April 8, 2025

John H. Verrill, Executive Director

Recently I attended “VA250, A Common Cause to All: A Convening of the States.” It was attended by more than 400 representatives from 40 states, and included EAIA Board Member David Niescior, who was representing The Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, NJ. Held in Colonial Williamsburg, the attendees were enthusiastically welcomed by Virginia Governor Glenn Yougkin who put forth the idea that Virginia played a pivotal role in securing American freedom from King George of England. For three days we were immersed in learning about the Revolution and how the US has fared in the 250 years since. We learned of the struggles of the founders, the forging of the Constitution and how we will celebrate this time of jubilee in 2026.

Throughout the conference my thoughts kept going back to how the tools, trades and crafts made winning of the Revolution possible and how the Bicentennial was so pivotal in creating interest in the tools, trades and crafts of our founders. We will need to ask questions about the shoe makers who made the shoes and boots for marching, the tailors and seamstresses who made the uniforms or other articles of clothing, the hatters who made the hats that kept off the rain, sun and snow, the gunsmiths who made the rifles and swords, the founders who cast the cannon, the millers who ground the grain into flower, the powder makers who made the gunpowder and the shot for the muskets and cannon, the blacksmiths who shod the horses, the harness makers who made the harness and saddles, the wheelwright and the wagon maker, the rope walkers who made the rope for the sailing ships….all of these and more played roles that led to the winning of the struggle against the authority of King George. During this Sesquicentennial year I hope that we will have members doing research on these and the many other subjects that are of interest to us as we study the history of the industries and tools that made America. Give it some thought; consider applying for a research grant, submitting small articles for Shavings or in-depth articles for The Chronicle. Let’s make EAIA a strong leader in teaching others how the tools, trades and crafts actually did build America!