New World sites of interest to SCA folks.
NOTE: See also the files: England-msg, Europe-msg, Africa-msg, Iceland-msg, maize-msg, turkeys-msg, peppers-msg.
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NOTICE -
This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
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Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 16:31:53 EDT
From: Weaver8002 at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - OT - STIRBRIDGE VILLAGE
In a message dated 5/20/99 3:21:28 PM EST, Seton1355 at aol.com writes:
<< Has anyone been to Stirbridge Village in Massachusettes? If so, dod you
like it and was it worth the time & enterence fee?
Thanks so much!
Phillipa >>
My family lives in NH and so I had the chance to go to Srirbridge Village a
couple of years ago. It's definitely with the time and fee and that includes
the 12 hour drive to get there form here (Maryland.)
I talked to the weaver, watched food being cooked at a fire place oven (real
neat) and spent more than I should have in the book - I mean gift -- store.
Got a great cook book, that actually tells me how to cook at a fire place.
Go if you have the chance -- you'll enjoy it a lot.
Margherita the Weaver
Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 14:19:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Giovanna <valkyr8 at yahoo.com>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: OT - STIRBRIDGE VILLAGE
Check out the web site for Old Sturbridge Village.
Giovanna
Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 16:50:13 -0500
From: "Sharon R. Saroff" <sindara at pobox.com>
Subject: Re: SC - OT - STIRBRIDGE VILLAGE
I was at Sturbridge Village about 8 years ago. I felt it was well worth
the entrance fee and the time. I have been to similar such as Mystic
Seaport in Connecticut and Museum Village in Monroe, NY and they are some
of my favorite type of vacation spots to go to.
Sindara
Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 18:09:52 -0400
From: snowfire at mail.snet.net
Subject: Re: SC - OT - STIRBRIDGE VILLAGE
I have indeed been to Sturbridge - twice. The entrance fee was steep
for what it was for I thought (don't remember what it was now - sorry).
It was interesting if you've never had any exposure to what life would
be like in a Colonial village in the 1830s. All the buildings are
replicas, but they do have people as guides who are doing things that
would be done in that period throughout the day, including one lady
making a cake on the fire in one house. They have some historical
artifacts, and a good gift shop. I thought it was worth the time. But
then again I like colonial stuff, and only live in CT - not too far
away.
Elysant
P.S. If you want any more details please let me know.
Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 23:03:42 -0400
From: Warren & Meredith Harmon <ravenleaf at juno.com>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: OT - STIRBRIDGE VILLAGE
I enjoyed myself throroughly when I was there. It's better than Hopewell
Village, and that's saying a lot - I live near Hopewell, and can be
rabidly culture-centric. I loved the historical information.
Is the inn Countryman's Pleasure near there? If so, go and eat there -
it's pricey, but well worth the price, if they haven't changed cooks!
-Caro
Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 08:04:03 -0400
From: Linda Carey <licarey at com1.med.usf.edu>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: OT - STIRBRIDGE VILLAGE
I grew up in Massachusettes, and our school took lots of field trips there....so
did my family. It's a great place where I learned to comb and card wool, spin
yard, milk cows, make a broom, etc. I highly recommend it! You could spend
whole summers there and not run out of cool things to do/learn! They recreate
their time period better than we do ours!
Seannach
Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 03:18:35 -0700
From: Twcs <no1home at encompass.net>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: OT - STIRBRIDGE VILLAGE
Seton1355 at aol.com wrote:
> Has anyone been to Stirbridge Village in Massachusettes?
More times than I can count. No Kidding. The cordwainers there
are worth the trip alone, though I confess that as a leather junkie,
I may be biased. Last time I was there, I spent two hours picking
the brains of the cordwainer working that day (they have at least
two). I too was lucky enough to spend school field trips there,
where we got to do stuff. I dipped my first candles there.
> If so, dod you like it and was it worth the time & enterence fee?
Yes, and yes. I would recommend going on a weekday before
school lets out for the summer, if you have a choice. If not, pick
a weekday over a weekend, and early morning as the time to start.
The time period that Olde Sturbridge Village covers is earliest
nineteenth century, prior to the great explosion of mill towns in New
England as the industrial revolution crossed the ocean from England
into the US. The flavor of the museum is quite similar to that
described in Eric Sloane's book, Diary of an Early American Boy.
