Celebrating the 4th of July in 2020

The way this year has been,  I didn't know what to expect from my Independence Day Holiday celebrations,  especially considering that pretty much every summer reenactment in Michigan has been cancelled.  I usually spend our Nation's birthday wearing period clothing at Greenfield Village and,  in more recent years,  at Mill Race Village,  nestled amongst historic buildings while throngs of Americans stroll about,  smiling,  looking & feeling patriotic.  I've been celebrating in this manner for over a decade.

Our first steps inside Greenfield Village
since last December!
A Charlotte Bauer picture

With all the horrid events that have occurred since January,  why would I expect much of anything for our nation's birthday celebration?
However,  much to my unexpected happiness and surprise,  the 4th of July  turned out to be quite a fine day indeed!  Greenfield Village finally opened its gates on July 2 - just in time! - so on July 4,  I was able to visit for the first time since last December...and I did it with a little help from my colonial friends  (as well as my son Robbie).  We made quite a splash,  I must say!
So today's posting is a pictorial synopsis of our 2020 Independence Day celebration.
Think of it - a new posting with new pictures at a sort of makeshift reenactment!

I hope you'll come along with me on this journey to the past - back to the 1770s.
And I hope it will instill a bit of patriotism in you.

Before we take off in the way-back machine,  I will set the scenario:
First off,  it was hotter than blazes - in the 90s.  Humid, too.
Second:  the Village opened up with a few rules until the pandemic is considered over with,  including wearing of face masks in certain areas,  such as inside any buildings,  and even near certain buildings where presenters are.  But walking through the Village streets is mask free for those who choose that route,  which is what we did.
Third:  social distancing of 6 feet from people outside your group.  We were a group of eight friends/family,  so we stuck together and social distanced from everyone else.
So now let's head back to Greenfield Village!
Way in the back of the Village sits some actual colonial structures,  mostly positioned near each other.  And that's where we'll begin.
Jen Julet,  a member of the Friends of Greenfield Village Facebook page,  took a picture-perfect picture,  one that shows three of the 18th century structures aligned in such a way to depict a scene straight out of America’s past.  Perhaps you are in colonial New Hampshire or Massachusetts or even Connecticut.  This would not be an unfamiliar sight to you.

Jen Julet's photo:
Everything about it just immerses the viewer into 

our colonial past,  at least it certainly does for me,  

for we see on the left the 1750 Daggett House,  the 

Farris Windmill from 1633 in the middle,  and the 

early 18th century Plympton House on the right.

No modernisms in sight!

Imagine yourself back there,  around the year 1770,  walking along the dirt pathway,  or perhaps it may be a brick walkway if you were closer to town,  needing your corn ground into meal at this windmill...
I so very much want to be in such a scene.
So guess what I did?

We did a replication of the picture,  but only this time, 
I was  there...in the 1770s.
And since we were here in the early part of the day,  
we caught the morning shadows rather than 
the late afternoon sun.

Another Friends of Greenfield Village member,  Bob Jacobs,  was on hand and graciously took a few pictures not only with my camera,  but...

...he also took one with his.

What's very cool is that the former owner of the house I am standing at,  Thomas Plympton,  played a role in the very beginning of the Revolutionary War.  It was he who received the news of the Red Coats marching on Concord early on the morning of April 19,  1775 while he lived in this very house,  located in Sudbury,  Massachusetts.
You see,  Samuel Prescott was one of three riders to head to Concord on that fateful night of April 18,  1775,  the other two being Paul Revere and William Dawes.  In fact,  of the three riders,  Prescott was the only one to make it to Concord,  for Redcoat scouts prevented Revere & Dawes from completing their desired course.  While in Concord Samuel triggered his brother,  Abel Prescott,  who then rode to Sudbury.
Abel went to this home of  Thomas Plympton,  the leading Whig in Sudbury,  and the town's alarm bell began to ring about 3:30 or 4:00 o'clock in the morning.  Warning guns were fired to summon militia companies...within thirty-five minutes the entire town of Sudbury had been awakened.

And here I am at that very house.

 It is always the hope of a reenactor to be placed in the past,  where all you see is the era depicted.  I hope I succeeded.

But there was more than just me at the Village on this Independence Day.

Members of Citizens of the American Colonies 
reenacting group were on hand to help celebrate.
And in the background are the same three structures 
from the previous pictures.

We soon moved over to my favorite historic structure,  the Daggett House:

Another group shot.
I've often dreamed of having an exact replica of this 
18th century home built,  should I ever get the money.   
Wouldn't that be something?

Masks needed to be worn to go in this area of the kitchen garden,  
and everyone complied,  so I shouted  "Everybody turn around!"  
and I was able to get a no-mask picture!

