July 4: The Great Anniversary Festival----More Bicentennial and Patriotic Collectibles (2024)

Quickly becoming my favorite president.

But the time was past when either Adams or Jefferson could leave home. Adams was ninety, Jefferson would be eighty-three in April, and each grew steadily more feeble.

On Friday, June 30, 1826, a small delegation of town leaders made a formal call on John Adams. He received them in his upstairs ("above stairs") library seated in his favorite armchair. They had come, they told the old patriot, to ask for a toast that they might read aloud at (the city of) Quincy's celebration on the fourth.

~~~~

This has got to be one of the coolest things I own! I've heard it calledWitness Wood~

Independence Hall was renovated in 1897-1898. During the renovation, 16 of the original beams holding up the floor on which the giants of the era debated the future of the 13 Colonies were replaced. Rather than discarding the old beams, which felt the footsteps of the titans of the Revolutionary War era, project manager and superintendent of the Independence Hall, Samuel S. Reeves, retained possession of the original timbers. Initially I did question its authenticity, until I read how over the years, most of the beams were sold and were "...subsequently cut up into slivers, producing thousands of history cards and memorabilia that were sold during the Bicentennial in 1976 all over the country..."

So...this is one of those souvenir relics - it is, in fact, an "Authentic Wood Chip From an Original Beam of Independence Hall." What's more,this chip of an original artifact dates back to 1735 when construction of Independence Hall was completed!

Yep---the numbered cedar chip seen in the photo is from one of those preserved beams removed during the 1897 renovation/reconstruction/stabilization! This very cool memento was produced in 1976 to honor the 200th Anniversary of the founding of the USA. To me, it is a very historical item to possess, and it comes in the original storage box.

(Much of this information came directly fromTHISsite)

The plaque inside the storage box. "Authentic wood chip from original beam Independence Hall Philadelphia"

Now, you may comment on this being only a chip of wood, no matter where it came from. Ain't no big deal, right?

Well, it was inside the Wright Cycle Shop, which has been relocated from Dayton, Ohio to Greenfield Village in Dearborn here in Michigan, that Wilbur and Orville Wright designed and created the first successful powered airplane, the 1903 Wright Flyer.

Know what else is inside?

A wood chip:

On the left are two small pieces - chips, rather - taken from a wing of the plane flown at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. Included in this display is a piece of fabric as well as a wood chip from that first airplane, and it now has a place of reverence and honor inside the Nationally known and respected Greenfield Village open-air museum. Very cool, huh? On the right, in my own personal collection, is a wood chip taken from an original beam from Independence Hall from the time when our founders, including Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and John Hanco*ck debated and signed the Declaration of Independence! One is a museum piece---the other...in my own collection.

When friends clean up and clean out, sometimes we who collect can be the benefactor of such a situation. The three postcards I have here my friend decided he didn't need or want anymore.

Heck!
I'll take 'em!
He knows they're going to a good home:

(shhh---under the postcard of Independence Hall it says they signed the Declaration on July 4th - it was actually August 2nd when most signed it!)

It seemed as if every company got into the Bicentennial celebration.

"This steel can makes no secret of its American pride."

With red and blue stars flanking a bold sketch of the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia’s Henry F. Ortlieb’s Brewing Company appealed to the patriotic fervor of 1976. The company developed the “Collector’s Series,” releasing one can a month starting in September 1975.

Back in those days, cans were made of steel, not the ultra thinaluminum of today.

Here's the front, as described above. However, every month, an image on the back of each Ortlieb's commemorative can highlighted a different Revolutionary War scene or facet of eighteenth-century life to celebrate America’s Bicentennial. Eight of the twelve sketches had direct ties to the Philadelphia area, capitalizing on the city’s rich colonial history while simultaneously paying homage to the company’s roots.

On the back of this particular Ortlieb's can has a depictions of Elfreth’s Alley:

...Elfreth’s Alley "Elfreth's Alley is one of the oldest continuously inhabited residential streets in the United States. Located in Old City, Philadelphia, Elfreth's Alley dates back to 1703 and is an exceptional collection of early American structures built between 1720 and 1836." Click HERE for their website.

Following national trends, Henry A. Ortlieb (1948-2004) developed the Bicentennial can series to prompt sales outside the region. From September 1975 to August 1976, patriotic consumers and can collectors from Philadelphia, the Midwest, and New England awaited the next installment of the “Collector’s Series.” Seeing the success of Ortlieb’s campaign, executives at Schmidt’s beer, another Northern Liberties brewery, decided to release their own series of collectible cans."

FromTHISsite

AnotherOrtlieb's can showedThe Boston Tea Party.

This almanac was given away to customers of the Equitable Life Insurance Society members. And what a neat little giveaway it was. Plus a booklet of postcards. Inside was a 1976...er...1776 calendar

Also included: each and every date of that year has a historical notation of what occurred, not only for that particular year, but also will sometimes include a major event as well. For example, May 22, 1776: "The New York Congress received the Virginia resolutions, which instructed Virginia delegates to propose a declaration of independence. The Constitutional Convention 1787."

