Tidewater Road Trip - Pirate Festival

Hampton VA holds a Pirate Festival in late spring & Stacy, daughter of my good friend Gypsy Jane,  sings in said festival on a regular basis with her friends Roger & Danny.  So Gypsy Jane & I decided to take a road trip to tidewater VA, visit Yorktown & Jamestown, and take in the Pirate Fest in between.

Roger, Stacy & Danny

Now this event is related to actual pirates in the 1700’s rather like Renaissance  Fairs are related to the historic renaissance.  There’s a fair number of folks in pirate-esk clothes that are long on black leather, red sashes, swords & faux firearms for the lads and short on any clothes at all for the lasses.  It is grand fun just fantasy rather than history for the most part.

Pirate Cooking

There was a nice pirate camp that was more historic in nature.  This robust fellow was demonstrating  fine period cookery, or rather fine cookery if you were a member of the lower classes in the early 1700”s. 

Outdoor Hearth

The cast ironware wasn’t the norm for the era but the food being prepared was pretty much spot on.  Basic breads, pottages & bean based stews were all the rage.  Plus slow roasted meat.  Slow roasted so it had at least a change of getting tender enough to eat.  In the 1700’s most eaten meat was was animals past their working prime & old animals are tough animals in more ways than one.

Clay Bake Oven

Several of the breads on display were baked in this clay oven.  The idea was to fire the oven up in the morning & then bake things throughout the day.  Stuffs taking high heat gets done first, then other items in descending order of baking heat.  With skill & some luck a second warm up fire wouldn’t be needed for the days cooking.  Then beans in water would be put in overnight to soak.  They would be taken out & then used as the base for the day’s stew while the oven would be re-fired for the day’s baking.

Rope Maker & Mini Rope Walk

Kids could make a piece of rope with this craftsman & keep it.  He was very popular & doing a brisk business.  He was also demonstrating rope splicing & serving.

British Coast Guard Boat

Of course a pirate fest needs boats.  This one has a modest swivel gun in the bow & a well armed crew.  A sturdy little boat & easy beached when the need arises.

British Navel Press Gang

These poor lads have been impressed into royal service.  They weren’t any too happy about it either.  Ah it’s the seaman’s life for them now, whether they will or no.  At least these lads won’t be port riff-raff any longer.

Patrol Boat with A Swivel Gun & Navy Crew

Two Masted Sailing Skiff with Swivel Gun & Impressed Oarsmen

The winds were brisk & contrary but everyone made it up river & to the seawall dock  without mishap.  The last bit to the dock did require rowing for the larger boat with its impressed crew.

Sails Furled & Coming into the Dock

There is a French canon on the seawall near one of the performance stages.  The level of detail in the bas relief casting on such seemingly utilitarian item always catches me by surprise.  In the 1700’s men are cheap while manufactured goods are dear.

Historic Canon

Now a good Pirate Fest needs a good sea battle, or at least a good river battle.  So a battle between Black Beard & the Royal Navy was arranged. 

Black Beard’s Ship

Black Beard’s ship arrived on the scene first with his crew of rogues.  They had fired their cannon several times while sailing up river & were spoiling for a fight.

 The Royal Navy

The King’s Navy had a smaller boat & crew.  After several broadsides from the pirates no activity was seen on the navel vessel & the pirates closed in to board their prize.

 

The Fight on Board the Naval Vessel

It’s a ruse!  The Navel seaman were laying low.  They rose up & defeated the pirates.

Black Beard’s Head on Display

The dreaded Black Beard is no more & his crew killed or taken prisoner.  The colonial coast is free from his depravities once more. 

Water reenactments are harder to stage  well than land based battles but this one was fun to watch anyway.  The Festival is free & was fun.  There was an area of kids activities with face painting, a moon walk  & the like.  There were also various crafts , pirate clothing & accouterments, and food for sale along with several live performance stages.  The whole festival covered several city blocks and 2 park areas.   Too bad real pirates are so nasty.

