What is Living History?

Living History is, at heart, storytelling. In the  same way that a well-crafted tale can keep you turning the pages long after bedtime, it engages your imagination. Unlike a book though, it        provides food for the senses as well ... it's also the fabric, smell the fire, listen to the rhythm of speech and music ... and in that way, it's also like good theater. Immense yourself in the day-to-day lives of people who founded this country, talk to them about the gossip and current event of their day, get to know them as neighbors and friends, and you'll find yourself transported into the world of the 18th century. Living history enables you to see the culture of our ancestors from their point of view,  and to feel the connections between their lives and our own; and so, perhaps, it's a time machine as well.

You're free to follow any sort of curiosity you have. These living historians are happy to share their lives with you.

Not all of the characters you'll meet are historical people; some are re-created from the diaries of memories of a dozen or more figures. The historians take great care to be accurate, however, and true to the people they're representing. Years of research into the dress, habits, manners, tools, and lives of the period go into creating a living history persona. Often the clothes you'll see are hand-made, the furniture and implements turned out exactly as they would have been in the 18th century - for living history is as much about  keeping alive the true skills of the past as it is about describing them.  The people you'll meet today are living history in every sense of the word; their skills are just as real now as they were 200 years ago, and in living history, there is no difference between portraying a craftsman and actually being one.

It isn't ordinarily about recreating the great battles of the past, either (although a group of re-enactors might do just that); living history shows us instead the  everyday life, the small trials, joys and the struggle just to get by.  Carpenters, musicians, weavers, soap-makers, sailors - even soldiers - each has a tale to tell. The tale is yours for the asking; far from being a dry history book or even a documentary, living history allows you to interact with the characters, to ask whateverinterests you about their circumstances. How hard is it for the housewife to cook meals on an open        fire? What's in the punch they are drinking? What kind of special skills does a cabinetmaker require to ply his craft without the power tools we have today? Are those clothes really comfortable?

Living history is a vital part of our understanding of the past; by practicing the lifestyles and crafts of our  ancestors, we gain a deeper appreciation for the context in which the momentous events that shaped our history happened. We develop a better feeling for why they acted as they did, and how their attitudes and customs became our traditions. By learning about them, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. Plus, it's a great way to tell a story.

-reprinted here through the expressed and kind permission of the author, Corey  Crompton  Please contact the author before  reprinting this article, in part or in whole.

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