This is the beginning of our 17th season as living historians. My children and I have been interested and portraying periods in history since 1993. Mostly we represent the time period of the American Civil War 1861-1865. Also known as the War Between the States and The War of Northern Aggression, depending on which side of the Mason Dixon line you are from.
I had a small taste of this hobby as a young girl while visiting The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. A friend of the family from Ohio would come each June and attend what was then called "The Muzzle Loaders Festival" with his Civil War military unit from Ohio. My mother made me a dress and I would walk around feeling very much a part of the past. I even attended a couple of the balls in the beautiful Lovett Hall and became completely enamored with the mid nineteenth century recreation. Little did I know then that the zipper up the back of my dress or the polyester fabric my mother used was in no way, shape or form period correct.
Later, during the summers of 1969 and 1970 I had a job working at Greenfield Village as a part of the Public Relations Department. I attended six weeks of training and had to become not only familiar with the Museum and the Village, but all of South East Michigan and crossing the Canadian border. I wore a late 19th century costume and greeted and gave directions and instruction to visitors entering both museums. I sure had my picture taken a lot during those summers. However, the costumes (yes, I said costumes) were not period correct either. They were just for show and not researched or looked at too closely by even the museum personal.
I have always had a love of history, especially the early Victorian era when the American Civil War was raging. It was a terrible time in our countries history but also a time of great change. It has shaped us and still effects us today in the year 2010. That is probably the reason why I was drawn to the hobby of being a "Living Historian" in late 1993.
Our church was holding a holiday "Tea" in the church parlor and I attended. I had recently been divorced and it was one of those rare occasions that I could get out without the children and do something for just myself. I was chatting with one of the ladies and mentioned how I was looking for an activity for my young children (then ages 9 and 6 yrs. old)and I to participate in together as a family. You see, I had visions of being a single parent and shuttling my son to one location for his activities and then shuttling my daughter to something else, working full time, and not having any time to do things together. I didn't have any support system back then as the grandparents were in their 80's, the children's child carer had just passed away after a battle with cancer and I was not getting much, make that ANY help or respite from parenting from their father. This woman that I was speaking with asked if I would like to attend a Civil War Event...held at....Greenfield Village!!! All of a sudden my mind was flooded with memories of the times I had spent at the Village and I thought ..This is it!! What I had been looking for! A family hobby we could all participate in together.
I have been a seamstress all my life. In fact I come from a long line of seamstresses and crafters. My friend gave me some books on the fashions of the Civil War era. With the books she gave me and the little research I did at the library and through my own stash of costume patterns I made myself and my daughter our first outfits to wear at our first event. My friend was surprised how well turned out we were for our first event. However, looking back on those first outfits I cringe at how inappropriate and FARBE (this means far from being correct) it was from being "authentic period clothing". They didn't have zippers up the back but that being said they were still not appropriate, they were still just "costumes".
We had a glorious time at the Village that first time. My son was particularly interested in the military aspects of living history. My daughter made a best friend of the women who introduced us to reenacting. At that first event I made a discovery of something we could all do together. Thus we became time travelers, reenactors, and living historians.
On the way home from that first event I asked each of the children to answer four questions. 1. Did you have a good time? 2. What did you like best about the event? 3. What did you like least about the event or would have changed if you could? and finally 4. Do you want to continue in this hobby and attend/do another event? Little did I know that I was instilling a tradition that we still adhere to even now.
The answers to those questions were all so positive that I knew we would become more immersed in the hobby if at all possible.
I have had many people over the years tell me that my children, when they became teens, would want no part of the living history hobby, thinking it was stupid and dorky. I guess that is why we still use the four questions. I figured if they ever came to the point that it was no longer something they wanted to participate, we would stop. Well, just the opposite has been true. Both of the children embraces the history hobby and have even expanded into other aspects of the Civil War and also other eras of history.
The need for more authentic, period correct clothing has also captured my interests. I have endeavored to learn more about sewing techniques of the 19th century. I have also tried to learn and research clothing and manners of the period and continue to incorporate them into the hobby. I really wanted to be an educator and give a correct impression of the period from the skin on out, whenever possible. I have not perfected my period clothing wardrobe, but it is something I continue to try and improve. I can not imagine how many photo and scrapbook albums our pictures have graced over the past 16 years.
This is how it all began. I will continue this blog with more incite into our persona/first person story and where we are now in our living history hobby.
Regards,
Momma Linda
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