Tidewater Road Trip – Yorktown

Spring is here & its past time for a road trip.  So Gypsy Jane & I packed our modern camp gear, laid in provisions & headed out to tidewater.  Jane’s daughter Stacy was to perform at the Hampton Pirate Festival so it seemed an opportune weekend to visit the Tidewater area.  We had annual passes to Jamestown Settlement & the Yorktown Victory Center too to keep us busy on Friday & Sunday. 

The trip started out with a misty rain than morphed into a drizzly rain that then became a steady rain.  So we drove around part of the Yorktown Battlefield & toured the nice dry Yorktown Nat’l. Park museum.  It was too rainy to bother with outdoor photos & the museum is a no photo zone.  Jane & I both coveted Washington’s camp furniture but want nothing to do with setting up his campaign tent.

We also wandered around the Yorktown Victory Center some the rain having finally tapered off.  The farm area is half sized this year due to the construction of a new museum on the site.  There was a modest military camp set up & staffed with volunteers.  The current museum is a repurposed restaurant so it will be really nice to have a facility designed for artifact display with proper climate control & lighting.

We stayed the night at Chippokes Plantation State Park.  The rain had moved on so we got to stroll around the camping area, take nice showers & finish the day with a pleasant repast. 

Last Call for SLR at Belle Grove May 22 – 25

I’ve been going to the Shenandoah Long Rifles Rendezvous at Belle Grove Plantation near Middletown VA since 2003.  These fine folks hold an event there on Memorial Day Weekend & Labor Day Weekend every year.  Sometimes there’s a November Veterans camp too.  I haven’t made every event but I’ve managed at least 1 event every year. 

The Camp Gear

I stayed overnight with Da Urchin so I could get to Belle Grove early in the morning.  By 9 AM I was unloaded with my mule parked in the pasture & ready to set up camp.  The weather was sunny & warm but not so warm that setting up camp required any real sweating on my part. 

Camp Up!

The weather promised to be warm but dry so I pitched my fly high & wide using the 6 foot side poles.  This gives me maximum shade while encouraging any breezes that are ambling about to wander over my way.  That’s Buffalo Woman’s kitchen fly to the right of me with her teepee showing up behind the kitchen.

Neighbors Setting Up

Of course I wasn’t the only one setting up camp.  The event hadn’t officially started as yet so folks hadn’t shed their 21st century clothes yet.

A Family Camp with Room for the Whole Family

I’m camped in a 9x9x7 wedge tent with a 10x16 fly.  This marquee & fly are much larger but then there’s room for the whole family & maybe even a spare friend.  Plenty of space to cook too even if it rains hard. 

2 Hard Working Rendezvousers

Now Rendezvousing is hard work, why just look at all the hard labor these 2 fine fellows are getting done.

 Lunch in Camp

Here’s a hard working couple.  Why there’s crackers to unwrap, sausage to slice & cheese to cut.   Plus a mug of fine brew to pour into a mug or tankard.  No point is in sharing one’s beverage with the yellow jackets.

 Another Lunch Bunch

Of course some folks prefer uptown repasts & dine on fresh garden salad & homemade vegetable soup with a fine imported tea. 

Time for Play Too

But its not all toil & sweat in camp.  And no one needs to tell these girls that all work & no play makes Jill a dull girl. 

Fly-Free Camp

Now some folks prefer a more open camp particularly with fair weather on the table.  This spot gets the morning sun but afternoon shade.

 Wall tent, Marquee sans Walls with Chandelier

Obviously this is upscale accommodations.  A fine wall tent with a marquee in front furnished with a double trestle table.  There’s plenty of seating for friends & not 1 but 3 coffee pots!  And flowers on the table too!

 Another Fine Camp Meal

Rendezvous is about fine times with friends & family.  Yes we shoot guns on the woods walk, test our archery skills on the range and throw hawk & knife at targets on blocks of wood.  But even the best competitors generally care more for the fun than the score. 

A Laughing Camp

I don’t remember the joke that was told as I was taking this picture but it sure gave us all a good laugh. 

Supervised Cooking

Our ancestors spent a great deal of time growing food, gathering food, preserving food, storing food & finally cooking food.   There’s a good deal of cooking at any rendezvous even it it’s been gathered at the local supermarket.  Some folks do bring home grown foods or wild game they have hunted.

