A New Event: Preparing to Celebrate Patriot's Day 2019 at Mill Race Village

I am so excited!  I mean, simply elated!!
If you are regular readers of my Passion for the Past blog, then you know of my passion for Patriot's Day, and are probably aware of my annual rant about the lack of a Patriot's Day commemoration in my home state of Michigan.
But this year I decided to put my money where my mouth is (literally, in all honesty).

April is such a historical month, and one of the most important dates is April 19th, when what is widely considered the beginnings of the Revolutionary War began on Lexington Green and then on to Concord.

But most ignore this so-important date in our Nation's history.  And I feel the need to bring it to light.

Here is one man's plan:

~~~ 

Two Ken's on the 4th of July

at Mill Race Village

It is unfortunate that Patriot's Day - April 19 - is only celebrated  "officially"  in four states: Massachusetts (of course), Maine, Wisconsin, and Connecticut.  That is, it is on their state calendar as a holiday.
Only four states?
I think that's a shame!
Patriot's Day, for those who are unaware, is a commemoration of the beginnings of the American Revolution, including the ride of Paul Revere (& other couriers), as well as the Battles of Lexington & Concord.  In and around Boston, in which it all actually took place nearly 250 years ago, this date is remembered with reenactments of the three most well-known riders - Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott - as well as the battles themselves  Then there's the Boston Marathon.
In my opinion, the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington & Concord is such an important day and date, and shouldn't be a local' Boston thing, and, instead, at the very least, be acknowledged  in each of our 50 states, right along side Pearl Harbor Day of December 7 and the attacks we endured on September 11.  But for us who live in the Great Lakes State, the date of April 19, which also should live in infamy, is all but forgotten.
I remember it was in 2014 and I was dressed in my colonial clothing when a curious young man, who was probably around the age of 9 or ten, came up to me and asked why I was dressed the way I was, with my tricorn/cocked hat, knee breeches, and buckled shoes.  Since the date just happened to be April 18, I explained to him its significance, and how  "239 years ago tonight, Paul Revere would make his famous ride, warning the countryside that the regulars were out, and they were coming this way!"
This young man was thrilled to hear this and immediately ran to his mother, shouting,  "Mom! Do you know what happened 239 years ago tonight?!?"  and proceeded to tell her.
Only a few minutes later I saw the boy pretending his mother's umbrella was a musket and he was  'shooting'  the Redcoats, shouting  "The British are coming!"
I corrected him to yell  "the regulars are on the march tonight,"  which he did (and gave him credit for knowing who Paul Revere was!).  I then explained that the following day, April 19, would be the 239th anniversary of the beginning of the war for our nation's Independence - the American Revolution.
His eyes grew large with excitement;  he loved it.
That's what it's all about!
How exciting for him to hear of our nation's history in this manner.
How exciting for me to teach him something that one hardly even hears about anymore.
Yes, this was a wonderful opportunity for me, as a historian, to be able to teach, off the cuff, American history to a young lad who was eager to learn.

I hope the warning riders are successful, for we will need more
than just the two of us to help stave off General Gage's Troops!

You see, for years I have been doing my part to spread the word by dressing in period clothing and venturing out to Greenfield Village to pay a sort of homage to our founding generation.  Sometimes I go alone, but usually I am with a few other living historians.  I really can't explain what mentally happens to some of us when visiting a historical place while in period clothing.  I suppose, in a way, it allows us to  'be'  that much closer to the time period in which we emulate.  A sort of  mind-travel.
However, because I am not a Greenfield Village employee, and it is not an actual reenactment, I do my best not to interact too much with the visitors, aside from giving a friendly smile and nod of the head.  Every-so-often, though, a conversation may strike up, and given that I choose not to be rude, I do speak with them, but informing them first thing that I am not an employee of The Henry Ford, just a patron who loves to experience history through a form of immersion.

~A few of us hanging out in and around the 18th century Plympton Home located inside Greenfield Village~
This house, originally situated in Sudbury, Massachusetts, was where, in the early morning hours of April 19, 1775, a warning rider, Abel Prescott (whose brother, Samuel, just rode with Paul Revere a few hours earlier), let Whig leader Thomas Plympton know that the Regulars were on the march toward Lexington and Concord.
