Winter Cabin Excursion 1774: Upping Our Game

"Upping Our Game"  is our latest call  (or slogan,  if you will).  Last year it was "Experiencing Our Research."  

Before that it was  "A Day In the Life."  (Gee,  where'd I come up with that?)~

"Upping Our Game"  means just what it states:  to raise the bar another notch.  To learn what we can do to improve our living history cabin experiences,  just notches at a time.  And,  thus,  our reenacting/living history in general should improve as well.

This is where we encourage one another to do better.

Because encouragement is what families do,  and I consider these folks my 18th century family.

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It was in March of 1770 when what became known as the Boston Massacre occurred,  and I wrote a post about it.   And I also wrote of the 250th anniversary of  the Boston Tea Party,  which happened in December 1773.  

Of course,  my writings are much more of the recent variety (lol).

But both of these historic actions sort of tie into the back story of our cabin excursions.

If you've been following my  "frontier cabin"  posts,  our back story is we lived near the city of Boston and,  due to the Bloody Massacre there we made the decision to move west to the frontier.  Where we are exactly has not been fully decided;  are we in western rural Massachusetts?  Western rural Connecticut,  mayhaps?  

Welcome to 1774~

Here we are,  once again,  at the frontier cabin at Waterloo Farm Museum.

My heartfelt  "thank you"  to these wonderful friends who are helping me to live out my days of future past dream!  And I believe they want the same historical experience as I.

And a gigantic  "thank you"  to the Waterloo Farm Museum folk!

I simply cannot express what these cabin living history excursions mean and do for me.

These cabin days are my absolute favorite  "events"  of the entire year!

The best ever.

In this photo you can see a bit of snow on the ground,  most of which is melted due to January thaw and the buckets full of rain that fell seemingly daily the previous week.  Yeah,  the air was cool & damp and the ground was as muddy as it gets.

But we are hardy living historians - we can take it!

No matter about the occurrences in and around Boston of late...we are far away from where the action is.  And we knew we made the right decision in our move,  especially upon hearing of the  “destruction of the tea”  last December. 

As history would show,  little did anyone know the punishment the Bostonian colonists - and the colony of Massachusetts in general - would receive due to the tea situation  (it would not be known as  "The Boston Tea Party"  until the 1820s),  for with The Intolerable Acts,  Parliament,  all the way from England,  shut down Boston Harbor until all of the 340 chests of British East India Company tea were paid for.  This was known as the Boston Port Act,  implemented under the umbrella of the 1774 Intolerable Acts.  Other acts that were implemented included the 

Massachusetts Government Act

Act for the Impartial Administration of Justice

and the Quartering Act

Yes,  we preferred to remain out on the frontier during these turbulent times.  I mean,  wouldn't you?

Who is this  "we"  I keep mentioning?

Your winter cabin crew~our annual selfie -
clockwise from left:
Charlotte,  myself,  Norm,  & Larissa
(Jackie does not take part this time of year)

Larissa,  Charlotte,  and Jackie.  And,  for the past year,  our minister,  Norman.  

We have formed a sort of 18th century family,  though there are no set-in-stone  "roles."  

In our 1860s lives,  Larissa often portrays my wife and Jackie my sister.  But here in the 18th century we are,  as we like to say,  "experiencing our research"  and continue to try to  "up our game" - improve our period selves - and we do this mostly without the outside modern public visiting.  I suppose if we got to the point where we wanted to make more of a family portrayal,  then Larissa and Jackie would step into the same roles as our 19th century selves:  my wife and my sister.  And Charlotte perhaps would become Larissa's sister to even it out.  Norm would continue as our minister.

But for now,  we are simply ourselves living in the 18th century.

I am very proud and extremely happy with what we have been able to accomplish and even resurrect during our cabin stays.  I mean,  we are recreating life from 250 years ago!  Should we all actually had lived back in the year 1774,  we would have been resting long in the grave these 250 years later  (lol).  But we are well alive,  and while we are there,  even without 1st person,  we feel we are living in 1774.

