My blog is a place for writing samples.

I enjoyed catching up with friends in person and online. I'm always up for a chat.

Ashley

Ashley is the assistant technical director at Passage Theater. Yes, you can go to college for a degree in theater and get a job after you graduate. She loves it, unfortunately it is part time and she has picked up other side gigs. She has exciting news happening in January, but past experience has shown it is not a good idea to write about the future. The three times we did, they did not happen. 1) Rebecca's engagement to Mike; 2) said we would go to an annual holiday party only to come down with the flu; and 3) announcing Ashley was going to Lehigh before we saw the non-existent financial package. Rather than jinx this news, we wait.

In April she moved into a studio apartment with her girlfriend, Anna. Two months later they moved into a one-bedroom apartment, along with Anna's cat, Fred. 

Anna is a French teacher at a local high school.

Anna and Ashley squeezed in a trip to Montreal together. 

Travels

Traveling, then writing about it and putting together albums has kept me busy this year. Due to the national instability, my travels were to countries where I felt safe. Cocooned. I hope to spread out in 2026.

January: Don and I went to Vancouver, which they call the Bahamas of Canada. I will agree it was warmer there than it was in New Jersey that week. 

February: day trips to New York City and Washington, DC.

March: stayed home. More local trips.

April: I went to Belgium for two weeks.

May: Don went to Omaha, Nebraska.

June: Perth, Ontario for the Kilt 5-mile race.

July: Newfoundland, Canada to see Come from Away in Gander.

August: Exploring Trenton, NJ through Trenton Walks and Downtown Fit.

September: Ohio to see family and friends.

October: a visit from my family's exchange student (Susanne) and her family.

November: Overnight to Smiths Falls, ON, Canada where we saw the Northern Lights.

December: Return to Belgium, this time on the Flemish side.

Pets:

The newsletter often includes updates about our pets. Lucy is now 12, and Mimi is 6. After nearly six years living in the same house, they still don't get along. Lucy spends her days upstairs, coming downstairs only to use the littler box (thank goodness for that). Mimi spends all day downstairs. Every so often I catch them both in the same room and I take a picture for proof. Mimi has become more affectionate, often cuddling on me when I nap. Lucy still demands attention from Don, and mostly ignores me.

Miscellaneous:

In between have been many, many shows at all levels, including three in Canada. I estimate I see at least 50 shows a year. I became a theater reviewer for NJ ACT, which helps fuel my love of theater. Don and I have taken day trips to New York City, Washington, DC, and Connecticut. We try to squeeze in fun between his work shifts.

Don and I took a refresher hula hooping class. Don't laugh...it is an amazing work out!  

I continue to run, though I logged less miles than in past years. Don and Ashley work out at Planet Fitness. I'm thinking about joining, too, because they have been having good experiences and I need to work on my arm strength before digging starts up again!

We ate a lot of ice cream. I ate ice cream in four countries, but my favorite is still the bent spoon in Princeton. A close second was the violet ice cream I had in Liege, Belgium from an ice cream truck.

Two of my favorite doctors have announced their retirements. There will be healthcare changes in 2026. Thank goodness Don works enough at REI to qualify for family health insurance.

In conclusion:

We had just returned from Belgium when it was time to write our annual Christmas letter and I couldn't figure out how to concisely say all this without slighting anyone or any major experience. If you made it this far, drop us a line telling us about how 2025 treated you -- the good, the bad, the ugly. We are here for you. Drop a message in the comments, or send us a text or email, or *gasp* call.

Fesitvus

I blogged about Festivus, the Seinfeld made up holiday "for the rest of us" in 2014. I'm glad this blog has a good search feature because I thought I had written posts in other years, too.

So much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same in the past years. It hurt my heart a little as I read about my past grievances with those near death. They have since died. Carin. Andy. And others who were not on the 2014 list. They have not been forgotten.

Thankfully my dad survived surgery in 2014, but was recently in the hospital with the flu (despite getting a flu shot) and is celebrating Christmas in a rehab center as he regains his strength. The family Christmas celebration has been postponed a week and a half to help him gain strength. 

