Missisinawa 1812: There is more to see than the Re-enactment.

It has been four years since I last visited La Fontaine, Indiana for the annual Missisinawa War of 1812 Re-enactment weekend. 

It is the largest living museum of the War of 1812, which includes a military encampment, Indian Village, and a wilderness area.  Rivertown offers reproductions of many 1812 reproductions from that era including fine yard goods, silver, tinware, pottery, muskets, and candles. 

 There were rows and rows of vendors selling their wares.

 But one caught my eye.

I came upon a tent with a man outside chipping away at a piece of marble.  I didn't know that you could chip away at this dense stone so easily.  It was the portrait of the first white man to go to the state of Kentucky.  His name escapes me right now. I stood there and watched a while. On the ground, I noticed that there was a headstone for a grave. Then I flooded the artist with questions about his craft. 

He answered my questions in a sweet Southern drawl. My favorite of all the American accents.  David Gillespie, a native and resident of South Carolina has been carving tombstones for over ten years and demonstrating at Eighteenth Century Re-enactments to bring to life the lost art of stone-cutting.  David and his wife Renee demonstrate all across the Eastern U.S. If you would like to read more about the art of tomb and grave stones check out the book above that Mr. Gillespie wrote. I brought a copy home with me. By the way, the new trend of putting a portrait on a grave stone is not new. This was done back in the 1700's. Click on the Link for purchasing options. Now I want to visit Charleston, South Carolina to see the stones that are found in the book.  David Gillespie and his wife have a web site called Pumpkintown Primitives. They do more than just cut stones. 

I couldn't resist the Williamsburg style fabric that would make a great tablecloth for the kitchen and possibly curtains to match. 

History doesn't have to be boring.  There is more to it than names and dates. Researching my family history has caused a love of history to well up within me that never existed before.  Now I try to get out and learn as much as I can about the country in which I live. Going to this kind of thing is not for everyone. But try it as least once. You may change your mind. 

In the year 1812: On being a widow and the Lover's Eye

The war of 1812 isn't discussed much in the history books.  At lease, that I can remember. A few days again I encountered this woman at the Old Fort in Fort Wayne.  The Old Fort was up and running filled with actors portraying people from the time period.

As we walked towards the Fort we encountered a woman sitting in a tent with shear curtains all around it. It had several chairs inside so that when someone came in they could sit and chat a while. The woman was wearing very heavy white makeup, rouge, and thickly drawn eyebrows. During that time period the white foundation was made with lead and fats, which could be deadly. But beauty must come at a cost. Only the wealthy women during the 1800's wore this kind of makeup. 

She called herself Lady Liddington. On this day she was my history teacher. 

On her left hand there was a black onyx ring with a diamond in the middle to show others that her husband has passed away. A tiny pin fastened to her dress in the front contained a lock of hair from both she and her husband. A part of him will always be with her. The dark purple dress signifies that she is still mourning but not deep mourning. This also means that she is not interested in training another husband, because the first one was difficult enough. 

By the widow's side a miniature portrait of Lord Liddington was securely fastened into a picture frame and draped with a black scarf sitting neatly on a small table. The detail of the portrait was amazing for an item that was so small. Lady Liddington went on to say that during the same time period portraits were drawn of an eye. This eye miniature could be that of a child, spouse, lover, etc...These portraits could we worn as a bracelet, necklace, brooch, ring, or pendant. The fad began in the 1700's and the miniature became known as "Lover's Eye." Sometimes a lock of hair was incorporated into the portrait. This sounds a bit romantic to me. 

1812: The war that we don't remember much about

History was not my forte when I was in school. Actually, I dreaded history as much as I did math. The teacher gave facts in such a mundane way that I lost interest early on.  I remember talking about the various wars, but I don't recall ever discussing the War of 1812. Not ever. But it could of happened on a day that I laid my head down on the desk and drifted off until the bell rang. 

I didn't really become interested in history until I started researching my family's lineage. Now I know a lot more than I ever did.  When a friend from work told me about the re-enactment that takes place in La Fontaine, Indiana every autumn, I jumped at the opportunity to learn something about a war that I knew little about.

In a nutshell this is the three main points of the war: 1) Americans would be kidnapped, the ones with English accents, and would be impressed to serve on the side of the British. 2) The British interfered with American trade and France. For some reason they wanted us to pay them a tax in order to trade with the French. 3) Finally, the English stirred up Indian warfare.  

One of the good things that the British did was that they blocked slave ships from coming to the United States and any slave who escaped to Canada was considered free.  

On June 1, 1812 war was declared, lives were lost, and the Indians were defeated. Then the move westward began.  

My nephews and I sat and watched as the re-enactment took place and I wondered if there could have been another way of settling the differences. 

For some reason each people group thinks that they are supreme and expect the rest to bow down to them, which causes a lot of strife. 

And yet, war is still prevalent in our world today.  

This reminds me of a quote many use from Rodney King, "Can we all get along?" 

Austen Land

Today, I visited a tent while at an 1812 War re-enactment that brought me back to a place in time that I have grown to admire.  It was in the early 1800's that my favorite literary author was producing her memorable collection of novels. Jane Austen has a strong following still today. Women love to dress up, men too, and imagine themselves living in another place and time when life was simple and a lot less stressful.  

As I walked thru the door of the tent I felt like I was in an Austen novel.  I had two young boys with me who would have rather been outside watching the soldiers, and I couldn't savor the the moment as long as I would wish to. But I was instantly drawn in like a moth to the flame.  The hats were lovely, large, decorative, and elaborate.  

Not only were there hats but dresses too.  Those delicately made garments enhance all that is female. I ran my hands over the smooth fabrics and longed to be able to wear one, even if it was just for one day.

When I turned the corned a lady was wearing a straw hat that she was determined to purchase. One of the ladies companions was holding up a silk dress in hopes that it could be paired with the straw hat. 

The owner advised the customer that straw should be worn with a more casual dress such as a linen or muslin and then the owner noticed that I was watching her with my camera in hand.  She posed without having to ask.  

I enjoyed this brief moment of genteel life in the middle of a war raging all around us. The name of the shop I visited was Regency Remembered and they have a Facebook page if you are interested in looking at some of the things she has to offer.

"Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure."  Jane Austen

Chief Richardville and a case of burning at the stake in Indiana?

I am a member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). A few weeks ago a tour of the DAR markers around town was arranged and I decided to go along.

The very first marker was of  Chief Richardville who rescued a man from burning at the stake, the Miami Indians were accustomed to frequently burn their prisoners, according to the book, The Pictorial field-book of the War of 1812 by Benson J. Lossing. I thought that burning at the stake happened only on the east coast to those accused of being witches. 

Jean Baptist Richardville also known as Peshawa, (meaning wildcat) was the son of Joseph Dronet De Richardville, a Frenchman, and Tacumwah, the sister of Miami Chief Little Turtle. 

About 1792, a white man was bound at the stake and the Miami Indians were ready to light the wood on which the man stood. Richardville, a young man at the time, his mother implored him to free the prisoner as she shoved a knife in his hand. Asking him to step up to the plate and claim his place as future chief. With diligence the prisoner was freed and taken secretly in a canoe down the Maumee River. Many years afterwards the prisoner ran into Richardville at a small town in Ohio thanking the Chief for his bravery and that the prisoner's life was spared. 

Richardville is said to have been buried on the grounds of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Fort Wayne, Indiana. At the time of his death his worth was estimated at $1,000,000, which is about $23 million at today's standards. He was not only the richest man in Indiana at the time but the richest Native American. 

Additional source: History of the Maumee Valley by H.S. Knapp