Tag: Richmond Virginia

Sir Thomas Dale in James Gillaspie Armor; Publick Day 2005

 

Dennis Strawderman as Sir Thomas Dale in James Gillaspie Armor; Publick Day Event 2005 at Henricus Historical Park in Virginia. Photo Courtesy of Robert Llewellyn www.robertllewellyn.com

Sir Thomas Dale Gallery: http://www.henricusmilitia.com/gallery2/

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The Sea Lion Project Update Oct 2015

Photo © 2015 Randall Burt
Photo © 2015 Randall Burt

The Saga of the Sea Lion series presented on our blog highlighting the planning and building of the ship has been interrupted for the time being to announce the following great news. It’s almost impossible to relate the progress during the past two weeks to restore the Sea Lion ship and bring it to Virginia.

After six and a half years the ship was partially disassembled (see time-lapse video provided by Martha Anderson of the Sea Lion Project) and transported to Albany for initial repairs and stabilization of the deck.

Almost everyone we met up with along Lake Chautauqua all the way from Jamestown to Westfield had a story to tell about the ship they love so much. “My wedding was held aboard the ship” one lady shared, but I couldn’t tell if the tears in her eyes were from her fond memories or the cold wind rolling in off Lake Erie.

Almost every store and restaurant had a photo of the ship, or some other form of memorabilia displayed inside. One restaurant had a beautiful painting by a local artist hung on the wall of the Sea Lion returning to Barcelona Harbor with a haunting image of the ship fully rigged in billowing clouds sailing through the sky.

Ron Blackburn & Dennis Strawderman
Ron Blackburn & Dennis Strawderman

Scarano Boat Builders did an excellent job of preparing the ship for the move so that it arrived “safe and sound” in Albany. From Albany the Sea Lion will be moved to Henricus Historical Park (www.henricus.org), the second English settlement in the new world, where it will be interpreted to the public including 35,000 school children each year.

None of this could have been possible without the support of the members of the Sea Lion Project who voted unanimously to move the ship to Virginia for its restoration and even provide monetary support for the move. Their hospitality included providing lodging for us in a beautiful bed and breakfast along the lake at the Maple Springs Lake Side Inn (www.mslsi.com), to giving us an original outfit worn by one of the sailors on the ship, a brass Sea Lion belt buckle, and a large bag of Restore the Sea Lion buttons.

John Cheney, one of the original supporters of the Sea Lion Project, has carefully collected and maintained many of the blocks, cannons, and other parts of the ship including the leaded glass windows off the stern. During our trip to New York we were able to meet with the divers who worked in the murky water of Lake Erie for months on end to salvage the ship. We have over 750 photos of the move provided by Martha Anderson. The Patterson Library in Westfield has been tremendously helpful as well providing us with a wealth of information they have on the ship that will help us in the restoration.


For more info please visit:

Henricus Historical Park www.henricus.org • Facebook Henricus-Park • Twitter @HenricusPark

Sea Lion Project www.sealionprojectltd.com • Facebook bpsferry • Twitter @bpsferry200

Randall Burt’s Sea Lion Fan Page facebook.com/Sea-Lion-Ship-114553268561851

Scarano Boat Builders www.scaranoboat.com • Facebook Scarano-Boat-Building

Patterson Library www.pattersonlibrary.org • Facebook Patterson-Library

The Rise of the Sea Lion Chapter 2

The Sea Lion Saga

Chapter 2: The Plan Takes Form

Years before the first mighty oak was harvested for the Sea Lion, Earnest Cowan, an accomplished artist and carpenter, began his research into British naval history and the construction of 16th century vessels.

Sea Lion Ship Barcelona, New York © David Brewster dcbprime

As a youngster Ernie had visited the Mayflower replica in Plymouth and admiring the beauty of the ship, as well as the workmanship it took to build it, dreamed that someday he might build a similar vessel.  “Wouldn’t it be great if it actually sailed,” he recalls saying at the time, and carried passengers like in days of old.

Ernie’s dream endured throughout the years until finally in 1971 he discovered a rare treatise drawn in 1586 by the English shipwright Mathew Baker (1530–1613). Baker was one of the most renowned Tudor shipwrights, and the first to put the practice of shipbuilding down on paper for posterity. The treatise explained Baker’s method of building a ship according to the three-arc principle in which only a compass and straight-edge were used to shape the hull. Baker developed the concept of ‘laying down the lines’ for a ship on paper instead of relying on the traditional practice of utilizing scale models.

His imagination fired by his discovery, Ernie began the long, hard fought battle of gaining support for the venture since most considered the herculean task of building a full sized 16th century ship pure folly for ordinary men to try and undertake. But then, Ernie Cowan wasn’t an ordinary man.

The marvelous photo of the Sea Lion overlooking Barcelona Harbor was provided by David Brewster dcbprime

Next Chapter 3: The tools of the Shipwright

From Fragments of Ancient English Shipwrighty, by Matthew Baker (1586)
From Fragments of Ancient English Shipwrighty, by Matthew Baker (1586)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rise of the Sea Lion Chapter 1

The Sea Lion Saga

Chapter 1: The Rise of the Sea Lion

They were bold, courageous, hardworking men venturing into an ancient forest of virgin white oak to select the material they needed to fulfill a dream they all shared.  The trees towering over them were 350 to 400 years old and one of the last stands of such timber remaining in the whole country.

Sea Lion Ship Barcelona, New York © David Brewster dcbprime

But they were exactly what their project required to provide the 10,000 board feet of virtually knot-free lumber needed to complete their “dream ship.”