And there's a bit about colonial money, and ... ..."Flags of Freedom" Another page has all of the presidents while another has information on the Declaration and the Constitution. A very cool little collector's calendar.

Most of us were satisfied with the Bicentennial quarter, though I personally did collect a few other items as well, but I am thankful to those who collected pert-near everything and are now selling them,

for I am enjoying this Bicentennial hobby.

Cherry Tree Myth

The cherry tree myth is one of the oldest and best-known legends about George Washington. In the original story, when Washington was six years old, he received a hatchet as a gift and damaged (chopped down?) his father’s cherry tree with it. When his father discovered what George had done, he became angry. Young George bravely said, “I cannot tell a lie…I did cut it with my hatchet.” Washington’s father embraced him and declared that his son’s honesty was worth more than a thousand trees.

And here is the genuine hatchet that George Washington used to chop down that cherry tree! Okay---so it's not - but, I figured since it is a myth, I might as well add to it! Actually, it's because of the myth that this pretty cool Bicentennial collectible came to be! It is an actual hatchet, and, yes, it is made of brass.

In fact,it measures a little over a foot long, weighs about a pound, and really is made of solid brass. It was manufactured by the Connecticut Brass Corp of Preston, Connecticut.On the handle it reads "Washington Bicentennial President of the 1$ 1776-1976"~

Special drinking glasses with the Liberty Bell on one side and the Declaration on the other. My life-long friend, Mary, sent me photos of the same glass for my 2022 4th of July post, and I saw how great they looked, found these two on line, and now I have a pair!

Speaking of the Liberty Bell, this looks like it could fit right inside the above glass:

Casa Vento Vino Santo white wine Liberty Bell decanter - made in Italy - for America's Bicentennial.

Another of the many Bicentennial cookbooks published during the Bicentennial

The book is based and rooted from The Compleat Housewife, or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion is a cookery book written by Eliza Smith and first published in London in 1727.

The Bicentennial edition is sort of written in a 1st person manner.

A bicentennial barrel bank made of wood! Burned/engraved upon the front is: 1776 - 1976 Independence

A Commemorative Bicentennial Lottery Ticket! Like I said, I enjoy the more unusual Bicentennial collectibles.

And a Bicentennial shoe horn, you must admit, is a bit on the unusual side.

This is in pristine condition - I don't believe it has ever been used!

How about a Mott's Applesauce Bicentennial Jar.

For 1975 and 1976 this was a special collectible edition. The bottle was very different from the regular apple sauce jar. And check out what's been embossed into the glass:

1776

1976

American

Bicentennial

And to top it off (pun intended):

I saw a Mott's bottle, though there was no cap. Something was telling me to hold out for one with a cap, for I figured it would probably be a Bicentennial cap as well. Glad I waited~

And, by the Mister Mustard Company, we have a Bicentennial mustard jar!

Mustard Jar

Mustard Jar

The bicentennial designs encircles the mustard jar.

So, when I saw the name Mister Mustard, my thoughts immediately went to this Beatles' tune:

My Paul Revere Bicentennial collectibles: Quite a collection, even though it could be much larger. But I only look to get something I personally like, not just because it has Revere's name or likeness on it. In the photos below are the individual pictures of each (except for the large stein on the left, the two glasses in the center on either side of the envelope, and the lantern back right - you'll have to click HERE for information on those items)

I have to admit that it drives me a bit bonkers when I hear people say that Paul Revere was over-rated. First off, Revere and those who lived through the early days of the Revolutionary War knew he was not the only rider, and he never claimed to be. It wasn't until 1860 - 42 years after Revere's death - that Longfellow wrote the infamous poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," that Paul Revere's legend grew to astronomical proportions, stating that he warned "every Middlesex village and farm..." among other things. I have to laugh because some people act as if Paul Revere himself made these claims and are actually angry at him! lololol

But let's talk about what Paul Revere did do to be worthy of exclaim and, in my opinion, heroism:

~In the mid-1760s, as tensions were rising between the colonists and the British, he joined the rebellious Sons of Liberty and Revere took part in the Stamp Act protests in 1765, which eventually led the Crown to repeal a tax that ignited the colonists' dislike of taxation without representation.

~In his version of the Boston Massacre (clearly taken from another print), he added Crispus Attucks, the first person killed during that row - and he rightly showed Attucks as a black man.

~He participated in the Boston Tea Party in March of 1773

~He made numerous rides before and even after his most famous ride, spreading news and information, delivering important papers, etc., including spreading the news of the Intolerable Acts from Boston to New York, Philadelphia, and Hartford. These trips tell a fuller story of the American Revolution.
~A few days before the famous ride, Revere charted the mission, arranging the light signal with three fellow patriots in case the Redcoats marched toward Concord, so many other riders would see the warning. They agreed that one lantern would mean that the Regular Army were taking the longer land route while two lanterns would mean that they were traveling the shorter water route, leaving America’s revolutionaries with less time to respond.

~On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes alerted up to 40 other Patriot riders along their ride to Lexington.

