Sunday, November 1, 2020

Living History Photo Challenge for the Month of October 2020

Another month o' photos heading your way!

~  ~  ~

So!  Here we have October's collection of  my Living History history,  filled with the pretty awesome experiences I've had in living in the past.
AND we actually had a bonafide reenactment to boot!
Now,  the original idea behind the Reenactor Photo Challenge when it started back in March was two-fold:
1)  To flood Facebook with anything but coronavirus crap.  I mean,  it was bad enough that we were all living it,  but must it be the only topic?  So someone started this and,  well,  I suppose I really grabbed it with both hands and ran with it.
2)  As a sort of peaceful protest to share what is our favorite hobby and a way to sort of help us get through the unfortunate fact that pretty much every reenactment planned for the year was being cancelled right and left.
For me,  however,  it had been a while since I looked at many of the older pictures and I rather enjoyed seeing them and remembering...
Then it morphed into a sort of history lesson for my many non-reenacting friends  (and even for other reenactors as well).  I also soon came to realize how many different period historical activities I participated in while on the many time-travel journeys.
In other words,  living history is more than sitting around a campfire in old-time clothes.  And it should be more----that's why it's called living history!
What you see here,  and in the links at the bottom of this posting,  are my numerous time-travel encounters...my flirting with periods long past----spending more than just a few brief moments in the eras of my 2nd & 3rd great and 5th & 6th great grandparents.
Now---onto my own time-travel experiences - - - - - - 
And,  as I wrote on Facebook:
To change up the news feed and help get away from all of the harsh and getting harsher doom & gloom of our modern time,  here is my daily Living History Photo for today,  October 1: Day 189 until whenever I decide to stop.
Now I ask my other friends in the hobby to post pictures with a small explanation on their own page. And if you do,  please include your picture in my comments as well.
October 1
Well,  it's October 1st and still no  "official"  reenactments have occurred  (though there 
is still one on the books,  believe it or not,  coming up this weekend).
We'll begin this month's photo in the 1770s:
Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools,  activities,  and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time.  Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact a specific event in history,  living history is similar to,  and sometimes incorporates,  historical reenactment.  Living history is an educational medium used by living history museums,  historic sites,  heritage interpreters,  schools and historical reenactment groups to educate the public or their own members in particular areas of history,  such as clothing styles,  pastimes and handicrafts,  or to simply convey a sense of the everyday life of a certain period in history.
Yup----that just about describes what I do...it's in my soul...


October 2
This glass plate negative image of me holding my scythe  (captured by Robert Beech)  was taken at the Wolcott Mill reenactment back in October of 2016,  which ended up being the last Civil War event held there.  It was at Wolcott a few years earlier that the Civilians of the 21st Michigan began presenting an 1860s harvest - showing the occurrences of the Autumn months during that time.  I came up with the initial idea for the presentation,  then passed it along to the great 21st Mi civilians,  and all of us together pooled our ideas and researched knowledge to come up with a new/old fall tradition,  which went over very well.
Though the actual harvest in real life could not be set aside for a pandemic,  for survival of the people depended on it,  our 1860s presentation,  unfortunately,  will be taking a break this year.


October 3
It’s harvest time,  and you see me here mowing wheat with a scythe.  Although I did some photo-trickery modification to this picture,  I actually was cutting down wheat.  I just gave the photo a more accurate 18th century setting.  And,  yes,  this job really is back-breaking work.  The use of a scythe is traditionally called mowing, now often called  'scything'  to distinguish it from machine mowing.  Flour,  as you should know,  is made from wheat,  and each of its kernels of grain is covered by an outer layer called a husk.  The stalks of this wheat plant were cut by hand with scythes and then tied into bundles.
Wheat could be harvested in numerous ways,  including by way of the scythe,  as you see here.  Cut wheat was gathered in bundles and tied into  “sheaves.”  Sheaves were then stacked upright into small stands called  “shocks.”  These temporary stacks were soon transferred out of the field to larger stacks,  housed if possible, to await threshing.  Threshing,  which you will read about in a few days,  could occur throughout the fall and winter months.


