Gunpowder Treason Day - Bringing Familes Together?

From Julie H., historical interpreter:

Remember, remember, the fifth of November,
gunpowder, treason, and plot!
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
should e'er be forgot!

Okay, so that's a modern poem about what the English call "Guy Fawkes Day" or "Bonfire Night." But before we get to the colonial American version of the holiday, which we celebrated in good fashion here at the Frontier Culture Museum, we will answer the question, just who is Guy Fawkes?

In 1605, Guy Fawkes and a group of English Catholic conspirators had finished digging an underground tunnel from their tenant house to the nearby House of Lords. They filled the end of the tunnel with many barrels of gunpowder, with the intention of blowing up Parliament. However, their group had some fellow Catholic friends in Parliament, and a conspirator sent one of the Catholic lords an anonymous letter, warning him to stay away from Parliament for the start of the new session. The lord brought the letter to King James, who ordered a search below the building very early on November 5th, shortly before they planned to light the fuse. The gunpowder was discovered, and Guy Fawkes had been the unlucky conspirator on watch that evening. He was arrested, tortured, tried, and he and his fellow conspirators were found guilty of high treason. The men were hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Since then, England has celebrated the King James' assassination survival, and that Guy Fawkes and his Catholic conspirators failed to blow up Parliament. While initially a small observation in London, it became so widely celebrated across the British colonies that by the 1660s, King Charles II announced it a holiday. The event continues to be celebrated today in England, marked with fireworks, bonfires, and parades.

So why did the American colonies pick up and celebrate the tradition? The English-dominated colony in the 17th century was more than happy to join in a holiday that involved bonfires, parades, burning effigies, shooting off guns, and drinking to the health of the King and Parliament. Moreso, according to historian Brendan McConville, the British frequently viewed the American colonists as inferior, and so colonists spent nearly two centuries trying to prove themselves every bit as British as the mother country. The colonists took to obsessively adopting British customs, fashions, and holidays, with overseas travelers penning down their dismay at the ladies in Williamsburg dressing in finer clothes daily than their wives in England do on Sundays. British soldiers during the French & Indian War tromping through the backcountry were shocked to discover fine porcelain on the shelves in small rustic cabins. Historian Timothy Breen remarks that the common British subject knew fairly little about the colonists, and held stereotypical beliefs of Americans. A New England preacher, Reverend John Barnard, went to visit London, and conversed with a local gentlewoman after a church service, who was surprised that his skin was white and that he spoke English, for she supposed all Americans to be natives. With such false beliefs circulating, who can blame the colonists for their obsessive Anglicism?

The early/mid 18th century saw non-English waves of immigrants reach American shores. The Germans and the Northern Irish came to America, escaping deteriorating conditions in Europe, and seeking the opportunity and promises of land America offered. They had no reason to care for the health of bygone English kings or Parliament. And yet, they enthusiastically picked up the celebration in America with their English neighbors! WHY? One simple reason. Guy Fawkes was Catholic, and the holiday had picked up a decidedly anti-Catholic tone. They not only burned an effigy of Guy Fawkes, but of the Pope! And the uber Protestant Germans and devoutly Presbyterian Northern Irish could easily get behind an anti-Catholic movement.

The holiday spread from New England to Charleston, SC, referred to as "Gunpowder Treason Day," but perhaps most commonly as "Pope Day." As mentioned, Americans held parades, made large bonfires, shot off guns, and drank. They burned effigies of the Pope (Clement XII from 1730-40, and Benedict XIV starting 1740). They occasionally threw in Guy Fawkes, and sometimes The Pretender (from the Tudor/Stuart dynasty who claimed to be the rightful heir to the throne after William & Mary took over). But the main feature seemed to be the Pope. The holiday was one of few that nearly all the major groups of immigrants could bond together to celebrate, and helped unite us under the British monarch.

Whew. So this past Monday, November 5th, our 1740s staff showed visitors and school groups a jolly good patriotic time. We shot off the smooth-bore, built a bonfire, had school kids find a good-sized stick, lined them up, and had them yell, "GOD SAVE THE KING!" as they threw their stick into the bonfire. I couldn't get photos of that, but here is the excitement of building the bonfire, and burning our "effigies."

We put the bonfire in the center of our cornfield. Our intention is to spread the ashes through the soil. We decided to leave two cornstalks in our field, and built the fire around them. They represented Benedict XIV and The Pretender.We didn't have time to make a real effigy.

The stalks catch, and quickly fall.

With both corn stalks down, we admire our bonfire, and burn piles of brush and rotten wood we had lying around the site.

With the timely end of the Pope and The Pretender, we made one final effigy. I'd like to introduce you to Bean Fawkes:

 Bean Fawkes is a scarlet runner pole bean. Here he is, all comfortably enjoying his life.

What's that behind you?

 Oh no!

 Bean Fawkes is sentenced. Burn him! His final moments draw nigh.

We'll spare you further gruesome pictures of Bean Fawkes succumbing in the hot coals.

So there it is. Guy Fawkes Day, Pope Day, Gunpowder Treason Day. Whether British or American colonist, let's all be glad that that no one blew up Parliament.

Don't you Remember,
The Fifth of November,
'Twas Gunpowder Treason Day,
I let off my gun,
And made 'em all run.
And Stole all their Bonfire away. (1742)

Chamber of Commerce

From Julie H., historical interpreter:

A week ago, we were the venue for the fantastic Augusta County Chamber of Commerce festival, "Good Times, Tastes, & Traditions." As per the event title, there were tasty foods, excellent music, and traditional craftspeople. Good times were had by all!

If you missed the event, here are some photos from around the museum. What a great day!