~It is clear that Revere had a reputation as one of the people to be called on when patriot groups had an important message to share between cities.Paul Revere supported the patriot cause and he was known to many people within the movement, especially to his fellow Freemasons, a group that included many patriot leaders.

Revolutionary War stamps: I'm not 100% sure if this collection came out in this wayduring the Bicentennial period - judging by the year of the stamps, they grabbed two stamps from a decade previous: 1965 Paul Revere 25 cents, and the 1961 Patrick Henry 4 cents. The third stamp here is from 1975 and is a 24 cent stamp of the Old North Church. All have not been used or touched so are considered mint.

Here is the reverse side of another Ortleib's beer can:

...we see Paul Revere on horseback with Boston’s Old North Church in the background, presumably with two lanterns glowing in the window. The scene is titled, “Paul Revere’s Ride: Calling the Countryside to Arms.”

And here we have a Bicentennial First Day Cover of a Paul Revere coin/medal

A Paul Revere decanter/bottle made byMcCormick Distillery. All of these decanters are so cool - why is it that the liquor industry had the coolest historical collectibles?

So, yes, I believe Paul Revere is deserved in his praise. Now if only John Jay, Samuel Adams, and John Paul Jones (among others) could get a bit of notoriety for their part as well.

For thisEarly Times decanter for Connecticut we have Paul Revere's Ride. Written on a label on the back: "Depicted on the front is Paul Revere's famous ride. On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes both on horseback, alerted Sam Adams, John Hanco*ck, and others at Lexington that 700 British soldiers were on the way to Concord to destroy arms."

Methinks that would have been more suitable for the Massachusetts decanter. But...oh well, right?
Speaking of which:

For thisEarly Times decanter for Massachusetts we have a depiction of "one of many courageous Continental soldiers, the men who fought against almost insurmountable odds, to make this a free America."

Indiana wants me....

Early Times is one of the longest running bourbon brands in US history.

The back of this one states:This beautiful Early Times decanter was produced especially to commemorate our nation's 200th birthday. On the front is "The Spirit of '76" depicting the brave men who fought for this country's independence. It was painted by Archibald M. Willard for the Centennial Exhibition of 1876. It then goes on to describe the Kentucky bourbon that once filled it.

And here is another:

Written on the back: "What we have on the front of this one is George Washington Crossing the Delaware River from Pennsylvania, Christmas night 1776. Because of Washington's surprise attack, 1400 Hessians were defeated at Trenton, N.J., December 26th."

I believe each state had one but there were not 50 different pictures, but, rather, many repeats.

Salute 1776: A Bicentennial Tribute to the "American Farm Producer." The set includes: Thomas Jefferson, Eli Whitney, Luther Burbank, and The American Farmer 1976.

The nice and slightly warn wooden box. Upon opening, we find these treasures inside. And a close-up of the American farmer though history. I think this is very cool~

Top Row:

Thomas Jefferson -The main author of our Declaration of Independence and the 3rd U.S. President, Jefferson extolled the virtues of the agrarian life. He was a talented landscape architect and avid gardener. He considered himself a farmer by profession and was continually searching for more progressive ways to work his plantations. He often wished for more private time to pursue these interests.

Jefferson had an abiding interest in improving the technology of farming. One of his more important contributions to agriculture was the moldboard plow, which was a more efficient plow. Invented in 1794, in 1814 he began to have the moldboards cast in iron.

Eli Whitney -Whitney, whose father wasa prosperous farmer, was born in Westborough, Massachusetts, on December 8, 1765. Whitney's mother, Elizabeth Fay, died in 1777, when he was 11 years old.Because his stepmother opposed his wish to attend college, Whitney worked as a farm laborer and school teacher.Whitney is most famous for two innovations which came to have significant impacts on the United States in the mid-19th century: the cotton gin (1793) and his advocacy of interchangeable parts. In the South, the cotton gin revolutionized the way cotton was harvested and, inadvertently, reinvigorated slavery.Whitney believed that his cotton gin would reduce the demand for enslaved labor and would help hasten the end of southern slavery. Paradoxically, the cotton gin, a labor-saving device, helped preserve and prolong slavery in the United States for another 70 years.

Conversely, in the North the adoption of interchangeable parts revolutionized the manufacturing industry, contributing greatly to the U.S. victory in the Civil War.

And then the

Bottom Row:

Luther Burbank -Luther Burbank, born in1849, in Lancaster, Massachusetts, grew up on a farm and received only a high school education.His father died when he was 18 years old, and Burbank used his inheritance to buy a 17-acre plot of land where he developed the Burbank potato. Burbank sold the rights to the Burbank potato for $150 ($4,162 in 2023 dollars).Today, the Russet Burbank potato is the most widely cultivated potato in the United States. The potato is popular because it doesn't expire as easily as other types of potatoes. A large percentage of McDonald's french fries are made from this root vegetable.

Luther was also an American botanist, horticulturist, and pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's developments included those of fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables.

The American Farmer 1976 (from the 1976 Republican Platform: Agriculture and Rural Development) - "The bounty of our farms is so plentiful that we may tend to forget what an amazing production achievement this really is. Each American farmer and rancher produces enough food to feed over 56 people -- a threefold increase in productivity in 20 years.

Rural America must be maintained as a rewarding place to live.

As one who portrays an American Farmer from roughly around 1770 as well as 1863, I was excited to receive such a set.