October 4
Today's photo,  representing farm life in the 1860s,  is two-fold;
First of all,  as you may know,  my friend Larissa & I present as a 1770 or an 1860s farming couple.  We take our audience through a year on a Victorian-era farm.  At this particular presentation in Eaton Rapids,  we presented to a large group of old farmers - much older than me! - and we both looked at each other,  like..."uh oh---these guys are going to eat us alive."  I mean---their grandfathers,  fathers,  or perhaps they themselves farmed and lived the life we were going to speak on.
Well,  once we had finished our presentation,  they all gave us a standing ovation - our first S. O. ever!  They thanked us for the memories we gave of---yep---their grandfathers & grandmothers,  their parents,  and even,  to a slighter extent,  their own youths.  Through their response they gave us a sort of  "certificate of authenticity and approval"!
Second - to historical societies, schools,  libraries,  or even those who host reenactments:  if you are interested in having us present to your group or students,  please contact us,  for we are ready,  willing,  and able to speak on Victorian or Colonial farming.  We bring the past to life to people of all ages by way of our story and authentic accessories.


October 5
Apples from the 18th century were not your average variety of today;  there were no Ida Reds,  Jonathans,  Golden Delicious,  Granny Smiths,  or Honey Crisps.  Instead, the varieties of red,  green,  yellow,  and speckled apples from the 1700s had long-forgotten names like Belmont  (late 1700s),  Westfield Seek-No-Further  (late 1700s),  Baldwin  (1740),  Roxbury Russet  (from before 1649 - possibly America’s oldest apple),  and even McIntosh  (late 1700s) - most,  aside from McIntosh,  are no longer readily available here in the 21st century.
They all have different characteristics,  flavors,  and ultimately were used in different ways,  either for sale,  trade,  or for the family’s own use.  With such a large amount of apples,  there was a need for storage,  and those not carefully packed away in sawdust were made into apple butter,  apple sauce,  pies,  dowdies,  dumplings,  fritters,  and mainly,  of course,  cider.
With water not good to drink,  for the most part,  cider and cider vinegar were important orchard byproducts essential to the economy of rural communities.  In the 1700s,  farmers could haul their apples to cider mills,  if they did not have a press on their property,  to have them ground and pressed into cider and stored in large barrels,  such as what you see in the picture below.
Something very special happened when I did an heirloom apple presentation at a reenactment a few years back:
an older woman came to my table of heirloom apples with her granddaughter and got very excited to see them.  She asked if it would be alright to smell some of them because they reminded her of those from her grandfather's farm.  Of course I said she could and she carefully picked up the Belmont apple,  smelled it,  and breathed in the memory of eating these apples at her grandparents'  home as a child.  She then offered the apple to her granddaughter to smell and told her,  "You won't find anything in a store as fresh as this."
Friends,  that's what it's all about!


October 6
Every October quite a few of us would go to the Harvest Ball held inside an old church hall in Lansing.  The Olde Michigan Ruffwater String Band lead by Glen Morningstar,  the finest jigs and reels band in the land,  kept the fifty or so couples dancing the evening away with the popular dances such as the Virginia Reel and the Spanish Waltz.  When we used to attend,  the 7th Michigan was the host unit and they would go all out to keep it period-accurate,  and any seasoned reenactor that has ever attended the Harvest Ball can attest to the tremendous job they did ~ (from what I understand,  the Carlson's now host this annual ball and also do a wonderful job).
One of the nicest traditions for a few of us was to meet for dinner beforehand,  and we usually would head to the Okemos,  Michigan Cracker Barrel restaurant.  What a sight we were to the waitresses and patrons alike!  At times we sometimes would get multiple waitresses just so they could have a chance to speak with us.
Of course,  there will be no ball this year,  but I am sure it will be back autumn 2021!


