Civil War Reenactment at the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation-- Warning: Photo Heavy

Normally the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation focuses on the 18th century, but last weekend they took a break and allowed us 19th century reenactors take over. If you've ever been there, you wouldn't even recognize it.

The house was furnished with 19th century pieces and displays of period dresses.

 The dresses were gorgeous and though I can't even imagine, all belonged to the same lovely lady! 

 Wash dress and day dress.

Morning wrapper with black undersleeves. The undersleeves slide under the large pagoda sleeves and are tied or fastened with elastic at the elbow. The undersleeves, which are more apt to get dirty can be washed without having to launder the whole dress.

The master bedroom. The washbasin and pitcher were just beautiful.

The childrens bedroom. I love the chamberpot box.

The kitchen, along with the two ladies of the house for the weekend.

Cannon are a rare sight at the plantation but these men dragged this piece out to the field. 

It overall was a fun event. Everyone had a good time. During the first battle, the animals on the farm were caught in the crossfire. It was very neat to see sheep and chickens scattering at the advance of an army.  For a reenactment, you can't ask for a more interesting battlefield. There are houses, barns, animals and gardens which all become a part of the battles. It is much more interesting than most places in which the reenactment takes place on an empty field. I especially love that the spectators are so close. Some of the soldiers accidentally even broke through the crowd.

A Glimpse into Everyday Life in London in the 1850s

" The London-road district, being the name given to that portion of the town under my direction, contains a population of about 30,000. It is bounded upon one side throughout its whole course (say the distance of a mile and a half) by the river Medlock, a black filthy ditch, into which the inhabitants upon its borders or the various manufactories in its course, consisting of dye and chemical works, pour all their superabundant filth. Innumerable privies, connected with the back of long terrace ranges of private dwellings, empty themselves into the same source; in fact, it is the eliminating channel for all who can reach its banks to pour off every nuisance, liquid or solid. The opposing side of the district is bounded by the Rochdale Canal, nearly throughout the same extent."- Report of the General Board of Health on the Epidemic Cholera of 1848 & 1849

London was known to be the place of high society, it was also known for its huge slums. Due to the large body of poor people in London, the rich had no shortage of servants. Below are some excerpted tips for servants from Murray's Modern Domestic Cookery, written in 1851. Many of the tips were strange and others came from common folklore of the time.

 

This is an interesting look into life in London during the 1850s. Not only do many families have servants but the servants would have a much bigger job than just cooking and cleaning. Can you imagine trying to muzzle a rat?

 

Modern wool will not help heal burns unless you can find wool that hasn't had the lanolin washed out of it. Lanolin is naturally produced in glands of sheep. It is commonly thought to be an oil but is actually a wax. The wax helps the sheep keep their coats clean and subsequently will keep any garment made from the wool, waterproof. It is currently used in hand creams, rust-proof coatings, instrument lubricants and has been shown to heal superficial wounds.

The National Druggist, published in 1905 claims this tip to be false. It said that this test would only show you if a mushroom was bad. 

  Thieves' Vinegar was once thought to protect from the plague. Folklore states that in a small village after an outbreak of the plague in the late 1700s, thieves were caught robbing the village dead. The thieves shared the recipe for their secret vinegar which allowed them to rob the dead without catching the plague in return for their lives. There may be some truth to the properties of the vinegar. The ingredients are known to be antibacterial and many people use a similar recipe today for disinfecting surfaces.

Bloom! Magazine: An Online Magazine for Christian Teen Girls

The first issue of Bloom! Magazine came out today. It is a magazine for Christian teens written by Christian teens and is absolutely free. I told the staff that I would review it for them and possibly interview one of them for my blog, but I wanted to wait until I read the magazine in its entirety. I am happy to say that I am more than enthusiastic about the results, the girls did a great job. I don't mean that they did a great job for teenagers--they did a great job for anyone.

The magazine covers topics like recipes, school (home schooled and not) tips, hairstyles, devotions, testimonies and interviews. I am very pleased that there are magazines like this that promote good values. I am appalled when I walk through the grocery store and see half naked women on the covers who have been airbrushed to the point that if you really stare at them, they proportionally don't even look like humans anymore (artists notice these things.) Tessa at Buttons 'N' Woodenspoons wrote a good post about this a while back.

The magazine is having a photography contest and takes submissions from girls between the ages 12-19. I know of many talented writers who should submit their writing (you know who you are. Yes, you.) I encourage everyone to share their knowledge and experiences with others. 

Check out the magazine and let them know what you think. I personally have to like it because one author used the term "world turned upside down," in her article--just kidding. :D         

Simple Irish Phrases

Andy and I had our first Irish class. I thought I'd share a few simple Irish phrases with you.  We are learning the Ulster dialect (County Donegal.) The dialects really do change a lot!

 

The fist thing we learned to say was "Dia duit."

•  It is pronounced "Gee a dutch." We have heard it pronounced in other dialects as "Gee a ditch," and "Gee a dwhit." 

It is how they say "hello" but literally means "God to you."

The response to "Dia duit" is "Dia is Muire duit." 

• This is pronounced as "Gee a smore a dutch."

It means "God and Mary to you."

We also learned "Slán leat."

• It is pronounced "Slahn lot"

It means "Goodbye," and is said by the person leaving. The person staying says "Slán agat."

• This is pronounced "Slahn ahg-ot."

I hope you enjoyed! We had fun even though it is really hard and confusing.

Civil War Recipes for September

Now that it is getting cold, I can't wait to watch the leaves change and smell the smoky, cool breezes at night. Woolly sweaters and camaraderie around fires, hot chocolate and crisp ripe apples will soon be a reality. Autumn is my favorite season.

Now that it is getting cooler, I will start cooking good warm food. We've been avoiding using the stove and oven so we don't make the house unnecessarily hot. I have been itching to cook.  







 Here are some Civil War Era Receipts from Cookery for English Households written in England in 1864:

 *The broth should be beef broth. 

Yum, vegetable soup with rice. That is going to be delicious. For more period receipts, please visit my post from last year, Civil War Receipts for the Fall. Those recipes are from Godey's Lady's Book. Enjoy!