Historic Farming Presentations from two different periods in time: 1863 on the left and 1770 on the right. You also see me with two different ladies here - on the left we have Larissa portraying my 1860s wife. She is my presentation partner for actually both time periods, and we present at schools, fairs, historical societies, reenactments, libraries...wherever we are asked. On the right we have Patty, my actual wife. She doesn't present with me, but in the photo on the right we were actually harvesting flax that Patty & I (and Larissa & a few others) had planted and grown...and harvested. Historical farming is our specialty.

So for an homage to be paid to the American farmer and farm during the Bicentennial, to me, is as it should be, for it was the farmer, his family, and their farm that grew this great country:

(From the book Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder):

"BOOM! The cannons leaped backward, the air was full of flying grass and weeds. Everybody was exclaiming about what a loud noise they had made.

"That's the noise that made the Redcoats run!" Mr. Paddock said to Father.

"Maybe," Father said, tugging his beard. "But it was muskets that won the Revolution. And don't forget it was axes and plows that made this country."

"That's so, come to think of it," Mr. Paddock said.

That night when they were going to the house with milk, Almanzo asked Father: "Father, how was it axes and plows that made this country? Didn't we fight England for it?"

"We fought for Independence, son," Father said. "It was farmers that took that country and made it America."

"How?" Almanzo asked.

"Spaniards were soldiers that only wanted gold. The French were fur traders, wanting to make quick money. And England was busy fighting wars. But we were farmers, son; we wanted the land. It was farmers that went over the mountains, and cleared the land, and settled it, and farmed it, and hung on to their farms. It's the biggest country in the world, and it was farmers who took all that country and made it America. Don't you ever forget that."

I've repeated this bit before, but it should be a part of every 4th of July post!

My wife and I enjoying the 4th of July celebration at Greenfield Village in 2023.

And another pretty cool beer can:

In 1861, a young German immigrant, Edward Frauenheim, started the Iron City Brewery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it is one of the first American breweries to produce a lager.

I have no idea how many different cans Iron City Brewery produced for the Bicentennial.As far as I can tell, there were three different cans dedicated to three Revolutionary War era flags: the Grand Union, Taunton (seen here), and Sons of Liberty. According to a seller of these cans, "they tell brief stories about the background of that particular flag and have scenes depicting that period of American history."

Perhaps one day I'll get the other two.

This is a very cool sketch of colonial men raising the Taunton (Liberty & Union) flag. And the back of the can has a short history lesson.

And, locally:

The Sunday Detroit News. It's the full paper, so as I glanced through it, I took only a few snaps of the many articles packed inside: The date - -so cool! A look at how our former President celebrated. I found this to be very interesting. Yes, Detroit was settled already in 1776 (founded in 1701) but had not played a major role in the Revolution. An interesting article on the veterans of '76! If you recall, I wrote a posting about thisHERE And here is a bit of a different take: this shows how many radio stations were celebrating that day. Now these were not the local top 40 or rock stations, but, rather, the local news and information stations. But, in case you are interested, these are the US Top 10 singles for the week ending July 3rd/4th, 1976: 1 SILLY LOVE SONGS –•– Wings (5 weeks at #1) 2 AFTERNOON DELIGHT –•– The Starland Vocal Band 3 MISTY BLUE –•– Dorothy Moore 4 SARA SMILE –•– Daryl Hall and John Oates 5 SHOP AROUND –•– The Captain and Tennille 6 MORE, MORE, MORE (Part 1) –•– The Andrea True Connection 7 GET UP AND BOOGIE (That’s Right) –•– Silver Convention 8 I’LL BE GOOD TO YOU –•– The Brothers Johnson 9 KISS AND SAY GOODBYE –•– The Manhattans 10 LOVE IS ALIVE –•– Gary Wright

One thing I learned upon looking through the newspaper is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. There were plenty of people who, like today, complained about the politics and about social issues. Many complained on how commercialized the Bicentennial was (I thought it was pretty cool, myself!), but, yet, the majority were saying positive things, though there was always room for improvement.

A Crowley's Department Store advertisem*nt.

Oh! The things that can be found at garage sales:

This is an old decanter made of clear glass for Petri Brandy to help honor the Bicentennial.

Petri Wine is a family-run vineyard in San Francisco, California, United States. It was founded in 1886 by Raffaello Petri. In 1953, Petri Wine was the largest domestic producer of wine in the United States. Petri originally produced their wine exclusively in kegs for bulk, local distribution.

Louis Petri continued to grow the company by forming Allied Grape Growers and creating another company called United Vintners which Petri Wines became a part of. United Vintners then sold their wineries to the Allied Grape Growers.

My friend Tony has had this tin in his possession since the Bicentennial, and gave it to me, for he saw my rather large collection and graciously added to it. On the front is a rendering of John Trumball's depiction of the Battle of Bunker Hill... ...while the back of the tin speaks a bit on the battle as well as on Trumball.

This is an interesting collectible from the Bicentennial: a coin from Connecticut celebrating when, in 1639, the Connecticut Colony wrote and adopted the Fundamental Orders. This document reflected ourindependent spiritand is considered by many to be the first written constitution of a democratic government." This is why Connecticut is nicknamed "The Constitution State." Many things like this I would probably not have been able to get at the time.

