Stepping in a Time Zone: The History Alive Timeline at the Chesterfield Historical Village (and a bit on raw wool, too!)

Four weeks is just too long to go without wearing my period clothing.

May 7 was the last time I was in my knee breeches,  cocked hat,  buckled shoes,  and waistcoat,  and I went until June 4 before I was dressed that way again.  Simply too long in between.

Can't let that happen again! 

..........................................

Hey---that's me---Colonial Ken,
representing the early 1770s.

"You're obsolete,  my baby,

my poor old fashioned baby...

I said,  baby,  baby,  baby,  you're out of time."

That's what I'm told,  that I'm obsolete,  out of touch,  and out of time.

Well,  I'm not exactly called  "baby" - some of you may recognize this bit of a lyric from a 1966 Rolling Stones song  (that they just happened to perform in concert for the very first time ever this year on their 60th anniversary tour).

But,  yeah,  I suppose I look sort of out of time.  However,  don't let the modern fashion police fool you - I am up on current events as much as the next guy,  and I am quite aware of all that's going on with the war in the Ukraine,  the  ridiculously high prices for food and other items,  the extreme price of gas that everyone but politicians seem to be talking about...yeah...I'm very aware.

But,  had I been strolling about the 1770 scene,  I would have blended in pretty well with the times.

So it was on the first Saturday in June when I found myself  in a swirl of various time periods,  for I was at a timeline event.  It's been about a month since I was last in period clothing,  which was during our spring planting at the frontier cabin event in early May.

Too long!

But it certainly felt good to be back.

Timelines seem to be increasing in popularity for a variety of reasons.  Some may not like them or agree with me,  but timelines are not necessarily a bad thing,  for they can give the visitor a good overview of the passing of time and the changes that have and had occurred.  In fact,  timelines are actually pretty cool, for,  in all honesty,  and,  aside from a battle,  nearly everything else can still be presented.  Yeah,  I'm pretty okay with timelines in general.

If you look under the title of my Passion for the Past header,  you will note the general description of this blog:  "A Journey Through Time With A  Living Historian."  I recently changed that from  "Thoughts and Social History for the Living Historian,"  for I believe the new description fits my blog postings much better;  as a living historian,  I am  taking a journey through time.  So when I have that time-travel opportunity,  I jump on that horse and ride - and that's exactly what I did at the timeline event in Chesterfield,  Michigan.

It wasn't a fast ride - it was more of a relaxed trot along the perimeters of time.

And I'm so glad to have you come along on the journey with me.

A journey through time - soldier and civilian~
From left:  a citizen of the American colonies from 1772. 
Next we have a representative from the Mexican War - late 1840s.
Our third time-traveler is an 1860s Civil War soldier.
And finally we have a citizen from 1917 - one of the many women who helped out
in a myriad of ways during The Great War..

At the time of the First World War,  most women were barred from voting or serving in military combat roles.  Many saw the war as an opportunity to not only serve their countries but to gain more rights and independence.  With millions of men away from home,  women filled manufacturing and agricultural positions on the home front.  Others provided support on the front lines as nurses,  doctors,  ambulance drivers,  translators and,  in rare cases,  on the battlefield.

Instead of  "Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts for Soldiers" 
(which was a World War I era song that tells about a young
girl sewing shirts for soldiers fighting abroad),  we have 
"Debbie's Baking Doughnuts for Doughboys"  (lol).

Every housewife in the U.S.  was asked to sign a pledge card stating that she would  “carry out the directions and advice of the Food Administrator in the conduct of my household,  in so far as my circumstances permit.”  This meant canning food for future use,  growing vegetables in the backyard and limiting consumption of meat,  wheat and fats.  Most of all,  women were expected to bolster the morale of their families at home and loved ones overseas.

One observer wrote that American women “do anything they were given to do;  that their hours are long;  that their task is hard;  that for them there is small hope of medals and citations and glittering homecoming parades.”

Next we have a Union representative for America's Civil War:

Some say that Civil War reenacting is dying out.
I say whoever is saying that is nuts!
Sure,  it might lay low for a while,  but it isn't going
anywhere.  We won't allow our history to be pushed
away or cast aside for anyone!

Here we have 18th century Voyageurs and Native.

The Voyageurs were of French origin,  though they did not come directly from France.  Rather,  they came from the large French settlements in Montreal and Quebec.  From the 1670's until the 1800's,  French fur traders and homesteaders started settling in the Macomb County area of Michigan,  north of what is now Detroit.  I find this very interesting since Macomb is not only the county this event is taking place in,  but it is the county in which I have lived nearly my entire life.