The family member who blew me off at church now replies to my text messages. She moved away so we don't casually bump into each other any more. It still hurts that Ashley grew up with "my" family and "dad's" family. Or rather, mostly just "my" side. It hurts that Don still refers to them as "your" family, until I caught myself saying we got a card from "your" cousins. After three decades they should all be "our."

This year's grievances are against the polarized political system. Not just in the United States, but around the globe. People I once thought of as intelligent who voted for him (or, possibly even worse, smugly voted for neither thus believing they are not responsible for this mess), then think I unfriend them on Facebook due to "politics" when it is because I don't want to lose any more respect for them. He told us he would destroy our nation, and he is. He could have played golf every weekend and taken credit for what President Biden put in place, and we'd be in a much better place. US AID would exist. Scientific research would continue. Tourism would thrive. Non-US citizens would be able to continue to be on the path towards citizenship. Legally. Health insurance would not be skyrocketing. It hurts when I think about how much damage he continues to do every day. It hurts when I think about the checks and balances put in place to stop someone like him snapped. I do see hope, or else I would not be able to get out of bed every day.

I hope your grievances are few and fixable in the New Year.

Sitting Where George Washington Slept

The Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, PA brought the first Oval Office to Lawrenceville, NJ this weekend. As part of their Oval Office Project, the museum brings a replica of the oval-shaped tent General Washington used during the Revolutionary War to meet with his most trusted colleagues. It is referred to as the original oval office. The original is on display in Philadelphia. Realizing they wanted to share it with a larger audience, from 2013-2015 the museum teamed up with Colonial tradesmen to create a replica tent. This took place before they opened their doors to the public in 2017.

Looking at their schedule, they seem to spend one weekend a month with a team of reenactors. About six months ago, Paul, with the Lawrence Historical Society, announced this event would take place. At the time it seemed so far in the future. Suddenly the day was here! The December day was brisk with four to six inches of snow in the forecast for the next day. The reenactors were divided on their feelings of taking really cool pictures of the tents covered in snow versus getting it home and dry on schedule. I'm sure they opted to take it down Saturday after the last of the visitors left.

The reenactors were all top notch. I spoke with the woman in charge of programming at the museum. I did not want to break character and learn her 21st century personality, as learning she has a modern job was at odds with the Colonial attire she was wearing. She was mesmerizing to listen to as she and another person were adjusting the tent poles. She said they keep it real at these events.

The man inside the oval office tent showed how there is a smaller tent inside the main one, thus allowing the general's slave, William Lee, to be near, but to be able to keep working while Washington met with his team. It was surprisingly cozy inside the inner section. Washington's bed was inside another inner section. Closing off the bedchamber would have kept him snug. At 6'2", though, he would not have been able to stretch out on his bed.

Another docent told us there are three levels of mattresses. Can we guess what they are made out of? Each layer gives a different level of firmness. The levels are: hay, horsehair, and feathers. His monogrammed pillowcases were filled with feather pillows. No question was deemed wrong to answer by any of the people working the event. Perhaps on the drive home they laughed about the strangest question, just as Fort Mifflin volunteers can't believe how often they are asked why their historic site was built so close to the airport.

Much to my surprise, I was encouraged to sit on the bed to feel how comfortable it was. I can honestly say I sat where "Washington" once slept. 

Photo credit to Laurie K.

Several smaller tents were brought with the large oval one. Inside one of the smaller tents were clothes you could dress up in to pretend to be a soldier. I was given the impression they were child-sized. 

If you are interested, keep an eye out on their schedule. With the sesquicentennial taking place next year, they anticipate having a lot more activities. Being able to step inside the tent made history come to life.

Philadelphia Holiday Traditions

Before cell phones made connecting with people easy, Philadelphians would say to each other "meet me at the eagle," the eagle being the one located in the center court inside the Wanamaker Building on Market Street in Center City. 

Dedicated by President Taft in 1911 when it opened, Wanamaker was THE department store in Philadelphia. In addition to the statue of the eagle, the iconic building boasted the Grand Court Organ featuring 27,850 pipes, making it second only behind the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ in Atlantic City, NJ (33,112 pipes), and nearly three times the size of the one in the Sydney Opera House (10,888). Sydney's claim to fame is it is the largest mechanical key action organ (way to try to claim a largest status).