I am often asked why it is mainly just us and not others participating in these excursions.  Though we have guests who may come out here and there,  we keep this event limited in the amount of people who take part to keep it on a more genuine and manifest level.  And,  as I explained to a friend,  we don't set up  "pretend"  scenarios due to the idea that without the public present to see such a thing,  that  would be more along the lines of pretending.  And though some may think we are pretending,  we actually are not;  again,  we are Experiencing Our Research  through living history,  living the full day as sort of a colonial family as if it was 1774,  and do the chores and work that would have been done at the time out on the frontier.  It's what we do---it's upping our game  in this hobby.

Doing our best to keep it real.

The definition for 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,  past times and handicrafts,  or to simply convey a sense of the everyday life of a certain period in history."

This was our 17th time experiencing 18th century life at the cabin.
We're beginning to think of it as home!

For the fourth winter in as many years,  we who participate in the colonial cabin crew spent another day experiencing life as it was 250 years ago.  As we turned another calendar page - this year became 1774 - we,  once again,  found ourselves in the frontier Waterloo cabin.  Every-so-often we may have a modern visitor surprise us and pop in,  and on those rare occasions we are ready with our back story as mentioned above,  then we get back to our day.

Larissa - candle for Candlemas.

Charlotte - candle for Candlemas.

The plan this year,  just like last year,  was to celebrate the ancient holiday of  Candlemas.  After researching holidays and where they began,  such as Ground Hog Day,  I learned that on Candlemas,  which actually takes place on February 2nd,  Christians would take candles to be blessed in church,  and this we celebrated last year at the cabin  (click HERE to see our celebration).  

Candlemas is a religious holiday,  and its date of February 2nd is due to its celebration of  the 40th day after Christmas.  Its origin comes from the candles used and blessed,  which are lit in the church and the faithful keep them home,  put them on a window to bring light,  purity,  and ward off evil.

That being said,  we lit our candles in a daytime celebration as well.

I enjoy it very much that we celebrate 18th century holidays that are little known,  much less celebrated,  today.  

Happy Candlemas!

Our celebration of Candlemas this year was not as intense
as we did last year.
The candle you see here sits in an actual 1752 or 1757  candlestick/candleholder 
(it is hard to tell the year engraved - check out the picture below
and you tell me  what you think).

The base of the candleholder/candlestick.
To me it looks like 1757,  with the 7 underlined,  but some say 1752.  If you look close
you can see the two 7's match.

Out of all of my antiques,  this candlestick just may be my favorite
a)  because of its age
b)  because I like all things candles - traditional candles,  that is~

Larissa mixing the pancake batter.
It was cool in the cabin,  so she kept her cloak on.

As I continued to research this ancient Candlemas festival,  I learned that February 2nd is also a day for pancakes!
Yes,  pancakes!

And that,  too,  goes back to ancient times.

The round shape of the pancake,  as well as its golden color,  are a representation of the sun and the return to light,  considered to be the coronation of spring.  A tribute to the days that are getting longer and lighter,  to the cycle of the seasons,  and the announcement of spring itself.  Pagan in origin,  but as so many of our ancient holidays,  has blended with Christianity,  for another explanation is that eating pancakes for many became a traditional way to use up dairy products before lent,  and by the year 1100 AD,  became part of Shrove Tuesday  (now called Fat Tuesday).   It is also called Mardi Gras.  Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday.

For those with a sweet tooth,  Candlemas is also a chance to eat pancakes with maple syrup,  which is how we at the cabin celebrated this year.  By the way,  from what I've read,  the first recorded mention of pancakes dates back to ancient Greece,  around 600 B.C.

So!  Why is it called a pancake?

Well,  because of how it is made.  A pancake is a thin,  flat cake that's made by pouring batter into a pan—hence its name—and then flipping it so that both sides are cooked.

(Isn't it amazing when one bit of historical research leads to another which leads to another and so on?)

Yes,  even though the temperature outside was hovering in the mid-30s,  it was still damp
and cool,  even inside with the fire in the fireplace.  But Larissa warmed up enough to remove her cloak and mixed the pancake batter.

Pancake batter in the fry pan.

