John Sullivan was a Major General in the Revolutionary War, and was elected Governor of NH three times. His Irish parents came to America as indentured servants. We will explore how the son oaf a very poor family rose to such prominence in military and political circles. He led a very active, and sometimes controversial, life full of twists and turns. How did he become much more famous in other states than right here in NH?

A detective story of sorts, following the trail of letters, orders, and ledger book entries to confirm the source of RANGER's cannon in 1777 when these were in very short supply. The trail led to Nicholas Brown's Hope Furnace in Hope, RI. Includes the story of the iron-making "furnaces," the crash development of continental cannon making at the outset of the Revolutionary War, the later production by several key furnaces, and concludes with presentation of a half-scale 4-pounder patterned on a contemporary one found in Hope, RI.

Wood was important in every part of colonial life. From the houses they lived in, the bowls and plates they ate from, the ships they built and sailed in, to the way goods were stored and transported, wood was the essential material. We will discuss how wood was obtained and moved, then processed into useful things like lumber, beams, ships, masts, etc. And it all started with Skid Row!