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Planning a Trilogy
By Jim Butler
The mania that was planning and executing the SOS Westville events.
I. Mission: For Westville, the mission was to organize and execute an advanced, first person, immersion event. With a documented and enforced set of dress and uniform guidelines. The events provided a series of pre-scripted vignettes for the public as well as entertain the reenactors who are taking part. The event provided for a system of economics thru a currency or black market or barter system. Food and cooking groups were organized in detail and with period correct foods and methods of preparation. Interactions were encouraged thru assigned, researched goals for each reenactor. The occupations, caste ratio and vignettes were based on research from the lower Chattahoochee Valley and Stewart Cty, GA.
Have a vision for your event. What do you want it to look, smell, sound, and taste like the period you are recreating. (see also V.). Set a mission that you feel you can handle. This article should prove helpful in that task.
II. Mindset: There should be one organizer. There should not be a committee. There should be one organizational leader and 2-3 other major organizers under them and responsible for set tasks. The organizer may actually be crazy for taking on such an undertaking. Organizing this event requires the skills of a German, passion of an Italian and the mania of mad man to pull it off. Rule one in immersion reenacting…Be prepared for the unexpected. Be flexible during the event to react to anything that can happen. You are the rudder of the event and need to keep things on task or from getting too goofy. You must trust the 2-3 other people on your staff. For example, Linda Nyland handled all the ladies guidelines, roles, goals and vignettes. Bev Simpson handled all the food and cooking group portion of the event. I handled the organization and men’s roles. The key factor in keeping your event within your vision is to communicate via phone prior to the event. Be prepared to have several long discussions with the key parties involved in your event. Trusted and respected friends are required to pull off any type of event planning.
III. Communication: Simply stated, I found voice communication over phone or face-to-face, over any other form of communication. Through phone conversations I was able to transfer ownership of certain vignettes/roles to trusted coodinators/reenactors to execute in the events vision. For example, one person handled the court system, one person handled the banking, one person handled the cotton trade, etc, etc. I also communicated thru email with documents, research, etc that was pertinent. You must be able to communicate clearly your mission, vision and goals you wish to achieve in each area of responsibility. Once handed off, check in with each coordinator via phone relative to the importance/time of their area of responsibility. Thus, I spoke to Pete Berezuk who oversaw the economy/banking/grocer-food distribution for many hours on the phone, while others for smaller vignettes I may have spoken once for 30 minutes. But, this seems to be one of the biggest factors in the events success or failure. Social media, Internet forums and Internet blasts are critical in communicating your expectations, needs, guidelines and mission of the event to the participants. This also allows for discussion on topics like 19th c. customs, military questions, schedules, event logistics, etc. Be open, friendly, prompt, diplomatic, straightforward and firm in your replies. Don’t waste time answering questions you already answered in your webpage or posted guidelines. Just refer people to that posted info with links or attachments. If people are unwilling to read your guidelines, then they are not people you want at your event.
IV. Flexibility: You must plan that everything won’t go as planned. This means you must adjust, change and adapt on the fly. It is not a bad idea to have a Plan B in mind or planned. But, you can count on something going askew. But, it is your job as overall coordinator to get the event back on course (rudder the event). Pull people aside out of first person (‘Robert Tombs fled to Cuba’) if you must to address the problem area in your event. Have a back-up plan if possible. But, when you have a full-on, immersion event, be prepared that anything can happen. Don’t panic, just dive into the issue and address it. Don’t let things get goofy!
V. Research: It is important that you spend considerable time conducting historical research for the place and period you are recreating. My research included reading of several books and even back-checking some of their facts at the GA State Archives. While you are reading your books, take notes on how these would relate to your event mission (see I.). I also spent many hours reviewing records and newspaper articles and pouring through micro-film at the GA State Archives. I found that you can not get distracted at the Archives by things you are collaterally interested in. So, you must stay focused on the things you need for your event. Newspapers were also very valuable in helping understand the material culture of the period. They also are a reflection of opinion thru the editorial pages. Newspapers also listed current prices, election results and current news down to the week and more. If you are planning to assign people first person names and roles, then Ancestry.com becomes your friend. As I studied five Confederate regiments from Georgia, I found Lillian Henderson’s Confederate Army Roster to be a requirement. Her entire records are available for photo-copy at the State Archives (when it is open). I also found original documents, like medical leave papers, Discharge papers, furlough letters, Freedman Bureau documents, etc, etc. I photo-copied these and then recreated them on my computer for the event.
Enlist the help of people who are researched in the clothing of the day. Vickie Rumble, Joe Blunt, Linda Nyland and Sean Cooper were valuable assets in this area. (see VI.).
Enlist the help of other reenactors who are well-researched or willing to research areas like currency, cotton trade, restaurants, taverns, cooking, foods, Ladies customs and roles, men’s customs and roles, specific trades, black markets, etc, etc. (see III.).
