#historicalinterpreter

In my monochromatic 18th century best this past Saturday in Lincoln, reenacting the flight of the residents of Battle Road on the morning of April 19, 1775. Photo by Julie Marin Grant #18thcenturyfashion #reenactor #reenacting #historicalinterpreter #18thcenturycostume #18thcenturydress #blue #massachusettshistory #history #livinghistory #18thcentury #reenactment #battleroad #lincolnma #concordma #1775 #april191775 #historian #perioddress https://www.instagram.com/p/Cclf-vsOMny/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It was an honor to have participated in my first reenactment today with the Ladies Association of Revolutionary America. We portrayed residents along the roads of Lincoln, MA who on the morning of April 19, 1775, evacuated their homes with what they could carry. News of the Regulars (aka Redcoats) marching on Concord had tensions running high, but when news of the Battle of Lexington came - eight militiamen shot dead - the people between Lexington and Concord had two hours to evacuate. They feared they could be attacked themselves, their houses burned and looted - so they packed up small valuables, food, and whatever they thought they may need, hid larger valuables they couldn’t carry with them, and fled in the opposite direction. Interpreting frightened civilians fleeing the violence of an invading army was a responsibility we took seriously, especially given current world events. The conversations we had with visitors about what we were fleeing and why, and making it personal by asking them what they’d take with them if they thought they might not see their homes again, hopefully made today a great learning experience for all who came to see it. #historicalinterpreter #lexingtonma #concordma #18thcenturyfashion #18thcenturydress #reenacting #revolutionarywar #historicalinterpretation #massachusetts #battleroad #1775 #battleoflexingtonandconcord #englishgown #reenactor #costume #perioddress #caughtinthestormofwar https://www.instagram.com/p/CcblPRLM9Ta/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

First time in full kit with my new forest green petticoat (which you can barely see). Hope to have a set of linen mitts and a pleated cap ready for the actual Battle Road reenactment in April! It was so fun to chat with fellow history people in person. I was impressed by how many people gave great thought to how the townspeople’s plight did or did not parallel the plight of modern refugees. With Ukraine front of mind for many along with refugees fleeing different crises around the world, there was much debate over what language would be appropriate to describe the people fleeing their homes along the roads near Lexington and Concord. Evacuees seemed appropriate to some, inappropriate to others, because the townspeople got to go home at the end of the day. However, they didn’t know if they would have homes to return to or if they would be burned to the ground by royal soldiers. They grabbed what they could carry - important papers, food they could carry like bread or cheese, small family valuables, things they could potentially barter, and some people buried things that were too cumbersome to bring so it wouldn’t be stolen by the British soldiers. Fleeing the gunfire that would likely occur near their homes, my friend Audrey likened it to Londoners hiding in the Underground during the Blitz, albeit on a much smaller scale. I’ve always seen living history as a valuable way to teach people not only how much things have changed, but how little. #historicalreenactment #historicalreenactor #historicalinterpreter #lexington #concord #massachusettshistory #revolutionarywar #18thcenturyfashion #18thcenturydress #18thcenturycostume #englishgown #livinghistory #americanhistory https://www.instagram.com/p/CblEkLUuMA0/?utm_medium=tumblr

A week's worth of shirt collars. Four passably modern, three 18th century. #laundryday #historicalinterpreter https://www.instagram.com/p/CPs63RBAnQp/?utm_medium=tumblr

How I look accepting customer payments in the parking lot at work. #museumwork #historicalinterpreter #cherryblossom https://www.instagram.com/p/CN8PBr0g9wy/?igshid=yaq5ayn9jcu7

Being a 1760s coquette in my new dress at the OSH #oldstatehouse #historicalfashion #historicalcostume #historicalinterpreter #firstpersoninterpreter #museums #revolutionarycharacters #revolutionarywar #1700sfashion #18thcenturyfashion #18thcentury #colonialhistory #colonial #historicaldress #elizabethcummings #bostonhistory #bostoniansociety #boston

Catch me (aka Elizabeth Cummings) at the #OldStateHouse at 2:00 and 3:30 today! #historicalinterpretation #historicalinterpreter #bostonhistory #colonialhistory #18thcentury #18thcenturyfashion #revolutionarywar #revolutionarycharacters