October 7
A few days ago I posted a picture of me reaping  (mowing/cutting)  wheat with a scythe to have it eventually taken to the gristmill to be ground into flour.  However,  there were a few steps that needed to be done before the gristmill could take over;  cut wheat was gathered in bundles and tied into  “sheaves.”  Sheaves were then stacked upright into small stands called  “shocks.”  These temporary stacks were soon transferred out of the field to larger outdoor stacks,  or housed,  if possible,  to await threshing.
Hand-threshing was the most popular manner in which to separate the wheat 
from the chaff.
In the 1700s,  threshing was conducted by using a  “flail”  (or stick tied to another stick)  to beat the wheat heads,  thereby separating the wheat berries from their  “chaff”  (or husk)  and supporting straw.  To flail,  one stick is held and swung,  causing the other to strike a pile of grain,  loosening the husks. 
And that's what you see 1770 Ken doing here by way of the hand thresher.  According to Encyclopedia Britannica,  one man with a flail could thresh 7 bushels of wheat,  8 of rye,  15 of barley,  18 of oats,  or 20 of buckwheat in a day.  The flail remained the principal method of threshing until the mid-19th century,  when mechanical threshers became widespread.


October 8
Oh!  The people you meet when you walk down living history street!
Wolcott Mill,  in northern Macomb County,  was one of those Civil War events that never ceased to be among the best of them all.  It was usually the final reenactment of the year,  held in mid-October,  so everyone tended to really put their best reenacting foot forward.  The weather was normally on the nippy side - we've even woken up to snow on the tents! - but sometimes it would creep up to near 80.  And the changing autumn leaves set the scene perfectly.  This was where I began to do small presentations for large groups during the lantern tour.  This was where we did our first Harvest Home presentation.  This was when we would say goodbye 'til next year to our good friends who shared the same interest.
Unfortunately,  for varying reasons,  this event had its last huzzah in 2016.  It is my high hopes that it may return one day.


October 9
Here you see my wife and I standing in the midst of the Daggett kitchen garden during my favorite time of year looking very colonial,  though my wife wore a mix of period and more modern clothing.
I am often asked if I feel weird or out-of-place in period fashions.
Nope --- I am very comfortable in full 18th century clothing.
One of the men of Daggett said to me recently that this clothing is every bit as comfortable as today's clothes,  and I am in firm agreement with him.  There are occasions when I find myself time-traveling on my own,  going solo in fact - just me wearing my period clothing in the middle of modern society.  Now I realize that flying solo as a living historian can make quite a few people nervous;  after reading some of my blog posts where I have ventured out on my own,  some reenactors commented about how they'd be too embarrassed to go out in public by themselves in period clothing without another reenactor with them.  
"People might stare."  "I would feel silly."  "Awkward."
Yeah...and...?
Come on...let's be truthful - we,  as reenactors,  get stared at very frequently,  do we not?  So what's the difference if we're on our own or with others?  I mean,  yes,  I get stares.  Lots of stares.  Sometimes out-of-the-corner-of-their-eye-peripheral-vision-so-it-doesn't-look-like-they're-staring-at-me stares. 
Then there are those who will look at me...then turn their head quickly when I look back at them,  as if they were saying,  "I wasn't looking at you!"
I also get people taking pictures of me  "without my knowing it."  You know:  "Oh, look!  There is a nice brick on that building right above that man who is dressed funny."  *click*
Then there are those who will whisper and point,  sometimes giggling while they do so.  Kind of like,  "Look at the history dork dressed up like he thinks he's George Washington!"  This group is usually in the 18 to about 25 age group.  I may then nonchalantly saunter next to them at a display and make an inane comment such as  "Back in my day,  we didn't have such a thing as a cotton gin"  (or whatever artifact we are near).  Heh heh - I love doing this!  That's when they really think I'm strange.
So many fun stories in this hobby of mine!


October 10
Plowing in the fall to prepare the field for spring - turning it over now also puts the nutrients back into the soil with the underturned grasses breaking down into compost - as well as to plant winter wheat.
In October of 2014,  I was so honored and proud to have the opportunity to plow behind a team of horses while wearing my 1860s clothing in the fields of  Firestone Farm.  Under the watchful eye of farmer Steve,  I didn't do too bad - one little blip,  as you can see in the photo below - mostly pretty straight furrows,  though.
Opportunities like this do not come too often,  so I try to make the most of them.  
And when I originally posted this I received so many kind comments,  
but perhaps the one comment I was most proud to receive:
"Welcome to the very small group of  (21st century)  people who have actually done this!  There is something satisfying and beautiful about a good job done in tandem with horses!  The sound of the dirt turning and the blade cutting is almost like that of a wave on the beach.  You can smell the soil . . . it's all very glorious in it's own way."
Yeah...that's what I'm all about...got to get back to the land and set my soul free...