VI. Be Business-Like: When dealing with people, try to handle things in a business-like manner. For example, if someone requests an invitation to your event and they submit a photo and it does not meet your posted minimum, then you should remain professional in your reply and say ‘no’ and explain simply the reasons why, cited from your guidelines. If asked, you can make suggestions to try and help the person as well, but do not get drawn into an argument or name-calling match. Stay professional. This seems to be the only fair and diplomatic way to deal with people.
VII. Enforce your Minimum Standards: If you do step III. & V. successfully, it should prove easier to maintain your minimum posted standard. Be sure you have confirmed to all participants that have read and agreed to the posted guidelines. I had my participants sign their form agreeing to that. (see V.)
VIII. First Person: Many reenactors either fear or do not like first person. This does not mean they are not quality reenactors, it may not be an area of focus or they may feel awkward doing first person Two factors seem to have the biggest impact on first person…1) the level of knowledge the reenactor has on material culture of the period portrayed and 2) the environment created by the event site and the organizer. The first, you cannot control, but you can share your research to help improve the level of knowledge (see V). The organizer can heavily influence the second factor. Have period activities and roles pre-scripted or pre-planned to keep everyone focused on a 19th c. task or job (see XXI). Also, try to keep modern intrusions to a minimum. We were lucky with Westville, as the location is magical and is situated with almost no modern intrusions in site. Do what you can to minimize these intrusions. When spectators are on site, it can be more challenging to stay in first person. But, provide third person docents/interpreters to bridge the gap between spectators and the reenactors. This allows the majority of reenactors to stay in first person, even when the public is present.
Encourage the reenactors to not over-act and to not be fearful of first person. If they avoid modern discussions and topics, they have won half the battle. At Westville we also created a non-first person zone, we called the ‘reenactor refuge’. This allowed reenactors to get a break from first person if they wished or to even camp at this location. I found that most reenactors were up for the challenge and didn’t utilize this are much. You should also have a pass phrase to signal that you wish someone to step away with you to discuss something modern. This should only be done when it is of critical importance, to rudder the event and to not spoil the first person environment. Our last pass phrase was ‘Robert Tombs fled to Cuba’.
IX. Food (by Beverly Simpson): Keep in mind that reenactors are not 19th century people, and they are accustomed to having food readily available and on a tight, time table. You have to expect to feed them and not starve them. The food may be simple, period fare, but it must be filling. Keep in mind what crops and meats would have been seasonally available? What were trade routes like at the time? How did it get to your location? (see V.)
X. Cooking Groups (by Beverly Simpson): You need at least one experienced and one assistant cook per group. A good cooking group ratio of 2 cooks for every 30 people will work. Also, plan a couple of back-ups in case someone can’t make it. (go to step IV). You have to arrange a cooking gear list before the event. (see step II). You should know what period skills a cook brings to the table ahead of time. All participants must realize that their food is ready on a 19th c. cooking time table (i.e. ‘you must be patient’). (see V).
XI. Food Distribution: You must calculate the number of meals per day and the number of days a participant will be there to come up with a total food list. This may require attention to detail when calculating quantity of food for an event. Work closely with your overall organizer regarding the budget available. Know ahead of time what your food costs are when calculating registration fees. Food must be pre-ordered ahead of time. You should have discussed with the Event Organizer how you plan to distribute the food and where. How will it be distributed? Stores? Farmers? Brokers? Trade? Etc. What types of foods were available to each caste in society? Arrange a few teamsters ahead of time to load and unload at set-up (see Step III).
XII. Special Note on Restaurants and Boarding Houses: Participants must perish the thought of a 21st c. restaurant that delivers your meal in 10 minutes. They have no modern kitchens or fuel sources. One can have a fun experience if they start thinking about a restaurant in European terms. Dining at a restaurant should be an unrushed, multi-hour experience. Enjoy the courses slowly and be patient. Enjoy the company of your friends, but in first person! Challenge yourself by taking part in a first person discussion across a table for a slow, easy, evening meal. Enjoy various period dishes that were served at restaurants in the 19th C. It can be great fun! Of course, the cost of eating at a restaurant can be prohibitive to a yeoman or private. I can only further state what I observed of the restaurant coordinators during the event…they did research on 19th, century menus, foods, dinner ware, period recipes, advertising, etc. You need to not only have an experienced cook, but 2-3 assistants to prep and plate. Two servers and a possibly a host/hostess are also needed. Communication with the Food Coordinator is also critical when discussing budgets and distribution (see Steps III, VII, VIII and IX). The Bolden’s, Joe Carriddi and crew did an outstanding job at the last Westville event. They worked tirelessly during a tedious set-up, and rigorous meal schedule and sold-out seatings. (see V.)
