April 1778 Fraser Salt Works SHOCKER!

The Shark River salt works was destroyed immediately following the attack
on the Union salt works on the Manasquan river in Brielle, New Jersey.  

I've been doing some historical digging this weekend as it's the anniversary of the burning down of the "Union salt works" and dozens of houses and buildings in my town - Brielle, NJ - by British loyalists during the Revolutionary war.  Salt was extremely important in those days for preserving meats and other foods...as well as making gun powder, which was obviously needed in the war.  

What does this have to do with OUTLANDER?  Well...I came across something while googling the salt works yesterday, and nearly fell off my chair:

Manasquan River Inlet, New Jersey...

Captain Boyd Porterfield, 71st Regiment Fraser’s Highlanders, April 7, 1778, Raid to destroy the salt works on both sides of the Manasquan River. The saltworks on the north side (now Brielle) was known as the Union Salt Works. ... Where: Manasquan River Inlet. Both sides north now Brielle, Monmouth County and south is Point Pleasant, Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Source: Henry Clinton Papers at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan. Item is document number 33:15 (Box 33 folder 15). ... British Headquarters Military Report. ... Maps: Close UTM 18 580246E 4440304N (NAD27) [40.11119 -74.0580 (WGS84)]

You don't even know the chills I had (or the fit I threw at my husband!) when I read this.  I've been waxing on about the Union salt works being burned down in my own back yard for years...but now I find out that  FRASER'S HIGHLANDERS were responsible?  I'm completely torn and on the fence about it.  On the one hand, I'M AN AMERICAN and they ATTACKED MY TOWN.  On the other...they were Scots...and went through horrific atrocities while fighting the English.  I keep telling myself these men were left with nothing and had to feed their families back in Scotland, and therefore had no choice but to fight for the crown...but wow.  Just...wow.  And it doesn't help that some people say the Scots "flocked to the cause."

(My Scottish-American husband and I just got into a heated debate over this...ME defending the SCOTS!  It's really unsettling, that is for sure.) 

Make sure you read the Fraser's Highlander's wiki link; it's chock full of Fraser mentions, Stirling Castle being one of them.

AND - check out this adorable house on Union Lane in Brielle, NJ.  It is believed that this house was the only house on Union Lane that was not burned down in the attack on the salt works in Brielle.  You won't believe how they've restored it.  It's absolutely stunning...and every effort was obviously made to infuse the 18th century feel with the modern conveniences of the home.  Truly outstanding. 

UPDATE: 1/22/2025 And if all of that wasn't enough, I JUST found out that Captain Alexander Robertson accompanied the Fraser's Highlanders to the raid on the Salt Works at Manasquan. Remember when I said my late husband Tom and I had a heated debate, where he was against the Highlanders' raid while I was on the fence, even though HE was a proud Scot? Well...way back when, his family's clan in Scotland was very small and therefore fought under a larger clan for protection as Highlanders often did. Guess what that larger clan's name was?  

Robertson. 

The connections just keep on coming! Wish I was armed with that knowledge when we had our debate! :) 

If you choose to dig a little deeper, you can read about it here, and here. 

FAIRFAX: One Week From Today!

Get ready for some serious MOP shenanigans, y'all!

Entertainment Weekly Interview with Diana Gabaldon

HOLY COW!  Check out the amazing Entertainment Weekly interview with HERSELF, Diana Gabaldon.  And LOOK!  It's the official MOBY COVER!!!  LOVE!!!  The gorgeous seal looks 3D!  I cannot WAIT to own this book!!!

Fairfax Library Event: Questions for Diana Gabaldon

From Ted Kavich of the Fairfax County Library:

Hello and thanks for registering for the Diana Gabaldon event on April 12.  The date is drawing near and final preparations are underway – we are all very excited to be hosting Diana and welcoming such a great crowd of fans.