So for me this is the perfect place to be on such a day and date.  

But what to do about Patriot's Day itself?
Well, as was announced at a meeting for members of my Citizens of the American Colonies reenacting group earlier in March,  I am planning an actual  first time in a long time  commemoration to be held here in the Metro-Detroit area of Michigan to celebrate the events that occurred on the beginnings of the Revolutionary War and in 1775 in general.

This is a personal thing for me, to celebrate this important date with living historian friends...and the public...to get the word out.

Some of the members of my Citizens of the American Colonies
living history group, including yours truly, dressed up for our meeting.

Showing Jackie my new musket

So, this year I plan to take it a step further.  No, not at Greenfield Village,  but, rather, at historic Mill Race Village, located in Northville, Michigan.  Mill Race Village is a fine collection of mostly 19th century structures taken mostly from the city of Northville and restored into a beautiful Victorian park setting (but works swimmingly well as a colonial village).  If you follow my blog here then you know that my reenacting group has participated in the Mill Race 4th of July celebrations for the past couple of years, and we plan to do so again this year.
I took it upon myself to contact the powers-that-be at Mill Race and sent a proposal for a Patriot's Day event.  The reply didn't take long, and after a few e-mails back and forth, a couple of meetings ensued - some in person and a few phone calls - and happily they are giving me the go ahead to put such an event together!
All of this was brought up at our  'Citizens' meeting, and the excitement began to build as plans were laid out.
There are other reenactors who I have been working with on this - Tony, Dalton, and Scott - (and others) that have been helping with their thoughts and opinions as well, and between us there are a good many years in the world of reenacting notched on our belts.
The date chosen for this year will be April 28, for the actual Patriot's Day of April 19th falls on Good Friday this year, and it was decided since that was Easter weekend that we should postpone it for another day and date.

Now, I have put together in my mind what I would like to see for this event, and, in speaking with my co-reenactors and the wonderful folks of Mill Race, we've come to a few ideas and conclusions:
~First of all, we initially decided not to have a battle.  But after a visit to Mill Race with one of the British military reenactors, it was decided we could easily replicate what happened on Lexington Green back in 1775 on a (much) smaller scale.  There will also be another skirmish a while later on the Concord Bridge replication, again, giving an idea of what occurred in '75.  There will also be a demonstration of the firing of musketry for the visiting public.

~Second, I am hoping for a more  "1st person"  sort of feel.  In other words, I am asking that participants use  "I"  and  "we"  rather than  "they would have."   I'm not necessarily asking for immersion, and I'm definitely not saying to ignore visitor's questions about occurrences after the year 1775.  Rather, I am encouraging us to stay in the 1775 mindset, though allowing for opportunities to speak of  'future' occurrences of the Revolutionary War would be fine, as long as we bring it back to 1775.  My thing is I would like our patrons to feel as if they are visiting the past, like they may have stepped through a portal in time, so it's important that participants stay  "in the period."

~Third, tents are not necessary.  Flies would be fine for presentation purposes, if one so desires.  But I prefer to keep it without tents so the naturalness of the historical grounds can shine.
Speaking of which...no ground fires.  Nope.  Nada.  Uh uh.  Not at all.  Don't even ask.

~Fourth - - - We can utilize a couple of the historic buildings, which is pretty cool in of itself.  I have designated the Cady Inn, originally built in 1835, as a representation of Buckman's Tavern from Lexington, Massachusetts for our Patriot's Day.

The 1835 Cady Inn can easily pass as a colonial tavern.

A quick couple of lines about Buckman's past:  having received word that the Regular Army had left Boston in force to seize and destroy military supplies in Concord, it was at Buckman's, under the leadership of Captain John Parker, where several dozen militiamen rallied before gathering on the town common in formation to wait upon the arrival of the Regulars.  As the King's army had not made it to Lexington yet, the men eventually went into the tavern, emptying their firelocks beforehand, as etiquette would have, before passing through the entry,  to await the arrival of the British troops (it was common practice at the time to not enter a tavern with loaded musketry).  Definite word reached them just before sunrise, and Captain Parker's company of militia left the tavern to assemble in two ranks on the common.