Roy and his flax.
I hope to grow some in my yard next year.
Of course,  when I do,  I will need to go through the 
entire flax-to-linen process,  which could be a 
very interesting venture.

Hollyhocks - I plan to grow this as well.
Can you pick out Lynn among the petals?

I added Love Lies Bleeding to my ever-growing list of period-plants for the 18th century garden I plan to have at my own house next year.

My son and his fiance...
Ah,  to be young and in love...
"‘Sweet lady,  your virtues have so 
strangely taken up my thoughts, 
that therein they encrease and 
multiply in abundant felicity."
I think he had her at  "sweet lady."

Our next stop:  Cotswold Cottage,  from around 1620 England.

The Cotswold Cottage was brought to Greenfield Village stone by 
stone and was rebuilt by September 1930.

The neighbors love to chat over the stone fence:
I have searched and searched on the internet but cannot find any 
historical information on who had lived inside this house over the 
centuries.  I did find who worked in the forge,  which was not 
originally part of this house.

Jackie!  Stand right there!
Let me take your picture!

It boggles my mind to think that the buildings in this 
cotswold collection were originally built 
in the early 17th century - 
the same time the Pilgrims left for America.

And then it was off to the Giddings House,  built around 1750 and presented in the 1760s-1770s.

The home of John and Mehetable Giddings,  originally located in 
Exeter, New Hampshire,  was,  according to the Exeter Probate 
Records of 1824,  referred to as the  "mansion house."  

One can see just by the exterior alone that it represents a more 
well-to-do residence of 18th century colonial America,  suitable 
for a man of means such as our Mr. Giddings.  

This beautiful structure was situated on property that also included a warehouse and mercantile shop,  both of which Giddings operated,  and over-looked a wharf on the Squamscott River.

Time for another group shot.

I've always loved this room inside Giddings House.
Question:  was this room known as - -
 the hall,  best room,  the Sunday parlor,  or drawing room?

Ha!  Trick question - - it has been referred to as all four in various 
times!  Names of rooms changed over time,  such as bedchamber 
to bedroom and hall to parlor to living room.  And since this 
house was utilized greatly from the 18th century through the 19th 
century,  all titles are acceptable depending on the era.

My son and his bride-to-be over near the home of Noah Webster.  

Parental involvement in courtship was expected because marriage was not merely an emotional relationship between individuals but also a property arrangement among families.  A young man was expected to bring land or some other form of property to a marriage while a young woman was expected to bring a dowry worth about half as much.

Being that my son and his betrothed are both very much of age,  neither expected land or a dowry.

Two silhouettes on the shade....

As parental influence over courtship declined,  a new romantic ideal of love arose.  In the years just before the Revolution,  a flood of advice books,  philosophical treaties,  and works of fiction helped to popularize revolutionary new ideas about courtship and marriage.  Readers learned that love was superior to property as a basis for marriage and that marriage should be based on mutual sympathy,  affection,  and friendship.  Rather than choosing spouses on economic grounds,  young people were told to select their marriage partner on the more secure basis of love and compatibility.

Robbie and Heather chat with Heather's cousin Susan.

By the late eighteenth century,  love letters,  particularly those written by men,  had grown more expansive and less formal.  Instead of addressing their beloved in highly formalized terms,  lovers began to use such terms of endearment as  ‘dearest’  or  ‘my beloved.’  In their love letters,  couples described feelings of affection that were deeply romantic.

This 1780 log cabin,  originally on the western frontier 

of Pennsylvania,  was the birthplace of William 

Holmes McGuffey.  Though it does not show up on
any list,  it is in the top 5 of the oldest log cabins
in the United States.

"The future is travelling west with people like you.  Here is the 

rising world.  If I were a young man preparing to begin the 
world,  I know of no country where I should rather live.  
Someday you will live to see this whole country a rolling 
farmland,  bright with houses and barns and churches..."
From the book by Jean Fritz called  "The Cabin Faced West,"

Jumping up a century or so,  we are now in the 1880s at the Firestone Farm.
Personally,  when I am dressed in a certain era's clothing,  I try not to cross times,  but since Greenfield Village opened so late in the season,  I wanted to say hi to a few of my presenter friends.

Such as-----

Tom,  who I found mowing with a scythe.

Sharpening the blade with a whetstone.

Tom and I were actually talking farm talk here,  mainly about the 
scythes and how good they are in comparison to modern tools.

But Tom wasn't the only farmer working - - - -

Let's head back to the kitchen garden...

...where we find Jim Johnson and Nicole working hard in 
the blistering 90+ degree sun.

The little lambs in the barn.