Here is a sort of appropriate diary entry from Mary Cooper,  Long Island farm wife,  who wrote on September 17,  1769:  "O alas,  I am more distrest than ever.  I have dinner to get and nothing in the house to cook.  I set my self to make some thing out of littel on."  The reason I say it was appropriate was due to the fact that we had planned to have pancakes as part of our dinner meal of which also consisted of  a peas porridge.  However,  "the hens aren't a-layin'  this time of year,"  therefore we had no eggs.  And that's where Larissa's many years  of  18th century hearth cooking & thought prowess shined,  for she had  "dinner to get"  and had to  "set  (her) self to make some thing out of littel on."   

Norm volunteered to go on a search for eggs from our neighbors,  none of whom live close by so he had to take the carriage.  But,  sadly,  there was nothing anywhere.  

(He really did take his car and drove to a variety of stores in the area,  but no eggs were to be found anywhere!)~

So with Larissa having to  "set  (her) self to make some thing out of littel on,"   she mixed flour and milk,   added melted butter,  then poured it in the skillet as one would to make pancakes,  all fried in lard.  To top it off we had hot maple syrup.  Yes,  maple sugaring won't be done for a while yet,  but we happened to have some that has lasted since last year.  You see,  once canned,  maple syrup can be stored in the pantry about a year.  

So she set to cookin'  up what she thought
would be a much more bland-tasting pancake.

But when she offered me a piece,  it tasted as good as any I had ever eaten!
Oh!  There is a different taste to food cooked over the hearth,  or even over an open fire on a stove compared to something made on an electric stove.
There is  no comparison!
So to this pancake-lovin' guy,  these were awesome-tasting,  even before syrup!

But Larissa was not the only female cook in the house!

Charlotte prepares our dinner meal.

Charlotte,  who herself has a long history of open flame cooking as a historic reenactor/living historian, was in charge of the peas porridge.  

It should be noted that we in the 21st century are no longer an agricultural nation;  the cycle of domestic life,  which was closely tied to the land and seasons,  had little changed from the beginning of time until very recently in the human timeline,  for it hasn't been that long in comparison that a new world of technology of refrigeration,  gas stoves,  electric lighting,  and home furnaces transformed the old world into one where times of the seasons mean little.  It seems,  for a variety of reasons - good or bad - the kitchen/hearth,  and even the running of the household,  is no longer as it once was.  The current integral roles of a family - the very nature  of the family - has also changed greatly:  women now work outside the home and,  thus,  are not in the house all day,  while fathers,  in some cases,  may or may not be there at all.  And children of today no longer spend their time away from school following in their parent's footsteps to learn their crafts,  trades,  and knowledge but,  instead,  may be on their electronic devices.  Though we had no children at the cabin with us,  it is the thought that each of us there learned from our own mothers and fathers.

Larissa greatly enjoyed watching Charlotte work
as she warmed herself near the fire!

Whereas the cooking hearth during colonial times was the heart of the home,  so many in our modern day eat frozen dinners heated quickly in a microwave or will  "drive thru"  a local fast food restaurant because of late work nights or maybe so they could spend more time in front of the TV or playing with their smart phone.  Just as new diets are touted each month in women's magazines,  so are ideas for eat-in kitchen tips on the casual meal that  "today's busy families"  grab on the run.

Heck!---it's a chore just to get modern families to eat together in one place at the same table at the same time!

But the colonial women who spent their time cooking at the hearth were nothing short of culinary geniuses. 

On this day,  Charlotte and Larissa,  between the two of them,  cooked a fine,  appropriate,  and very tasty dinner meal for the four of us.  The pease porridge surely warmed my insides on this damp and cool day.

Funny,  but whenever I leave the cabin in the late afternoon or early evening to head to my modern home,  I am never hungry where I feel the need to stop at a fast food joint.  The meals the ladies make always fill me up.  And I am certain it is the same for all who participate as well.  There is always enough food here so if anyone leaves hungry it is their own fault I suppose.

Charlotte at the hearth.

What 18th century people chose to eat and how they cooked their meals was what they considered to be edible and familiar.  Colonists cooked many dishes from memory and experience,  eventually acquiring an  'American character,'  and they certainly encountered new foods which,  in some cases,  came from the local Indians.

For our dinner on this January day,  we,  once again,  had pease porridge.

Porridge is,  by etymology definition,  a  "thickened soup of vegetables boiled in water,  with or without meat,"  and is also an alteration of the Middle English  "pottage."

