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Colonial ladies
Angela Metts (far left) portrays a tavern wench at the annual Colonial Times: A Day to Remember event at Living History Park in North Augusta. She and the other female living-history interpreters share history from a Colonial woman’s point of view, including pastimes, wardrobes and chores, all without modern conveniences.
Photo by Andrew Haworth
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Guided adventure
Historical interpreters like Bobby Blackwell, who portrays an Indian trader, stay in character throughout the event and pass on their knowledge by interacting with guests.
Photo by Andrew Haworth
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A dose of the past
Jordan Stenger of North Augusta portrays a Native American apothecary, the Colonial equivalent of today’s pharmacist.
Photo by Andrew Haworth
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Handing down history
Historical interpreter Bruce Ingram shares the stories of enslaved African-Americans in the 1700s by portraying “Luke” during the 2016 Colonial Times event. For Ingram, a folk artist and storyteller, the role is personal, drawing on his own family’s history.
Photo by Andrew Haworth
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Honored guests
The Colonial Times celebration draws historical interpreters from across the nation, including Cara and Bill Elder of Deland, Florida, who portray Martha and George Washington to the delight of guests.
Photo by Andrew Haworth
Walk down the hill into North Augusta’s Living History Park during the annual Colonial Times: A Day to Remember celebration, and all sense of modern life quickly slips away.
Traffic noises fade, replaced by the ring of a blacksmith’s hammer and the soothing babble of a millstream. The sight of a surrounding subdivision vanishes behind a thick line of trees as you stroll among replica 18th-century bungalows, split-rail fences and period-accurate tents pitched on a grassy field. The smell of wood smoke from cooking fires lingers in the crisp fall air, and in every direction, men and women in Colonial attire go about their business using the tools, techniques and language of the 1700s.
On the third weekend of each October, the 7.5-acre Living History Park—styled as an 18th-century backwoods trading town—comes to life, thanks to historical interpreters in period attire who never break character as they interact with guests.
The effect can be startling, as if one has traveled in time to the 1770s. And for organizer Lynn Thompson, president of the Olde Town Preservation Association of North Augusta, there’s no better way for visitors—especially the thousands of schoolkids who tour each year—to learn history than by experiencing it with all the senses.
“If we can inspire one child to love history and learn about the past, it’s worth it, because as long as you tell the story, history lives,” she says.
The event relies on an army of volunteer interpreters—some local, some from as far away as Ohio—who specialize in studying and portraying the authentic clothing, customs and life skills of the period. Here are some of the living historians we met during the 2016 event.
Bobby Blackwell, Carolina Indian trader
In the 1700s, Indian traders in this part of South Carolina were equal parts diplomat, woodsman, businessman, soldier and politician. A stranger to the region would do well to call on a trader to get supplies and guidance for a successful journey.
It’s still good advice today. Bobby Blackwell’s well-stocked trading tent—filled with replica rifles and trade goods—is a great introduction to the history of the period. After 18 years as a historical interpreter, Blackwell dispenses a wealth of information in a conversational style, including how trade goods were made, what items were of value in the era, the hardships of life on the frontier and the often-troubled relationships between colonists and Native Americans.
But, he’s quick to say he’s not a reenactor.
“There is a big difference between a reenactor and a living historian. I could say, ‘Come with me this weekend. I have a uniform for you. Stand beside me and do what I do.’ You would be a reenactor,” he says. “If someone asked you about your gun or the clothes you were wearing, you couldn’t answer. A living historian knows everything about every aspect of his portrayal, his or her attire, what he is eating and what it took to make it all, then and now. He or she takes pride in the person, the camp, the presentation and the accuracy.”
Blackwell portrays a trader at six or seven events every year and estimates he’s spent close to $10,000 for his muskets, camp gear, trade items and clothing. It’s an expensive hobby, but one that he enjoys.