Most folks started out in West Africa, and were greeted by tents filled with food, traditional baskets, and these awesome ladies. They were part of an Igbo dance group out of Baltimore, Maryland, and performed traditional women's dances on site. They had some men with them too, who later did traditional men's dances.

In England, there were beer tents, English-themed food, and more vineyards than you could count!

 And of course, little Alfie was a hit!

More beer, food, wine, and crafts in Ireland:

Heading down to Germany next, dozens more tents, with delicious smells of bratwurst, and other authentic German foods. And of course, more beer, wine, and craftspeople!

Here's the scene from in front of the American Indian exhibit:

And finally, everything down in the last two American farms, filled with many more exciting things. Here's our new 1850s American Short Horn cow, Hollyhock, inspecting some of the tents in front of her, one of which had a very tempting hot tub.

Now, we are preparing for two major events this coming weekend. Homeschool Day is this Friday, when we welcome hundreds of homeschoolers to the site, and Oktoberfest is Saturday, October 6th. We can't wait! Please come out for German food, games, and music this weekend!

Independence Day

From Julie Herczeg, historical interpreter, and reenactor coordinator for 4th of July:

A lot of things have been happening here at the Frontier Culture Museum! Summer is a busy season for us, and we are in the middle of grain harvests, summer camps, and exhibit construction. But we took a break from all the hard work last week to celebrate the 4th of July with festivities, games, and tasty foods down on our American farms.

In previous years, we've invited a small group of reenactors to come participate in our 1812 militia, but we added more this year for all the other farms too. They came from as far away from New Hampshire to Ohio to North Carolina! We had so many activities happening that it was near impossible to photograph them all for you!
 There were Cherokee on the hill of our new American Indian exhibit, and colonial traders set up with their trade goods out on blankets. I never did find out what kind of meat they ended up cooking. Deer? Bear? Groundhog? Yum.

The Augusta County Militia set up in the Settlement cabin, interpreting their role in the American Revolution and local military history of that era. They stayed the night on straw-stuffed mattresses, trying to avoid our resident skunk. No one smelled out of the ordinary the following day, so I assume they were successful. (photo by Dana Shoaf)

Floating around was young George Washington, fresh in his profession as a land speculator, even before his role in starting the F&I War. Humble and dignified, he spoke to visitors all day about his life, and posed for many photos with youngsters. (photo by FCM)

Most of the action happened on the 1820s farm, sometimes lovingly referred to as the Bowman Farm by our staff. Due to the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the War of 1812, we chose to represent a 4th of July celebration in the early part of the war. The 1812 version of the Augusta County Militia did firing demonstrations, mended uniforms, and drilled. At noon, signaled by the blow of a conch shell (the Bowmans have one listed in their inventory!) our esteemed 1850s schoolmaster, John "Pogue" Pagano, began the reading of the Declaration of Independence, which was followed by a series of period toasts. The 1770s Augusta County Militia guys even came up and joined their later counterparts for the ceremony, and fired off musket volleys throughout the toasting. (photos by the FCM and Jill Pesesky)

For the rest of the afternoon, visitors played games and held competitions. There were graces, hoop & stick, sack races, pie eating contests, watermelon seed spitting contests, and sawing contests. (photo by FCM)

 Visitors enjoyed the music of our own FCM band, Wilderness Road, on the porch of the 1820s farm, and joined by our friend, Cheryl, of the band Shen Fine. It was bittersweet, because it was the last day of work for our fiddler, Russ, before moving off and starting a new life in North Carolina. He assures me he'll be back for special events! Russ' son came in on the banjo for part of the day. (photo by Cheryl Tobler)

Down at the early American schoolhouse, we featured story telling and school lessons. I recall hearing a few brief moments of the school lesson, in which John Pagano told the students he did not appreciate the drawing of him next to a pile of animal dung on one of the slates, and called up the offending student for punishment.

There were many things occurring on the 1850s farm across the road. Visitors first met Mark Bingham, a period photographer, taking ambrotypes and tintypes. Many people took advantage of the opportunity and got their image struck. I had mine struck on three occasions that day! (photos by Julie Herczeg)

The Atlantic Guard Soldier's Aid Society and the Liberty Rifles portrayed civilians during the American Civil War up at the house. The FCM staff pulled down a bunch of hams from our meat house for them to cook up for the other reenactors. Best ham EVER! They cooked up a feast inside the house, too. One of the folks acted as a phrenologist. He measured people's heads, and made guesses about their intelligence, cleanliness, and character. We also had three Federal soldiers and one Confederate portraying various regiments involved in Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign for the 150th anniversary. (photos by FCM)

There was buck dancing down at the barn too, and there may be a video of them floating around the FCM facebook or flickr page.

The big excitement for me was my tableaux vivants show. It is a 19th Century form of entertainment, in which a narrator describes a scene, and the curtain opens to the actors frozen in place. The translation is "living picture." In between scenes and narration, Marc Hermann and I sang shape note songs, and a couple times we featured Russ on the fiddle. Posted below is a scene from Cinderella, The Boston Tea Party, Dolly Madison Saving the Portrait of George Washington, and Noble Virginia Leads the Way.

While we rehearsed earlier in the day, a photographer from the Staunton News Leader took a couple pictures of Taylor Shelby and Paul Luks posing for the Dolly Madison/George Washington scene. The photo got picked up by the AP Press, and has now been featured around the United States!
Here we are on CBS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-207_162-10012838-30.html

Overall, we had 1,789 visitors come out, despite the blistering heat. Everyone had a fantastic time, and we can't wait for next year! Thank you to everyone for coming out and celebrating a historic 4th of July with us!