XIII. Preservation: Throughout my reenacting hobby, myself and the groups I belonged to always made preservation a priority in their mission. Throughout the Westville events we contributed to the sites preservation through monetary donations and work day efforts. Through our hands-on efforts we were able to repaint the Climax Church, add new stairs to the Rawson House and West Cabin, cleared out and cleaned out two cabins, built hitching posts, repaired masonry, cleaned and scrubbed the Lawson House, and general sweeping and dusting of the buildings over the three events and two work days we conducted over the event years.
Aside from the sites ticket sales, the reenactor’s financial donations exceeded $11,000 over the three events. Special thanks to Ed Henry and Andy Shogren for their Knuckols Tavern donation. It is important to recognize the substantial donation from Matt Woodburn. This helped to save the West Cabin from collapse. It is worth noting that the cabin belonged to the family of Colonel West who donated the land for Historic Westville. Thanks to all the reenactors and work day volunteers who made this happen!
XIV. Working Economy: The undertaking to create a period, working economy is not for the faint-of-heart, event planner. Thanks to Pete Berezuk who helped me bring the period economy to life at Westville. It was not without its perils. Now, keep in mind that our economy was backed by actual dollars that were collected thru registration! We converted these funds into “Notes” based in period currency for this timeframe in the war. Since all food was already prepaid, then any “Notes” that were used toward food, ultimately went towards our preservation donation. Also, the paid vendors we had on site were also paid with “Notes” or modern currency. It is a risky and scary gamble with funds.
We created a system that would deter almost all fraud. Notice, I said, “almost all”. Over the course of the Westville events, we had a counterfeiter, someone writing worthless checks and outright confiscation of “Notes” put out into the economy. Luckily, we caught 99% of the fraud before a loss of money occurred.
“Notes” were issued to the people thru wages, completion of Goals (see XIV), sale of cotton, black market, taxes, etc.
We even had a system of government. The Tax Collector would collect property taxes, the Tax Collector then brings the funds to the Mayor and the civil authorities’ salaries are then paid, etc.
Thus, this type of economy requires a planner to be good with a spreadsheet. Funds that go out in the economy must be backed by actual monies. You must have a ‘banker; to help handle this task. This person should be someone you trust implicitly and can manage a spreadsheet. (see III).
To keep this point short, some other weird variables that you must be mindful of….What is the current currency and their value for the period? Do you have a good ratio of small denominations vs. large denomination? Do you have a correct mix of specie vs. paper currency? What will you do if someone tries to defraud the system? What is your conversion rate to modern money? What are your approved vendor guidelines? How will your cooking groups and grocers collect money for foods.(see X.)? etc.
XV. Tourist Schedules and Vignettes: If you are working at an NPS, State or other historic site, you should plan to work with the park to provide scripted vignettes or demonstrations. Vignettes consist of 1st person, acted out, scenarios replicating a documented event in history from a set period (see I and V.). Scripted vignettes should occur at a set time, and be led by a docent or interpreter who acts in 3rd person to tell the public what they are seeing and any historic background that is relative. If you are really daring, try to incorporate those scripted vignettes as dramatic moments in the overall event for the reenactors.
We experimented with having repeating vignettes each day, but that proved exhausting and time consuming task for many reenactors. Thus, we opted for vignettes that were not reoccurring and flowed with the Mission of the event (see I).
Find a coordinator for each scripted vignette. That person is responsible for
leading, executing, timing and rehearsing the vignette. These should be
people you trust to take ownership (see III.).
XVI. Goals and Goodwill: Westville was unique in issuing “Goals” as part of their event. Goals were written ‘missions’ for each reenactor at the event. These were included in their sign-in packages. These Goals should be simply stated and have historical providence (see V). These goals should match a reenactors role and caste (see XVII). Goals helped promote first person interactions between reenactors. It also helped bring the economy, occupations and ultimately the pulse of the town to life. If you are also mad, you may even incorporate these goals with your economy.
One year we attempted the use of ‘Goodwill’ chits. Goodwill chits were specially marked wooden nickels that were awarded for completion of prescribed good deeds. At the end of the event, these chits could be used to purchase items at an auction. The idea was to try and get a portion of the reenactors to act in a charitable manner and not a nefarious one. For some reason, when we are safely within our first person roles, many people choose to play the part of villains. This was an attempt to defer that tendency. The Goodwill system was not well received and a failure in my viewpoint.
XVII. Working Class Town: If you want to bring the village, town or event to life, you need to be sure people are actually ‘working/doing’ their occupation/role that was planned prior to the event. At Westville, the blacksmith worked 6 hours a day (off on Sunday). The court system, cotton brokers, governmental, cleaning, dying, ran 9-4 each day. Law enforcement, any military, homeguard, tavern and cooking groups ran from 6 am – midnight each day. We ‘turned off the lights’ of the event at midnight and only had firewatches. Although small private gatherings may have continued beyond is known to the participants. Be sure to communicate to all participants ahead of time that your event is not a ‘sham-and-glam’ event. When each reenactor does his part, the town comes to life for all the other reenactors and the spectator and the experience can be magical. (see also XV.).
