Fort Yargo: A Nice Place to Go, March 27-29, 2015

Nicely attended event.

We go to a lot of places up and down the seaboard in our pursuit of history and a good time , but there are few events as nice as the Market Faire at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder,Georgia. Built in 1793, the blockhouse sits near the lake and the park is lovely. Winder is about an hour north from downtown Atlanta and about 5 hours from my front door but it’s an easy drive. Certainly the end is worth the trouble to go as one would have to look very hard to find a nicer, more hospitable and enthusiastic group of people as those of the Fort Yargo historical Society. Juanita and Omer Alexander spread the welcome mat for all and sundry. She’s quite a character, funny and funnier by degrees and always with a kind word and a smile.

Juanita and Omer Alexcander

As I had to be back by Sunday, I decided not bring a tent. The Jamison Inn is literally two minutes away from the site and provided a nice place to sleep. It’s just as well because the weather was rather funky. When I got there early Friday afternoon, it was sunny but cold and windy, mostly windy! Maybe it’s because the lake is right there; huddling next to Patrick Servey’s fire , though, felt nice and even though the event didn’t start until Saturday, there were a suprising number of people wandering through, mostly parents and their homeschooled kids.

Susie Brooks Fouts, Jim Buckenmyer and friend at the kitchen

Saturday was a very busy day with all kinds of things going on. Trade blankets abounded and it reminded me of an old fashioned rendevous. There was a lot to see. Since last year, the group has built a blacksmith’s shop and a beehive oven. These seemed to be a main attraction. There was woodworking, smithing, a lecture on frontier pharmacology, horn and leather-working, beading, spinning, chair caning and cooking. Some of the group played period music most of the day and above all, there was a ton of pure camaraderie. There was no end to the food as Jim Buckenmyer cooked a breakfast that would make Henry the Eighth happy and Susie Brooks Fouts manned the cooking station, offering samples of hard tack and jerky to anyone who wanted to try it. She was roasting a fresh rabbit as well (poor Easter bunny caught it in the neck) and she provided something which I can only describe as pure ambrosia- Chicken Mull. Alternately called Chicken stew by the locals, she said it’s a local soup whose origins go back in history. I didn’t care; I could have had 3 bowls!

At 3 PM, Jim was the maitre d’ and Juanita hosted a heck of a fine tea for all the women present.It’s nice to have a courtly man serve up delections and hot tea at a lovely jollification. Hint, hint, fellas!!! Shorty after, I had to leave but not without seeing all my new and old friends and acquaintances. It was a wonderful time and I hated to see it end.

Blacksmithing was a main attraction

All day long , the guests kept coming

Of course there was drilling!

Lauralei caning beautiful chairs.

Medicine on the frontier

Music inside the blockhouse

Fireplace Furniture: Furnishing the Focus of the Regency Room

Ok guys, I posted this on the cooking site as well but it bears reading to a wider audience. Well done and well researched.It shows what every good hearth had , the types and what each class from poor to rich may have used.

The Regency Redingote

Today, when most of us have some kind of furnace or other form of central heating in our homes, a fireplace is a luxury. Often, a luxury we typically enjoy only on special occasions. For our Regency ancestors, during the winter months their fireplace might literally be the difference between life and death. Though the Romans had had a type of central heating which was used to heat their public baths and the homes of the wealthy, the principles were lost for centuries with the fall of the Empire. From the Middle Ages right through the Regency, the only way by which people were able to heat their homes was by a fire in the fireplace, until the second half of the nineteenth century.

As the source of the comfort of both heat and light, the fireplace was the focal point of a room. Over the centuries, a number of…

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From Hasteners to Roasters ; A Regency Cooking Convenience

This is a wonderful article for all of us hearth cooks and those who like to eat what we make.While the blog is focused on the Regency period, it also traces the history and development of the pieces.

The Regency Redingote

This past summer, I posted an article here on some of the contraptions which were used for cooking during the Regency. But some of those contraptions have a more complex history and therefore merit more direct focus on their development. One of those is the tin roaster, which was actually developed in the early nineteenth century, and came into common use in many English kitchens during the Regency.

