Liberty & Lead: America's 250th Anniversary Black Powder, Frontier Arms Auction

Anne and Frank were Civil War reenactors.

Here is her story:

My late husband Frank and I got involved in 18th century(Revolutionary War era) re-enacting from his job at Fort Stanwick in upstate New York. Fort Stanwick supplied the initial clothing as part of the job. Our interest expanded to volunteering at General Herkimer’s home as live history re-enactors. Later we joined the Eastern Primitive Rendezvous group and participated in many live historical encampments.

At the Fort, Frank played a sutler, basically a trader with the Indians friendly to the colonists. Unlike a typical national park where the rangers were modern clothing, the Fort supplied the period costumes. Once you stepped into the Fort, it was like stepping back in time to the 1770’s. The rangers were even required to speak in the language of the day; no modern terms or slang.

At General Herkimer’s house, we would both dress in period clothing and do daily things like making maple syrup, sewing or other daily things someone from the time period would have done. It was a fun way to educate the public on our founding and what life was like in early America and the colonies.

The Rendezvous group we belonged to would host large encampments where everything from how you lived in a tent to your cooking was authentic. Modern vehicles were parked away from the encampment so once a visitor would walk into the camp, it was a total immersion into life in 18th century America.

The clothing we wore reflected the clothing worn by the common man and woman of the day. Frank’s attire as a sutler would be a simple unbleached muslin shirt that would also double as a night shirt for sleeping, simple linen breeches, stockings and buckled shoes. Either the tri-cornered hat or a fur skin cap would be worn.

As the wife of a sutler, I would wear a muslin shift, an undergarment that would also double as my night gown. A corset, three muslin petticoats, a linen or wool outer dress and jacket, shoes and a simple straw hat would complete my attire.

We collected many reproduction pieces of daily household wears such as cast iron dutch ovens for cooking, lanterns, tents and writing desks. Many of the rendezvouses had trading tables where reenacts could trade goods made by hand.

The sewing machine was not invented at the time. Any costumes made for the period were either stitched by hand or if a modern sewing machine was used, as large stitch count was required to mimic hand sewing. Replica shoes were made by hand as well as other goods.

We even cooked authentic recipes of the time and would share them with fellow reenacts or the visiting public to the Rendezvous. One of the reenactments we attended was shortly after 9/11. Despite wanting to talk about what occurred, we were bound by the rules of the group to stay in character of the time period. It was interesting to try to talk of the attack on New York without mentioning airplanes or terrorists. Attached are some pictures of that reenactment in West Virginia September of 2001