Larissa was also working at Firestone on the 4th.
She and I present as historic farmers from both the Victorian era 
as well as from the 18th century,  so this picture,  in a way,  
shows a sort of blended image  (lol).

It was in 1983 that the house, barn, and furnishings of Firestone Farm  (along with a sizable endowment for maintenance)  was given to Greenfield Village as a way of keeping the accomplishments and memory of the Firestone family alive.

Not only do they keep the memory of the Firestones alive,  
but farm life of the 1880s as well.
Larissa has been working at Firestone Farm  for twenty years - 
she also works at the Daggett Farm as well - so her historic agricultural  
information not only comes from books and research,  but from 
experience as well.  Pretty much as much experience as one from 
the actual time being represented.
That's quite an accomplishment.

Off she went to finish her farm chores,
and off we went to our homes in the 21st century.

Though I did miss being able to go into a few of my favorite buildings,  I thoroughly enjoyed walking amongst them,  seeing the farmers working the fields and gardens,  seeing a number of presenter friends who I've known for years,  hearing the train whistle,  seeing and hearing the horses clip clop by with different styles of carriages not normally seen.
And the food we had for lunch in A Taste of History was awesome!
That being said,  the staff are doing what they can to give us that Greenfield Village experience,  considering all that is going on.
Pretty successfully,  I might add.
They're open.  That's what counts.
And I will be frequenting often this summer.
Thank you to everyone who made it happen.
Onward and upward - -

Then we had some pretty cool fireworks around the neighborhood this evening.  Of course,  I hung two of my historic flags off the front of my house in honor of all of my heroes from our founding generation:  Revere,  Washington,  Adams,  Franklin,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Warren...to add to the celebration.

My house is a very very very fine house - -
my patriotism is showing!

Heavenly shades of night are falling,  it's twilight time

The flash of fireworks behind me brightened up this picture of my
two historic American flags,  the Grand Union Flag from 1775,  
which was the flag flown on July 4,  1776,  and the  flag of  "13 
stars,  white in a blue field,  representing a new constellation," 
otherwise known as the Betsy Ross flag  (seen here on the right), 
was first sewn only a short time earlier,  either in late May or early
June in  '76,  and was adopted as the national flag
on June 14,  1777.

As I stood on my front sidewalk,  seeing the rocket's red glare and bombs bursting in air all around me gave me the idea of taking the following photographs:

It was a last minute decision to take these pictures -
I was so happy they turned out!

From Abigail Adams,  on July 21,  1776: 
"The Bells rang the privateers fired the forts and
Batteries,  the cannon were discharged the platoons
followed and every face appeared joyfull."

From the London Chronicle,  August 1776: 
"...everywhere  (the Declaration)  was received with
loud huzzas,  and the utmost demonstrations of joy."

Well!
So that's it for another year.
All things considered,  I/we did a pretty good job celebrating the Glorious Fourth.
Here's to hoping for more reenacting celebrations in the not too distant future past.

Until next time,  Ken,  the hopeful proud American Patriot will see you in time.

Two more fun pictures I took, though not on the 4th:

I created a little colonial scenario on my desk at home.

My grandson,  the Patriot!

More postings you may enjoy:

The Revolutionary Greenfield Village
Many visitors to this open-air museum don't realize that inside these hallowed walls of history there are three specific homesteads which are situated near each other,  and the long past inhabitants of  each of these historic 18th century houses played a role to some varying degree in the Revolutionary War.
Click the link to read about them.

With Liberty and Justice For All: The Fight for Independence at the Henry Ford Museum
An amazing collection of original Revolutionary War artifacts on display for all the world to see,  telling the story of America's fight for Independence.  An original Stamp Act notification.  A letter written by Benedict Arnold.  George Washington's camp bed,  a coffee pot made by Paul Revere,  a writing desk that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson...yeah...this is some great stuff here!

Unsung Patriots: The Printing of the Declaration of Independence
There is so much more to this most important American document,  from the idea to composing to printing - who is going to print this? - to delivery...oh yeah,  there is a lot more history to our Declaration than I ever realized!

Declaring Independence:  The Spirits of  '76
Something very special happened almost 250 years ago,  but is that story being promoted?
Come on a time-travel visit to colonial America during that hot summer of 1776 and learn,  first hand,  of the accounts on how we were making a new and independent nation.

Colonial Michigan:  Mackinac,  Detroit,  and Monroe
One rarely thinks of Michigan when they think of colonial North America.  And yet,  here we are - a territory-become-state with cities that played roles in the French & Indian War and the American Revolution.  In fact,  many people did not know that Daniel Boone was in Detroit.  Did you?

