Allen House Massacre

Sounds ominous, huh? At left is a thumbnail sketch I did for the cover of the book that I haven't written yet. It's a true event that happened close to where I grew up and I have been intrigued with it since I was a kid. Back in December, I introduced some of my initial theories here. Susan's post on American History in One Year reminded me that I should do an update to the story. As we head into Memorial Day weekend, maybe it's fitting that we remember some nameless Americans who died in a vicious little civil war.

Civil War? If you read the December post, you may think I'm losing it. That would imply I had it to begin with. No, the American Revolution was very much a civil war too. In Monmouth County New Jersey, the appearance of the King's troops and the soldiers of the American Continental line were almost an intrusion to the local's private little war. Shrewsbury, New Jersey was a hotbed of Patriot activity. 40 estates in that town alone where seized by the revolutionary government and auctioned off. Talk about your Eminent Domain issues! The loyalists, or Refugee's as they were called, ended up in a rough camp on a spit of land known as Sandy Hook where the Shrewsbury River protected them on one side and the Atlantic Ocean (and the King's Navy) protected the other.

Over the winter, I spent some time at the Monmouth County Historical Society's library and found a wonderful article by Michael S. Adelberg (if anyone knows how to find him, I would love to get in touch: email). He cleared up some fuzzy points for me. The raid on the Allen House, which was a tavern known as the Blue Ball at the time, occured in the summer of 1779. It was led by local tory refugees, Joseph Price and Richard Lippincott (who later hung Joshua Huddy) and three others. 12 ill-disciplined Virginia Continentals were cozied up inside the tavern with their muskets stacked when the tories struck. In 1846, Lyttleton White recounted the details as he had heard them from Joseph Price years later:

"....a scuffle took place being 12 to 5 of the Refugees. The Man who held fast on the guns of the American troops was thrown but held fast and they put the Bayonet through one of the 12 and he fell down on the floor-and run two more of them through. The lieutenant surrendered-one of the two last killed got out into the Road, his Bowels coming out. He soon died. The other one got some what farther off and fell likewise and Died...."

Fairly gruesome stuff, huh? Lyttleton went on to relate that he himself had tried to plane out the blood stains decades later, but they still kept coming up fresh. What story is complete without a touch of the supernatural? In fact, there are many more twists and intrigues to this story, as my original post suggests...the Quaker's role, the counterfeiting connection, why was the Blue Ball a target?, what about the ex-slave who we now know didn't lead the raid? Too many to address in one post. So, stay tuned as I try to unravel this story.

In the meantime, on Monday at 3pm, try to remember that it is, in fact, memorial day. Lyttleton White couldn't erase the stain of war from that old tavern and in 2008, neither can we. 229 years later, Americans you never heard of are still losing their lives in places far from home.

T'was ever thus.

Remember them.

A Different Homer...

Ok, so my attempt at a watercolor painting of Currituck Light might look more like a Homer Simpson than a Winslow Homer, Winslow is the topic today. Specifically, his mastery of watercolor. In the annals of American Art History, there are few more important painters than Homer. Winslow, that is.





In his early days as an illustrator, he chronicled the American Civil War and later on as fine artist he covered everyday rural American life with a simplicity and honesty unrivaled. Originally trained as a realist, he eventually became one the first (the first?) unofficial American Impressionists. His most famous works are those done in oil although he is widely recognized for his mastery of water colors as well. He himself believed that his watercolors would pay the bills while the oil paintings he produced - and he thought of his art a "product"- would gain him notoriety. That's kind of how it worked out.



I'd always thought that Winslow Homer's watercolors looked as though they were dashed off in mere moments by a confident master as recreation between major oil paintings. It seems like his watercolors got to the point quickly and with few strokes. Effortlessly. Well, the Art Institute of Chicago decided to take a closer look. It turns out this history geek doesn't know squat about one of America's most famous historic painters.



The AIC took 25 of Homer's watercolors and turned loose infrared cameras, microscopes and color analyzing thingys on them. It turns out that it takes a lot of effort to make those paintings look effortless. In the conservation section of the website you can see the results of their findings. He scraped the paper with pen knives, employed sand paper to dried color and even used chalk to mask certain areas. The infrared camera reveals details that were drawn in and later painted out to completely change the painting's meaning. They've effectively turned back clock 100+ years and given us a peak over Winslow's should while he works. I can now look at these watercolors with a brand new appreciation. The painting below is not part of the study, but I can see where he used many of the techniques uncovered.

Although the Art Institute of Chicago's show, entitled "Winslow Homer, The Color of Light" is now over, you can check out the website for more information. Even if you aren't an art history buff, the scientific analysis is very cool.

Heck, I might even try my hand at watercolors again. Thanks for the tips Mr. Homer!