XVIII. Caste and Class: For the geographic area, military regiments, etc, you should study the occupations and census data to determine what percentage of your portrayals belong to the wealthy class (Planter class) or poor class (Yeoman). Most of mid-19th century America fell into two classes, wealthy and poor. Understand the occupations and their percentage of the population you are portraying (see V). Wealthy and Yeoman roles will also have different dress guidelines. You should communicate these clearly before the event (see III).
If you are bonkers enough, you might even distribute wealth thru your event based on caste (see XIII). At Westville, after a study of the Stewart Cty, Lumpkin District census we found the wealthy class to be around 20% of the population. The more rural areas were less.
XIX. Slavery: This subject should be handled carefully. I found it best to find an African-American reenactor to interpret and recruit for any slave or freed black impressions. This person should not come with any hidden, politically correct agenda. They must be willing to interpret history in an objective and factual manner (see V). One of the most rewarding experiences and successes I had with Westville was the inclusion and interpretation of the African-American experience in a small, Georgia town. Having an organized and knowledgeable coordinator like, Mary Fears. Mary organized and coordinated all the roles and vignettes for the last Westville event. This included a Freedman’s Bureau that heard cases, provided legal marriages, helped find ancestors, offer relief, worked with volunteer Commissioners from the North, etc, etc.
XX. Military Research: My research has given me an in-depth, drilled down look at the history of five companies of Confederate infantry from Stewart County, GA. I was especially interested in the statistics of a common, Confederate, soldier from the Lower Chattahoochee Valley. These companies were from the 2nd GA, 17th GA, 31st GA and 46th GA. Additional, I did research on the 4th Iowa Cavalry and the 176th NY Infantry. I have posted the statistical data on the companies with each man’s status at the end of 1861, 63 and 65. I spent many hours at the State Archives and also reviewing and compiled data from Lillian Henderson’s book on Confederate regiments. I even went as far as going on Ancestry.com and back-checking their civilian status/career in 1860 census records (if I could find them). I have posted this data on the last Westville event website at www.surrenderofsecession.com
XXI. Social Activities for the 19th c.: So how do reenactors stay engaged for 36-77 hours of first person? After hours, what do the reactors do to entertain themselves in a historically accurate way? Keep in mind that BBQs and parties might have be reserved for before or very early in the war. Simpler forms of entertainment may be more appropriate for mid-late war and post-war activities would even be different. I found it useful to find period ways to keep men and women reenactors busy in off-hours. The tavern proved a respite and focal point for period conversations for the men. Men also met in fraternal meetings (some secret and some not), gatherings of deserters, military camps (where one was under orders), and dinner at a restaurant, etc. Quilting circles, period performances, ladies socials and charity activities occupied the women. Both men and women could enjoy the performers and restaurant and BBQs together. Of course, no one worked on Sunday and Church services were also offered as well. If you are feeling so inclined, include period games for children, period games for adults, period music available, etc, etc.
XXII. Manners and Viewpoints: It is important that the reenactors in your immersion event embrace the customs and traditions of the 19th C. period for the event. I have found that open communication thru social networking or forums works well in setting the tone prior to the event. It also allows for sharing of 19th c. customs. The hardest part for most reenactors is respecting the dividing line between the sexes and the classes. This can be tough, especially when you want to socialize with your friends at events. But, reliving a 19th experience is the mission and this means modern socializing will just have to wait till another time. Before and after the event starts are also times for modern socialization.
XXIII. Pulling it all together: When first person takes a life of its own and twists your event down a path you had not envisioned don’t panic. Just go with it. Ride it like a surfer rides a wave. As long as the likelihood of the event might occur, based upon your research (see V ), then just go with it. There were things that occurred in an event, which at first made me angry. I stayed calm and asked myself, “Could this actually have happened?”. If I answered ‘yes’. Then I just went with it. These have proven to be some of my highlights in my hobby. Allow the reenactors some license in their first person characters. Again, you still must be the RUDDER for this event (see IV), so keep it in the scope of your vision (see I.). If things get off course, you must be assertive in jumping in and rectifying the situation. Pull people aside privately to help redirect the event per your mission. Know that everything won’t go perfect. Accept that and remain flexible. I have always set the bar very high, knowing that it may be unreachable. But, my goal is always to try my best and get as close to the bar as we can. Lastly, find time to make yourself a part of your event. Be sure to integrate yourself in some way into your event, where you seem a natural part of the event and not just an organizer of the event. Good luck, have fun and stay sane!
