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The 2010 Gathering Before the Storm event at Hopewell Furnace took place last weekend in Elverson, PA. I know that as one of the organizers of this event it probably sounds boastful to say this, but this is one of the best events I have ever attended. The 36 men, women, and children who attended did a superb job of populating this iron furnace village and giving it a feel of October 1860. We had a cross-section of life with age ranges from 6 months to about 70. We had folks that were brand new to living history reenacting and first person and we had some veterans. All those in attendance researched and shared a bio of their first person character and used this as a basis for first person interaction throughout the weekend. Each person was also assigned a first person “goal” - a way to facilitate first person conversations and to give everyone something to accomplish over the course of the weekend. This was not an immersion event, although some choose to stay in first person as much as possible throughout the weekend. Others went in and out of first person, most especially to answer questions from park visitors. The spirit of first person was maintained throughout the weekend and all our hard work and preparation paid off in a nicely developed community with locals, visitors, and strangers.
The event went “live” Saturday morning with breakfast at the Bachman’s boarding house (all participants stayed on site in mostly period buildings and we ate as a community all weekend). The group gathered in the parlor/dining room to share this first meal and start to “get to know” each other. After breakfast, the men gathered to get their assignments for work for the day. Mr. Craig, acting as a “fill-in” foreman, directed the men to tasks and tool. Work for the men included removing mortar from rocks in a damaged stone wall that was to be replaced, whitewashing, cutting wood, and making preparations for the political rally later in the day. The women worked on cleaning-up from breakfast and starting preparations for lunch. There were some ladies that went to the orchard for apple picking and others tended children. Mrs. Immendorf canvassed the community for subscriptions to support a local widow, while her husband, Mr. Immendorf, acted as clerk and was stationed by the company store. Mrs. Lewis ran a post office and many residents and visitors received mail over the weekend. Mrs. Wolfe, the visiting dressmaker set up shop in the boarding house and Dr. Finch, the visiting doctor attended to patients as needed.
Excitement was in the air for the upcoming political rally and pole raising in honor of our chosen candidate, John C. Breckinridge! Signs were posted around town advertising this event. The women of the village gathered buntings and flags to decorate with. The men went off into the woods and found a tree suitable for the pole raising. They cut down a tree and prepared it for its’ new use. Then a team of horses was used to pull the pole out of the woods and through the village to the site of the rally. The men also worked hard to build a platform on which to stand to give their speeches. After the pole was in place and the platform finished it was time to start the rally!
At about 2 p.m. the crowds gathered – a mixture of village “residents” and park visitors. A flag bearing the image of Breckinridge was tied to the top of the pole. Guide ropes were in place and the pole was attached to the team of horses. Mr. Vaughan led the audience in a prayer. The crowd was cleared and the horses and men gave a big tug. The pole was raised!!!.....and then came crashing down with a loud crack. The pole had been pulled off center and toppled. Luckily, the only victim was the corner of a wooden bench. Without missing a beat, the band played while the pole was made shorter with a few strokes of a saw. The pole was again hooked to the horses, the men were in place and the pole was raised (Again!). This time it remained vertical and the flag proudly waved in the breeze high above our heads. We had a patent medicine presentation to warm up the crowd, followed by a reading of Breckinridge’s speech from a month ago (Sept. 1860) in Kentucky. The audience then participated in a song which highlighted the good merits of Breckinridge and Lane. The excellent music was provided by our traveling musicians, the Susquehanna Travelers. The conclusion of the rally was a rousing speech by Mr. Baer as he told the crowd of the advantages of our candidate over all the others. It was an exciting and inspiring rally and, I think, somewhat unique. I’ve never heard of another pole raising reenactment.
After the festivities, there was some time for folks to reflect on the day’s activities, clean up from their projects earlier in the day, do some quilting/sewing, prepare for dinner, and perhaps take a rest (although my children chose not to nap!). The community got together again at the boarding house to share a bountiful meal. The tables were set outside in front of the boarding house and the porch because a serving table. There was an amazing variety of food and we enjoyed our meals while talking about the day’s events. There was much laughter and cheer! The meal was finished with a variety of pies and ice cream made by Mrs. Bachman herself! Yum!!
