Bugs to beer, series will bring history alive

Posted by Lora B. Englehart on January 31, 2016

The Chadds Ford Historical Society is debuting a new series of programs entitled 'Tavern Talks.'

From pesky bugs to breakfast beer to Colonial selfies, who says history has to be boring? The Chadds Ford Historical Society (CFHS) plans to prove definitively that it’s not.

The Chadds Ford Historical Society's new series, 'Tavern Talks,' will debut on Thursday, Feb. 11.

CFHS is offering a new, monthly series – aimed exclusively for adults 21 and older – that will focus on unexplored aspects of early American history and culture. The programs will include hands-on activities, food and drink tastings, Colonial-life demonstrations and more.

“Tavern Talks” will kick off on Thursday, Feb. 11, with “Chocolate and Courtship.” Designed as a perfect Valentine’s date night, the inaugural program will take a look at dating rituals 300 years ago.

During the program, which will run from 7 to 9 p.m., guests will sample edible “aphrodisiacs,” try their hand at writing a “proper” love letter, enjoy chocolate-making demonstrations, discover Colonial courtship rituals such as “bundling bags” and more. A special wine tasting will be presented by Chaddsford Winery.

'Tavern Talks' will be held at the Barns-Brinton House on Route 1. — 'Tavern Talks' will be held at the Barns-Brinton House, a former watering hole, on Route 1.

The venue for all Tavern Talks will be the Barns-Brinton House, a 1714 tavern that was restored by the Chadds Ford Historical Society and has a colorful history of its own. In the early 1700s, blacksmith William Barns concluded the need for a tavern on “ye Great Road to Nottingham,” then a major highway between Philadelphia and Maryland.

Barns first requested a license for the tavern in 1722 and operated it for “yea accommodation of Man and Horse” until at least 1726, according to CFHS records. Five niches in the foundation walls would have kept “bevriges” and foodstuffs cool, while an unusually large niche probably held a keg.

Other Tavern Talks planned for 2016 will include “Bugging Out: Bugs that Bugged the Colonists,” March 10; “Beer for Breakfast! Drinking Habits of the Colonists,” April 21; “Digging Through Trash (Archaeology),” May 12; “Herbs and Potions,” June 9; “LiberTEA! LiberTEA,” July14; “Creating the Perfect (Colonial) Selfie,” Sept. 15; “Very Superstitious: Fear, False Notions and Fables,” Oct. 13; and “All Things Apple,” Nov. 10.

Admission is $10 for non-members, and $5 for members. Space is limited, and tickets must be purchased in advance over the phone, in person, or online.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 610-388-7376, send an email to [email protected], or visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org.

About Lora B. Englehart

Lora has a passion for art, gardening, yoga, music and dancing. She continues to research the life of locally born abolitionist and 1998 National Women's Hall of Fame inductee Mary Ann Shadd Cary. She is a dedicated community volunteer, working with the American Association of University Women, Wilmington, DE branch (programs chair), Chadds Ford Historical Society (former board member) and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art. Lora lives in Birmingham Township with her husband Bill and son Brad. Daughter Erika lives in Pittsburgh with husband Bob and baby Wilhelmina. She is a former French, Spanish and ESL teacher, bilingual life insurance underwriter and public relations coordinator for Delaware Art Museum and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.

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