Also from a garage sale, this next item is sort of a pre-Bicentennial piece. In 1969, the Spirit of '76 celebration was a-coming, so a few companies, such as Old Blue Ribbon, jumped the gun a little in celebrating America's heritage with this covered wagon decanter:

Here we have a 1969 Old Blue Ribbon (O.B.R.) liquor bottle/decanter Paul Lux Conestoga Wagon (design 185) Paul Lux is the artist's name who designed the bottle/decanter

Old Blue Ribbon was a bourbon brand developed by the Fible & Crabb Distilling Co, established in 1872. They bottled it using whiskey from their distillery in Eminence, Kentucky. I have found no connection to the Pabst Brewery Company. In fact, I cannot find much else of their history - I can't even tell you if they are still in business, for the website is expired.

Here is a Bicentennial Schwinn bicycle advertisem*nt where we see a young couple ride their modern bikes past the Susquehanna Plantation and the Farris Windmill, both arelocated inside Greenfield Village. Celebrate the Nation's 200th birthday with a Schwinn!

I mentioned earlier about the McCormick Paul Revere decanter.

So check out the picture below - - I collected nearly all of the Bicentennial McCormick Patriot decanters. There is one left that I don't have and I am just waiting for the right price.

But I really think these are so cool---in fact, aside from the witness wood seen earlier in this post, these are probably my favorites:

Front and back of these decanters shows the top notch quality. From left is Paul Revere (on the horse Brown Beauty), Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry,Betsy Ross,Thomas Jefferson,John Hanco*ck, George Washington, John Paul Jones, and, by a different company (Trenton Wine & Liquor Co.) I have John Adams and James Madison. The tallest decanter is Patrick Henry (with his hand raised 3rd from left) at just over 13", so you can see they are each a decent size. Back when these came out in 1976, I was only 15 yearsold so, with me being under age - and I'm sure they were not cheap -my chances of getting one, much less a collection of these, was slim to none. Thank God for Ebay in our modern day! I only had to wait 48 years! Who knew?

The first of these McCormick decanters I purchased was Ben Franklin, and I was so blown away by the quality that I searched out and was able to get nearly the entire collection.

Like I said earlier, why is it that the liquor industry seems to have the coolest patriotic items?

Hmmm...what have these decanters been doing whilst I am asleep? I see the four founders most associated with the Declaration of Independence - Ben Franklin, John Hanco*ck, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams - ensuring that every word on the Declaration of Independence is as it should be.

To read more on these decanters, please click HERE for a posting I wrote about them, with close up photos of each one.

***

You know what's disappointing to me is the lack of acknowledgement to Samuel Adams. In my opinion, he got the Revolutionary ball rolling, maybe more than anyone else. So here's my tribute - I purchased this 6" statuette of Samuel Adams from The Boston Tea Party Museum recently. This is an exact replica of the statue of Samuel Adams that stands on the front plaza of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. So naturally I have him near my Tea Party collectibles. This statuette is not a Bicentennial item. However... And here is that life-size statueof Samuel Adams that stands on the front plaza of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. This photo is from the Photo-ops blog - clickHERE

O0O

I rarely get political here, but for a quick moment, I am:

I believe we are at a turning point, and the following comes from two people----one who has always leaned left as well as one who leans right, but here they are both agreeing.

And so do I - -

Bill Maher: "When I talk to immigrants, that is one thing they do not like - that we're always down about this country...everything is looked through s***stained glasses."

Konstantin Kisin: "To me, as someone who comes from the Soviet Union, it's mind-boggling, and you were talking earlier about why the woke ideology is so dangerous to the West, it is because people in other parts of the world are not teaching their young children to hate their own country. If you continue to do this, how is the West going to do in the battle of civilization, because that's what we're in, right? (The Chinese and the Russians) are teaching their children to be strong, to be confident, to go out there to learn science instead of equity and diversity, and a bridge doesn't work very well if it is built on diversity instead of math, so..."

Yes...I agree 100%.

And there is nothing - absolutely nothing - wrong with being patriotic and showing it. It's not nationalism or MAGA to be patriotic...to love your country; that's just a few trying to change the meaning - the definition - of those words. But it isn't working on me.

O0O

For this 4th of July post I'd like to show you a few other history items I thought you might be interested in, though they're not necessarily Bicentennial:

An 18th century fire mark - also known as "badges" or "house plates" - is a metal plate issued by American insurance companies to policyholders and were attached to a building to indicate that it was insured against fire damage. They were made of cast iron, sheet brass, lead, tinned sheet iron, copper, or zinc. They came in various sizes and shapes, sometimes attached to a wooden plaque. Used primarily for advertising purposes, fire marks were used from 1752 to about 1900, and bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer's policy number.

This is not an original, but is a wonderful replication given to me by a friend.

I garnered my fire marks information from theFireman’s Hall Museum.The museum contains a large collection of fire marks. The information included here, was compiled by collections manager Bob Shea. Bob is a leading expert on American fire marks. His expertise is often sought by other museums. Bob also specializes in the early history of fire insurance, including the organization of insurance companies by volunteer firemen.