In honor of all those turkeys which will be roasted this coming Thanksgiving, the origins of the tin roaster …

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Webshots Albums: Editor’s Choice

Webshots Featured Album

A few weeks before Christmas I was bombarded with several emails from all over the world. These were people I didn’t know, congratulating me on something I didn’t know I did. For several years, I’ve had a paid subscription to a photo service called Webshots. It does several things which I need not go into now but since I’ve been doing this blog, I’ve uploaded my photos,Retha’s and Ken’s, Doug Walsh and Randy Curde’s photos as well, to share with the membership. I was notified that the albums were featured on the Homepage of Webshots and was seen by hundreds of thousands. WOW!

Eat , Drink and Be Merry For Tomorrow….:Christmas Menu in Colonial Va.

Cooks job is never done: Cover from Jane Austen's Cookbook

Christmas brings out the nesting instinct in me; you know, decorate, cook, wrap, ho,ho,ho. I’ve been reading a lot of recipes lately since I’ve been home and stumbled on some really interesting sites. I know this should be on the “Let’s Burn Something” page but thought a wider audience would enjoy this.

Timeline for Christmas meals from 17th Century England to 1960’s America- The food hasn’t changed all that much.  http://www.foodtimeline.org/christmasmenu.html

Check out what the Colonial Virginians were eating for Christmas.

[1770s] Christmas Day: Wassail, Cheese Wafers, Williamsburg Inn Chilled Crab Gumbo, Roast Young Tom Turkey, Fresh Mushroom Dressing, King’s Arms Tavern Creamed Celery with Pecans, Heart of Lettuce, Russian Dressing, Eggnogg Pie and/or Ambrosia, Mince Pie with Rum Butter Sauce.” —The Williamsburg Cookbook, Traditional and Contemporary Recipes Initially Compiled and Adapted by Letha Booth and the Staff of Colonial Williamsburg with Commentary by Joan Parry Dutton, updated and enlarged [Colonial Williamsburg Foundation:Williamsburg VA] 1975 (p. 15) [NOTE: Christmas in Colonial Virginia, Colonial Williamsburg]

Also, check out the “Christmas in Colonial Virginia” site for interesting Christmas things. 

Housekeeper's book: 1782

The Colonel Speaks: Website for Those Portraying Native Americans

Col. MCCroskey sent me this link of interest for those with a Native American persona. Check it out. I’ll also put this link on the right hand side of this blog under NATIVE AMERICAN.

 

18TH CENTURY SHIRTS AND BLANKETS

Rev War era military blankets

Ronnie sent me an interesting link to the fabrics nd construction of 18th century shirts.

http://www.18cnewenglandlife.org/shirt.htm

In my wanderings I came across a very interesting article about 18th century blankets. Since they are so prominent and as it’s getting colder, it’s well worth the read.

http://www.revwar75.com/library/rees/variety.htm

Making THE REAL DEAL! 18th Century Hose

Madam Pompadour's hose- I WANT THESE!!!!!

I was cleaning out my socks drawer today and threw out a whole lot of left socks- next week, I’ll probably find the mates but am not holding my breath. I also have my reenactment stockings  in there and got rid of some of the bumble bee looking hosen. It occured to me that maybe I should try my hand at making stockings so I researched it. NOT! Oh Norma???? Would you like a commission??? Anwyay, I found a fantastic pdf  file all about sewing or knitting 18th century hose. Its over to the right hand side here under THINGS OF INTEREST. For your viewing pleasure, I am also including a link you definitely need to see. It’s in German but pictures are worth a thousand translations.

http://www.drakt.org/Knitting.html

New Post on the SWAP AND SELL PAGE

INDENTURED SERVANT DOES NOT COME WITH THE CAMP SET UP

Check out the new posting on the Swap and Sell page. This camp setup would be perfect for a couple or family wanting to size up or start up.

If you have anything for me to list on the Swap and Sell Page, send me your ad.

NEW PAGE UP TOP: SYCAMORE SHOALS HISTORICAL SITE SUMMER PROGRAMS

jENNIFER DOING HER SPINNING

Summer is here and with that comes a whole host of activities at both the fort and the Carter Mansion. There is something new called HISTORY AT HOME and the interpretive rangers will be very busy from the look of things. I added a page at the top of the blog to keep everyone posted as to what is going on there besides musters and classes inside the visitor center. Check it out as it looks pretty interesting.