Mercer County - Trenton - Lecture - Rediscovering British Surveyor and Mapmaker John Hills @ Patriots Week


Lecture - Rediscovering British Surveyor and Mapmaker John Hills
Trenton Free Public Library
120 Academy St, Trenton, New Jersey 08608
Thursday, December 26, 5:30-6:30pm

"Rediscovering British Surveyor and Mapmaker John Hills" by Adam E. Zielinski

The development of cartography in the 18th century was vital to how citizens of North America came to understand their identities within their communities. Often is the case, the profession of making maps is underappreciated in the historical narrative. This presentation will focus on the work of British surveyor and cartographer John Hills, whose life produced nearly seventy detailed manuscripts of events between 1777-1815. 

Beginning as a junior officer in the British Army, his work illustrated many of the towns and regions, particularly in New Jersey, where His Majesty’s forces did battle with the Americans. Following the war, Hills established himself in Philadelphia and spent years working for the federal government, privately surveying the affairs of Henry Knox, and producing two maps of Philadelphia that remain truly remarkable. His life and work have been largely forgotten until now. Viewers can expect to see dozens of Mr. Hills’s maps in person as well as a slideshow presentation highlighting cartography during the American Revolution and an explanation of why people are fascinated with maps.

Historian Adam E. Zielinski is the author of a new biography on Hills titled, “The Remarkable John Hills, surveyor to a young America.” A published writer with the Journal of the American Revolution, he has also written several historical profiles for the American Battlefield Trust’s website, where he is a member. He is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University where he studied American history, and has since turned his attention to Early American History. He has written about New Jersey colonists forming democratic assemblies to petition against British taxation, and General Washington’s plight in the short hills of northern New Jersey during the winter of 1777. 

Location: 120 Academy St, Trenton, NJ 08608, USA

Popular posts from this blog

Monmouth County - Atlantic Highlands - Chris Brune: 1890s in Music, Story & Poetry

Image
Chris Brune: 1890s in Music, Story & Poetry Lecture: The 1890's in Music, Story, and Poetry Join us on Wednesday, November 14th as we continue celebrating the Strauss Mansion's 125th anniversary year. Storyteller and performer, Chris Brune shares stories, songs and information in the style popular in the 1890's. Brune will be playing music in various styles and instruments and giving recitations and readings of classic American literature. Admission is free to all. Refreshments served. Strauss Mansion Museum 27 Prospect Circle Atlantic Highlands, NJ, 07716 Email: ahhistoricalinfo@gmail.com Phone: 732 291 1861 
Read more

Mercer County - Lawrence Twp - “Rediscovering the New York University Papyrus Collection: Recent Preservation and Digitization Efforts”

Image
Thursday, February 27 – Mercer County              Princeton Preservation Group to Meet on February 27 about Papyrus     Ask anyone on the street in Princeton what the Princeton Preservation Group is and you are likely to get a raised eyebrow and a guess that they are people who want to preserve the town.  Actually, the Princeton Preservation Group (PPG) has been meeting several times per year since 1983 to hear lectures on a wide range of topics relating to the preservation of cultural artifacts, including books, manuscripts, artwork, furniture, photographs, tombstones, Lucy the Elephant, quilts, costumes, videotapes, and buildings, just to name a few.       The “Princeton” in PPG’s name derives from its founder, the late Susan Swartzburg, Preservation Librarian at Alexander Library at Rutgers. Swartzburg, a Princeton resident, taught a class in the Rutgers graduate librar...
Read more

Somerset County - Kingston - A visit with an 18th-Century Surgeon-Dentist

Image
Sunday, June 9 – Somerset County Save the Date for a visit with an  18th-Century Surgeon-Dentist      Let us be clear: George Washington did not have wooden teeth. However, he did have dental problems through most of his adult life, as did many 18th-century folk of both high and low social class. There were no regular visits to dentists, with tooth brushing and flossing in between at that time.  There weren't even dentists as we know them today. Dentistry was only just evolving as a separate profession through the eighteenth century. Barber-surgeons or surgeon-dentists provided many more services than our modern dentists. Toothbrushes were somewhat new, but rare for most people to use or even own. Germs were an unknown entity.      On Sunday, June 9 at Rockingham, Marjory Wienkop will be in residence in the Dutch barn with a display of colonial-era surgeon-dentist instruments, related objects and much information on the real story of who took...
Read more