I can't think of any living history museums that I have not been to
in New England. Sturbridge and Mystic Seaport are on the top of
my list. I end up at one or the other every time I visit my family.
As a caveat, I must state that I have a serious history addiction, so
that will cloud my judgement as to whether the admission price is
worth someone else's while. My family has had memberships in both
the Mystic Seaport and Sturbridge, so we pay one lump sum every
year and visit as many times as we want as part of the package. The
entire clan is as bad as I am with our history addictions...
If you do go to Sturbridge, consider going to the Higgins Armoury in
Worchester (less than 30 minutes away on the Mass Pike). Lots of
really cool medieval armour. Also, you may want to have dinner or
brunch at the Publick House, which is 5 minutes from Olde Sturbridge
Village. It's one of the last operating early American Inns (1787, if I'm
not mistaken, though I often mix the Publick House up with the
Griswold Inn in Esses, CT, as to who was first, etc). If you have some
vacation money to spare, spend a night there. The rooms have been
updated since the eighteenth century, in that there's now modern
plumbing and heat... I'll stop now while I'm ahead...
ttfn, Twcs (the longwinded)
Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 21:26:49 EDT
From: <SionnainR at aol.com>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: OT - STIRBRIDGE VILLAGE
I've been once about three years ago and enjoyed it but you really need to
inquire about their schedule of events as they do lots of things that add to
the normal day to day, such as sheep shearing and other activities of the
time. It was a fun visit.
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 1999 10:23:11 -0400
From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Glass
Warren & Meredith Harmon wrote:
> Colonial Williamsburg does some fine glass reproductions - stemmed
> glasses and jars, and I think a pitcher. I don't remember prices, but
> well worth looking into if you're looking for something
> authentic-looking. It has a slight greenish tinge.
>
> -Caro
And there is always the reproduction period glasshouse at Jamestown
not too far away. Jamestown comes in three parts. The National Park,
the State Park recreation, and the Glass House. The National Park
is the one with the museum and the actual site on the island.
At Jamestown State Park they had a pottery in addition to the fort
recreation. At the glass house they have a large cruck building with
half a dozen glass blowers at work constantly (at least when we were
there). And the glass does have a light greenish tinge.
When we got married we did Williamsburg / Jamestown / Yorktown.
Williamsburg, so Mel and all the furriners will understand, is on the
original site of Virginia's early capital, and was rebuilt, and
continues to be so, since about the 1920's or thereabouts. It
has many recreated period shops with craftsmen practicing trades
and crafts, and interpreters of roughly the period 1750. There is
also the visitors center and the decorative arts museum there which
in particular is excellent. I know folks who have yearly passes.
To see all of Williamsburg well would take a couple of days.
They have printers and bookbinders, weavers and spinners, blacksmiths,
riflemakers, musicians, leatherworkers, whitesmiths, silversmiths,
taverns, carpenters (with pit and trestle saws), a furniture shop,
a luthiers, brick makers, a Wheelwrights, etc. with ongoing restoration
/ archaeological investigations. There is also the Governor's residence,
the original church and the armory. There are shops, and some of the
greediest merchants I've ever seen in the off site commercial area.
Williamsburg does a number of publications on period crafts, gardening,
cooking, etc. They also have a commercial side to Williamburg which
does strictly reproductions for the furnishings market.
By contrast Yorktown isn't nearly as interesting but is of historical
interest. When we were last there they were doing underwater
investigation of the ships Cornwallis sunk behind him to prevent a
seaward assault.
They are fairly close geographically and well worth the trip.
Magnus
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 17:47:39 -0800 (PST)
From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>
Subject: SC - Camlann Medieval village
I read the message below on another list. I have
visited the site listed and it seems great. Has
anyone from An Tir been to this place? Is it all it
seems or is it a commercial venture? Has anyone seen
or purchased their cookbook? Thanks.
