The History Twins

The latest History Twins podcast is about Madam CJ Walker, the first female self-made millionaire in America. Walker made her fortune by developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair care products for black women through the business she founded, Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company. Madam CJ Walker was born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 on a Louisiana cotton plantation, and the first of her family to be born free. While working as a washerwoman in St. Louis, MO, her hair fell out as a result of using lye soap, and she eventually created hair care products for black women.

Carla and Keyes also discuss the research and creative process that went into creating their two-person play, An Afternoon with Madam CJ Walker, in which Italian opera star Enrico Caruso meets Madam CJ Walker at her Irvington, NY mansion.

In their imagined story, Madam CJ Walker shares her life story with Enrico Caruso. In real life,

Caruso was a friend of Madam CJ Walker’s daughter, and named Walker’s Irvington, NY mansion “Villa Lewaro” using the first two letters of each word in the name of Walker's daughter, Lelia Walker Robinson.

The History Twins podcast teaches that history is more than just dates and dead people. It’s for people interested in history, and the creative process involved in bringing history to life through performance.

You can find The History Twins podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and Amazon podcasts, as well as your favorite podcast catchers.

Links:

In the latest episode of The History Twins, Carla Lynne Hall and Jim Keyes discuss Christmas traditions in Colonial New York.The ingredients of modern Christmas are believed to have started in New Amsterdam, the Dutch colony founded in 1625, which later became New York.

While the Dutch observed the day of Christ’s birth, called Kerstydt, it was overshadowed by a more popular December holiday, Sinterklaas, a Dutch gift-giving tradition where children sat their shoes outside their home to be filled by a visiting St. Nicolas on December 6th. Winter weather led to the shoes being moved inside, which evolved to stockings being hung near the fireplace.

Non-Dutch families in Manhattan felt the pressure from their children to adopt this tradition, which was pushed forward a couple of weeks to align with the more generally observed festival of Christmas. Over time Christmas and Sinterklaas merged into one holiday.

Carla and Keyes also discuss the dark days of Christmas in the 1770’s. In Colonial New York, Christmas Eve was a time when servants and male children would knock on the doors of privileged classes and demand food and drink. If the revelers felt that they received less than the best quality, they might vandalize property.

The History Twins podcast is currently covering “This Man’s A Spy!,” Carla and Keyes’ musical retelling of the treasonous plot between American General Benedict Arnold and British Major John Andre during the American Revolutionary War.

In today’s episode we discuss Rifle Jack Peterson, the Revolutionary war era patriot of African and Kitchewan descent whose quick thinking thwarted the secret meeting between Arnold and Andre.

Pe­ter­son was en­gaged in mak­ing cider at Bar­ret­t’s farm on Teller’s Point (Cro­ton Point) along with nine­teen-year-old Moses Sher­wood when they spied the English vessel Vulture sending a rowboat of men towards land. A skilled marksman and seasoned member of the 3rd Westchester militia, Peterson fired on the rowboat, forcing its occupants to return to the ship.

Unbeknownst to them, the rowboat of men had come to collect John Andre with the plans for West Point that had been given to him by Benedict Arnold.

Peterson and Sherwood then sped to Fort Lafayette to alert their commander about the vessel. Acting upon this information, troops set up a cannon at Tellers Point to attack the sloop in a fiery battle that lasted two hours. These actions contributed to the later capture of Major Andre, who would have been rescued by the British but was instead stranded on shore.

Carla and Keyes also discuss the research and creative process that went into the composition and arrangement of their song “The Ballad of Rifle Jack Peterson”.

The History Twins podcast teaches that history is more than just dates and dead people. It’s for people interested in history, and the creative process involved in bringing history to life through performance.

You can find The History Twins podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and Amazon podcasts, as well as your favorite podcast catchers.

Links:

The History Twins podcast is currently covering “This Man’s A Spy!,” Carla and Keyes’ musical retelling of the treasonous plot between American General Benedict Arnold and British Major John Andre during the American Revolutionary War. In today’s episode we discuss General Benedict Arnold and possible insight on what led him to sell the plans for West Point to the British.

General Benedict Arnold was once believed to be one of the best, if not the best battlefield commanders in the American Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He had been known for his heroism in the early days of the Revolution, and also paid his men out of his own pocket.

He fought in the Battle of Saratoga, which was a turning point of the War. As a result of this battle, the French became allies to the Americans, and sent troops to fight the British. Another result of this Battle was that Arnold sustained several battle wounds, which led to one of his legs being shorter than the other, which required him to walk with a cane.  However, Arnold was given no credit for his involvement.