Charlotte's porridge had bits of meat - ham!

The earliest recorded version of  "Pease Porridge Hot"  was written as a riddle found in John Newbery's Mother Goose's Melody  (from 1760):

Pease Porridge hot,

Pease Porridge cold,

Pease Porridge in the Pot

Nine Days old, 

Spell me that in four letters; 

I will:  T H A T - 

Though cookbooks did exist,  most colonial women cooked many dishes without the use of one;  they learned from their mothers how to make the everyday foods that the majority of people in their area ate,  therefore,  unless the meal to be served was for a special occasion or an important guest,  it was done by memory as she was taught.

Cooking on the hearth - the center of the colonial home - has 

been thoroughly romanticized,  and yet it remains an art 

that few today have experienced. 

We also had period-appropriate side-dishes.
The beets and carrots being root vegetables can last quite a long time
in the ground...yes,  even this late  (or early)  in the year. 
Plus both have been in pickling jars.
And the apple sauce was made  (and canned)  last fall.

Brian,  Waterloo president,  made a table and benches
specifically for use at the cabin.

Setting the table for our meal.

And we had our candles lit for Candlemas.
We would not normally light them during daytime hours,  but this
was a holiday...a holiday specifically for candles,  the coming
of spring,  and for Christ being the  "Light of the world."

Norman - - aka Pastor Gerring.
No,  he is not an actual licensed minister,  but his knowledge of the
Bible and his research in 18th century period prayers can fool
anyone into thinking he is. 
He is more real than some actual licensed pastors I've met. 

Contrary to current 21st century popular belief,  and against a prevailing view that eighteenth-century Americans had not perpetuated the first settlers' passionate commitment to their faith,  scholars now identify a high level of religious energy in the colonies after 1700.  According to one expert,  religion was in the  "ascension rather than the declension";  another sees a  "rising vitality in religious life"  from 1700 onward;  a third finds religion in many parts of the colonies in a state of  "feverish growth."  Figures on church attendance and church formation support these opinions.  Between 1700 and 1740,  an estimated 75 to 80 percent of the population attended churches,  which were being built at a headlong pace.

The above was taken directly from The Library of Congress  (HERE)

A group image through the window.

Norm pours warm cider from the pipkin,  which was sitting at the hearth.

A pipkin is an earthenware cooking pot used for cooking over or next to heat from coals or a wood fire.  They were not held in direct flame - that would crack the ceramic.  It has a handle,  and many examples had three feet.  Late medieval and post-medieval pipkins had a hollow handle into which a stick might be inserted for manipulation.  The fact that the handle is hollow also keeps the handle cool,  and in many or most cases can be gripped to pour.  I am not sure how long these were in use - I've not seen them after the early part of the 19th century - so I imagine that's when they may have fallen out of favor.

We all certainly enjoyed our dinner meal of pease porridge and pancakes
and the sides mentioned earlier!
Well done ladies!!  You both do the 18th century proud!
This is a definite highlight of our day - - - !

The men,  too,  had their chores to fill their days as well;  the winter months of January and February were considered the best time of year for woodcutting,  and the rising of the sun was often accompanied with the sound of an axe as fuel supplies were needed.  Wood chopping had a dual purpose in the wintertime:  it warmed the axeman as it was being chopped,  split,  and hauled,  and warmed him again as it was burned for fuel.  The men spent long,  hard days in the woods,  sometimes hiring out help to complete such a task.  They would cut and prepare specific firewood for the many needs such as for cooking,  warming,  and laundry.

Another chore?

Collecting manure for spring planting.  Mixing the manure with the dirt was usually done in early spring by plowing and harrowing it into the ground to help ensure a better growing season.

Caring for the livestock was another chore – making sure they were fed as well as were warm enough on those bitter cold days and nights.

There was also home repairs as well as perhaps any mending of the outbuildings,  including the barn and stalls,  tool shed,  dairy barn,  the necessary  (out house),  chicken coupes,  pig pen,  fences,  and anything else that would need fixing.  

Repairs of tools – or,  perhaps making new tools for the coming year.  

Hunting...fishing...carrying water as needed...

These were all necessary winter chores.   And as the family would work together as a well-oiled machine,  this ensured their survival.