And for October 11 we have three pictures!
October 11
If you haven't figured it out quite yet,  I will spill the beans and tell you that the circa1750 home built by  (and once belonging to)  Samuel Daggett and his wife Anna is my favorite---not only of all the structures inside Greenfield Village,  but of any home period.  Patty will tell you this has been my favorite since I first seen it back in 1983.  I've never been able to explain the draw and pull it has had on me---but it is what it is,  and the effect is strong.  And now,  the first thing I do upon entering the Village is skedaddle right over to this wonderful original lean-to/break-back/saltbox house from about 270 years ago,  the presenters I pass by at other historic homes on the way,  all smiling and waving at me,  knowing where I'm headed  (and knowing I'll also be back to 
see them, too).
And it is no different when I am in period clothing.
Well...yes,  one slight difference is I scat even quicker to the Daggett House before visitors make their way back to where it sits.
But before the visitors show up,  I can usually spend a bit of time visiting inside this wonderful colonial home,  having  "my photographer"  (in the case of these three pictures,  my wife!)  get some pretty cool  "natural"  shots in an attempt for me to  "be there"  in the past,  as well as to have the viewer feel as if they are seeing into the past when they see the photos. 
 And we have wonderful historical conversations---I like to think that during these moments - which only last a very short time  (for I am up and out when the modern visitors enter so the presenters can do their job with no interruption)  that I,  too,  am part of the Daggett legacy.
Yeah...I'm a little off,  I'll admit.  But perhaps my own spirit will be a part of the walls herein as well one day.


Another three-picture day...for October 12:  Columbus Day.
This is the 200th day in a row I've been doing this reenacting picture of the day!
October 12
Columbus Day

Dressed in our 1860s clothing after a day spent at the Port Sanilac Civil War event,  a few of us grabbed another historical opportunity and were able to visit replications of two of Christopher Columbus's ships:  la Santa Clara  (Niña)  and la Pinta.
As was common of the time,  the crews gave each ship nicknames.  La Santa Clara became la Niña  ("the girl"),  and la Pinta became la Pintada  ("the painted one").
As we found out,  these two ships were tiny by today’s standards—only 50 to 70 feet from bow to stern—but prized for their speed and maneuverability.  The Santa Gallega  (Santa Maria),  Columbus’s flagship,  was a larger,  heavier cargo ship.
I must say,  it was very cool to be on these ships.  
Probably a once in a lifetime chance for me.
By the way - negative comments will be deleted.  I'd rather have an intellectual conversation about history than argumentative.
Thank you.


October 13
This picture was taken at the Vermillion Creek Revolutionary War event that took place less than two weeks ago---or maybe 250 years and two weeks ago  (October 3)---and it is of myself speaking with one of the local natives about trading/bartering for some corn.  As he spoke to me,  he taught me a bit more about the ways of trade between the two cultures.  It was a wonderful dialogue - I wish more natives would get involved in reenacting,  for together,  there is so much we can teach the visitors  (no,  not everything was doom and gloom).  I feel the same about African Americans as well.  There is so much more information than the very focused little bits that most people tend to concentrate on.  I cannot express enough to research beyond the memes on  "Facebook University."


October 14
We had such an awesome time last year as we presented an 1860s fall harvest,  for it was our first time reenacting in the historic Village of Armada,  and the crowds of people,  at times,  were as such that one could hardly move about.  And we spoke to them about all of the activities that went on in the 19th century during the autumnal months of September through November.
Plus you get to meet some pretty important people while doing living history,  such as the princesses of Armada,  all who were native to the village and had had their historical curiosity piqued as I related the 19th century Armada farmers - perhaps their own ancestors - to what we were doing.
Something many may not be familiar with is that October’s Full Moon is known as the Hunter’s Moon.  The Hunter's moon is mentioned in several sources as the Anglo-Saxon name for the Full Moon of October.  This is the month when the game is fattened,  and it is time to start preparing for the coming winter.  Traditionally,  this included hunting,  slaughtering and preserving meats for use in the coming winter months.
So...I stopped on the way home from Armada to take the second photograph you see here of the Hunter's Moon of 2019.  It was perfect for our harvest presentation.


