Monday, May 25, 2020

Civil War Remembrance at Greenfield Village: The Best of (Part Two 2010-2014)

So,  here we go with Part 2 of  Civil War Remembrance  (CWR)  at Greenfield Village,  covering the years 2010-2014.  Please understand,  I take hundreds of pictures at each event,  so cutting them down to a mere few is so blasted difficult.
With CWR cancelled this year due to covid-19,  which is so tough for all of us who participate every year,  I thought it would be a good time to create these  "Best ofs"  and search through the dusty old pictures lying in a box in the basement,  gathering dust and mold.
Okay---not really.  They are digital,  so they've been stored on the computer.
But they are somewhat old.
I hope you enjoy them:
Though this picture was taken in 2012,  it could have been taken 
during any of the years in this posting,  showing the line-up of 
cars,  trucks,  and RVs filled with reenactors,  tents,  and 
everything needed to survive three and a half days inside the 
hallowed walls of Greenfield Village. 

2010
For years we camped  'neath the mulberry trees near the old Silk 
Mill,  and this was my view  (slight changes of tents and people 
every year,  but you get the idea). 

2010
One of the best things about reenacting is working on period 
crafts and learning to do some of the tasks our ancestors may have done.

2010
My son,  Tom,  on the guitar and MSAS member Andy playing 
the concertina.  There are no radios to  "set the mood"  at our 
reenactments,  but we do have live music.

2010
A few of us in the ever-growing unit of the  21st Michigan pose 
for a photo in front of the 1832 Eagle Tavern.

2011
President Jefferson Davis and Michigan Senator Jacob Howard.
North or South,  we're all good friends.

2011
In 2011 we put on a recruiting scenario,  which went 
very well indeed.  In fact,  one of the recruits was a female 
dressed in her brother's duds.  She was caught and soundly taken 
home to her father and mother.
Can you guess which  'boy'  she is?

2011
Our new Michigan recruits getting sworn in and preparing to 
board the train at the Smiths Creek Depot as the ladies of town 
wave their goodbyes.

2011
A modern photo that I aged up a bit - taken at the Depot.

2011
Here are some of the military men of the 21st Michigan.
My two sons: second from left and far right.

2011
Lovely ladies of the 19th century:  Lorna,  Sue,  and Kristen

2012
My wife loves to spin on her spinning wheel,  and the visitors 
love to watch.  Many times she will have the children help by 
carding wool with the carding paddles.

2012
I mentioned working on period crafts earlier.  Well,  it looks like a 
few members of the MSAS  (Michigan Soldiers Aid Society)  are 
working on a quilt.  

2012
I caught Mrs.  Geyman standing and staring at the Ackley 
Covered Bridge entrance and saw a painting come to life.

2012
The young folk were very excited to be heading to the ball!

2012
Larissa works at the Village,  and therefore was the presenter at 
the 1860 Susquehanna Plantation House.  I stopped in for a visit,  
found a banjo,  and began to play.  Suddenly,  seemingly out of 
nowhere,  a fiddler came in and joined in the music-making.
These off-the-cuff scenarios are the best.

2012
The battles take place daily for the three-day Memorial Weekend.

2012
My good friend  (and mourning historian)  Kim Parr posed 
with me for this faked tintype.

2013
Our tent is on the left,  Larissa's on the right,  and as you circle 
around you would see many other 21st Michigan member's tents 
in a sort of cul-de-sac.
This was our location for over a decade.

2013
Pearl,  Candy,  and Melody play period music while beneath the 
grove of mulberry trees.
There is always plenty of live music all around.

2013
I still had my period post office presentation in 2013.  I presented 
as the postmaster for nearly a decade then stretched out into other 
scenarios,  including a tavern owner and a farmer,  which is what 
currently present as.
Ours'  is a busy tent.

2013
Felicia and Larissa play a rousing game of checkers. 

2013
My lovely bride and I


2013
Mrs.  Morgan and Mrs.  Root of the MSAS

2013
One of the 21st Michigan's newest members  (at that time)  was 
Robert Beech,  who had recently begun to learn the trade of 
tintype photography.
He is now considered by many to be one of the best around.

2013
Another year-another 21st Michigan picture.
We're growing.

2013
Greenfield Village began allowing sutlers to set up at the Village 
during Civil War Remembrance.  Here we have The Dressmaker's 
Shop: Kim and Jim Lynch proprietors.