By Jim Butler
The mania that was planning and executing the SOS Westville events.
I. Mission: For Westville, the mission was to organize and execute an advanced, first person, immersion event. With a documented and enforced set of dress and uniform guidelines. The events provided a series of pre-scripted vignettes for the public as well as entertain the reenactors who are taking part. The event provided for a system of economics thru a currency or black market or barter system. Food and cooking groups were organized in detail and with period correct foods and methods of preparation. Interactions were encouraged thru assigned, researched goals for each reenactor. The occupations, caste ratio and vignettes were based on research from the lower Chattahoochee Valley and Stewart Cty, GA.
Have a vision for your event. What do you want it to look, smell, sound, and taste like the period you are recreating. (see also V.). Set a mission that you feel you can handle. This article should prove helpful in that task.
II. Mindset: There should be one organizer. There should not be a committee. There should be one organizational leader and 2-3 other major organizers under them and responsible for set tasks. The organizer may actually be crazy for taking on such an undertaking. Organizing this event requires the skills of a German, passion of an Italian and the mania of mad man to pull it off. Rule one in immersion reenacting…Be prepared for the unexpected. Be flexible during the event to react to anything that can happen. You are the rudder of the event and need to keep things on task or from getting too goofy. You must trust the 2-3 other people on your staff. For example, Linda Nyland handled all the ladies guidelines, roles, goals and vignettes. Bev Simpson handled all the food and cooking group portion of the event. I handled the organization and men’s roles. The key factor in keeping your event within your vision is to communicate via phone prior to the event. Be prepared to have several long discussions with the key parties involved in your event. Trusted and respected friends are required to pull off any type of event planning.
III. Communication: Simply stated, I found voice communication over phone or face-to-face, over any other form of communication. Through phone conversations I was able to transfer ownership of certain vignettes/roles to trusted coodinators/reenactors to execute in the events vision. For example, one person handled the court system, one person handled the banking, one person handled the cotton trade, etc, etc. I also communicated thru email with documents, research, etc that was pertinent. You must be able to communicate clearly your mission, vision and goals you wish to achieve in each area of responsibility. Once handed off, check in with each coordinator via phone relative to the importance/time of their area of responsibility. Thus, I spoke to Pete Berezuk who oversaw the economy/banking/grocer-food distribution for many hours on the phone, while others for smaller vignettes I may have spoken once for 30 minutes. But, this seems to be one of the biggest factors in the events success or failure. Social media, Internet forums and Internet blasts are critical in communicating your expectations, needs, guidelines and mission of the event to the participants. This also allows for discussion on topics like 19th c. customs, military questions, schedules, event logistics, etc. Be open, friendly, prompt, diplomatic, straightforward and firm in your replies. Don’t waste time answering questions you already answered in your webpage or posted guidelines. Just refer people to that posted info with links or attachments. If people are unwilling to read your guidelines, then they are not people you want at your event.
IV. Flexibility: You must plan that everything won’t go as planned. This means you must adjust, change and adapt on the fly. It is not a bad idea to have a Plan B in mind or planned. But, you can count on something going askew. But, it is your job as overall coordinator to get the event back on course (rudder the event). Pull people aside out of first person (‘Robert Tombs fled to Cuba’) if you must to address the problem area in your event. Have a back-up plan if possible. But, when you have a full-on, immersion event, be prepared that anything can happen. Don’t panic, just dive into the issue and address it. Don’t let things get goofy!
V. Research: It is important that you spend considerable time conducting historical research for the place and period you are recreating. My research included reading of several books and even back-checking some of their facts at the GA State Archives. While you are reading your books, take notes on how these would relate to your event mission (see I.). I also spent many hours reviewing records and newspaper articles and pouring through micro-film at the GA State Archives. I found that you can not get distracted at the Archives by things you are collaterally interested in. So, you must stay focused on the things you need for your event. Newspapers were also very valuable in helping understand the material culture of the period. They also are a reflection of opinion thru the editorial pages. Newspapers also listed current prices, election results and current news down to the week and more. If you are planning to assign people first person names and roles, then Ancestry.com becomes your friend. As I studied five Confederate regiments from Georgia, I found Lillian Henderson’s Confederate Army Roster to be a requirement. Her entire records are available for photo-copy at the State Archives (when it is open). I also found original documents, like medical leave papers, Discharge papers, furlough letters, Freedman Bureau documents, etc, etc. I photo-copied these and then recreated them on my computer for the event.
Enlist the help of people who are researched in the clothing of the day. Vickie Rumble, Joe Blunt, Linda Nyland and Sean Cooper were valuable assets in this area. (see VI.).
Enlist the help of other reenactors who are well-researched or willing to research areas like currency, cotton trade, restaurants, taverns, cooking, foods, Ladies customs and roles, men’s customs and roles, specific trades, black markets, etc, etc. (see III.).