October 15
Again at Greenfield Village,  where I am hanging out with presenter Kelly at the 1780 McGuffey Cabin,  one of the oldest still standing in America.
Log cabins have been constructed as houses and shelters for much longer in Europe,  and when Europeans began to settle in America they brought their skilled craftsmanship and traditions with them.  And,  from what I read,  it was the Finnish and the Swedes who built the first American Log Cabins.  It wasn’t long before the technique was picked up by other settlers such as the Scots,  Irish,  English,  and Germans.
These cabins were suited to early settlers because of the vast amount of forestry and the relative ease of building one.  Most of the earliest log cabins,  like the one here,  were very simple structures compromising of a single room,  with one door and sometimes one or even no windows.  And many of these early cabins look different to the well refined,  round logged cabins that we are used to seeing today,  for the logs used in early cabins were usually hewn to achieve flat walls;  this made the appearance of the structure more house like,  and also helped to withstand the elements,  as all of the soft outer sapwood was removed.


October 16
Apple cider was one of the top drinks in pre-1920s America,  dating all the way to when the first apples were brought here to this continent by the European settlers in the early 1600s.  It's true that apples are not native to North America,  though crab apples are.  Once brought over,  however,  the fruit flourished to become more associated with our country and continent than any other place.
It's during our harvest presentation,  which usually takes place in mid-October,  that members of the 21st Michigan Civil War unit will use a replicated mid-19th century apple press to make cider.  And since we make quite a bit,  we all take our turn at the press and will even allow modern visitors,  usually kids,  to also take part.
It's unfortunate that we cannot put on such a presentation this year,  showing the public another part of everyday life in the 1860s.  I hope we can bring it back next year----


October 17
Photographer Gary Thomas caught me a-walking along the road in 1770 at Greenfield Village during one of my 18th century period-dress visits.  I like the way he captured the autumn weather almost perfectly,  for there was a nip in the air,  which is why I had my cloak on,  and the leaves were spread out all around like a colorful carpet laid out before me.
In the background, barely seen, is the Martha-Mary Chapel,  accurately based on 18th century New England churches.
No great history lesson here-----just enjoying the autumn time of year.


October 18
Patty and I when we were reenacting at the Historic Waterloo Farmhouse 
a few years back.
Besides the regular Civil War reenactments that we've participated in there,  we have enjoyed taking part in their Pioneer Days event and,  especially,  their Christmas on the Farm,  where we,  with others,  have formed an 1860s family and treated the 19th century farmhouse as our own,  which was when this picture was taken.
With most things unfortunately cancelled this year,  we look forward to being back there next year and even expanding our time-travel experiences.


October 19
Albert Einstein said that our ideas about time are largely mistaken.  And I don't doubt for an instant that he was right once more.  He meant that we're mistaken in our conception of what the past and present really are.  We think the past is gone and that only the present exists.  Because the present is all we can see.  It's only natural.  He said we're like people in a boat without oars drifting along a winding river.  Around us we see only the present.  We can't see the past,  back in the bends and curves behind us.  But it's there...
With that in mind I welcome you to 1770,  where we celebrated an 18th century Autumn harvest & winter preparation as close as we could to the way our ancestors 
did 250 years ago.
I've been planning this day for months and I cannot thank everyone you see with me here enough - from the bottom of my heart - for taking part...making it real...and keeping  "in the moment."
This day we spent in 1770,  which took place this past Saturday October 17,  is at or very near the top of my Best Of list.  There will be a blog posting about this event in a couple weeks with many more pictures and loads of information.
Yes...we truly did make it back in the bends and curves behind us.
We were  "there..."


October 20 was another Three picture day!
October 20
For six years the civilians of the 21st Michigan put on an annual Harvest Home Festival presentation.  We have always pushed the limits on presenting history,  and when a couple of us came up with the idea after visiting the harvest weekends at Greenfield Village,  the other members were all on board.
It was a major success.
We showed and told the public of many of the activities that occurred in the 1860s during the autumn time of year including harvesting crops,  making cider,  making candles,  dyeing wool,  corn shucking,  drying herbs,  spices,  vegetables,  and fruits,  and numerous other period activities.
Like I said,  it was a hit with the public as well as with other reenactors.
So we continued the presentation annually,  beginning at Wolcott Mill then to Detroit's Fort Wayne and then to the tiny village of Armada during their fall festival.
Our presentation always culminated with a thresherman's dinner,  where we all gathered to enjoy the food and fruits of our labor,  as you can see from these three pictures at Fort Wayne.
It was one of the most looked-forward to events of the year,  and hopefully will be back in 2021.


