Outhouses and Their Role in the American Revolution

Please join us as we welcome historian and educator Bev York back to Canterbury and discover the fascinating history about how the Colonial outhouse – aka the necessary privy – played a major part in the American Revolution. In the olden days, saltpeter – a major component in gunpowder – was primarily produced by collecting nitrate-rich soil particularly from manure heaps, stables and … outhouses! Throughout the Revolutionary War, General George Washington and the Continental Congress struggled to secure enough gunpowder. About 90% of the powder used by the Continental Army was imported, with the remaining 10% produced domestically. This made powder mills like the one in Windham operated by Jedidiah Elderkin and Nathaniel Wales, Jr. vital for boosting America’s domestic supply.

A popular speaker at many venues, Bev York received a BS in Art Education from Central Connecticut State University and an MS in History Education from Eastern Connecticut State University. Currently the Education Director at the America Museum, in past years, she served as the director of the Windham Textile & History Museum and as the site administrator at the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry.

Free and open to the public, the program will begin following a short business meeting at 7:00 PM.