As Arnold healed from his wounds, Washington appointed Arnold as Military Governor of Philadelphia after the British Army evacuated the city in June 1778. While there, he met loyalist Peggy Shippen who he courted and married.

Arnold also lobbied George Washington to place him in charge of the Hudson Highlands’ fortifications and West Point. A month after his wedding, Arnold sent a letter to New York City for British General Henry Clinton, offering his potential services to the Crown.

His wife Peggy Shippen passed encrypted notes from Arnold to British Head of Intelligence John Andre, to set up a meeting to hand over the plans for America’s West Point.

After being branded a traitor, Benedict Arnold’s name was removed from American memorials. He never gained the trust of the British, and died heavily in debt.

Carla and Keyes also discuss the research and creative process that went into the composition and arrangement of their song “Arnold’s Lament”.

The History Twins podcast teaches that history is more than just dates and dead people. It’s for people interested in history, and the creative process involved in bringing history to life through performance.

The History Twins podcast is currently covering “This Man’s A Spy!,” Carla and Keyes’ musical retelling of the treasonous plot between American General Benedict Arnold and British Major John Andre during the American Revolutionary War. In today’s episode we focus on our song ``A Woman’s Wiles”, which introduces Arnold’s wife Peggy Shippen as the femme fatale of the story.

Margaret “Peggy” Shippen was the socialite daughter of a Loyalist family in Philadelphia. When the British occupied Philadelphia early in the Revolution, she attended many parties, and was a close friend of British Major John Andre. There was also rumors of their courtship.

After the British left Philadelphia, General Benedict Arnold was named Military Governor there, while he healed from wounds from the Battle of Saratoga. He courted the young Peggy Shippen, whose father Edward Shippen originally rejected the match. Her father later changed his mind, and Peggy married General Benedict Arnold.

After their marriage, Arnold reached out to the British, in order to change sides. He could not  deliver his messages to the British himself, so he utilized Peggy’s inner-circle of friends. The letters would be passed from person to person and then given to someone who was capable of getting into New York City.

It wasn’t until the 1930’s that historians discovered that letters from Peggy Shippen contained secret messages written with invisible ink.

Carla and Keyes also discuss the research and creative process that went into the composition and arrangement of their song “A Woman’s Wiles”.

The History Twins podcast teaches that history is more than just dates and dead people. It’s for people interested in history, and the creative process involved in bringing history to life through performance.

The topic of this week’s The History Twins podcast is Washington Irving's ``The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, and storytelling duo Carla and Keyes discuss Washington Irving’s 1819 classic tale of the headless goblin that haunts Sleepy Hollow, New York in search of his missing head.

Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the story of Tarrytown, a place where strange things happen and the townsfolk seem entranced by spirits and ghouls. It is the story of Ichabod Crane, a teacher who comes to live in Tarrytown, and becomes the victim of the dreaded ‘headless horseman’ who allegedly haunts nearby Sleepy Hollow. No fall season is complete without the telling of this autumnal classic.

In addition to composing the original score that he uses to accompany storyteller Jonathan Kruk October evenings at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside estate. Jim is also the daytime storyteller of his own version of the “Headless Horseman” story. In the last two productions of Kruk’s Legend presented by Historic Hudson Valley, Carla has played a ghoul, as well as a puppeteer.

Carla and Keyes also discuss the research and creative process that went into their performances of “The Headless Horseman”.

The History Twins podcast teaches that history is more than just dates and dead people. It’s for people interested in history, and the creative process involved in bringing history to life through performance.

You can find The History Twins podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and Amazon podcasts, as well as your favorite podcast catchers.

Links:

The topic of this week’s The History Twins podcast is “Hulda: The Other Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, and storytelling duo Carla and Keyes discuss Hulda of Bohemia, the sharpshooting witch who is said to have saved Sleepy Hollow, New York during the Revolutionary War.

Each fall, tens of thousands of people from around the world flock to Sleepy Hollow in Hudson Valley, New York to visit the burial ground made famous in Washington Irving’s 1819 tale, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. In Irving’s tale of the Headless Horseman, a German soldier is said to return to the gravesite, in search of his head that was lost during America’s Revolutionary War.

The famous graveyard was also known for another resident, Hulda of Bohemia, a woman who lived in Sleepy Hollow during the 1770’s. In Edgar Mayhew Bacon’s 1897 book Chronicles of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, he mentioned the woman whose basket weaving and healing abilities led to her being shunned as witch, while her skills as a sharpshooter made her a Revolutionary War hero.

