A Rare 2020 Summer Day Spent in the 18th Century: Visiting Mill Race Village and the Navarre Trading Post

I had not been in my period clothing since July 4th - it is 49 days from July 4 to August 22!---that's a mighty long time for me,  and not one I wish to repeat.
So,  yeah,  it was on the 22nd of August when a few of us,  who were biting at the bit to get into our 18th century clothing,  did just that,  and upon putting on my knee breeches,  waistcoat,  jacket,  cocked hat,  and buckled shoes,  my wife Patty asked me,  "How does it feel?"
I didn't have to answer.  She knew just by looking at me.
There were only four of us who went to historic Mill Race Village on that steamy hot Saturday morning.  It was nice to be able to visit with each other  'neath the shade of the trees.  It can be plainly seen that Mill Race Village leans Victorian,  though our attire was of  the Revolutionary War period.  However,  there are a few buildings there that can easily pass as 18th century,  such as the Cady Inn,  the Blacksmith Shop,  and even the facade of the Hunter House.
So,  as it were,  Citizens of the American Colonies members Jackie,  Mark,  Deb,  and myself enjoyed a very peaceful summer morning as we walked along the dirt road,  inspected the gardens,  and savored the sound of  the nearby creek rushing along its merry way.

The four of us who made it to Mill Race Village standing in front 
of the 1831 Cady Inn.  You would swear it was built much earlier.

A few visitors walking through the park came up to us,  inquiring about why we were there,  the clothing we had on,  and actually thanking us for being there.  One young mother who was with her husband and six year old son was very happy to see us,  and we had a wonderful conversation about the Revolutionary era,  speaking of not only the founding fathers but of the local Indian tribes as well,  for Mark,  whose ancestry is of  the Native Osage tribe,  portrays an east coast/New York Oneida Indian when he comes out as a Citizens of the American Colonies member,  so the young man we were speaking to received a fun history-lesson-come-to-life.

The Oneida's are an indigenous nation of Native American people
whose sacred and sovereign homelands are located in Central 
New York.  The Nation was a key ally of the United States during
the Revolutionary War.
For Mark,  this fits in perfectly with our reenacting group.

The ladies spent time in the garden.

Shrubs,  flowers,  and herbs all grew together in colonial days.  
Plants were important not only for their beauty but also for their 
domestic,  cosmetic,  and medicinal uses.

If you look closely you can see streetlights that some may say
takes away from a possible 18th century ambience.
But that's not necessarily true...

While the colonial countryside remained dark after nightfall for at least another century,  American cities in the mid-1700s experimented with illumination of streets and walkways,  inventing fixtures that later influenced all forms of exterior lighting throughout the country.
Lighting between 1700 and 1775 included candles,  torches,  and oil lamps.

Reflections of...the way life used to be.

And,  yes,  before anyone chastises us,  we did remain six+ feet away from all visitors.
It sure did feel good to go back - - -


Well,  with the buildings closed up,  there was only so much one could do at Mill Race so I suggested heading down to the 1789 Navarre-Anderson Trading Post in Monroe.  Jackie liked the idea but,  unfortunately,  Mark and Debbie were not able to come along,  so just she and I travelled the hour or so route to continue our time in the past.

There is a neat little wooden bridge-to-the-past to walk over upon 
entering the site.

And then,  looming out before me,  was the 1789 trading post,  
the 1810 cook house,  and the replicated 1790’s French-Canadian 
style barn.

We had a nice little surprise upon arriving:  as we parked the car we saw a young woman dressed in what looked to me to be Regency clothing,  which took us a bit off guard.  But,  in walking into the area we saw a small group of Regency reenactors sitting underneath a fly.  We were just as startled as they upon seeing each other.  In speaking with the group we learned they were indeed of the War of 1812 era,  and were specifically portraying 1817 and were their to be a part of a photo/film shoot as an advertisement for the Monroe County Historical Museum.

The ladies were very welcoming to us and explained a bit more 
about the era they reenact.

It was an interesting twist of the time-space continuum,  for their representation and our representation easily fit the period of the structures.
Though not necessarily together.

I am not sure whether or not the ladies were part of 
the actual film shoot,  but their presence added 
the extra bit of atmosphere to help it come alive.

The cook house,  from 1810,  was opened up,  though
no one was allowed in unless they were a part of
the film shoot.

JJ,  who has been reenacting multiple eras for decades,
generally doing the Civil War period,  was also there.
Here he was overseeing the baking of bread in the
beehive oven next to the cook house.

I took a few quick shots of my own of the woman
taking the bread out of the oven.

A beehive oven is a type of oven used since the Middle Ages in Europe,  and it was later brought to North America.  The oven is a dome-shaped brick structure that looks a bit like an insect's nest,  hence the name  'beehive'.  The dome shape traps heat in the oven so food cooks evenly.

Standing about 15-20 feet away,  the scent of the 
bread wafted over to us...and it smelled wonderful.

I was quite surprised to see Jim Johnson,  the director of historic
Greenfield Village,  amongst the other reenactors.  But then
again,  he was also surprised to see me,  for I usually head out to
the Village when dressed as I was without a reenactment going on.
I have seen Jim numerous times in his Regency clothing during
special events at Greenfield Village,  but never anywhere else,  so
this was great to see.

Well,  since we drove all that way down to Monroe,  we decided to take the opportunity to make the most of our time there.  Unfortunately,  like at Mill Race,  the buildings were closed to the public,  so we could not go inside this time.

Dressed in our 1770s clothing and standing on the stoop of
a building erected in 1789.
Yeah...it never gets old,  if you know what I mean.

The Navarre–Anderson complex was established by the early French settlers Francois Navarre and John Anderson,  who were among the first to settle the area of present-day Monroe.

JJ and Jackie
JJ is also proficient at various period instruments,  including fife,  
penny whistle,  and fiddle playing.

Now,  because it is so large and spacious,  they did have the replicated 1790s barn opened up,  so we took advantage of  that.

The original 1790s barn was razed long ago,  so with their
research they were able to replicate what it may have looked like.

Since I often portray a rural man of the later 18th century - generally a farmer - I had to get at least one picture of myself  with a barrel soon to be filled with the popular and sustaining drink.

Apple picking time is nigh,  and making cider will soon be a top priority.

A farmer was pretty self-sufficient for the most part.  He was either able to make what was needed himself or he knew of someone who could make it for him,  and then bartering could take place.

Yes,  in my real life I have done some simple wood working, 
including making a type of bowl or trencher,  though for these two
pictures I was only posing.

By the way,  the coat you see me wearing here I purchased at
Samson's Historical.  However,  I had my future daughter-in-law
take it apart and hand sew it back together to help give it an
even closer period look.
No,  she told me it was not a very easy job to do.  I do
appreciate her work for I love how it looks.

One more picture in front of the only actual native-to-Michigan
18th century building in the lower peninsula still standing.

Even though this was not a true reenactment for us,  it felt great to not only get back into period clothing,  but be with friends amongst historic buildings,  even with the oppressive heat.
And the few modern folks who came up to us and asked a few historical questions,  both at Mill Race and in Monroe,  sort of topped it all off.
The feeling afterward was similar to having spent a day at an actual reenactment.
But no more will I go 49 days without having some time-travel experiences.
No more.
In fact,  there are a few fall living history events planned on the horizon for September and October...and maybe even in November.  I really hope they come to pass.
Prayers that this will continue to happen.

Until next time,  see you in time.







To read more about the Oneida tribes,  please click HERE
To read more about the Osage Nation,  please click HERE

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