Revolutionary War encampment provides living history lessons during Colonial Days in Taylor

 

By SUE SUCHYTA

Sunday Times Newspapers

TAYLOR – Re-enactors in red and blue uniforms brought history to life with a Revolutionary War encampment and battles June 6 and 7 during Colonial Days at Heritage Park.

Attendees learned about clothing, gear and weaponry of the era, as well as a glimpse at the politics and forces that shaped the birth of a new nation as the United States approaches its 250-year milestone.

Re-enactor Tony Gerring, a Lincoln Park native who was serving with the Revolutionary forces, said he grew up going to re-enactments with his father, and he now does the same with his sons.

He said an interest in history and re-enactments tend to go hand-in-hand.

“To come out in all this crazy stuff in this heat, you have to have a little bit of interest in this,” Gerring said.

He said he actually has ancestors who fought in the American Revolution and he is a member of the Sons of the Revolution.

Gerring said he studied history at the graduate level in college, so he enjoys learning more about an era and doing research, but he says it isn’t necessary to be a re-enactor.

He said he also enjoys the camaraderie of those who get involved with the re-enactments.

 

“There are soldiers from the time who kept journals, and you can find the journals and read about their experiences, and there’s letters from the generals and soldiers, and it certainly gives you that opportunity if you desire,” Gerring said.

He said the Pennsylvania First Regiment of which he is a part was requested by the Continental Congress, and it served with General George Washington and fought in almost all of the colonies during the Revolutionary War.

“I’m just glad that people are interested in this and come out and learn,” he said. “A lot of folks don’t realize that we are in the 250th anniversary of our country and the Declaration of Independence.”

Another American re-enactor, Jacob Katt, said he has been re-enacting since he was 4 years old.

“My dad was a teacher and one of his coworkers was into it, so my dad brought me out and we’ve been doing it since,” he said. “I like the history because in my opinion the difference between re-enacting and living history is some guys come out and they like the camping and the general vibe, while I prefer the really intricate details of the history, like I try to get as close as I can to them because this is what real people fought and lived and died for, so I think it’s cool to try to do it as accurately as possible.”

Fellow American Revolutionary re-enactor Jacob Petzold said he has been involved since 2008, and his cousin was in the same group as Katt’s father’s coworker.

“You kind of get into it as a young man, you like history, war, guns and things like that, and then maybe as you grow up a little you get into the research, the history and trying to represent these people as how they actually were and they actually lived,” he said. “When you can share something with someone it’s always great to see someone think of the American Revolution in a different way, think of history a different way and maybe it will spark their interest.”

 

Sheila Lee, who was portraying a British camp follower, said she has been re-enacting for 40 years.

“It’s kind of like our extended family,” she said. “We come out and we are all a friendly group and we have camaraderie with one another.”

Her British Revolutionary War group is part of the Northwest Territorial Alliance.

A resident of Taylor, both Sheila Lee and her son Dalton serve on the city’s historical commission.

She said they have had a good turnout for Colonial Days in Heritage Park.

“I like to see that people are interacting with other re-enactors and asking questions and learning about history,” Lee said. “I am currently a second-grade teacher and I did have a couple of my students come through yesterday and they were like, ‘Oh, Mrs. Lee, isn’t it hot?’ and it’s like ‘Yeah, it’s a little bit different,’ so they asked a few questions, but I also teach them some stuff in social studies in school, so they’re a little more advanced second graders.”

Jim Hall, a British Revolutionary War re-enactor who was listening in, said he remembers the first time he saw a re-enactment.

“It was so surreal,” he said. “I read it in text books and I learned it off the internet later, but standing there and watching 200 people standing on this side and 200 people standing on that side, and you feel the concussion of the rounds going off, it’s just something that you can’t read anywhere to find out. You’re living it.”