Travel and Taverns
The long air-conditioned  (or heated)  car ride.  Motels without a pool!  Can we stop at McDonalds? I'm hungry!
Ahhhh....modern travelers never had it so good.
I've always had a fascination of travel back in the day,  and I decided to find out as much as I could about them.
I wasn't disappointed - - - I dug through my books,  went to a historic research library,  'surfed the net'  (does anyone say that anymore?),  and asked docents who work at historic taverns questions,  looking for the tiniest bits of information to help me to understand what it was like to travel and stay at a tavern in the colonial times.
This post is the culmination of all of that research.
Our country's founding relied greatly on the tavern.

Cooking on the Hearth
No stoves or fast food restaurants.  Everything made from scratch.
What was it like for our colonial ancestors to prepare,  cook,  and eat their meals,  and what kinds of food were available to them?  How did they keep their foodstuffs from spoiling and rotting?
If you have questions such as this,  I believe you will enjoy this post.

In the Good Old Colony Days
A concise pictorial to everyday life in America's colonies.  And I do mean  "pictorial,"  for there are over 80 photos included,  covering nearly every aspect of colonial life.
I try to touch on most major topics of the period with links to read more detailed accounts.
This just may be my very favorite of all my postings.  If it isn't,  it's in the top 2!

Living By Candle Light: The Light at its Brightest
Could you survive living in the era before electric lights or even before the 19th century style oil lamps?
Do you know how many candles you would need for a year?
Do you know what it was like to make candles right from scratch,  or what it was like to visit your local chandler?
That's what this posting is about!

~   ~   ~

The Best of My 4th of July Celebrations: "You look like American history!"

~July 4,  2020~

Since all  "official"  4th of July reenactments have been cancelled due to covid-19,  I thought I would post a sort of  "best of"  my 4th of July celebrations.  In a time when so many only tend to concentrate on the negative,  we who have taken part in these Independence Day reenactments try to show our history in a more positive and celebratory manner;  we try to promote the good about our country's past rather than only stick with the bad,  which can be found everywhere else.  And contrary to what the media perpetrates,  there is plenty of good to be found.
So I suppose this posting is about patriotism and how we,  as an ever-growing group of living historians,  help to bring America's 18th century past to life on this Independence Day holiday.  

2018
...these United Colonies are,  and of Right ought to be 
Free and Independent States...

What I've done here was put together a collection of pictures that were taken on one of my most favorite holidays,  Independence Day,  showing,  year by year,  how a few of us living historians have been celebrating the glorious 4th for the past half decade.
Every year since 2010 I have spent my 4th of July's at historic Greenfield Village while wearing period clothing.  For the first few years I wore my 1860s attire,  but,  since 2014,  I changed over to the fashions of the 1770s.  And I never fail to have at least one other reenactor come along with me - many times a half dozen or more will join in the celebratory fun.

And this colonial era which we will concentrate on today:,  beginning with: 

2014

2014
My second time out in public wearing my colonial clothing.
It was my wife's first time - that's her in the center in blue.
We are standing in front of the replicated Pennsylvania State
House,  which here in Dearborn,  Michigan is the entranceway to
the Henry Ford Museum.

2014
Here are a few friends who came along to celebrate the 
4th of July with Patty and I. 

The weather was as perfect as I can remember having on an Independence Day.  Normally it's too hot or,  on rare occasions,  raining.  But we had sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-70's.

2014
As we made our way to the colonial section near the far end of 
the Village,  the ladies wanted to stop and check out the garden 
outside Doc Howard's office.

From Doc Howard's we moved to the Cotswold Cottage area:

2014
My wife loved the many differing fragrances of the 
Cotswold flowers.

And finally we made it to the Daggett Home.
It must be remembered that we are not technically reenacting while we are at Greenfield Village on the 4th of July;  we just show up on our own accord and kinda become our own historical entity.
So,  why do we do this?
Well,  there is something very special about dressing in period clothing that simply adds to the experience when visiting an open-air museum,  especially while celebrating a historical holiday.
And,  to be honest,  we just enjoy it immensely.

2014
As a living historian,  I remember the very first time I stepped
inside a Victorian home while wearing my 1860's clothing - that
magical feeling of  "I belong"  just overcame me,  and it was a
similar feeling that engulfed me upon entering the Daggett Home
while wearing 18th century clothing.  It is a feeling like no
other...almost spooky,  but in a good way.

A few days before July 4th,  I came up with the idea to bring along to the Village my Betsy Ross flag that I was given for Father's Day in an attempt to replicate and capture,  in feeling,  that time in the late spring and early summer of 1776 when,  as the story has been told,  Betsy Ross sewed the flag that we now recognize as the first American flag.

2014
However,  this was not the flag that flew during the 
time of the Declaration of Independence.
That was the Grand Union flag - 
you'll see that one further down in this posting. 