Stay tuned for news about when the doors will open, book signing, etc.  But first – we are seeking questions for our moderator, Wendi Kaufman, to ask Diana during the Q&A portion of the event.  We’d love for the fans to submit questions, then we’ll pick our favorites to use at the event.  Here’s how to pose your question:

1.       Visit the Fairfax County Public Library’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/fairfaxcountylibrary.  The message asking for questions should be easy to find – it was just posted today.

2.       Leave your question as a “Comment” below the posting.  If you see that someone else has already asked your question, try to think of a different one that’s even better.  J

3.       Deadline for submissions is Monday, April 8.

Thanks so much!  See you on 4/12.

Ted

Benchmark Teacher of the Week: Christie Haffner

Check out this week's Benchmark Teacher of the Week!  Our very own Miss Christie!  I was so hoping she'd look into the camera and whisper "Fergus Lamaze"...but it was not to be.  ;)

CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTIE!

ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, Sports

Outlander Chat Tonight!

Outlander Chat tonight.  9PM Eastern.  **Tracey and I may be a little late...but we'll be there!

It's The Little Things

So my 8 year old son (Wee Ian) is in the Cub Scouts, and served at the pack's annual spaghetti dinner tonight.  And as I was sitting next to him after the dinner, I looked at his shirt and realized it was cause for a blog post.

"Why", you ask?  Three reasons:

1)  MOBY.
2)  This awesome post on DG's blog.
3)  The patch on Wee Ian's left shirtsleeve:


There are times...like now...when I'm so full of wanting for MOBY that I scarcely know what to do with myself, sassenachs.  I miss the heck outta being immersed in Gabaldonville...I really do.

JE SUIS PREST!!!!!!!

Top 10 Unionist Myths About Scotland's Independence

This is a fantastic video that dispels the "Top 10 Unionist Myths" about what could happen if Scotland gets its independence in 2014.

I try reallyyyyyyy hard NOT to wax on about this topic, because I'm an American, born and bred, and have no business waxing on about a country I do not live in, whose customs I don't deal with on a daily basis.  I also would never want to come off as anti-English while trying to convey my pro-Scottish beliefs.

That said...HELL YEAH I want Scotland to have their independence!  JE SUIS PREST!!!!!!!

 

Whiskey in a Teacup

Sooz mentioned this in MOP Chat last night...and I had to post and share.  :)

NEW Diana Gabaldon Fairfax Event Info

Received two emails with the following info regarding the NEW venue for Diana Gabaldon's Fairfax event on April 12th: 

Email #1:

Thanks for registering for the Diana Gabaldon event on Friday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m.  We have secured a new venue for the event:

Gymnasium, Ernst Community Cultural Center

Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus

8333 Little River Turnpike

Annandale, VA 22003

Please follow this link for directions to the campus:

http://www.nvcc.edu/about-nova/maps-directions/annandale/

Also, please note that free parking for this event is available in lots B-8 through B-15 and B-17.

We have a long waiting list for this event.  If your plans have changed and you can no longer attend, please cancel so others may attend by clicking on the link in your confirmation email or call 703-324-8428.

Thanks again, see you on April 12!

Email #2: 

After we sent out today’s message with updated venue information for the Diana Gabaldon event, we received the same questions from many of you – so we thought we’d send the answers to all in case others are wondering.

·         Rest assured, we will send additional updates as the event date draws closer.  In particular, we will tell you the plan for the book sale/signing when it is finalized.  Given the huge audience size, we will surely have to limit the number of items signed and also have attendees line up in “waves” to prevent crowding.  Please stay tuned for this information.

·         We will also let you know what time the doors will open on April 12.  This will depend on logistics for chair setup, etc. so please stay tuned for this as well.

·         If you are traveling from out of town and are wondering about hotels, please note that you are in good shape if you already secured a hotel in Fairfax, VA.  Fairfax is close to Annadale (you can view this on Google Maps) and we’re not aware of any good hotel options in the immediate vicinity of the venue.  So we suggest looking in the Fairfax area.  (We do not suggest a particular hotel, nor do we have blocks of rooms at any hotels.)

Thanks again for registering!  More to come…