After the food was put away, the tables stowed, and the dishes washed, we moved our chairs around to the back of the boarding house for the evening festivities. Our talented musicians took up their instruments, a large fire was lit, and we all gathered once again to enjoy each other’s company. A group of folks gathered to enjoy a few reels by the firelight and the dancing, the music, and the fire made for a wonderful experience. At one point, I left the group to get my children some water and looked back on the scene. It looked like a painting, the exact image of 19th century village life. I could not dance on account of my broken foot and my two tired three year-olds, but I enjoyed the festivities very much. We reluctantly left when my little Abby fell asleep in her chair…she told me she didn’t want to go to sleep because she was “watching” the music.
Sunday started out the same way Saturday did, although this time, we were all much more comfortable with each other and I heard conversations about travel, women’s right to vote, marital “concerns,” and farming - a variety of topics to reflect the variety of personalities and backgrounds. The children played outside while breakfast was cleaned up. We broke first person for some group photos and then got right back to it. A group of us took a trip up to the apple orchard – no small feat for someone with a broken foot! I hobbled up the hill with my less than cooperative son holding onto my apron strings and crying the whole way! Once we got to the orchard, we enjoyed a lovely view of the village and the group picked bunches of heirloom variety apples. The children helped eagerly and Mrs. Donegan even climbed up one of the trees to reach the apples that were way up high!
Lunch was a delicious conclusion of food for the weekend - warm soup for a cool day and lots of leftovers from our other meals. The musicians played music in front of the boarding house and the children had foot races in the front yard. The “bigger kids” were inspired by the children’s games and soon foot race to the bridge and back was organized amongst some of the men. The musicians played “Camptown Races” for inspiration. Mr. Donegan came in first place and poor Dr. Finch was laid low by his efforts. My little son, Parker, challenged Mr. Donegan to another race and swiftly took the championship title. Mr. Donegan was a great sport! The racing led to another sport – tug of war! It was a battle of the sexes and the competition was fierce. Ultimately the men won – they had a prominent anchor in Mr. Vaughan!
Once the games concluded, it was time to start packing up and saying goodbye to our first person characters. We took some time to visit our “modern” friends and help each other load up cars in preparation for journeys home.
I took away so many things from this event. First person can be fun and not stressful when you take time to prepare, act naturally, and don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s important to have activities to keep everyone busy and having a central “event” within the event gave structure to the weekend. People need things to react to in order to facilitate lively first person interaction. There was a least one community rumor/running joke that kept people laughing throughout most of the weekend! Having such a period setting and a willing venue also helped a great deal to make this event a success. I could go on and on, but have probably gone on long enough. Hope you can join us next year – be on the lookout for an announcement of the dates! I will be posting event photos soon. Stay tuned!
The event went “live” Saturday morning with breakfast at the Bachman’s boarding house (all participants stayed on site in mostly period buildings and we ate as a community all weekend). The group gathered in the parlor/dining room to share this first meal and start to “get to know” each other. After breakfast, the men gathered to get their assignments for work for the day. Mr. Craig, acting as a “fill-in” foreman, directed the men to tasks and tool. Work for the men included removing mortar from rocks in a damaged stone wall that was to be replaced, whitewashing, cutting wood, and making preparations for the political rally later in the day. The women worked on cleaning-up from breakfast and starting preparations for lunch. There were some ladies that went to the orchard for apple picking and others tended children. Mrs. Immendorf canvassed the community for subscriptions to support a local widow, while her husband, Mr. Immendorf, acted as clerk and was stationed by the company store. Mrs. Lewis ran a post office and many residents and visitors received mail over the weekend. Mrs. Wolfe, the visiting dressmaker set up shop in the boarding house and Dr. Finch, the visiting doctor attended to patients as needed.
Excitement was in the air for the upcoming political rally and pole raising in honor of our chosen candidate, John C. Breckinridge! Signs were posted around town advertising this event. The women of the village gathered buntings and flags to decorate with. The men went off into the woods and found a tree suitable for the pole raising. They cut down a tree and prepared it for its’ new use. Then a team of horses was used to pull the pole out of the woods and through the village to the site of the rally. The men also worked hard to build a platform on which to stand to give their speeches. After the pole was in place and the platform finished it was time to start the rally!