However,  since we don't actually live at the cabin,  most on the list I cannot do during this time of year.  But...some listed here will be done later in the year.

For the past few years I've brought my flax processing tools to the cabin,  usually in the fall and winter visits.  I learned how to process flax from Roy,  master presenter at the Daggett House at Greenfield Village.  Well,  last year I watched as he built a new well-sweep and wooden firepit poles for the Daggett yard  (click HERE).  In doing so he used,  pretty extensively,  a shave horse.

So...the bell went off in my head - - like processing flax,  here is another 18th century chore and tool I can use and utilize.  So my friend,  Bob,  made one for me,  and,  well,  here I am.

I practiced a bit at home and even had my two oldest grandkids give it a try.
I do have a ways to go,  but I'm headed in the right direction. 
Unfortunately,  I forgot my work smock and so I was covered in wood shavings.
(Get a little dirt on yer hands,  boy!)

From Wikipedia:
A shaving horse is a combination of vice and workbench,  used for green woodworking.  Typical usage of the shaving horse is to create a round profile along a square piece,  such as for a chair leg or to prepare a workpiece for the pole lathe.  They are used in crafts such as coopering and bowyery  (a bow maker).  

The original shave horses date back to Roman times,  and were used all the way into the industrial revolution period  (roughly from ancient times through the mid-1800s).  Similar to the spinning wheel and loom,  the industrial revolution,  which began slowly in the late 1700s,  didn't necessarily make the shave horse obsolete,  though they were not as prominent a fixture as they once were---rather,  farmers and rural folks continued to use them for a while after,  in some cases,  clear into the 20th century.

Being this was Bob's first shave horse that he made,  there are a few kinks to be worked out,  so thankfully Larissa helped me by holding the wood to help keep it still while I shaved it of its bark.

The draw-knife tool that I am using that removes and shapes the wood is rather dull,  so I could only remove the bark from what will become a broom handle.  But I will need to shape it a bit,  so that will be my next step at my next cabin visit in the spring,  which will give me ample time to get it sharpened.  

Wood shavings covering the floor and upon the seat will be used for the fireplace
or as tinder in the tinderbox  (for starting fires).

I do not have a  "before"  picture,  but,  if you look close you can see
plenty more work needs to be done on what I hope will become a broom handle.
I am quite proud of what I accomplished so far - - - for my first time~

More experiences of things I've only seen done at museums,  and now I am actually doing.

And,  no,  I am not giving up my flax processing nor candle making - just adding to my list of 18th century life experiences and chores.

But here is one that,  unfortunately,  did not turn out as well as I had hoped:  starting a fire by way of flint and steel.

I had flint,  steel,  char cloth,  and tinder  (jute).
Both myself and Brian attempted it - Brian having done this plenty of times before - but neither of us could get enough spark to make a flame.  He believes I may need a better flint or char cloth.

But I won't give up.  I want to add this to my so-called  "bucket list"  of accomplishments.
The thing is,  once I do learn how to do this,  I plan to use it often,  whether during a 
presentation or on my own out here at the cabin.

Yes,  another history lesson to be had  (and why wouldn't there be?  This is Passion for the Past after all).

From THIS site - (copied & pasted word for word),  we learn that:

The friction or strike matches familiar to us today were not generally available to Americans until the late 1830s.  Without friction matches,  the Corps of Discovery  (a specially established unit of the United States Army which formed the nucleus of the Lewis and Clark Expedition)  would have relied mainly on flint and steel,  a technology known to the Romans and . . . developed in the Dark Ages...

The steel,  which was curved so as to form a handle,  was held in the left hand and struck with the sharp edge of the flint.  Good tinder was very important and was made by charring lint,  or other easily combustible material,  and keeping it dry in a tinder box or pouch.  The fire maker blew upon the lighted tinder to spread the fire and added shavings.  If everything went right,  a fire was kindled in a few minutes,  but the flint might have lost its sharp edge,  the steel might be blunted and the tinder might be damp from rainy weather or merely from fog...

The above description,  from a history of the Diamond Match Company,  applies to a typical American house-hold of 1830,  not a wilderness setting in which the fire-starter might have had to cope with damp and wind.  One can imagine...men cursing as they bent over a pile of dried moss,  striking flint against steel and nursing a flame by blowing on the smoking tinder.