Now, the following was not part of the Bicentennial, but was, rather, a tricentennial celebration, and I think you'll agree that it is a pretty cool patriotic collectible (note, please, that the picture on the envelope is the same as the framed painting byJean Leon Gerome Ferris near the top of this post):

Here is a First Day Cover commemorating the 300th birthday of who I consider to be America's greatest citizen and Patriot, Ben Franklin, inventor of the Franklin stove, the lightning rod, swim fins (true!!), made improvements on bifocals, and he not only played an influential role in the Revolutionary War era and the fight for American independence (he helped to draft and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence), but also played a role in the U.S. Constitution - he was unanimously appointed president of the Constitutional Convention. He was also America's 1st Postmaster general and the founder of America's first library. A U.S. First Day Cover, or FDC, is an envelope or sometimes a post card bearing a stamp cancelled on the date the stamp was first available for postal use.

Well, who do we have here?

Someone who I can guarantee never thought would be known in any sense of the word in the 21st century. In fact, it's because of the 21st century technology that we know him and so much more about history, due to the accessibility of information on the internet. But, I beg of you, do not get your information from any old site or especially from Facebook memes (which far too many do, sadly); if you find something historically interesting and/or significant, please continue the research - don't just take what you see as verbatim fact unless you find other sources (and "I heard this elsewhere" doesn't count).

Especially if there's social or political agenda.

So let's meet

William Hutchings (1764-1866), aged 100 in 1864 when this photograph was taken, and a veteran of the American Revolution. You are looking into the eyes of a man who fought the redcoats, was in the Continental Army when George Washington was Commander-in-Chief, saw men walking around wearing the tricorn hat, knee breeches, and buckle shoes when that fashion was in style (which I'm sure he himself wore), was born a colonial and died a U.S. Citizen - he was part of the 1st citizens club, he heard about the Declaration of Independence at the time it happened, saw both George Washington AND Abraham Lincoln as our nation's presidents, he saw slavery abolished in the U.S., and was also a contemporary of Ben Franklin, Paul Revere, Thomas Jefferson, John & Abigail Adams, James Madison, Samuel Adams, Martha Washington...and, yup, was even a part of the same generation as! That's what you're looking at when you look into his eyes - a man's eyes who saw, first-hand,the birth of our nation. This is exactly what I think about when I look at this image.

I do not know who colorized the photo here, but they did an awesome job!

If this sort of thing interests you, I think you might enjoy reading this post I wrote calledFaces of History - Original Photographs of Revolutionary War Vets.

And along the same emotional lines - - - - - -

We should also remember are the deaths of two prominent revolutionaries:

"You & I have passed our lives in serious times..." John Adams in a letter sent to Thomas Jefferson in 1813.

When John Adams died on that July 4th in 1826,(as) those present would remember ever after, there was a final clap of thunder that shook the house; the rain stopped and the last sun of the day broke through dark, low hanging clouds---"bursting forth...with uncommon splendor at the moment of his exit...with a sky beautiful and grand beyond description,"(townsman and frequent visitor) John Marston would write to John Quincy."-From

John Adams

by David McCullough

After the deaths were announced, eulogies were pronounced across the country, and commemorations were printed in newspapers. Statesman Daniel Webster’s eulogy for Adams and Jefferson spoke to the point that many people believed: that something other than coincidence was involved.

Though this may be thought of as a generalized Independence Day plastic cup by many, good for any 4th of July, I appreciate that a friend thought of me to pick one up and give it to me. Thank you Shannon.

So, back in 2015, my vocal Christmas group, Simply Dickens, performed in a hundred year old (unheated) barn in the small-town of Fostoria, Michigan. Off to the side, the historical society was selling very neat and somewhat unusual Christmas décor, including old picket fence sections with cedar roping wrapped around and holly poking through the pickets.

I really liked them so I bought two sections.

I'm not certain of their age, but they are very old.

The spring following that Christmas - spring of 2016 - my wife used them in her garden as a sort of continuation of her small-town spring décor look and atmosphere, though the Christmas greenery was long gone. She kept them just as they were, well aged.

Until this year.

She told me she wanted something else done with them:

Becoming more and more brittle, I took these remnants of Americana and scraped the remaining paint off each...well, as much as I could...

I then asked my wife if she minded if I might have a little fun and maybe paint them up for the 4th of July.

She liked the idea.

A lot.

So...

After scraping and painting...here they are, lined up in front of the rose bushes, beneath our red, white, and blue bunting, the Betsy Ross flag, the modern American flag, and the small hand-held flags poking out of my wife's front garden. All set for the 4th of July!

But, um...now, what's this?

This is our neighbor's privacy fence. The side that faces our yard. I leaned the picket fences against this to paint them. Afterward, I liked what I saw, with all the unintentional patriotic colored blotches. So, I added to it a bit and, voila! Patriotism reigns! I once saw a video of a young lady who was a pizza delivery girl, and she said she absolutely would not deliver pizza to any house loaded with American flags and all patriotic. Ha! I want cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, and green pepper! And I want it HOT!