VI. Be Business-Like: When dealing with people, try to handle things in a business-like manner. For example, if someone requests an invitation to your event and they submit a photo and it does not meet your posted minimum, then you should remain professional in your reply and say ‘no’ and explain simply the reasons why, cited from your guidelines. If asked, you can make suggestions to try and help the person as well, but do not get drawn into an argument or name-calling match. Stay professional. This seems to be the only fair and diplomatic way to deal with people.
VII. Enforce your Minimum Standards: If you do step III. & V. successfully, it should prove easier to maintain your minimum posted standard. Be sure you have confirmed to all participants that have read and agreed to the posted guidelines. I had my participants sign their form agreeing to that. (see V.)
VIII. First Person: Many reenactors either fear or do not like first person. This does not mean they are not quality reenactors, it may not be an area of focus or they may feel awkward doing first person Two factors seem to have the biggest impact on first person…1) the level of knowledge the reenactor has on material culture of the period portrayed and 2) the environment created by the event site and the organizer. The first, you cannot control, but you can share your research to help improve the level of knowledge (see V). The organizer can heavily influence the second factor. Have period activities and roles pre-scripted or pre-planned to keep everyone focused on a 19th c. task or job (see XXI). Also, try to keep modern intrusions to a minimum. We were lucky with Westville, as the location is magical and is situated with almost no modern intrusions in site. Do what you can to minimize these intrusions. When spectators are on site, it can be more challenging to stay in first person. But, provide third person docents/interpreters to bridge the gap between spectators and the reenactors. This allows the majority of reenactors to stay in first person, even when the public is present.
Encourage the reenactors to not over-act and to not be fearful of first person. If they avoid modern discussions and topics, they have won half the battle. At Westville we also created a non-first person zone, we called the ‘reenactor refuge’. This allowed reenactors to get a break from first person if they wished or to even camp at this location. I found that most reenactors were up for the challenge and didn’t utilize this are much. You should also have a pass phrase to signal that you wish someone to step away with you to discuss something modern. This should only be done when it is of critical importance, to rudder the event and to not spoil the first person environment. Our last pass phrase was ‘Robert Tombs fled to Cuba’.
IX. Food (by Beverly Simpson): Keep in mind that reenactors are not 19th century people, and they are accustomed to having food readily available and on a tight, time table. You have to expect to feed them and not starve them. The food may be simple, period fare, but it must be filling. Keep in mind what crops and meats would have been seasonally available? What were trade routes like at the time? How did it get to your location? (see V.)
X. Cooking Groups (by Beverly Simpson): You need at least one experienced and one assistant cook per group. A good cooking group ratio of 2 cooks for every 30 people will work. Also, plan a couple of back-ups in case someone can’t make it. (go to step IV). You have to arrange a cooking gear list before the event. (see step II). You should know what period skills a cook brings to the table ahead of time. All participants must realize that their food is ready on a 19th c. cooking time table (i.e. ‘you must be patient’). (see V).
XI. Food Distribution: You must calculate the number of meals per day and the number of days a participant will be there to come up with a total food list. This may require attention to detail when calculating quantity of food for an event. Work closely with your overall organizer regarding the budget available. Know ahead of time what your food costs are when calculating registration fees. Food must be pre-ordered ahead of time. You should have discussed with the Event Organizer how you plan to distribute the food and where. How will it be distributed? Stores? Farmers? Brokers? Trade? Etc. What types of foods were available to each caste in society? Arrange a few teamsters ahead of time to load and unload at set-up (see Step III).
XII. Special Note on Restaurants and Boarding Houses: Participants must perish the thought of a 21st c. restaurant that delivers your meal in 10 minutes. They have no modern kitchens or fuel sources. One can have a fun experience if they start thinking about a restaurant in European terms. Dining at a restaurant should be an unrushed, multi-hour experience. Enjoy the courses slowly and be patient. Enjoy the company of your friends, but in first person! Challenge yourself by taking part in a first person discussion across a table for a slow, easy, evening meal. Enjoy various period dishes that were served at restaurants in the 19th C. It can be great fun! Of course, the cost of eating at a restaurant can be prohibitive to a yeoman or private. I can only further state what I observed of the restaurant coordinators during the event…they did research on 19th, century menus, foods, dinner ware, period recipes, advertising, etc. You need to not only have an experienced cook, but 2-3 assistants to prep and plate. Two servers and a possibly a host/hostess are also needed. Communication with the Food Coordinator is also critical when discussing budgets and distribution (see Steps III, VII, VIII and IX). The Bolden’s, Joe Carriddi and crew did an outstanding job at the last Westville event. They worked tirelessly during a tedious set-up, and rigorous meal schedule and sold-out seatings. (see V.)