That flint and steel was the method of choice is evident in the records of Lewis’s effort in Philadelphia in 1803 to obtain supplies and equipment for the expedition.

I will continue to try - - - 

Fashionista's is what we are!

I know it sounds silly,  but I do like this sort of photograph.
We should do the same with modern footwear!

By the way,  just as it often was in the 1700s,  the  "necessary"  was outside, 

a distance from the cabin - distant enough to hinder any odors when

the weather is warm.  But here in winter,  the trek seemed to take forever,

especially in the muddy and cool dampness of the day.

Coffee - not tea! - was a-cooking on the hearth.
Per our normal activity,  after dinner we sat and
relaxed to a fine conversation.

The fire was a-blazing,  and we just let it burn itself low,  then banked it to the back of the firebox..

This was taken shortly before we left to head back into the 21st century.
We were trying for a sort of silhouette look,  but I actually like this better with the candles.

I've spent countless hours inside the 1760s Daggett House inside historic Greenfield Village watching Roy & Chuck work outdoors,  and Larissa & countless other female presenters working indoors and cook on the hearth,  wishing and hoping that one day I could somehow possibly spend an entire day there,  taking part in the historical activities with them,  and perhaps even join them in feasting upon the 18th century meal.  Well,  I knew it would be impossible for something like that to happen for me at Greenfield Village,  for I am not an employee there.  

But I do get  "the Daggett experience"  every single time I am at the cabin...and more.

We are not perfect,  but I believe we are heading down the right path.

Thank you to our  "cabin crew"  for helping with such amazing period experiences.

And for taking pictures that I could add to my own snaps.

Today's posting makes 17 cabin days - - - below are links showing the previous 16 times:

Here are the links to all of our cabin day experiences  (so far):

If you are interested in our other cabin excursions,  please click the links below:

To read about our 2020 autumn excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 wintertime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 springtime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 summertime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 summer harvesting of the flax at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 autumn excursion making candles at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2022 winter excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 spring excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 summer excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 autumn excursion at the cabin  (Pioneer Day),  please click HERE

To read about our 2023 winter excursion at the cabin - Candlemas,  please click HERE

To read about our 2023 spring excursion at the cabin - Rogation Sunday,  please click HERE

To read about our 2023 late spring - more planting at the cabin  (& early farming history),  click HERE

To read about the 2023 early summer weeding at the cabin  (and a timeline event),  please click HERE

To read about the 2023 autumn Pioneer Day event we participated in,  please click HERE

To read about our 2023 Thanksgiving celebration in early November,  please click HERE

~And that brings us up to today's post.

Sources:
Maple Sugar from HERE

Religion info from HERE

Flint & Steel from HERE

Many people often wonder where we get what we need to recreate life in the 18th century.  Well,  there are numerous places many living historians go to.

Clothing:  Now,  many folks prefer to sew their own clothing.  If you are a seamstress or taylor or happen to know of any,  this could also be a wonderful option.  Possibly the perfect option.  I've had some garments made for me as well.  However,  prices can be on the higher side  (if you have a good person that sews well).  If you do choose this route,  make sure you get the right patterns,  or it's all a waste. 

If you do not want to take this route,  or perhaps cannot afford it at the present time,  there are numerous on-line sutlers that many of us use for ready-made clothing and shoes:
Samson Historical

Townsend

I use both,  depending on what I need or am looking for.  Both places also have a wonderment of accessories:  lanterns,  dinner ware,  quill & ink,  along with home and camping goods.  In fact,  we in the cabin crew have clothing - mix and match - from either Samson's or Townsend's,  along with a number of the accessories seen as well.

Like anything historical,  please make sure you have a second or even third opinion before spending too much money.   Research  (there's that word again)  and talk to people before getting too deep.

AND...if you are within driving distance of Kalamazoo,  Michigan you can also visit the Kalamazoo Living History Show held every third weekend in March  (click HERE and  HERE)

HERE is an interesting article by a Williamsburg historian

And HERE is an excellent book on 18th century clothing.

A while back I wrote a blog post that can be used as a guide - just a guide:  HERE
 

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