Inside the original Buckman's Tavern in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Captain Parker ordered his militia "not to meddle or make with said Regular troops (if they should approach) unless they should insult or molest us."
I have been in numerous historic taverns from both the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as gazed at pictures on the internet and in books, and noticed these inns/taverns/ordinaries, for the most part, did not change all that much between the two centuries, especially the interiors.

And, as you can see from these photographs of the interior,  the 
Cady Inn is not much different from Buckman's.  
In fact, the similarities are pretty striking.

This picture was taken on the 4th of July in 2017

So I feel the Cady Inn, even though it was built in 1835, is well-suited as a depiction of an 18th century  'publick'  house. 

This picture was taken on the 4th of July in 2018

Yes...a fine Buckman's it can be.

Now, we know that the British Regulars were only marching through town, therefore we decided it best to designate Mill Race's red school house down the road a piece as the red-coated reenactor's place of presentation for the public.  It will give them the room they will need, they can form up without crossing the  'Buckman'  lines, and congregate as they feel the need.

Only the blacksmith shop separates the Patriots from the King's Army.

Inside the school house.
I see a painting of George Washington hanging on the wall. Methinks the Regulars will find a different George as a replacement.

Inside the school house cupola is a bell that will be rung as we watch the Regulars march up the road toward our town.  I, as Paul Revere, also plan to move through the town, knocking on doors to let everyone know that the Regular's are on the march.
Oh! If I only had a horse---yes, I do ride:

This is definitely something I hope to be able to do at a reenactment someday!
(I am riding my friend, Jason's, horse here on his farm).

We will also have a blacksmith on hand in the blacksmith shop.  Not sure how he'll be dressed, but I requested to have him there for an extra added attraction.

Inside the blacksmith shop.

~Fifth - - - Presentations.  I already have a few folks who are planning to represent actual people who were there back in 1775:  I plan to speak as Paul Revere and of my ride the night before, and we have a reenactor who is interested in portraying Captain John Parker, who commanded the Lexington militia at the Battle of Lexington. We will also have a doctor/surgeon on hand who plans to bring the  "tools"  of his trade to show our visitors what would have happened should someone get shot in an arm or leg.  He, too, is a collector of historic flags and plans to bring a few that were known during the Revolutionary War.  I will also have a few historic flags on hand as well.
In fact, I recently purchased a flag that I've seen but knew little about:

Union & Liberty
in the days before the
Stars & Stripes

The flag you see here on the left was first adopted on October 21, 1774 after the Sons of Liberty had forced out American Loyalists from Taunton, Massachusetts.  Reverend Caleb Barnum proposed a plan for a symbol of defiance against British rule.  In commemoration, the Patriots erected a liberty pole, 112 feet high, outside of the Taunton Courthouse and the house of Tory Loyalist lawyer Daniel Leonard.  On it, they raised a red ensign with the words "Liberty and Union" sewn onto it.
The Taunton flag was one of the first rebel flags used within British North America to express dissension against the British government and The Crown.  It also initially symbolized underlying loyalty to the Crown as the Union Jack was viewed as the King's Colours.  The popularity of the flag grew due to the Boston Evening Post publishing it in a story.  The wife of William McKinstry, the only Loyalist permitted to remain, expressed her disdain for the Taunton flag and in response female Patriots dragged her from her house and forced her to march in front of the liberty pole where it was flying.  A later version of the Taunton Flag was created including the "Liberty and Union" slogan on a Union Jack.
I love teachable moments such as this, for far too many believe only the "Betsy Ross" flag was flown (not until 1776), so this is one of the numerous flags that will be shown at our Patriot's Day presentation.
There will be another gentleman who will display two long guns of the period to lecture on as well:  one a French Fusil Fin and the other an American 45 caliber flintlock rifle. Both are high-end contemporary originals.