We had to do the flag poses quickly while there were no visitors around.  I try to be as least disruptive as I can,  for I do appreciate Greenfield Village tolerating me in my little historical excursions.
Luckily,  we were able to take around a dozen pictures before visitors came.
The following are some of the best:

2014
The ladies,  working together,  sewed quickly and honestly,  
creating a banner that general George Washington was sure to 
approve.

2014
The surrounding atmosphere of the colonial Daggett house truly 
made for wonderful photo opportunities.  The natural lighting was perfect...and real - no electrical lights or camera flashes 
were used.

2014
I was grateful the ladies were willing to pose for the recreation,  
though Mrs.  Ross was in a more well-to-do home than depicted here,  
from what I understand.

2014
I have to admit,  it was a very special moment to have them 
posing in this way. 

2014

Here it is! 

The finished flag,  ready to be presented to General Washington! 

The ladies did a fine job,  don't you think?

2014
Before leaving Daggett,  we took a group photo.
It is unfortunate that two who were here on this day in 2014 are 
no longer with us.  Husband and wife Ross & Jeri Grover  (far 
right in this picture)  have passed on since,  and their loss is sorely felt.

Our day ended by dining at the Eagle Tavern.
That's Ross & Jeri in the back on the right.

Though we generally stay far from the Village visitors,  I know we made a lot of them very happy,  for many made kind comments to us about the way we were dressed.  They enjoyed seeing  "colonials"  on the 4th of July holiday.  There were some who were from foreign countries and could barely speak English,  so when they beckoned us to stop for pictures,  we happily,  though hesitantly,  obliged.  We did let them know we were not employees but,  rather,  visitors ourselves...just wearing the fashions from long ago.  They were just so excited to see us and have their picture taken with us. One said to me  (in very broken English),  "You look like American history!"  When another family  (from India,  I believe)  posed with us,  I put my tricorn hat on a young boy who then grinned ear to ear,  as did his parents.  They loved it!  That right there really made it all worthwhile for us.  And we helped make their day as well,  I'm sure.

Let's now head to Independence Day 2015,  where we had some of the same and a few different folks join me in this holiday excursion:

2015
Patty enjoys spinning wool into yarn.  Many times she
will do the entire process,  from raw wool directly
sheared off the sheep to cleaning to skirting to
washing to carding to spinning to crocheting or knitting...
...the whole she-bang!  

2015
And because of this my wife has a grown affection for sheep. 

2015
It was about this time that I was toying with the idea of being a
Paul Revere interpreter,  so what better place  (around here)  to
pose for a pictures than at the tinsmith shop,  since there are no
silversmith shops around our area.

2015
Of course we had to go back to the Daggett house.  It is such a 
wonderful example of a New England saltbox/breakback house - 
also sometimes called a lean-to.
In this picture we have three former Greenfield Village 
presenters,  and each one used to work inside the Daggett House.

2015

No village would be complete without a gristmill.  This one 
behind me,  the Loranger Mill,  was built in 1832.  Though it was 
built 50 years after the time we are portraying,  the style of the 
building is very similar to those built in the 18th century. 

Works for me!

2015
A tavern was where the locals got their information from the 
travelers passing through.  The men would carry on with 
drinking,  discussions,  and debates

2015
Another posed picture,  this time in front of the Eagle Tavern.
There were a few others with us,  but they went to a different 
place to eat.

There were five of us that attended in 2016,  and we were like a hundred year time-line,  from 1776 to the 1876:  three of us were from the Revolutionary War period and two from the Civil War era  (1860s).
I could feel the spirit  (or should I say  "spirits")  of the past with me especially in this year of 2016,  for only a few days earlier my family and I had returned from Colonial Williamsburg:  The Revolutionary City - the most amazing vacation ever  (yes,  I wore my period clothing the entire time I was there,  by the way)!
Talk about American historical immersion!
Welcome 4th of July 2016!

2016
A tale of two time periods

2016
Meg and Rae in the kitchen garden of Daggett - look how 
well the plants are doing...and it's only early July!

2016
Meg and Rae at Cotswold.
The Cotswold Cottage was built right around 1620 - the same 
year the puritan pilgrims sailed over the Atlantic Ocean 
to what is now Massachusetts.

2016
The five of us made sure to visit the Plympton House,  whose 
inhabitants in 1775 played a part in the beginnings of the 
Revolutionary War.

2016
Upon learning the deeper history of the Plympton House, I can no 
longer just pass it by.  I stop and visit each time I am at 
the Village.

2016
The Giddings House - another with roots in the
Revolutionary War.

2016
A tavern,  an ordinary,  a publick house,  an inn - these stops along the road were known well by all four names.  Ordinary is not used today,  as far as I am aware,  though publick house is in its shortened  "pub"  form.