XIII. Preservation: Throughout my reenacting hobby, myself and the groups I belonged to always made preservation a priority in their mission. Throughout the Westville events we contributed to the sites preservation through monetary donations and work day efforts. Through our hands-on efforts we were able to repaint the Climax Church, add new stairs to the Rawson House and West Cabin, cleared out and cleaned out two cabins, built hitching posts, repaired masonry, cleaned and scrubbed the Lawson House, and general sweeping and dusting of the buildings over the three events and two work days we conducted over the event years.
Aside from the sites ticket sales, the reenactor’s financial donations exceeded $11,000 over the three events. Special thanks to Ed Henry and Andy Shogren for their Knuckols Tavern donation. It is important to recognize the substantial donation from Matt Woodburn. This helped to save the West Cabin from collapse. It is worth noting that the cabin belonged to the family of Colonel West who donated the land for Historic Westville. Thanks to all the reenactors and work day volunteers who made this happen!
XIV. Working Economy: The undertaking to create a period, working economy is not for the faint-of-heart, event planner. Thanks to Pete Berezuk who helped me bring the period economy to life at Westville. It was not without its perils. Now, keep in mind that our economy was backed by actual dollars that were collected thru registration! We converted these funds into “Notes” based in period currency for this timeframe in the war. Since all food was already prepaid, then any “Notes” that were used toward food, ultimately went towards our preservation donation. Also, the paid vendors we had on site were also paid with “Notes” or modern currency. It is a risky and scary gamble with funds.
We created a system that would deter almost all fraud. Notice, I said, “almost all”. Over the course of the Westville events, we had a counterfeiter, someone writing worthless checks and outright confiscation of “Notes” put out into the economy. Luckily, we caught 99% of the fraud before a loss of money occurred.
“Notes” were issued to the people thru wages, completion of Goals (see XIV), sale of cotton, black market, taxes, etc.
We even had a system of government. The Tax Collector would collect property taxes, the Tax Collector then brings the funds to the Mayor and the civil authorities’ salaries are then paid, etc.
Thus, this type of economy requires a planner to be good with a spreadsheet. Funds that go out in the economy must be backed by actual monies. You must have a ‘banker; to help handle this task. This person should be someone you trust implicitly and can manage a spreadsheet. (see III).
To keep this point short, some other weird variables that you must be mindful of….What is the current currency and their value for the period? Do you have a good ratio of small denominations vs. large denomination? Do you have a correct mix of specie vs. paper currency? What will you do if someone tries to defraud the system? What is your conversion rate to modern money? What are your approved vendor guidelines? How will your cooking groups and grocers collect money for foods.(see X.)? etc.
XV. Tourist Schedules and Vignettes: If you are working at an NPS, State or other historic site, you should plan to work with the park to provide scripted vignettes or demonstrations. Vignettes consist of 1st person, acted out, scenarios replicating a documented event in history from a set period (see I and V.). Scripted vignettes should occur at a set time, and be led by a docent or interpreter who acts in 3rd person to tell the public what they are seeing and any historic background that is relative. If you are really daring, try to incorporate those scripted vignettes as dramatic moments in the overall event for the reenactors.
We experimented with having repeating vignettes each day, but that proved exhausting and time consuming task for many reenactors. Thus, we opted for vignettes that were not reoccurring and flowed with the Mission of the event (see I).
Find a coordinator for each scripted vignette. That person is responsible for
leading, executing, timing and rehearsing the vignette. These should be
people you trust to take ownership (see III.).
XVI. Goals and Goodwill: Westville was unique in issuing “Goals” as part of their event. Goals were written ‘missions’ for each reenactor at the event. These were included in their sign-in packages. These Goals should be simply stated and have historical providence (see V). These goals should match a reenactors role and caste (see XVII). Goals helped promote first person interactions between reenactors. It also helped bring the economy, occupations and ultimately the pulse of the town to life. If you are also mad, you may even incorporate these goals with your economy.
One year we attempted the use of ‘Goodwill’ chits. Goodwill chits were specially marked wooden nickels that were awarded for completion of prescribed good deeds. At the end of the event, these chits could be used to purchase items at an auction. The idea was to try and get a portion of the reenactors to act in a charitable manner and not a nefarious one. For some reason, when we are safely within our first person roles, many people choose to play the part of villains. This was an attempt to defer that tendency. The Goodwill system was not well received and a failure in my viewpoint.
XVII. Working Class Town: If you want to bring the village, town or event to life, you need to be sure people are actually ‘working/doing’ their occupation/role that was planned prior to the event. At Westville, the blacksmith worked 6 hours a day (off on Sunday). The court system, cotton brokers, governmental, cleaning, dying, ran 9-4 each day. Law enforcement, any military, homeguard, tavern and cooking groups ran from 6 am – midnight each day. We ‘turned off the lights’ of the event at midnight and only had firewatches. Although small private gatherings may have continued beyond is known to the participants. Be sure to communicate to all participants ahead of time that your event is not a ‘sham-and-glam’ event. When each reenactor does his part, the town comes to life for all the other reenactors and the spectator and the experience can be magical. (see also XV.).