At about 2 p.m. the crowds gathered – a mixture of village “residents” and park visitors. A flag bearing the image of Breckinridge was tied to the top of the pole. Guide ropes were in place and the pole was attached to the team of horses. Mr. Vaughan led the audience in a prayer. The crowd was cleared and the horses and men gave a big tug. The pole was raised!!!.....and then came crashing down with a loud crack. The pole had been pulled off center and toppled. Luckily, the only victim was the corner of a wooden bench. Without missing a beat, the band played while the pole was made shorter with a few strokes of a saw. The pole was again hooked to the horses, the men were in place and the pole was raised (Again!). This time it remained vertical and the flag proudly waved in the breeze high above our heads. We had a patent medicine presentation to warm up the crowd, followed by a reading of Breckinridge’s speech from a month ago (Sept. 1860) in Kentucky. The audience then participated in a song which highlighted the good merits of Breckinridge and Lane. The excellent music was provided by our traveling musicians, the Susquehanna Travelers. The conclusion of the rally was a rousing speech by Mr. Baer as he told the crowd of the advantages of our candidate over all the others. It was an exciting and inspiring rally and, I think, somewhat unique. I’ve never heard of another pole raising reenactment.
After the festivities, there was some time for folks to reflect on the day’s activities, clean up from their projects earlier in the day, do some quilting/sewing, prepare for dinner, and perhaps take a rest (although my children chose not to nap!). The community got together again at the boarding house to share a bountiful meal. The tables were set outside in front of the boarding house and the porch because a serving table. There was an amazing variety of food and we enjoyed our meals while talking about the day’s events. There was much laughter and cheer! The meal was finished with a variety of pies and ice cream made by Mrs. Bachman herself! Yum!!
After the food was put away, the tables stowed, and the dishes washed, we moved our chairs around to the back of the boarding house for the evening festivities. Our talented musicians took up their instruments, a large fire was lit, and we all gathered once again to enjoy each other’s company. A group of folks gathered to enjoy a few reels by the firelight and the dancing, the music, and the fire made for a wonderful experience. At one point, I left the group to get my children some water and looked back on the scene. It looked like a painting, the exact image of 19th century village life. I could not dance on account of my broken foot and my two tired three year-olds, but I enjoyed the festivities very much. We reluctantly left when my little Abby fell asleep in her chair…she told me she didn’t want to go to sleep because she was “watching” the music.
Sunday started out the same way Saturday did, although this time, we were all much more comfortable with each other and I heard conversations about travel, women’s right to vote, marital “concerns,” and farming - a variety of topics to reflect the variety of personalities and backgrounds. The children played outside while breakfast was cleaned up. We broke first person for some group photos and then got right back to it. A group of us took a trip up to the apple orchard – no small feat for someone with a broken foot! I hobbled up the hill with my less than cooperative son holding onto my apron strings and crying the whole way! Once we got to the orchard, we enjoyed a lovely view of the village and the group picked bunches of heirloom variety apples. The children helped eagerly and Mrs. Donegan even climbed up one of the trees to reach the apples that were way up high!
Lunch was a delicious conclusion of food for the weekend - warm soup for a cool day and lots of leftovers from our other meals. The musicians played music in front of the boarding house and the children had foot races in the front yard. The “bigger kids” were inspired by the children’s games and soon foot race to the bridge and back was organized amongst some of the men. The musicians played “Camptown Races” for inspiration. Mr. Donegan came in first place and poor Dr. Finch was laid low by his efforts. My little son, Parker, challenged Mr. Donegan to another race and swiftly took the championship title. Mr. Donegan was a great sport! The racing led to another sport – tug of war! It was a battle of the sexes and the competition was fierce. Ultimately the men won – they had a prominent anchor in Mr. Vaughan!
Once the games concluded, it was time to start packing up and saying goodbye to our first person characters. We took some time to visit our “modern” friends and help each other load up cars in preparation for journeys home.
I took away so many things from this event. First person can be fun and not stressful when you take time to prepare, act naturally, and don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s important to have activities to keep everyone busy and having a central “event” within the event gave structure to the weekend. People need things to react to in order to facilitate lively first person interaction. There was a least one community rumor/running joke that kept people laughing throughout most of the weekend! Having such a period setting and a willing venue also helped a great deal to make this event a success. I could go on and on, but have probably gone on long enough. Hope you can join us next year – be on the lookout for an announcement of the dates! I will be posting event photos soon. Stay tuned!
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