2016
While inside the Eagle Tavern I created a little sort of American Patriot vignette.

2016
Kevin found the McGuffey Cabin more to his liking.

2016
I love this picture:
Only 100 years separates us.

2016
I was pretty hot upon arriving to my 21st century home,  
so it was time to air out my clothing.

And now we'll move up another year:
On the morning of the 4th in 2017,  three of us  - only three this year - met bright and early at Greenfield Village.  The bright sunshine was in its summer glory;  the sun always seems to shine on the 4th of July,  and we knew the day was going to be something special.
In fact,  we had more celebratory plans after we left Greenfield Village.

2017
In front of the Giddings House.
Both Susan and Rae are members of the living history group 
I formed,  Citizens of the American Colonies.

2017
Susan and Rae head above stairs to the 
see the 18th century bedchambers.

2017
There's my favorite house inside Greenfield Village!
You know it as the Daggett House.
I call it  "home." 
lol

2017
Although we are dressed pretty much from the same era,  Rae and I seem to be more of a middling class rather than farmers.
Perhaps we are there for some summer vegetables.

2017
Rae,  Susan,  and I visiting our  'country cousins.'

We spent the perfect morning at Greenfield Village,  but,  as mentioned earlier,  we decided to change it up a bit for the afternoon.  As the noontime hour came around,  we left Greenfield and went to a smaller local open-air museum called Historic Mill Race Village where Independence Day celebrations were also going on.  My friend Lauren had been asking/needling/cajoling me to give Mill Race a try for the 4th of July for the past few years,  and this year she told me she would jump up and down with joy if we came.
So we did.
And she held to her promise!
And Bob Stark  (aka Benjamin Franklin) also showed.

2017
Our party of three grew to a party of five while at 
Mill Race Village.

2017
While inside the Cady Inn,  Dr. Franklin and I discussed the first 
printing of the Declaration of Independence,  known as the 
John Dunlap broadside.
Dunlap spent much of the night of July 4 working feverishly in 
setting the type and running off the broadside sheets to be 
delivered and read aloud to the public the following day. 

2017

It would have been a rare sight to see a lone woman inside of a 
tavern unless she was the tavern keep's wife,  daughter,  or a server.

However,  women who traveled in groups,  such as sisters,  may 
not have had any other place to stay other than an inn,  therefore 
the scene here would not have been uncommon.

2017
I spoke to people not only as Paul Revere,  but also as regular old 
Colonial Ken - citizen.  Of course,  it helps to be recognized as 
the person you are pertaining to be,  in the way Bob Stark eerily 
has the features of Benjamin Franklin,  which was immediately 
noticed by adults and children alike.

2017

One of the things I will usually do when I go out in period 
clothing is to bring a small accessory or two;  it seems to complete the 
scene for visitors. 

On this Independence Day I brought my  "Betsy Ross"  flag along. 
The cool thing about this flag is it's not made of nylon,  which is 
typical for most flags made these days.  Instead,  it is made of 
cotton,  and this gives it a bit more of an authentic look and feel.

I explained a bit about the history of this flag and discussion 
ensued on the controversy on whether or not the Widow Ross 
actually made the original. 

With all I've read,  which is quite a bit,  I believe she did,  but 
there's no proof either way.

2017

As we strolled up and down the lane we were greeted by quite a 
few modern visitors.  I was pleasantly surprised to meet a number 
of folks who were new to our country:  I met some from Asia 
and,  for my first time ever,  I met a family from the Congo!  All 
seemed to be very excited about America's 241st birthday 
celebration and were enjoying sharing in our  - and their - national pride.

How very cool!

What I wrote in 2018 still stands here in 2020:
There is something to be said about reenacting the colonial past...especially on the 4th of July - Independence Day.
Yes,  even during the political turmoil of our modern day,  I am patriotic and believe in our great nation.  And I love what this holiday stands for,  with all the pomp and circumstance that goes with it,  including the fireworks,  the red,  white,  and blue everywhere I look,  the American flags flying in front of houses...yes,  I love it all.
And the history...obviously,  the history.
One thing that doing living history has taught me over the years is to learn to appreciate just what it is we are celebrating in this country during our patriotic holidays.
We'll begin 2018 with a little history lesson:

2018
Being that we are representing the 1770s,  standing near a 
covered bridge just is not historically accurate.  It is to my 
understanding that erecting covered bridges in America didn't 
occur until early in the 19th century.  The first known covered 
bridge constructed in the United States was the Permanent 
Bridge,  completed in 1805 to span the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.
I didn't know this until recently.
Don't you just love research?