With that I thought I'd leave you with something a little on the snarky (but fun) side - - -

Nicholas Cresswell was twenty-four years old when he sailed to America from Liverpool in 1774. As a loyal subject to King George, Cresswell found himself often unhappy in America, detailing the turmoil and abuses often suffered by Loyalists in the colonies. While here, he kept a diary detailing his experiences in pre-Revolutionary America. But life in the colonies became too much for this loyal subject and Cresswell's journal ends in 1777 with his return to England.

Here is where you can buy his journalin book form~

I find it interesting to see how “the other side” reacted to us declaring independence.

As he wrote in his journal:

Tuesday, July 9th, 1776.

At Mr. Kirk’s. News that the Sanhedrim had declared the thirteen united Colonies Free and Independent States…

Wednesday, July 10th, 1776---Saturday, July 13th, 1776.

Employed at home. This cursed Independence has given me great uneasiness.

Well, Mr. Cresswell, may I wish you

a

~Happy 4thofJuly~

~-~

So let's remember and honor those great men & women of the founding generation - those who belong to The First Citizens Club and fought to ensure our independence - the best way we can and have a safe and

Happy Independence Day!---Happy 4th of July!

Patty & I emulating the founding generation in front of the Daggett home~~~~~ Until next time, see you in time.

~-~

"Something special happened nearly two and a half centuries ago. But is that story being told and promoted? And to do that, you also have to be willing to promote what makes America special. That's not very PC/woke these days, but maybe it's time to start celebrating America again, especially in the run up to the 250th in 2026."

"...and all the people shall say Amen."

Here are a few links you may be interested in checking out:

Celebrating the 4th of July 2012- Before I began reenacting the 18th century - 1770s/Revolutionary War - I reenacted the 1860s/Civil War era (still do!), and on this 100+ degree July 4th, a few of us were very hot in all of our period clothing and celebrated at Greenfield Village. In fact, according to the Detroit News:"The hottest Fourth of July on record in Detroit was in 2012 with 102 degrees."And here's how it went for us that day.

Celebrating the 4th of July 2013- A few of us returned to Greenfield Village in our 1860s clothing for this year's celebration. The temperature was much more reasonable than the previous year!

Celebrating the 4th of July 2014- For my first time, I wore colonial clothes on the 4th of July, once again at Greenfield Village, and a few other colonials joined me. This, for me, felt perfect.

Celebrating the 4th of July 2015- Celebrating similar to 2014, though we have a different set of colonials coming to the Village this year.

Celebrating the 4th of July 2016- A few of us dressed colonial while others dressed Victorian, then we all found our way back to Greenfield Village. We were a sort of time-line.

Celebrating the 4th of July 2017- We had a such a good time at Greenfield Village, then we went to Mill Race Village for our first time to check out their celebration! We even got a thank you in their newsletter: "Thank you to the Citizens of The American Colonies for bringing Ben Franklin and friends to remind us of where and how this country began."

Celebrating the 4th of July 2018- Pretty much a repeat of last year, only we had different folks join us at Greenfield Village and we had a larger group - a much larger group! - join us at Mill Race Village, where we made quite a splash.

Celebrating the 4th of July 2019- This was the best 4th of July yet! We had a very large group of colonials come out to Mill Race Village and celebrated America in a way it hadn't been done in over 40 years, I'm sure! What fun we all had!

Celebrating the 4th of July 2020- 2020...the year of Corona Virus/Covid-19. Nothing - absolutelynothing- was going on, or so one would think. However, when Greenfield Village finally opened its gates on that July 2nd---just in time for the 4th!---I was ecstatic! And then a few of us decided to come out in our colonial-era clothing and celebrate the 4th of July as we've been doing, only as a smaller group.

But we did it!

Celebrating the 4th of July 2021- The Covid fear was still reigning o'er the land, but it had much less of a grip, and our celebrations of Independence Day began to grow once again. We went back to Greenfield Village. We went "unofficially" back to Mill Race Village on July 5th, which was the Federal celebration, though with a smaller group than two years ago. There was nothing going on, though a number of visitors were enjoying the bright sunshiny day and strolled through the park.

And my wife and I even paid a visit to Crossroads Village.

Celebrating the 4th of July 2022- This was a full weekend celebration! Beginning by watching the parade in Lexington, Michigan, traveling to Greenfield Village's Salute to America the next day, then having the largest 4th of July celebration since the Bicentennial in 1976 at Mill Race Village the following day!

Celebrating America's Bicentennial- this is what I wrote in 2022 and shows my Bicentennial collection of Americana collectibles as well as has some fun stories from friends on how they celebrated that magical year back in 1976.

4th of July: The Red, White, and Blue (and the Bicentennial, too!) - This is a sort of part two to the previous link. I went on a Bicentennial collecting spree, and for 2023 I wrote about patriotism as well as my "cool"lectibles from 50 years earlier.

Celebrating the 4th of July in 2023: We're Getting Closer to the Semiquincentennial! - For the past few years I have been having such a wonderful time celebrating our Independence Day by visiting Greenfield Village (including theirSalute to America extravaganza) as well as putting together and taking partin our own magnificent celebration at Mill Race Village.

2nd only to Christmas...and a close second at that!