To help keep the well-roundness of the times, we will have a couple of spinners and their wheels on hand to show common everyday 18th century life, along with one or two ladies hand-sewing period garments.
In fact, they will be in their own house:

The 1851 Hunter House will become an 18th century home on April 28th where our ladies can spin and sew.

The inside of the Hunter House has numerous spinning wheels and accessories such as the yarn winder.
But what's that hanging on the wall?
Protection! 

And the ladies will be speaking of the importance of women's roles during the beginnings and throughout the Revolutionary War.  This will be a fascinating look at home life of the time.

And, yes, we will have Benjamin Franklin as well.
You may ask, Benjamin Franklin?  Why?  He wasn't in the area at all.
No, this most famous of Americans was not in Massachusetts in April 1775.  In fact, he was on a ship crossing the ocean from England to America and did not land in Philadelphia until May 5th, at the same time the delegates from the 2nd Continental Congress were beginning to gather.  And it was on the next day that Franklin was selected as a member of Congress.  As the Pennsylvania delegate William Bradford confided to the young James Madison, some of the other delegates had begun to “entertain a great suspicion that Dr. Franklin came as rather a spy than as a friend, and that he means to discover our weak side and make his peace with the ministers.”
Speaking to our own Dr. Franklin, Bob Stark, he told me his plans for Patriot's Day is to speak of this spy business as well as the Hutchinson letters affair, which was the catalyst of him becoming a Patriot.
So, yes, I believe having Ben Franklin at our Patriot's Day event is well-suited.

There will be numerous other known and unknown 18th century folk on hand as well, including a serving wench (a woman who worked outside the home) inside the tavern and other Patriots & Loyalists as well.

Road to and from Boston...at Historic Mill Race Village in Northville, Michigan.

The lay out is practically perfect:  period structures along a tree-lines winding road, a village green, a replication of the Concord Bridge...I cannot think of a better place locally here in metro-Detroit to reenact the 1775 occurrences of Lexington & Concord than beautiful historic Mill Race Village.

Is that the Concord Bridge I see?

So, it looks like my dream of celebrating Patriot's Day here in Michigan, with a full-fledged reenactment, is coming to pass, and I dearly hope that it is a success.  But it will only be a success if the participants all join in and make it so.  And if it does work out as well as I hope, I have ideas that I've been bouncing off reenacting friends for future Patriot's Day celebrations;  by following the events of the sestercentennial of America's fight for Independence we can include, for starters, commemorating the Boston Massacre in 2020, holding a Boston Tea Party in 2023, maybe add the Battle of Bunker/Breed's Hill as an extra bonus to our Patriot's Day in 2025, and, of course, truly shining in 2026 for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  In addition we can also work on replicating, as best as we can, some of the skirmishes and perhaps other battles, depending on the participant interest.
Yes, I am already thinking that far in advance, but the way I see it, we're at the ground level here, so we can really build on this sestercentennial.  I've put together similar events for the local Civil War reenacting community, including the battle of Gettysburg, a country fair, a medical scenario after a battle, and the events of the picnicking public at 1st Bull Run, and all have been very successful.
But none would have been successful with out the willingness and help of the reenactors and living historians.
Sure, there are a few naysayers, but then again, there always are.  I don't let them bother me or bring me down.  If that's the way they want to be, so be it.  They don't need to participate.  I can't and won't allow them to destroy something I enjoy so much and look forward to.
Anyhow, this is something that I hope and even pray turns out well.  It just might be the start of a new historic tradition.
My cocked hat is off to the fine people of Mill Race Village for allowing us to put on such an event.

Until next time, see you in time.

To learn more about Paul Revere's ride, please click HERE
To learn more about the ride of William Dawes, please click HERE
To read about what occurred on April 19, 1775 in Lexington and in Concord from those who were actually there as it happened, click HERE

Click the years below if you are interested in following my previous and personal Patriot's Day celebrations, on my own while at Greenfield Village - sometimes friends joined me while other times I went alone (but still had a great time):
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014

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