October 21
Before we had kids,  my wife and I used to take horseback riding lessons.  
We got pretty darned good at it,  too!
So here is a picture of me on my friend Jason's horse taken in 2015.  He allowed me to ride a bit as his wife took a few photos.  I'm really hoping to do this again sometime soon...maybe even with my wife along with me...both of us in our 18th century clothing.
Yeah...how cool...


There is a misconception that due to the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and 19th centuries,  people in the 1860s did not spin their wool on spinning wheels,  thresh wheat with a hand-flail,  or make their own candles.
October 22
I'm here to say if you believe that then I have ocean front property in Arizona to sell you.  Each of these tasks,  though prominent in the 1700s,  was still prominent in the rural areas in the 1860s.  Research,  you see,  is a marvelous thing,  and when I hear such comments being made,  I look it up for myself rather than believe a Facebook meme or someone who may have read such rubbish in a basic common textbook.
So for today's photos you see my daughter and I candle-making during one of our harvest presentations at a Civil War reenactment.  

In the 1860s on the smaller farms all across America candles were still being dipped & molded and used in great quantity rather than "waste" money to buy oil for an oil lamp.  That's not to say oil lamps were not used as well - they most certainly were - but since lamp oil cost money,  they were used more sparingly...for special occasions.


October 23
Now I know there are a number of my friends who have felled a tree with an axe,  but until Saturday last,  while I was back in 1770  (October 17),  I had never done this before.  I've used a saw,  but never an axe.  I must say it is no easy task,  especially if you are not used to using such muscles.  But I was not the only one doing this chore:  Tony and Evan were swinging the axe as well,  and even the ladies came out to help.
'Twas another activity to add to my list of interesting things I've done due to this hobby.
Would I do it again?
I absolutely would,  for it was definitely a period experience.  Think of it:  while doing such a chore and being surrounded by people,  structures,  and objects of long past,  it definitely was a time-warp experience.
Thank you,  Larissa,  for taking this picture through the cabin window.  That whole look has added so much to the overall scene.


October 24
Breaking flax.
Like yesterday,  today's pictures are from our 1770 harvest reenactment that took 
place last Saturday at the historic Waterloo Farm cabin  (I'll have a blog posting 
about it in about two weeks).
Aside from helping to fell a tree,  repair a broken tool,  faux hunting,  and 
threshing wheat,  I also spent time breaking flax with my ever-popular flax break
 I purchased this past summer.  
It was my first time actually breaking it to the extent our 18th century ancestors 
did,  and do you know what?
It works!
Yes,  this stiff straw-like plant,  as seen at the beginning of the process in the above picture,  became rather soft,  though not quite ready for spinning yet  (as seen in the picture below).
Softened flax
It needs to be scutched and hackled next (and I plan to do that as well).  But with the 
flax break I am not actually breaking the flax into multiple pieces;  I am softening it,  
over and over,  in this first process of preparation.
It was very cool to see what it started off as and what it looked like upon completion.
Yeah...our ancestors were truly brilliant people.


October 25
Well...this is Hallowe'en week...time to get out some of my more,  shall we say,  
seasonal holiday pictures.
Back in the day during Greenfield Village's Civil War Remembrance they used to 
have a house of mourning.  They did a wonderful presentation held at the now  (and forever?)  closed up Adams House.  They showed the way death was dealt with during 
the mid-Victorian period in American history.  Author Karen Rae Mehaffey wrote,  "Americans responded to death as a constant companion,  and even embraced it with resignation and ritual.  Americans...were intimately acquainted with death.  Victorians embraced mourning as a sub-culture.  It impacted how people dressed,  
how they behaved in society,  and even how they decorated their homes."
In preparation for the visitation and funeral services,  which usually took place in the 
best parlor of the family home,  the house of the deceased would have an outward appearance to show the community that there was a death in the family.  
Draping the front door and/or door knob in a black crepe with ribbons  
(or in white if it was the death of a child)  was the most common practice.
I have taken part in many mourning presentations over the years.  If it taught me 
nothing else,  it taught me acceptance in our more modern  "want to live forever"  
society of today.
Notice I didn't say it was easier to deal with---just a bit more accepting.