~~~~~~~~~

And here are links to help you to understand this holiday's history:

Declaring Independence: The Spirits of '76- I had a conversation with Benjamin Franklin for this posting. Check it out and see! There is a lot of cool information and pictures about the writing of the Declaration and of those who signed it.

Unsung Patriots: The Printing of the Declaration of Independence- We have all heard on how those who signed the Declaration of Independence were putting their own lives on the line by signing such a treasonous document, right? But what about those who printed it? They were also putting their lives on the line as well. And just how did they spread the word and distribute this most important of all America's papers? How long did it take to get it from the printer's to other cities and towns?

Yep---you'll find the answers here!

The Great Declaration of July 4th, 1776: Reactions From Those Who Were There- So now we've learned about the Declaration of Independence and of its printing in the above posts. But how did the public respond when they first heard it??

Independence Day: A "Passion for the Past" History of This Grand Holiday- So, just what were the causes for the Founding Generation to want to claim Independence from Britain, and what were some of the events that occurred?

Here is a post of links to other postings I wrote on those issues.

August 2nd, 1776: The Signing of the Declaration of Independence- Contrary to popular belief, the Declaration was not signed on the 4th of July.

Wha---?

Yep--it's true. Here, click the link and see for yourself.

With Liberty and Justice For All- A pretty amazing collection of American history, many of the earlier items displayed here were a part of the The Struggle and the Glory exhibit from the Bicentennial.

The Founding Generation: A Whiskey Rebellion of Sorts - This is a bit different, but it ties in with the Bicentennial and the whiskey decanters/bottles you saw earlier in this post. No, it's not about The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 - - awww...just click the link---if you love American history, I believe you'll enjoy this, and maybe even be surprised!

You notice I keep mentioning The Daggetts.

Well, I have postings about them and their 18th century home as well:

Daggett House (part one)

About the 18th century Daggett home

Daggett House (part two)

The daily lives of the Daggett Family

Daggett House (part three)

The Daggett House before being brought to Greenfield Village

Daggett House (part four)

Making the Daggett well-sweep the 18th century way

and finally.....

Something to keep on mind Dept.:

We are now only two years away from celebrating the 250th birthday– the Semiquincentennial of July 4, 2026 – of the United States claiming Independence from Great Britain. And as I “surf the ‘net” I have found that other nations around the globe celebrate with us…even England! Yes, every year in London, England, is the American Beer Festival on July 4, and past celebrations have included live music, and an “All-American barbeque,” and even a mechanical bull. There are also Fourth of July festivities in countries including Argentina, China, France, Denmark, and Australia.

This makes me happy.

I was told The Henry Ford (Greenfield Village & the Henry Ford Museum) has plans of some sort to go beyond theSalute to Americaevent in two years to celebrate our 250th. Depending on what it is, I hope to, at the very least, bear witness to what I am counting on to be quite a patriotic celebration.

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