2018

An interesting fact about Samuel Daggett that I learned while doing my continuous research is that he paid for someone named Jacob Fox to take his son Isaiah's place in military duty during the Revolutionary War so that his own young 17-year-old offspring could stay home and help tend the farm.  The town of Coventry,  Connecticut sent 116 men to Lexington at the start of the war.  The community also sent clothing and supplies to aid the war effort.

Oh!  If these walls could talk!

2018
I appreciate the presenters at the Village,  for we exchange ideas 
and information,  teaching each other.  I never cease to learn 
something with each visit to the Daggett Farm. 

Like the previous year,  our next stop in celebrating our Nation's birth was Historic Mill Race Village.  However,  2018 was going to be different for me;  my Citizens of the American Colonies group was,  for the first time since forming in 2016,  formally invited  as living historians to help pay tribute to the founders of our great country!
Now,  I have to tell you,  after building this Independence Day event up for a few weeks on our Facebook page,  I was so very excited and proud at how many members showed up - especially the numerous first-timers!

2018
Quite a change from 2017,  eh?
We,  more or less,  sort of took over the 4th of July at Mill Race.
Well,  we're colonials...what would you expect?

2018
It was another hot day in Michigan - mid-90s with a blazing sun.  
Being near the ice blocks inside the Cady Inn kept us a mite cooler.
(I'm talking air-conditioning here!) 

2018
Lynn portrayed Betsy Ross.
As she did she told the story from historic
sources of the first U.S.  flag.

General Washington inspects the flag to ensure it's as he intended.

2018
Benjamin Franklin read the Declaration of Independence.
I often wonder how many people have 
actually read this most important document?

2018

Benjamin Franklin was much loved and respected,  

even in his own time,  especially in France where 

he was treated like what we would call a rock star.

And yet he was popular here at home as well. 

The ladies spot Dr. Franklin!

2018
Members of the 1st Pennsylvania,  including my son Robbie,  
joined in the merriment

2018
It was very kind of the good folks at Mill Race to not only allow 
Citizens of the American Colonies use of the Cady Inn,  which 
was originally built around 1835  (according to the Mill Race 
guide book),  but to advertise us as well!  As far as the age of the 
Cady...I know that 1835 is nearly 60 years into the future for the 
time we represent,  but most inns/taverns from the 19th century 
can easily pass for a publick house of the 18th century, as you can 
see in the photos here.

Let's now head into 2019,  where we did not have the time to split between Greenfield Village and Mill Race Village,  for we became the highlight of the Mill Race Village's celebration,  and it just keeps getting bigger and better.  If you take a quick count of the reenactors in the picture below,  you will find 25 of us in the group.  And that's not counting the dozen or so who did not make it down for the group picture.
Not bad,  eh?

2019
This was one proud moment for me,  having so many of my 
colonial/RevWar friends join me on this 4th of July Holiday.

2019
And those who did not take part in the group picture above:
Members of the British 49th Regiment of Foote portraying 
members of the Continental Army. 

2019

Mill Race is actually a Victorian village,  but I believe we did a 
fine job converting it into an east coast town from the good old 
colony days for this Independence Day.  

This could be a lane in any 1776 town or village of 
America...from colony to state...this is part of what we 
hoped to recreate.

2019
Four of the five ladies here  "came over" from 
Civil War reenacting.

2019

Ken,  there,  on the right,  has been reenacting since

the 1960s and has been in numerous movies

including the great  "Last of the Mohicans"  with

Daniel Day-Lewis.

2019

As you can see,  it did not take very long for the guests to come 
a-visiting and a-celebrating the Independence Day holiday.

2019
Throughout Mill Race Village,  living historians could be found,  
gathered in small groups,  speaking amongst themselves or with 
the interested patrons.

2019
Lynn portrayed Betsy Ross last year and returned again this year,  
giving,  once again,  a history lesson of the most famous banner.

2019

"I hear the Patriots are planning to declare independence!

Oh,  I am not certain how that should be for us."

For most of my life I've celebrated the 4th of July up north at our family cottage,  with fireworks,  good food,  bonfires at night,  and going to the beach.  It was absolutely wonderful.  As a young lad in my teen years,  the Bicentennial celebrations celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence were in full swing;  it seemed from the early 1970s through the end of 1976,  wherever you turned there was something being written about our colonial roots and the Revolutionary War,  all the while concentrating on the year 1776.
And here I am,  nearly 50 years later,  and not only am I still celebrating Independence Day as vigorously as ever,  but living it!

2019
Living the 1776 dream...

2019
And I'm doing it with a little help from my friends.

2019
One of the personal special moments for me was introducing the 
great Benjamin Franklin to read the Declaration of Independence.  
With all of the vim and vigor I could muster,  I gave a brief history of the writing of the document before the introduction.