October 26
Another reenacting photo for Hallowe'en week:
Kim Parr,  who I am pictured with  (on the left)  is a mourning historian,  and she began the 1860s mourning program at Greenfield Village.  I have learned so much from her...including:
Deep mourning was the first stage of mourning for a woman,  and it immediately followed the death of a husband or child.  Mourning clothes were expected to be plain with little or no adornment.  A woman - let's say she lost her husband - while in deep mourning would wear all black clothing and jewelry,  including,  while out in public,  gloves and a black veil over her face.  Hats were not to be worn for mourning;  bonnets covered in crape would replace them.  She would not speak with anyone but her family or closest friends.  She would not attend parties or gatherings and would basically seclude herself from the public in general.  She would stay in this deep mourning for at least a year and a day,  and sometimes longer,  and there are instances where some women would never leave this stage. 
Second stage mourning followed deep mourning and lasted around 9 to 12 months.  Full mourning collars and cuffs were replaced by white,  veils were taken off,  crape was discarded,  and jewelry of a wider variety was worn.
Now we enter half mourning:  this was the last stage of a woman's mourning ritual.  It was during these last 6 months that the widow could include the addition of lilac,  lavender,  violet,  mauve,  and gray.  She was no longer limited to just black with a touch of white.
With each stage she slowly became part of society again.  Once the three stages of mourning were complete,  the widow could now store her mourning clothing and begin wearing her normal everyday wear and join into society functions completely.


October 27
Another reenacting photo for Hallowe'en week:
So,  it was a sort of brisk,  overcast late afternoon day in mid-Autumn,  and I was 
spending some time over at my favorite structure inside Greenfield Village,  
the 1750 Daggett House,  taking pictures  (as I usually do).  But it wasn't until I 
came home and  "developed"  my photos when I came across what you see here.
Wait...could this be Samuel and Anna  (peaking through the window)  Daggett,  
with Asyneth standing nearby?
Hmmm...I've often heard of hauntings inside the Village---such as a story that one 
of the workers told me:
"One of the presenters had to go upstairs to the second floor to get something.  
As she was coming down she tripped on her long pettticoat.  She began 
falling down the steep stairs but suddenly felt someone catch her and pull her 
back up.  She was convinced it was Samuel Daggett."
My favorite house in the Village has an 18th century hero still living there,  it seems.


Another reenacting photo for Hallowe'en week:
Imagine walking through a cemetery and seeing people standing near a tombstone.  That's not so weird,  is it?
But,  as you walk near them you notice that they are dressed differently...kind of like the way people used to dress in the old days;  there are men in frock coats,  women in hoop skirts,  others looking like they're from the 1940's while still others look like they're from the 1890's.
That's not so normal...
October 28
"Good day!"  one says to you,  "what a fine day to be in the cemetery.  I do not receive many visitors here!"
Okay,  something strange is occurring.
The  'person'  continues speaking.
"People walk past me quite often and may see my name and the dates of my birth and death carved into my gravestone,  but will walk right on by without giving  "the dash"  in between the years of my birth and death nary a thought,  not realizing that dash represents my life,  so it's good to have an actual visitor who is interested in my time spent on this earth!"
Now this is very weird!
But fear not - - - you have not stepped into the twilight zone,  but,  instead,  you've stumbled into a cemetery walk - yes,  I said cemetery walk - and the stranger is not the dead coming back to life;  he or she is only pretending to be!
What?  You've never heard of this?
A cemetery walk is where people - usually reenactors -  "become"  the person buried  'neath the tombstone and tell of their life story.  It's a biographical history lesson of the everyday people who once were part of the local townsfolk decades,  or in many cases,  centuries earlier.
This type of history lesson is a unique and,  maybe to some,  unconventional way of teaching about local history.  But,  at least here in the metro-Detroit area,  they are becoming more and more popular,  especially around the time of Hallowe'en.
Yep,  I used to do them quite often.


