The Howe Inn and Tavern of Sudbury, Massachusetts served as the inspiration for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s tales, including his famous "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Today, you can visit and eat dinner at Howe’s Inn and Tavern, but we know it by a different name: Today we know it as Longfellow’s Wayside Inn.

In this bonus episode, we explore a listener requested topic of colonial inns and taverns by investigating the history of the oldest inn still in operation: Longfellow’s Wayside Inn.

Ben Franklin's World - Bonus: Longfellow's Wayside Inn

Do you know who George Whitefield was?

George Whitefield stood as one of the most visible figures in British North America between the 1740s and 1770. He was a central figure in the trans-Atlantic revivalist movement and a man whose legacy remains influential to evangelical Christians today.

Historian Jessica Parr, author of Inventing George Whitefield: Race, Revivalism, and the Making of a Religious Icon, introduces us to the Reverend George Whitefield.

Ben Franklin's World - 025 Inventing George Whitefield

What drove George Washington to become a Patriot during the American Revolution?

How did he overcome the ill-trained and inexperienced troops, inadequate pay, and supply problems that plagued the Continental Army to win the War for American Independence?

Robert Middlekauff, professor emeritus of colonial and early United States history at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals the answers to these questions as we explore details from his book Washington’s Revolution: The Making of America’s First Leader.

Ben Franklin's World - 026 George Washington's Revolution

What do George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln have in common?

They all grew-up in blended or stepfamilies.

Lisa Wilson, the Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of American History at Connecticut College and author of A History of Stepfamilies in Early America, leads us on an exploration of blended and stepfamilies in early America.

Ben Franklin's World - 027 Stepfamilies in Early America

I am an Historian, Writer, Podcaster. 

My historical research focuses on the American Revolutionary and early republic periods. 

I maintain a practical blog called "Uncommonplace Book," which is about history and how to make history more accessible.

My podcast, "Ben Franklin’s World" is a podcast about early American history. It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

In each episode, we sit down with an historian to discuss their unique insights into our early American past so we can learn more about who we are and how we can affect a better future.

New episodes of Ben Franklin's World post on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.

lizcovart