 Musicians tuning Up

As the afternoon grows the musicians begin to tune up.  Music isn’t actually a universal language but its universally language.  (Think about that, it’ll come to ya.)  And while I’m a singer I like listening as much as singing. 

BUCKET!

Buckets are required, alcohol in the bucket is optional. 

A Quiet Camp Moment

Hi fiddle dee dee its a woodsman’s life for me.

This was the last rendezvous SLR will be having at Belle Grove.  The SLR has had many good years here but they’re outgrown the site in many ways so its time to move on.  The Labor Day Rendezvous has a site in West Virginia but after that it’s anyone’s guess at this point.  There are some prospective locations though.  I have faith the shining times with SLR are not at an end, not yet anyway.

Rain Much Lately? – May 16

Its been very chilly & rainy here this spring.  Unpleasantly chilly & rainy.  This is the south fork on the Shenandoah River.  I think I know where all the rain went.

This is normally the parking lot for a picnic ground and boat ramp along the south fork of the Shenandoah River.  Don’t think I’ll park or picnic here today.

This should be a nice grassy area with half a dozen picnic tables

  The normal bank is out where the riffles start.  The Rivanna River near where I live looks very much the same.  Hopefully this will warmer & dryer soon.

Ft. Frederick Trade Fair – The Fort

In years past the reconstructed fort at Fort Frederick has been manned by a British Company of Foot.  This wasn’t the case this year and all the military units were encamped in tents just outside the Fort’s main entrance.  Inside the fort the permanent displays inside the buildings have been substantially expanded. 

The fort interior had one building for the officers & 2 barracks buildings for the non-commissioned officers & foot soldiers as well as facilities for the non-military personnel who were “belonging to the army”.

Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Quarters

The senior non-commissioned officer assigned to each barracks had a modest room of his own.  These officers were allowed storage chests for the equipment needed to do their tasks as well as for a modest amount of personal possessions.

Commander’s Chair with Writing Arm

Non-commissioned officers had a great deal of garrison reports to complete.  This writing chair even has storage for blank & completed forms.  The room has its own modest fireplace also.

Non-Commissioned Officers’ Mess

This dining area shows that even among the non-commissioned ranks there was a separation based on station.  The fireplace in this room was for heating & warming food only.  Rations would have be prepared by non-military staff in a kitchen with a full hearth.

Non-Commissioned  Officers’  Beds

Most non-commissioned officers had their own beds but shared a room with others of their own rank.  The lower the rank, the more officers in the room. 

Non-Commissioned  Officers’ Housing

Sleeping rooms were also were these men wrote their reports.  The British army was big on record keeping.  A small desk is located to the lower left of this photo.  There is also a small fireplace in the wall opposite this one which is shared with the adjacent room.

Non-Commissioned Officers’  Kitchen

This kitchen may or may not have been located in the barracks proper.  Kitchens tended burn down from time to time & thus were often built as free standing building set apart from the barracks.  This one is rather nicely appointed.  It would have been staffed by someone who was “belonging to the army”, that is someone who was contracted & on the garrison records but who was neither a soldier nor under direct military command.  It was most likely staffed by soldiers wives but could have had a contracted cook instead.

 Common Soldiers’  Bunks

The soldiers in the ranks, the “hatmen” of the British army would have been housed in bunks like these in a long  room.  Each bunk was designed to sleep 2 men side by side.

 Bare Bunk

The British preferred to construct long rectangular barracks with bunks built lengthwise along one side of the room.  The center of the room was taken up by a long table with chairs.  There was a fireplace in one short side of the room & equipment storage at the other short side.  The slanted sleeping surface is per regulations.  Pillows were not issued but could often be purchased or pilfered  locally.  Barracks like these were needed in the colonial frontier areas where there were no common inns to house a garrison.  Inn & tavern housing was the norm for the army in the British isles.

 Soldiers’ Equipment Storage Area

Soldiers’ accouterments & gear was stored on pegs on the short wall farthest from the fireplace.  The cartridge boxes would have been empty.  Loose powder would have been stored in a powder magazine.  Rounds would have been issued as needed & returned to storage upon returning from duty.