October 29
Another reenacting photo for Hallowe'en week:
Let's peek inside the parlor of the 1751 former home of John Giddings,  which now 
sits inside Greenfield Village.
The inhabitants of this house have seen and heard a lot in its 269 year history.
If only walls could talk.
Well...maybe they can,  for a house with this much history must certainly have 
some paranormal activity.
From what I've heard,  it does (the following comes from a former worker 
at Greenfield Village) - - 
"I was a presenter for five years then transferred to security and worked nights.  
The village takes on a whole new dimension at night.  Doing driving patrols I 
stopped at Giddings to use the bathroom,  which is located in the back.  I walked 
inside and heard people talking but couldn’t make out the conversation;  I thought it 
was the voice recorder that tells the history of the home.
It wasn’t.
I looked around and saw no one but felt a chill,  and then I heard someone talking again.  As I was leaving I then heard a voice clearly say,  “He's leaving now,”  
and the full conversation started up once again.
It was weird and spooky.  No doubt the place is haunted."
And now look closely at the photo....


October 30
This picture was taken from the bottom of the hill behind the historic houses at 
Greenfield Village,  which gave a very unique and almost ethereal photo.
This was,  perhaps,  the most interesting Hallowe'en I've ever had.
We'll leave it at that.
(To read why,  please click HERE)


Happy Hallowe'en!
October 31
Yes,  you see an apostrophe in the title of my greeting.  
According to the historians at Greenfield Village,  this was the way Hallowe'en was spelled over a century ago,  for the word  "Hallowe'en"  is actually an abbreviation of   "All Hallows Eve."   The  "all"  and the  "s"  were dropped,  "hallow"  (definition meaning  “sacred”) and  "eve"  (short for  "even"  or  "evening")  became,  as your English teacher might say,  a closed compound,  and,  over time,  became  "Hallowe'en"  (the evening before a sacred day,  sort of like Christmas Eve without the  "Hallow").
This sacred day that follows Hallowe’en is All Saints Day  (originally called All Hallows Day)  which falls on November 1st.  All Saint’s Day is a Christian festival honoring of all the saints,  known and unknown.  Observing Christians typically remember deceased relatives on the day.  In Western Christianity these annual celebration are associated with the season of All Hallow Tide:  Hallowe’en,    All Saints' Day,  and All Souls’ Day.
In the British Isles,  it is known that churches were already celebrating All Saints on November 1st at the beginning of the 8th century to coincide with  (or replace)  the Celtic festival of Samhain.  It has been suggested that November 1st  was chosen because it was the date of the Celtic festival of the dead and the beginning of winter  (known as Samhain).
There are many tellings of the tale of the Jack-o’-Lantern and how it came to be.  According to folklore researchers,  the original story and the tradition of making Jack-o’-Lanterns for Halloween come from Ireland.  Tradition tells us about Jack-of-the-lantern  (Stingy Jack)  and how he made a deal with the devil not to take his soul.  According to one version of the story,  when Jack died he was too sinful to go to heaven,  and the devil had already promised not to take his soul.  So Jack had nowhere to go.  When he complained to the devil that without light,  he couldn’t see where to go,  the Devil gave him an ember from the flames of Hades to guide him in the 
darkness of the afterlife.
Jack took a turnip,  his favorite food  - or perhaps a gourd - carved it into a lantern and put the ember inside it.  With his lantern ready,  he began to wander in search of a resting place endlessly.  Turnip lanterns usually represented supernatural beings and were used to chase evil spirits.  Guisers/Mummers used them to scare people,  while in some cases they were set on windowsills to guard homes against evil.
Irish immigrants brought the jack-o’-lantern custom to North America.  Here,  turnips were slowly replaced by pumpkins to make the iconic Halloween decorations, and eventually became the plant of choice.

What a long,  amazing trip it's been...
And it seems like I'll be doing this picture of the day thing for months  (possibly years,  if some have their way)  to come.
Still,  I hope you are enjoying my posts..

Until next time,  see you in time.


To see my other photo-challenges as they have occurred month by month,  please click 
HERE for September
HERE for August
HERE for July
HERE for June
HERE for May
HERE for March & April 

































~   ~   ~

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