History Burgoo

Confessions of a Costumed Interpreter

Historic Locust Grove is a Regency style home built around 1792 in Louisville, Kentucky. Home to the Croghan family, this National Historic Landmark welcomed three presidents, the famed members of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and General George Rogers Clark. Owned by William Croghan (a surveyor and one of the wealthiest men in Kentucky) and his wife Lucy Clark Croghan (the sister of George
Rogers Clark and William Clark), Locust Grove was a major gathering place in Kentucky. Today, Historic Locust Grove hosts many events including: 18th Century Market Faire, Antique Fair, 18th Century Thunder Revolutionary War Encampment, patriotic picnics, lecture series, KJHS club, and an opportunity for visitors to tour the home and experience the magic of an 1800’s Christmas celebration.

On December 9-10, 2011 I participated in Candlelight Christmas at Locust Grove. Candlelight is a popular event at Locust Grove, during the second week of each December, where visitors connect with history through costumed interpreters (CI) like me! The house is decorated in Regency Style Christmas splendor while visitors participate through dancing, playing card games such as Whist, and conversing with the interpreters.

About three and a half years ago, my best friend introduced me to the world of costumed interpreting opportunities at Historic Locust Grove. To prepare for my CI role, I attend monthly meetings to learn from other interpreters and guest speakers. The group also learns current events of the early 1800’s, clothing styles, children’s activities, food preparation and presentation, day to day activities, and conversation points to use to engage visitors in enjoyable topics. Select members also participate in rehearsals of Regency period dances. Through the CI meetings I have made friends my age, and have met seasoned interpreters who have amazing storytelling talent and a passion for history.

When I began costumed interpreting I portrayed Eliza Croghan, the youngest daughter of William and Lucy Croghan of Locust Grove. However, she was only eight years old and I had recently turned 14 years old and grew six inches, which squashed the believability of me being a little girl. I was then given the character of Ann “Nany” Clark. Nany was the youngest daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Clark, the wealthiest family in Kentucky and the niece of George Rogers and William Clark.

To research my new character I discussed my “family” with the other interpreters, and researched and shared my new knowledge from the internet and meetings with local historians, on the CI blog. My favorite parts of the CI learning process are researching clothing styles and the dancing practices. Due to my recent growth spurt, a new dress was in order. I purchased authentic period fabric at the Jane Austen Festival (hosted annually at Locust Grove) and a friend sewed the dress for me in Regency style. To complete my transformation, my mom fixed my hair in “the latest Regency fashion,” and I wore my great-grandmother’s cameo necklace, which is almost a hundred years old, strung on a beautiful ribbon.

The final touches were placed around the grounds, the halls were “decked” with holly and greenery, the luminaries were lit, showing the way to the house, and the cold air urged the visitors toward the music and candlelight filled house. A large crowd of my family, friends, and members of my KJHS group arrived to enjoy an evening of history and treats from 1809. I spent most of the night dancing with short breaks to “introduce” myself to the guests. Both evenings went by so quickly and were full of music, dancing, and storytelling. Now, I can’t wait for next year!

Written by Clare Egan (KJHS Board Historian)

a.k.a. Nany Clark

For more information on Historic Locust Grove and costumed interpreting go to www.locustgrove.org or call (502)897-9845.

For more information on the Kentucky Junior Historical Society contact Cheryl Caskey at cheryl.caskey@ky.gov.

Winter Season Week 1

The Special Collections and Library team started off the Winter Season with a party for the Governor, complete with cookies and punch.  Well, really, the Governor was having the Inauguration reception here at the Thomas D. Clark Center for History and the SC&L staff watched from the windows above Commonwealth Hall.  We did not have too many researchers on Tuesday, mostly lots of folks taking the opportunity to look around.  They got to see the SC&L team hard at work cataloging manuscripts.