Their sojourn into the dark woods was only made possible because the owner of the property shared their dream as well and contributed the valuable trees for the vessel.

After years of research they dedicated a large part of their lives to the slow, painstaking laborious work of the 16th century shipwright to complete their masterpiece. Much of this introductory chapter to the Sea Lion Saga was taken directly from an original 1981 Sea Lion Project publication. Much more to come! The marvelous photo of the Sea Lion overlooking Barcelona Harbor was provided by David Brewster dcbprime

Next, Chapter 2: The Plan Takes Form

Join Henricus Historical Park for the 4th Annual Arts & Culture Xpo 2014

arts-culture-xpo-2014
Join us for the annual Arts & Culture Xpo Event on June 28, 2014 at the Richmond Convention Center in the heart of the Richmond Arts and Cultural district.

You can visit the Henricus Historical Park booth and 100+  other arts & culture organizations.

The Arts & Culture Xpo spotlights the Richmond region’s non-profit arts with live performances and much more. It is a gathering for anyone who values arts and culture in our community!

FREE admission and parking. Hosted by CultureWorks Richmond

» For more information:
4th Annual Arts & Culture Xpo
Saturday, June 28th, 2014 – 10 to 4pm
Greater Richmond Convention Center
403 N Third St, Richmond, VA 23219 

1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Refurbished by Dennis Strawderman & Ron Blackburn

This 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I was refurbished by Dennis Strawderman & Ron Blackburn in Midlothian, Virginia. The vehicle was on its way to The Car Club Council of Central Virginia at River City Diner, Midlothian area, Huguenot Rd in the Shops at Bellgrade.

For more info visit:
www.facebook.com/henricusmilitia
www.carclubcouncil.com/cal.html

RVA The Blue Cannon Project

The Blue Cannon Project by Ron Blackburn and Dennis Strawderman:bluecannon_004

Here are several photos of two replica 17th century falcons on field carriages built by the Henricus Militia Captain shortly before the quadricentennial celebration in 2007.

The cannon barrels were cast by a Richmond area foundry using a 1957 Jamestown Festival barrel to create the mold. The barrels are lined with 1/4 inch seamless steel tubing for added safety. These cannons have been used in several movies as well as the HBO John Adams Series.

You can easily see the difference in the two, since one has just been repaired and painted while the other still shows extensive damage from sitting out in the rain and weather for years on end.

bluecannon_012Ron Blackburn, in true renaissance man fashion, just finished  repairing and repainting one of the pieces and is starting on the second cannon this week.  The huge wheels on the finished cannon had rotted through in many places from years of exposure to the elements and had to be completely rebuilt.

First, Ron cut out the all the rotten wood then rebuilt the damaged area using resin. A major portion of one of the spokes was also replaced with the work done so expertly that its almost impossible to identify which one it was.

bluecannon_008These wheels, that were already antiques when they were first put on the cannon, originally came from a carnival wagon.  Carnival wagons are an excellent source to find wheels built heavily enough for authentic looking replica cannons.

Ron was responsible for rebuilding and rigging The Phoenix,  recently restored the chauffeur area of a 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom I limousine, and now he’s restored the militia cannons, so what’s next?

 

View more images in the gallery The Blue Cannon Project or on our official Facebook Page

 

 

Henricus Militia Men Featured on Travel Channel’s Church Secrets and Legends

© 2014 The Travel Channel, LLC; a subsidiary of Scripps Networks, LLC
© 2014 The Travel Channel, LLC; a subsidiary of Scripps Networks, LLC

Militia Men Ron Blackburn (pictured left) & Dennis Strawderman (pictured right) were featured in Travel Channel’s Church Secrets & Legends. They were casted in the second part of the show which depicted the Salem Witch Trials.

Another church mystery hit directed by Kevin Hershberger from LionHeart Films. The episode aired Sunday, March 16th, 2014. This episode reveals the true story of the Salem Witch Trials which took place in Salem, Massachusetts.

Dennis did a marvelous job of playing Reverend Samuel Parris. Ron Blackburn was equally amazing with his steely-eyed glint, playing Minister Nicholas Noyes.

You can view a clip of the show on The Travel Channels website: www.travelchannel.com/video/salem-witch-trials
For more info visit www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/church-secrets-and-legends

Visit LionHeart Film Works at www.lionheart-filmworks.com/

or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/LionHeart-FilmWorks/212209212135231

 

The hand painted portrait of Bloody Mary

bloody_mary_paintingInspired by the story and images Dennis Strawderman has taken for his upcoming book, Bloody Mary and the Pirates of the Coast, artist J. Wallace Jones painted a portrait based on a photograph which was taken at the exquisite Virginia House at Agecroft Hall in Richmond, Virginia. Jones forever captures the fiery soul who is only known as Bloody Mary.

Under the pseudonym Frances Morgan, Dennis starts the first book in the trilogy covering the early years of the legendary pirate Bloody Mary and her reign of terror in Bloody Mary and the Pirates of the Coast.

bloody_mary_painting-2In his second volume, Bloody Mary and the Brethren of the Coast, we follow the infamous female pirate into an even more dark and adventurous path. At the dawning of the Golden Age of Piracy, Bloody Mary blazed a path of death and destruction from the colony of Virginia down the Atlantic coast straight into the Caribbean.

We have yet to hear about volume 3 which is still in the works. All of the books will soon be available in Kindle and soft cover formats on amazon.com.