XVIII. Caste and Class: For the geographic area, military regiments, etc, you should study the occupations and census data to determine what percentage of your portrayals belong to the wealthy class (Planter class) or poor class (Yeoman). Most of mid-19th century America fell into two classes, wealthy and poor. Understand the occupations and their percentage of the population you are portraying (see V). Wealthy and Yeoman roles will also have different dress guidelines. You should communicate these clearly before the event (see III).
If you are bonkers enough, you might even distribute wealth thru your event based on caste (see XIII). At Westville, after a study of the Stewart Cty, Lumpkin District census we found the wealthy class to be around 20% of the population. The more rural areas were less.
XIX. Slavery: This subject should be handled carefully. I found it best to find an African-American reenactor to interpret and recruit for any slave or freed black impressions. This person should not come with any hidden, politically correct agenda. They must be willing to interpret history in an objective and factual manner (see V). One of the most rewarding experiences and successes I had with Westville was the inclusion and interpretation of the African-American experience in a small, Georgia town. Having an organized and knowledgeable coordinator like, Mary Fears. Mary organized and coordinated all the roles and vignettes for the last Westville event. This included a Freedman’s Bureau that heard cases, provided legal marriages, helped find ancestors, offer relief, worked with volunteer Commissioners from the North, etc, etc.
XX. Military Research: My research has given me an in-depth, drilled down look at the history of five companies of Confederate infantry from Stewart County, GA. I was especially interested in the statistics of a common, Confederate, soldier from the Lower Chattahoochee Valley. These companies were from the 2nd GA, 17th GA, 31st GA and 46th GA. Additional, I did research on the 4th Iowa Cavalry and the 176th NY Infantry. I have posted the statistical data on the companies with each man’s status at the end of 1861, 63 and 65. I spent many hours at the State Archives and also reviewing and compiled data from Lillian Henderson’s book on Confederate regiments. I even went as far as going on Ancestry.com and back-checking their civilian status/career in 1860 census records (if I could find them). I have posted this data on the last Westville event website at www.surrenderofsecession.com
XXI. Social Activities for the 19th c.: So how do reenactors stay engaged for 36-77 hours of first person? After hours, what do the reactors do to entertain themselves in a historically accurate way? Keep in mind that BBQs and parties might have be reserved for before or very early in the war. Simpler forms of entertainment may be more appropriate for mid-late war and post-war activities would even be different. I found it useful to find period ways to keep men and women reenactors busy in off-hours. The tavern proved a respite and focal point for period conversations for the men. Men also met in fraternal meetings (some secret and some not), gatherings of deserters, military camps (where one was under orders), and dinner at a restaurant, etc. Quilting circles, period performances, ladies socials and charity activities occupied the women. Both men and women could enjoy the performers and restaurant and BBQs together. Of course, no one worked on Sunday and Church services were also offered as well. If you are feeling so inclined, include period games for children, period games for adults, period music available, etc, etc.
XXII. Manners and Viewpoints: It is important that the reenactors in your immersion event embrace the customs and traditions of the 19th C. period for the event. I have found that open communication thru social networking or forums works well in setting the tone prior to the event. It also allows for sharing of 19th c. customs. The hardest part for most reenactors is respecting the dividing line between the sexes and the classes. This can be tough, especially when you want to socialize with your friends at events. But, reliving a 19th experience is the mission and this means modern socializing will just have to wait till another time. Before and after the event starts are also times for modern socialization.
XXIII. Pulling it all together: When first person takes a life of its own and twists your event down a path you had not envisioned don’t panic. Just go with it. Ride it like a surfer rides a wave. As long as the likelihood of the event might occur, based upon your research (see V ), then just go with it. There were things that occurred in an event, which at first made me angry. I stayed calm and asked myself, “Could this actually have happened?”. If I answered ‘yes’. Then I just went with it. These have proven to be some of my highlights in my hobby. Allow the reenactors some license in their first person characters. Again, you still must be the RUDDER for this event (see IV), so keep it in the scope of your vision (see I.). If things get off course, you must be assertive in jumping in and rectifying the situation. Pull people aside privately to help redirect the event per your mission. Know that everything won’t go perfect. Accept that and remain flexible. I have always set the bar very high, knowing that it may be unreachable. But, my goal is always to try my best and get as close to the bar as we can. Lastly, find time to make yourself a part of your event. Be sure to integrate yourself in some way into your event, where you seem a natural part of the event and not just an organizer of the event. Good luck, have fun and stay sane!