More folks who participate as Voyageurs  (and I see one from the
French & Indian War on the left).
The knowledge these folks have is outstanding.  It would be great to see some
young folk join up and learn the old ways to keep this history alive. 

Representing the western theater of World War Two - the same my father
fought in 1945  (Okinawa).

Mexican War - The 4th U.S.  Infantry

The Mexican–American War,  also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the Intervención estadounidense en México,  was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848.

It's when you see people bring accessories,  such as these
punch-tin lanterns,  and work on period crafts that visitors can
really see history come alive.  I must admit,  at this event I
did not bring much of anything except myself. 
Next time,  however...  

Paula has quite the collection of period toys for both kids and adults. 
She garnered a lot of  interest from passersby.  

Paula and I.
(photo taken by Richard Reaume)

A few of the ladies taking a stroll.

This Chesterfield event was lightly participated in,  compared to last year.  I hope that does not become the norm,  for there were plenty of interested spectators milling about.  Folks,  the only way we can keep this hobby going and growing is to participate,  research as much as possible  (and never stop researching),  and get younger people to join up and come out.

Speaking of interested young people,  I have another story to tell---a true story about wool.

" 'Wool,'  you say?"

Yep.

I have a friend who,  along with his wife and kids,  live on a farm about an hour's drive from my house.  Jason purchased the farm,  which included their 1876 house,  a number of years ago when he wanted to leave the business world and work the land.  But he wanted to work the land in the old ways as much as he could.  He knew it would be a tough life,  and he found out rather quickly that this was true to fact.  But he keeps at it,  using modern machinery and methods as necessary,  but mostly trying to keep things in the past as much as possible.

So they have a flock of  sheep of  the breed Babydoll Southdown,  which come from England.  

Babydoll Southdown Sheep before shearing.

Members of this ancient breed are the diminutive version of the Southdown breed of sheep,  which originated in the South  "Downs"  of Sussex County,  England.  There,  they were known for their hardiness,  fine fleece,  and their tender meat.

Click HERE to learn more about Babydoll Southdown sheep~

Here is the wool after shearing.

Jason announced to me that we - my wife & I - got  "first dibs"  on the wool.

We couldn't turn it down!

So the first free day we had - only a few days later - we drove out to their farm to grab our claim.  Patty and Jason's wife skirted it before we put it into bags.  In fact,  we used 14 large trash bags!

My van loaded up with the 14 large trash bags filled with the freshly sheared wool.

I still had all that wool in my van the following day...Monday...and it was back to the classroom for me  (my van smelled like a barn on wheels---lol).

So when I mentioned to the students that I had a van filled with freshly shorn wool,  the kids were excited and interested in seeing it and seeing what it felt like.

Always a history teaching moment!

(I got approval to post these photos of the kids)

The students were very interested in the wool and how it felt.
A few made  "eewww!"  comments  (get it?  Ewe??  Oh!  I crack me up!),
but most enjoyed touching it.  And none had ever seen raw wool before.

This young man really liked the wool,  and he grabbed a bit and asked if he could take it home to show his brother and his mother.

Why,  of course he can!
(Yes,  that's me on the right)

Next up for the wool:  sorting,  followed by washing/scouring,  picking,  hand-carding  (though much will find its way to the historic carding mill in Frankenmuth),  spinning,  and then,  if she wants she can dye it  (using natural resources like tree bark and certain plant varieties...and even cochineal beetles!),  and finally she can then spin it into whatever her heart desires.

From  "sheep to shawl"  can take a year  (or more)  for a project to be completed.

Here is my wife in a photo taken a few years back,  though this photo is a posed one
taken inside the Daggett House at Greenfield Village. 
However,  she really does spin and goes through the process mentioned above, 
including knitting period-correct items that we can use at our living history events.
I hope to get her to come into my classroom maybe next school year to do a demonstration.

For me,  seeing the student's reactions to the wool in my van was pretty neat.  If there is any way I can incorporate history into our day,  I will,  and I try to do so as often as I can.

So!

Saturday we had the historical timeline event,  Sunday we went to my friend's farm to get the wool,  and Monday my students got an off-the-cuff unplanned woolen history lesson.

What a fun three days!  Which is how history should be.

And there's more to come.

Until next time,  see you in time.

Information for the women of WWI came from THIS source.

For further information about historic textiles  (spinning,  weaving,  etc),  please click HERE  - loaded with photos,  by the way -

 

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