So what did we accomplish in our first week?  Well let me tell you!  We cataloged 183 small manuscript collections, 20 large manuscript collections and 17 oversize collections.  One of my favorite discoveries was a trio of hotel registers from around central Kentucky covering the time period of the Goebel assassination. Apparently, the investigators collected these registers in the hopes that they would show the activities of the assassins.  On a side note, how many people remember actually signing into a hotel register?

Another highlight was SC 574 the George Delph account ledger, which has marginally interesting account information on a dry goods enterprise in Nicholas County.  It was later used, however, as a scrapbook by an unknown collector who decorated its pages with cut out images of fashion plates, political cartoons and product labels.  You can look forward to digital images appearing in the Digital Collection soon.

We also got together late Friday afternoon with our colleagues at the Kentucky Department of LIbrary and Archives to show them what we would be doing this Winter Season.  Since they will be answering lots of questions about our activities, we thought we would invite them in for a tour.

Not to be outdone, our Oral History staff met with 10 young women as part of the Staging Voices program with the Kentucky Commission on Women.  These high school students are learning how to create a theater piece using oral history as the raw material for their inspiration.  They will be doing 6 or 7 interviews with women who have served as advocates for women or who have effected change in the lives of other women. The students came in on Saturday to learn how to use the equipment and to do a practice interview with Sheila Mason Burton, who inarguably has done much for women in Kentucky.

Well, it is time to get to work.  Stay tuned for our next update on Tuesday December 27!  Merry Christmas everyone!

How Will You Observe Patriot Day?

On December 18th, 2001 President Bush signed public law No. 107-89 designating September 11th as Patriot Day, in remembrance of the tragic events that shook our nation on September 11, 2001. Citizens are asked to fly the American flag at half-staff from dawn until dusk. The bill passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 407-0 and passed the US Senate unanimously.

The outpouring of patriotism in our country following the attacks on September 11, 2001 was a strong message to the world. It reflected the strength and resolve of our country’s founders. I once heard that patriotism is the duct tape of democracy. Perhaps that is true. It brings out the best in us when we focus on the big picture and not on our differences. In between those times of tragedy and triumph, some put their patriotism on the back burner. Why can't we be patriotic every day?

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has chosen to commemorate this tenth anniversary of the attacks on our country by encouraging state societies and local chapters to promote events in their communities to remember the nearly 3,000 who died in the attacks and the many thousands more whose lives were changed forever by the loss of a loved one. The NSDAR has even designed a banner which may be purchased and presented to first responders and others in your community. The objectives of the NSDAR are to promote Education, Historic Preservation, and Patriotism.

The Kentucky Society Daughters of the American Revolution will join with the Kentucky Historical Society on Sunday, September 11th, at 3 o'clock in the Cralle-Day Garden at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, 100 W. Broadway, Frankfort in observance of this Patriot Day. It is fitting that the ceremony will take place in front of the Kentucky Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell is a symbol of that freedom which was won at places like Lexington and Yorktown, Midway and Normandy, and now is being defended as far away as Iraq and Afghanistan.  It represents a way of life so precious to us, but which others may seek to take away.

So wherever you are on Sunday, take a few minutes out of your day to remember those who were lost and those who grieve and those who bravely stepped forward to defend our country. If you can come to Frankfort, please join us. If not, find a way to show your patriotism and appreciation for the liberty we so often take for granted.

-Leslie Miller, KHS membership coordinator

 

Did you know that the original Liberty Bell was not called by that name until abolitionists adopted it as a symbol in the 1830's? And later the bell was used as a symbol by suffragists who commissioned a replica and had the clapper chained to the bell to symbolize the women's inability to have their voices heard.

The Kentucky Liberty Bell is one of 55 replicas cast in 1950 as part of a US savings bond drive. Each state, the District of Columbia, and two US territories received replicas. Most are displayed at or near the state capital. The Kentucky Liberty Bell, once on display at the Old State Capitol, can now be seen at the Kentucky Historical Society's Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. Come by and see if it inspires you to wave your flag!