And then it was Franklin's turn to speak:

2019
This was his third year in a row reading 
the Declaration of Independence at Mill Race...

2019
...and with each year the crowd grows larger and larger.
I was told by more than a few that Dr.  Franklin's reading of the 
Declaration is the highlight of their day,  and they specifically 
return because of it.

2019

Something happens as Dr.  Franklin reads from the 1300 
word broadside - - after the first few lines he begins to roll it 
up...yet continues to say the words that were written upon it!

He has it memorized!

And,  just as what occurred when the Declaration was read for the first time nearly two and a half centuries earlier...
From Abigail Adams,   July 21,  1776 in Boston:
"When Col Crafts read from the Belcona of the State House the Proclamation,  great attention was given to every word.  As soon as he ended,  the cry from the Belcona,  was God save our American States and then 3 cheers which rended the air.  The Bells rang the privateers fired the forts and Batteries,  the cannon were discharged the platoons followed and every face appeared joyfull.   Mr.  Bowdoin then gave a Sentiment,  Stability and perpetuity to American independence."

2019
...muskets were fired...and the church and school bells were rung...

From John Adams,  in a letter to Samuel Chase from Philadelphia dated 9 July,  1776, wrote:
"You will see by this post that the river is passed,  and the bridge cut away.  The Declaration was yesterday published and proclaimed from that awful stage in the State-house yard...(to)  a great crowd of people.  Three cheers rended the welkin.  The battalions paraded on the Commons,  and gave us the feu de joie  (bonfire),  notwithstanding the scarcity of powder.  The bells rang all day and almost all night.  Even the chimers chimed away.  The election for the city was carried on,  amidst all this flurry,  with the utmost decency and order."

2019

~Three cheers for: 

The new United States of America, 

for Benjamin Franklin, 

for Thomas Jefferson, 

for George Washington, 

for John Adams ~

all came from the crowd,  whether dressed in period attire or in 
modern clothes,  helping to stir patriotism to all.

And then the rains came...

2019
Just one hour left of our 4th of July celebration and a downpour 
chased a good majority of the visitors away.

2019

And I wonder,  still I wonder,  who'll stop the rain...

No radio,  tv,  computer,  phones  (cell or otherwise).  Just a good 

opportunity to spend a rainy moment together inside with friends.

2019
On our way back to the future,  many of us stopped at the local Big Boy Restaurant for a bite to eat.
Nothing like a burger,  fries,  and a Coke on Independence day!

I have been told by some visitors that they felt as if they were actually in the presence of people from the past upon meeting all of us living historians,  that we brought it all to life for them.
And that,  my friend,  is as cool and as good a compliment a living historian can receive.  And I know,  fellow reenactors,  I'm not alone here,  right?
Yeah,  well,  you have to admit,  period clothing is pretty cool to wear.
With each passing year,  our 4th of July celebration continues to grow and continues to improve,  especially at Mill Race,  but this year of 2020,  unfortunately,  due mainly to the fear of the coronavirus,  it was cancelled,  which is so very hard.  You see,  the 4th of July is like Christmas to me,  and I felt like the wind was knocked out of me when I received word that our celebrations had been cancelled.
As an American Patriot and historian,  the festivities at Mill Race Village and Greenfield Village is at the top of my list of what I look forward to the most during the reenacting season.  And,  with living history as my passion,  it just won't be the same.
I certainly hope this celebration returns next year.
God willing...

Until next time,  see you in time.


Many, many thanks to B&K Photography for use of some of their photos.

Information about America's earliest covered bridge,  click HERE

To read more on the subject:
With Liberty and Justice For All: The Fight for Independence at the Henry Ford Museum
An amazing collection of original Revolutionary War artifacts on display for all the world to see,  telling the story of America's fight for Independence.  An original Stamp Act notification.  A letter written by Benedict Arnold.  George Washington's camp bed,  a coffee pot made by Paul Revere,  a writing desk that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson...yeah...this is some great stuff here!

Unsung Patriots: The Printing of the Declaration of Independence
There is so much more to this most important American document,  from the idea to composing to printing - who is going to print this? - to delivery...oh yeah,  there is a lot more history to our Declaration than I ever realized!

Declaring Independence:  The Spirits of  '76
Something very special happened almost 250 years ago,  but is that story being promoted?
Come on a time-travel visit to colonial America during that hot summer of 1776 and learn,  first hand,  of the accounts on how we were making a new and independent nation.

The Revolutionary Greenfield Village
Many people who visit this historic open-air museum do not know that they have a few houses that have direct ties to America's Revolutionary War,  and that's what this posting is about;  the roles of the average person of 1776.

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