 Soldiers’ Kitchen

The barracks room fireplace was also where the soldiers cooked their rations.  Both the rations & the pot to cook them in were issued to the soldiers by mess groups.

 Quartermaster’s Storeroom – Equipment 

Armies need stuff & stuff needs to be stored.  The quartermasters handled all the replacement equipment, active duty accouterments that were issued as needed such as canteens & haversacks for patrols, repair supplies & food stuffs.  Gunpowder & shot was handled by the ordnance department.  Note the blue writing desk for maintaining the inventory records.

Quartermaster’s Storeroom – Provisions

Foodstuffs were stored separately from other stores in part to control vermin.  The tin cook pots were used by the enlisted men to cook their rations.  Each pot served 1 mess which was usually 6 men.  There is no fireplace in this storeroom.

 Distaff Housing

Some enlisted men were allowed to marry with their regimental commander’s permission & some married men were enlisted along with their wives.  Such an enrolled distaff woman received half a soldier’s food ration a day.  They normally staffed the regimental hospital & cooked the officers’ food.  They could also earn money by washing & mending soldier’s clothing with the value of such piecework being set by the regimental commander.   The women kept a ledger of their piece work & the paymaster audited the ledger each time the soldiers were paid.  The ledger charges were then deducted from the solders pay & the women got paid for their work.  This money along with their husband’s pay was supposed to be adequate for them to clothe themselves as well as feed & clothe any children the couple might have.  Regimental wives were not allowed to enter the barracks except for the rooms where they & their children lived or where they were assigned to work.    Laundry Equipment

Fort Frederick has a distaff laundry room set up.  Actual washing would have been done outside unless the weather prevented it. 

 Distaff Laundry Fireplace

This is one very big kettle, just compare it to the firkin beside the fireplace.  It can be swung out & pivoted so that it wouldn’t be necessary to lift it off the fire to pour its hot water into a wash tub.   It would still be a tricky job.  (Remember that burns & scalds were the 2nd leading cause of death among women in the 1700’s.)  There are two ears on the top of the hearth support (I don’t remember what its called) to help control the kettle.  The bail should be between them.  The support itself is 3/4 stock.

Fort Frederick Trade Fair – The Folk

Part of the reason I like the Ft. Frederick Trade Fair is the friends I get to see here.  The Paths of Life haven’t always allowed me to keep doing events with everyone I would like. 

                                       Participant Camp Main Road

Not all the Fair is among the merchant marquees.  Campers can sell period appropriate goods from a trade blanket.

Another Camp Road

This is a mid to late 1700’s eastern seaboard colonial trade fair with some French & Great Lakes goods.  Ft. Frederick was originally built in 1756 to protect the Maryland frontier during the F&I War. 

Coppersmiths

These coppersmiths had a nice blanket of wares out in front of their lodge.

  Gentlemen Conversing

The Fair offers ample opportunity to see all stations in life.

 Mary Selling Fine Soaps & Creams

A Husband & His Goodwife

 Preacher Ken with His Guitar Take a Break

 Mark Thomas – Gun Stocker & Engraver Extraordinaire

No, Mark isn’t a stoic.  It really was warm enough on yesterday to go barefoot.

Chantal & Missy

Missy Clark of Barkertown Traders makes the best ever clothing for the middle and lower classes.  Upper class tailored goods are also available from her. 

 Frank

Frank is the lad who got me interested in Colonial history, so all this is his fault.  (Way to go Frank.)

 The Coffee Lady

The Coffee Lady isn’t a merchant.  She is a demonstrator of colonial coffee brewing utensils & methods.  Every year I learn a bit more about how to do it all.

Painted Floor Covering

Of course a colonial fair will have quite a few merchants of both gun and sword.

Scots Selling Hawks , Knives & Swords

Ah, these fine Scotsmen might be able to help you acquire a good sword and knife

A Hard Working Boot Black Lass

Some fair folk offer colonial services rather than merchandise.

Gentleman in Sedan Chair

Now here’s how to travel about the fair – for the gentleman that is.  Its a long day for the lads.