Category Archives: Uncategorized

A few of my favorites at Christmas

Everything has a history, even the celebration of holidays. Some people who visit eighteenth century historic sites at Christmas ask where the Christmas trees are. Trees are a nineteenth century thing. George Washington never put up a Christmas tree at … Continue reading

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Not just a field

“It’s just a field, dad,” many a bored teenager has whined on a family trip to a battlefield. Battlefields require imagination to understand their significance and over the years, I know many National Park Service staff have struggled with how … Continue reading

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Talking with a teacher about history

It’s coming soon! My next book, The World Turned Upside Down: The Yorktown Victory That Won America’s Independence, will be published on April 12 and I’m planning several upcoming posts to focus on the Yorktown story. If you’ve never visited … Continue reading

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Announcing my next book…

Hi everyone. I’ve been writing fewer blog posts recently because I’ve been busy with several book projects. And, because I wasn’t visiting historic sites during Covid — since so many were closed. (Was just at Mount Vernon last week, but … Continue reading

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How to raise a history lover: 6 ways

The summer I was ten, my parents took me to visit the restored town of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. We stepped into the musical instrument shop where I watched craftsmen constructing violins. That year I had started learning to play … Continue reading

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Bob Beatty: My favorite history site(s)

Public historian Bob Beatty shares his favorite history sites. Continue reading

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My break is over

Dear Readers, I’ve taken a long break from blogging to work on a new book. Star Spangled: The Story of a Flag, a Battle, and a Song, is due out next year and targets ages 10-14, but will be of … Continue reading

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Hands-on colonial farm

I recently visited The Claude Moore Colonial Farm in McLean, Virginia. Having grown up in the Washington D.C suburbs, I was familiar with the multitude of museums, parks, battlefields, historical societies and art galleries in the area. However, I never knew … Continue reading

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A gift idea for history lovers (and haters?)

History is not about dates and quotes and obscure provisos. History is about life, about change, about consequences, cause and effect. It’s about the mystery of human nature, the mystery of time, and it isn’t just about politics and the … Continue reading

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Introducing my new book…

No blog posts recently for two reasons: My attention is focused on my new book, which will be appearing in bookstores soon. It is about various projects I’ve worked on over my career in some of America’s most visited history … Continue reading

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