Men in blue and gray woolen frock coats and trousers, carrying rifles and bayonets, charge each other on the field. Women in Garibaldi blouses and camp skirts cook stew and corn pone in cast iron cookware over a camp fire. At night, soldiers and civilians bunk in canvas tents or even in the open, no matter what the weather.
A number of staff members at the North Carolina Museum of History participate regularly in period reenactments and living history events. Reenactments of Civil War and Revolutionary War battles, World War II–era USO dances, Renaissance fairs, and other historic events are performed across the country and throughout the world. These events are a valuable learning tool for both observers, who witness historic events brought to life, and participants, who walk in the steps of those who lived in a different age for a short while.
Dan Brennan [former employee], Chris Graham [DCR employee], Jackson Marshall, and Pat Marshall are all Civil War reenactors, taking part in scenes such as those described above. Debra Nichols join in reenactments of Revolutionary War events. Paige Myers participates in Renaissance living history events. They participate in three to twelve reenactments or other living history events a year in the Southeast, New England, and the Mid-Atlantic states; two have even traveled to England to participate in events.
Each person had a prior interest in a particular historical period, but something more prompted them to participate in reenacting. Some became involved through friends and family, while others became interested through jobs or volunteer positions. Paige Myers, textile costume conservator, has been involved in Renaissance living history events for four years. “I got interested in reenacting because I worked at Raleigh Creative Costumes and we had a booth at the 1997 North Carolina Renaissance Faire. I...was interested to see what types of garments other groups were wearing to look more authentic....I’ve always been a stickler for getting my costumes to reflect the correct time period but be comfortable.” Chris Graham, curatorial assistant, has had a strong interest in history as long as he can remember, but he credits parents for encouraging him to participate in his first Civil War reenactment.
Reenacting often enhances staff members’ work at the museum. Debra Nichols, volunteer and group program coordinator, feels her involvement in Revolutionary War reenactments gives her extra practice in interpreting history for the public. “So many people in our regiment are real scholars on the time period. It is really great to hear them share information and research that they have found. Knowing these folks has also helped us plan programs here at the museum,” she adds. Pat Marshall and Dan Brennan, on the other hand, feel that their museum experience has reinforced their hobby. “Working here has enhanced my understanding of and appreciation for what people went through at that time,” Brennan says, “and I apply it directly to the hobby.”
Beyond trying to reenact historical events accurately, participants see a lighter side to the hobby. Observers watch reenactments and living history events from the sidelines and often ask the participants amusing questions, including “How do you know when you’re dead (in a battle)?” “Is that real food?” “Do you really sleep out here in those tents?” “Does it hurt to wear that Renaissance-era dress and how much does it weigh?” “Why did women wear so many clothes in the Civil War era?” “Is that real fire?” “Is that a real gun?”
Several staff members take the hobby one step further by making period clothing for themselves and others. Nichols, who has been involved in reenacting since 1983, makes Revolutionary War period clothing for herself, her husband, and her son, who has been involved in the hobby all his life. Pat Marshall, who also counts reenacting as a family activity, makes all of the Civil War period clothes and some accessories that she wears at reenactments, as well as making some period clothes for her husband and two step sons. Brennan, a [former] assistant in the administrative department who has participated in Civil War reenactments for seven years, also sews his own period clothes and sells clothes to other reenactors. Brennan often gets questioned about this: “People always want to know why a man would ever want to hand sew anything! I tell them that it is a creative outlet for me, and I like the level of detail that I can attain.” Myers makes her own Renaissance costumes and some of her accessories, including all the bead work.
Pat Marshall, curator of furnishings and decorative arts, values reenacting for the strong connection to history it gives her. “The experience of reenacting helps one connect to the past on more than just an intellectual level. Reading primary documents and secondary works is important for the study of history. However, it is the tactile, kinetic, and olfactory experiences which reenacting provides that heighten my awareness of various aspects of the past....I gain a greater understanding of the work and efforts performed by women over a century ago as well as a greater appreciation of what it was like to have lived then.” Dan Brennan has similar feelings: “When I go into the field, I am presented with a few challenges...that test my durability. When I am wet and miserable and wanting to go home, I realize that in a small way, I am living a little bit of their experience. They couldn’t just pack up and go when they felt like it; the army wasn’t a hobby for them.”