Huette
>Hello. I don't know if your familar with "The Bors
>Hede". It is a medieval restaurant in Carnation,
>Washington. This is not someplace with
>sort-of authentic recipes with jouster's and
>swordfighters, but very authentic food in a building
>modeled after a 14th cent. Inn. Check it out. It
>is a part of Camlann Medieval village at
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2000 22:15:56 -0800
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Camlann Medieval village
hey all from Anne-Marie
Camlann is just down the road a piece from Madrone Central. The propriater
is Roger aka Roger the Goliard, one of the founding members of the Madrone
CUlinary Guild. He has since moved on to bigger and better things :). I've
never eaten at the restaurant, but I understand its lovely, and he has
always prided himself on authenticity (though the combat is still SCA
style, from what I hear). I have a copy of the cookbook and while he doesnt
cite any of his sources, there is nothing that jumps out as being horribly
agregious!
I keep meaning to go down there (Roger is just before my time here in
Madrone) and check it out.
- --AM
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 09:43:28 -0800 (PST)
From: Dana Huffman <letrada at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Camlann Medieval village
I've been to a couple of their Yule feasts and quite
enjoyed them (despite the magician). As far as I can
tell the food is period, except possibly the spiced
grape juice which may be merely "peri-oid," (but for
which I am willing to forgive them as long as they
keep it coming). I also highly recommend the Crustade
Lombard.
The first time I went, I asked about the recipe for
the grape juice and was told that they had taken most
of their recipes from Lorna Sass' book. By my second
trip, they had come out with their cookbook, which is
quite different, at least from the glance or two I had
of a friend's copy.
I have not been there during the summer, when the
"village" is happening as well, so I can't say much
about that. From my friends' description, it sounds
similar to most ren fairs and such.
Dana Huffman/Ximena la Letrada
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 12:53:04 -0400
From: "Jim Revells" <sudnserv5 at netway.com>
Subject: Re: SC - OT: Boston
> My lord husband and I are going up to Boston next week on vacation.
> We've both been there before, but not in many years. Any
> recommendations of places that are of particular SCAdian and/or
> culinary interest?
>
> Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
> Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
My first suggestion is not in Boston proper but in Worcester, MA. It is
the Higgens Armoury Musuem. Mr. Higgins was an Iron Barron who had the
money to indulge himself in his hobby of collecting arms & armour from
around the world (mainly Europian , I think it is the best collection in
North America). The next closest place would be Hammond Castle it is
another rich mans folly, he was fasinated by the Ren & Medival periods, his
house is Periodial but a lot of fun (SCAdian dream done with lots of
money). Another not Boston site is the Springfield, Ma Natural History
Musuem. It has a fantastic Japaneese Weapons display, also some direct
model cast of the Elgin Marbles & other Classical statues.
Olaf
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 11:15:58 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
From: Christiane <christianetrue at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Sugar plate sotelties and Santoku knives
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Last night my husband and I went to Pennsbury Manor's Holly Night.
The manor is the recreated 17th century country estate of William
Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. We wandered the grounds, the paths of
which were lit by candle lumieres, threw sprigs of holly into the
bonfire for good luck, and toured the manor house, the first floor of
which was decorated with holly and other greenery for a winter party
(the Quakers really didn't celebrate Christmas). Everything was lit
by candles. It was very pretty.
When we walked into the dining room, I was very pleased to see the
sotelties on the table. There was a sugar-plate reproduction of the
manor house in miniature, with sugar gravel and grass (all colored
with natural dyes such as spinach and saffron), marzipan peacocks
(peacocks wander the grounds during the clement months), William and
Hannah Penn's initials done in sugar rope, and even more charming,
plates and goblets made of sugar.
In the kitchen, a very enthusiastic gentleman talked about how the
sugar plate was produced, and how it was used. There were other
things on his table; comfits of candied angelica and caraway seeds,
and sugar-glazed crabapples.
All I could think of was, "Hmm. I know a few folks who would have
been avidly asking questions." So I tried to ask some.
The sugar plate was produced with sugar, gum tragacanth, and
rosewater. In Penn's day (the late 1690s), all of these ingredients
had to be imported. Although there was a well-laid-out series of
gardens in his day, he would have not had enough roses to distill his
own rosewater. This would have made all of this sugar plate a very
expensive display of wealth. Guests would have been given a sugar
plate and a sugar goblet for the party. They'd have a wine-flavored
sugar goblet to eat there, or later on. The sugar plate would have
been produced months in advance, and packed away for when needed.
Gianotta
<the end>