“It is very rewarding to talk to people on a subject they know little about, telling them about things and people who lived and worked—sometimes right where they are standing,” he says. “And while doing that, you’re watching the lights come on in their eyes, seeing the excitement in the questions they ask, and being able to connect them forever with those whose shoulders they are standing on.”
As much as Blackwell enjoys sharing his knowledge with guests, the highlight of the weekend comes after the visitors leave and the living historians gather by candle and lantern light for a communal feast—still in period attire, still in character.
It’s a sensation of time travel, sometimes called a period rush, that living historians treasure, Blackwell says.
“You’re sitting around a fire with a collection of people who know a lot. It leads to some powerful experiences,” he says. “You almost have to stop sometimes and tell yourself, ‘This isn’t real.’ ”
Jordan Stenger, Native American medicine woman
Nineteen-year-old Jordan Stenger is one of the youngest interpreters on site during the 2016 Colonial Times weekend, but, like all the living historians, her portrayal is rooted in years of research and fascination with history.
“I enjoy teaching people about the history of the United States and the people who lived here before colonization,” Stenger says. “The popular view of American Indians is that which arose in the mid- to late-1800s and what Hollywood has portrayed in Western films. I strive to bring awareness about current Native American issues and dispel myths about American Indians in the Colonial period and explain the regional differences. People are surprised to discover how diverse tribes were in North America.”
Stationed in the apothecary, Stenger portrays Colonial medicine practices and speaks about her dress—a simple white shirt and a red skirt—and why it isn’t fringed leather or animal skins.
“After trade started with the English, the cultures of the Indians and the English merged,” she says. “Boundaries were blurred. The Indians saw how practical and comfortable the English clothes were and adopted them.”
Stenger says school visits during Colonial Times are an important opportunity to share true history with busloads of children—and maybe inspire the next generation of interpreters.
“We often overlook Indian history in school,” she says. “But it’s an important part of our story.”
Angela Metts, tavern wench
The tavern of any Colonial-era village was an important social center, and that’s certainly true at the Living History Park during Colonial Times, where guests find Angela Metts and her fellow tavern wenches behind the bar, dispensing the latest town gossip and demonstrating the customs of the era.
In the 18th century, she says, simple games of draughts (checkers) and backgammon could get exciting, with money being bet on every move or roll of the dice. One tavern game, Chasing the Goose, became the popular children’s game Candyland. But in the 1700s, the money exchanged—as much as 50 cents per roll, a fortune at the time—and the alcohol consumed led to fights and problems. The game was almost outlawed.
Metts, who in modern life works as a radiological control inspector for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, explains that women were not allowed to drink in public in the 1700s and would eat in separate sections of the tavern.
A member of the Colonial Ladies Society, an interpreter group committed to teaching history from a woman’s point of view, Metts prides herself on accurately portraying the pastimes, wardrobes and other elements of daily life.
“It’s an addiction. It’s a hobby. It’s a calling,” Metts says of being a historical interpreter. “I love teaching people, because it’s like a lightbulb goes on, and they realize why something is done the way it’s done.”
For events like Colonial Times, the members “put away all of our modern contraptions before we get here,” she says. “Starting Thursday at about 5 p.m., our modern conveniences are gone until Sunday afternoon.”
It turns the park into a magical place, she says, when the interpreters sit down together to eat, always staying in character. No cellphones pierce the night’s conversation. No sneakers squeak across the wet grass. No timers go off to let them know the microwave is done.
“We’re still here, and we still have work to do,” she says. “We have to get dinner cooked. One woman may be churning butter; one woman may need to do some spinning. We continue doing what we do, but there’s no one here to watch. It is a bit like being there.”
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Get There
The Living History Park is located at 299 W. Spring Grove Ave., North Augusta, South Carolina.
Hours: The park is open from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The only time it is closed is when we have private events scheduled. Special events open to the public are scheduled throughout the year.
Admission: Free.
Details: For more on the park and its events, including Colonial Times: A Day to Remember, Christmas in the Backcountry, and Colonial Times: Under the Crown, visit colonialtimes.us or call (803) 979-9776.