Since the 1950s, Wanamaker has hosted a Christmas show throughout the holidays as a way to attract the returning WWII soldiers and their young families. It began with a fountain and light show. In the 1960s the light show we know began to evolve with the March of the Toys song. It was hosted by a local newscaster.

In 1998 the soundtrack became digital. A couple of years later the fountains were finally drained and a new computerized system was installed. his is about the time Don took me to it. I can't believe we never even thought to take Ashley to see the show. Decembers were too busy.

In 2007 Wanamaker was purchased by Macy's. They upgrade the light show to LED. A couple of years later Julie Andrews becomes the narrator, as she still was this year.

The updates on the Wanamaker Organ friend's site ends with 2022. Earlier this year, Macy's closed the location. Many wondered "what happens to the eagle?" "what about the light show that has been a tradition for decades?"

As Macy's was closing, Uncle Bob passed away. Uncle Bob loved old department stores. I always thought of him as more of a New York City fan since there was a bus stop a few houses away that would have whisked him into Manhattan in about 40 minutes. I learned at his funeral he had a soft spot for Wanamaker's in Philadelphia, and its eagle. When I heard the light show was returning for one more year, I told Don we need to see it live again.

This year I learned there is a second part to the light show: Dickens Village. The village is a collection of animatronic statues set in scenes based on the 1843 novel, "A Christmas Carol." It has been a Philadelphia tradition since 1956, perhaps making me the last person in the area to learn about it. The statues are completely dated by today's standards, but, as Don reminded me, these pre-date anything Walt Disney created, including "It's a Small World" and "Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln," both of which debuted at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City.

As we walked through the display I heard a woman say "don't forget the kitty." She said they've been visiting this display for decades. To make it more interesting they look for obscure items and take pictures of them. Ah...the joy of cell phone cameras helping to turn the ordinary into a treasure hunt.

Personally, I reminisced about the year Ashley played Ebenezer Scrooge in her school's version of "A Christmas Carol." I could picture her face in place of the statue.

This year they required advanced reservations to walk through the Village. I feel this heightened the excitement, it certainly got us to make a commitment and go even though it was freezing outside. The light show was still accessible without a reservation, but they might ask you to wait for the next show if the space was too crowded. We made our reservation while in Belgium for the day after we returned. It turns out that is one of the few days Don is not working at REI between now and Christmas. Reservations become available at 5 pm five days in advance. I wanted a late time since I knew we would be jetlagged and busy. As a bonus, the organ puts on a 40-minute live concert six days a week following the 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm light shows. We wanted to time our visit to hear the 4:45 performance. We timed it just right. We were allowed in to the Dickens Village early, and because we had tickets for that, we could stand and watch the light show from the third floor balcony.

Standing next to us was a young mother who was introducing her 3-year old daughter to the show. I could tell she has fond memories of her parents taking her to the show. Her parents were tending to her infant during the light show. Her little girl wasn't quite as interested, but that wasn't the point. The tradition had been passed down. Will the little girl grow up and take her children to the show? Will the show still exist? How will it change? How will technology change?

Don and I walked around the indoor holiday market and posed (like most everyone else) for a selfie next to the eagle. On our way in and back out to the car, we walked through the outdoor market near City Hall. After spending a week looking at Christmas Markets in four different cities, we felt like experts. I saw two booths selling scarves similar to the one I bought for ten euros ($12) for $25-$32. I also saw alpaca socks. I did not see the cut record guy I usually see in Philadelphia, but this year saw in Bruges and Antwerp. Until I saw him overseas, I thought he was a unique seller. Turns out, there are very few unique booths. This market differed in the wide variety of Philadelphia merchandise. I wish the same had been true in the other cities! Philadelphia had less food merchants than the ones in Europe.

The newly christened Wanamaker Building will be closed for two years as they transform the interior. There is talk of keeping the ground floor retail and adding apartments on the upper levels. We'll see what happens. The plan is for Dickens Village and the light show to return at that time, but plans don't always work out, which is why I wanted to see it one last time.

More pictures:

View from the third floor

The organ hidden behind the light show

This feels a bit dated

The organist plays from the side on the second floor

Getting ready for the 5:30 pm show

My photography teacher taught
me the cool way to photograph
a carousel using the live feature

Jeni's! Grateful it was quiet and we could
eat inside on the bitterly cold night