2013
Here we have yet another 21st Michigan couple, 
Mr.  and Mrs.  St. John

2013
Members of the 21st Michigan,  including my son,  
sitting against the tree.

2013
Southren  gentlemen.
I've been asked why I don't include more Confederates in my 
photos and postings.  Well,  that's mainly because I belong to a 
Union unit and,  thus,  surrounded by the north.  
But I do try to include them when I can.

2013
The gentleman standing there is Fred Denault,  
who fondly called himself  "the perpetual private."
Fred passed away a few years ago,  but he
is so very fondly remembered.

2013
Dave,  Jackie,  David,  and myself just before the 
Memorial Day service.

2013
The Cavalry

2013
Me and my friend Sheri from the 24th Michigan

2014
Lee Cagle,  Model T driver for Greenfield Village,  is also known 
for his outstanding photographs,  as you can see.
Beckie,  here,  by the way,  also used to drive Model Ts 
for the Village.

2014
Some of the ladies of the Michigan Soldiers Aid Society.

2014
Another group picture of the joyous 21st Michigan members!
As you can see,  we had a growth spurt!

2014
The men of the Union preparing for the Memorial Day service.

2014
Men still keep on marching off to war...and the beat goes on...
For the picture above and below:
To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of General Grant’s Overland Campaign of 1864,  Greenfield Village had partnered with the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park for a special tribute program that all CWR participants were asked to participate.  To mark those events,  Greenfield Village took part in Reverberations,  an innovative program initiated by the National Park Service connecting three national parks in Virginia and eight communities around the country to illustrate the devastating impact of the Civil War on communities across the country.
Greenfield Village in Dearborn,  Michigan was one of those communities.
This special candlelight illumination ceremony was simultaneously conducted by the partner communities both North and South.  This illumination ceremony culminated in taps being played in Greenfield Village and echoed to these other locations virtually as the event will be streamed live in conjunction with the other ceremonies.  The activities concluded with a grand illumination ceremony at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery in Virginia.
2014
~The Passersby~
"I remember thinking that you were dead.  
That doesn't make any difference now."
This road is the afterwards of the Civil War.  It began at Fort 
Sumter,  South Carolina,  and ended at a place called 
Appomattox.  It's a road that won't be found on a map,  but it's 
one of many that lead in and out of a strange province that knows 
neither North nor South during the month of May,  the year 
1865...the place we call...the Grand Illumination Ceremony."

2014
Andy  "the eggman"  makes his morning breakfast.
Yes,  that is an actual cast-iron stove he is cooking on.

2014
Larissa and little Zane enjoying another beautiful day.
Children always play an important part in the realism 
we try to give.

2014
Mrs.  Folcarelli makes the best reenacting pies,  bar none!
At one point she had actually set up a period bakery.

2014
Three patriotic women!
Showing their patriotism was something the ladies 
of the time would proudly do.  

2014
Every year,  The Henry Ford throws reenactors a grand ball,  
held inside Lovett Hall.  

2014
The ball is where everyone dresses in their 1860s finest.  We 
dance the quadrilles and reels to the  "finest orchestry music in 
these parts."

2014
My two oldest sons.
I believe this was my son Tom's last reenactment that he 
participated in,  for he was married with a growing family 
and other hobbies and opportunities came into his life.
My son Robbie,  on the left,  continues on in the hobby. 

2014
Senator jacob Howard greets the soldiers of the 21st Michigan.
Dignitaries would often come and speak words of encouragement 
to the men about to go off to fight.

2014
After the battle:  my son Robbie is plumb wore out.

2014
"Oh!  Oh!  My man has been shot!!"
So now we have completed part two of the three-part Best of Civil War Remembrance at Greenfield Village.  Part three will be posted in two weeks,  for next week will be my Picture of the Day for the merry month of May.
And just so you are aware - especially the local folks who read this:  Greenfield Village is definitely planning to reopen this summer.  As Patricia Mooradian,  President of The Henry Ford,  wrote in an e-mail:
"...it is highly unlikely that we will be able to open in a safe manner during the month of June,  and therefore,  we are extending our closure through June 28,  2020.  At this time,  it seems that the earliest timing for a safe and phased reopening is July;  however,  the exact date is not our choice to make alone because we must adhere to state mandates.  Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to open as soon as possible."

Until next time,  see you in time...

















~   ~   ~