THE REVOLUTIONARY SHORE – Revolutionary Hearts

Shore Stories of the American Revolution

By Kellee Green Blake

Ten stories, five couples, and the journey to Independence.

June 4, 1776

On this very day, 250 years ago . . .

Patrick Henry stood before the delegates in Williamsburg urging them toward a permanent and independent Virginia government and, farther south, British forces arrived on the South Carolina coast with plans to seize strategic Charleston. In Accomack County, sweethearts John Cropper and Margaret “Peggy” Petit held each other close. Peggy was terrified John would go to war, while John could not ignore the exhilaration of the moment. Would their love see them through?

Find out in Revolutionary Hearts: Shore Stories of the American Revolution. This new work shares the adventures of the Croppers and four other Eastern Shore couples on an extraordinary journey to independence, freedom, and the making of a nation.

Follow folks like Lt. Samuel Waples from Accomack Courthouse to the Battle of Germantown and beyond; share the challenges of enslaved worker Betsy as she dares a storm to escape a Northampton plantation and seek British protection in New York; join Northampton heiress Anne Eyre Mifflin Roberts as she discovers her strength during wartime; and stay on the Shore with Accomack militiaman Bowdoin Snead as he tries to anticipate the next British move. You will hear from the famed Shore-born abolitionist Warner Mifflin and learn about the complex challenges of loyalty through the narration of freeman Shadrack Furman.

There are heroes, at least one true villain, souls fearless in the pursuit of freedom and, most certainly, brave women anchoring normalcy in a world turned upside down.

Every story is deeply human, bound together by love, tradition, culture, community, and even physical and emotional chains demanding to be broken. It is a hopeful study of humanity’s capacity for forgiveness, generosity, resilience, and the many faces of love. It is a celebration of the promise of the Declaration of Independence.

Revolutionary Hearts was written by Revolutionary Shore author and retired National Archives Mid-Atlantic Region Director Kellee Green Blake, who also authored Stronger Than Steel: Civil War Voices of Eastern Shore Women. Drawing on letters, diaries, manuscripts, official correspondence, and a scholarly dose of imagination, Blake brings the Revolutionary era to life for modern audiences.

Terry Bliss, Artistic Director of the North Street Playhouse, is directing the production.

Don’t miss Revolutionary Hearts!

TICKETS

https://northstreetplayhouse.org/#the-north-street-playhouse

757-787-2050

Performances:
Friday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 14 at 2:30 p.m.

Watch for a special edition of The Revolutionary Shore on June 29 commemorating the Virginia Constitution and join WESR on the 4th of each month to learn more about Virginia’s and the Eastern Shore’s role in the War for Independence.

America’s 250th Anniversary is here!