Carla and Keyes discuss their presentation of Hulda: The Other Legend of Sleepy Hollow, as well as the research and creative process that went into their performance. Their presentation is performed throughout October at The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow. This presentation is also being presented at various locations in the Westchester Public Library System under the name Hulda: The Witch of the Revolution.

Carla and Keyes also discuss the research and creative process that went into their presentation of Hulda: The Other Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which is performed throughout October at The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow. This presentation is also being presented at various locations of the Westchester Public Library System under the name Hulda: The Witch of the Revolution.

The History Twins podcast teaches that history is more than just dates and dead people. It’s for people interested in history, and the creative process involved in bringing history to life through performance.

You can find The History Twins podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and Amazon podcasts, as well as your favorite podcast catchers.

History Twins Video Podcast on YouTube:
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The History Twins podcast is currently covering “This Man’s A Spy!,” Carla and Keyes’ musical retelling of the treasonous plot between American General Benedict Arnold and British Major John Andre during the American Revolutionary War.

In this episode the focus is on General Benedict Arnold, American Commander of West Point, as well as his wife Peggy Shippen, whose family was loyal to the Crown. Together they conspired with Major Andre to betray the American side.

Before his defection, General Benedict Arnold was said to be one of the best, if not the best, battlefield commanders in the America’s Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War.

On multiple occasions, Arnold sustained several battle wounds, and one leg was slightly longer than another. He had a limp and walked with a cane. He led The Battle of Saratoga, which persuaded the French to join the American Revolution, and received little to no recognition for his heroism and exploits.

As Arnold healed from The Battle of Saratoga, Washington appointed him as Military Governor of Philadelphia after the British evacuated the city.

He met and courted the beautiful Peggy Shippen, a socialite from a Loyalist family. Some believe that she had been courted by British Major John Andre when the British had occupied Philadelphia.

After overcoming Peggy Shippen’s father's resistance to the match, Benedict and Peggy married. As Arnold healed, he lobbied with George Washington to place him in charge of West Point.

On September 20, 1780, Benedict Arnold met British Major John Andre in Haverstraw, NY to hand over the plans to West Point, and their lives were forever changed.

Only in the 1930’s was it discovered that Peggy Shippen passed encrypted notes between Benedict Arnold and John Andre.

The History Twins podcast teaches that history is more than just dates and dead people. It’s for people interested in history, and the creative process involved in bringing history to life through performance.

You can find The History Twins podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and Amazon podcasts, as well as your favorite podcast catchers.

Links:

10 Facts About Benedict Arnold and Peggy Shippen

Born in London, England.
Schooled in Geneva, Switzerland.
Spoke four languages.
Poet and musician.
Spymaster.

John Andre was a merchant's son, not born into wealth. Yet, he entered the British military with nothing, and rose in rank to become the Head of British Intelligence during the American Revolutionary War.

Charismatic and charming, Andre was admired by both British comrades and American foes.

On September 20, 1780, he met with American General Benedict Arnold in Haverstraw, NY to receive the plans for West Point.

Some believe that Major Andre had even courted Benedict Arnold's wife, while she was still a young coquette.

After his death, his body was buried in the Poet's Corner of England's Westminster Abbey, alongside monuments of Shakespeare, Tennyson, Chaucer, Dryden, and Spenser.

But who was British Major John Andre, really?

Welcome to our brand-new podcast, The History Twins -  where history is more than just dates and dead people. In each episode we explore the past through music and story.

For our first episode, we're talking about “This Man’s A Spy!”, our musical retelling of the story of American general Benedict Arnold and British Major John Andre.

Jim and I first heard about John Andre from Hudson Valley, NY storyteller Jonathan Kruk. In Jonathan’s telling of Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Major Andre is actually mentioned. In the classic tale of the Headless Horseman it’s said that Andre’s ghost haunts Sleepy Hollow in the place where he was caught, which is now Patriot’s Park in Tarrytown, NY.

Most people have heard the story of American General Benedict Arnold who gave up the plans for West Point. John Andre is the British officer who received the plans, but who was also caught and sentenced to death.  Ironically, Benedict Arnold got away.

One reason that this story is remembered to this day was that, had this traitorous plot succeeded, Britain may have won the war.

Over the course of our podcast episodes, we will tell the stories behind the songs that we wrote and performed for “This Man’s A Spy”, as well as other historical programs that we’ve created.

Join the conversation and listen now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.fm, Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Cast, and other podcast catchers.