 

Inscription on the accompanying plaque:

DEDICATED TO YOU, A FREE CITIZEN IN A FREE LAND

THIS REPRODUCTION OF THE LIBERTY BELL WAS PRESENTED TO THE PEOPLE OF KENTUCKY

BY DIRECTION OF

THE HONORABLE JOHN W. SNYDER

SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY

AS THE INSPIRATIONAL SYMBOL OF THE

UNITED STATES SAVINGS BONDS INDEPENDENCE DRIVE

FROM MAY 15 TO JULY 4, 1950 IT WAS

DISPLAYED IN EVERY PART OF THIS STATE.

 

THE DIMENSIONS AND TONE ARE IDENTICAL

WITH THOSE OF THE ORIGINAL LIBERTY BELL

WHEN IT RANG OUT OUR INDEPENDENCE IN 1776.

IN STANDING BEFORE THIS SYMBOL, YOU

HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEDICATE

YOURSELF, AS DID OUR FOREFATHERS,

TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE INDIVIDUAL

FREEDOM FOR WHICH OUR NATION STANDS

Exploring the KJHS Archives (conclusion)

While exploring the KJHS archives I have come across every sort of document, photograph, and artifact but there is one last untapped resource I had yet to explore: oral history.

During the last few weeks of my internship, I had the pleasure of interviewing a past KJHS member, Sarah “Suzie” (Orrahood) Hall who, in 1971, was the second female president of KYHA (Kentucky Young Historians Association - it wasn’t known as the Kentucky Junior Historical Society until 1976). Sarah was very active during high school in her Owensboro KYHA chapter, organizing projects to clean up local cemeteries and entering projects into the essay contest at the state convention.

Campaigning for state office was always one of Sarah’s favorite activities in KYHA. She campaigned very hard in high school to be elected state historian, then state secretary, until finally she became state president in 1971 in the twelfth grade.  Sarah’s campaign slogan was “A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits.” Becoming president was one of Sarah’s fondest memories, and one of her greatest achievements.

After leaving KYHA, Sarah continued to be active in the organization by mentoring women that also wanted to become state president. Sarah continued her interest in the past by majoring in history at Western Kentucky University and eventually practicing law. Sarah said that she became a lawyer because the campaigning in KYHA inspired her to pursue that profession. In the 90’s Sarah would return to the Kentucky Historical Society to provide legal council.

I asked Sarah why she thought it is important for today’s students to participate in KJHS. Her answer helped to put me to put history into a better perspective. “History is cyclical,” and “only with an understanding of global events in history can children understand what is going on in the nation.” Sarah is a substitute history teacher in Lexington and she is worried that current students might not be able to connect the past events of history with the present.

Sarah is currently organizing a walking tour of an African-American cemetery in Lexington and an outreach program for young African-American school children to visit historic sites. Programs such as this give children a chance to view history in their community.

Interviews help to prove that history isn’t simply just an event—it’s an ongoing process involving the entire community. While interviewing Sarah I remembered a book I read in graduate school called Presence of the Past by Roy Rosenweig. In the book, Rosenweig explains that there are two types of history; History (national and global events that effect us all, that are recorded) and history (events that shape all of our lives, though on a much more local or mundane aspect of life, that aren’t necessarily recorded). For me the connection came when I realized that everything we do is history. The events, documents and organizations that we create as a society may not make the history books, but they are just as important because they shape the lives of future generations of people in our community. Organizations such as KJHS and the Kentucky Historical Society, though created years ago, still continue to influence members of the community through their actions.  

In the case with Sarah Hall, her passion for history still influences the community today. It is this passion that will continue to serve the community, and also inspire other children to pursue their interest in history.

--Derrick Ranostaj

 

Images:

1.) KYHS chapter outside building in Hodgenville, ca. 1963.

2.) 1974 Harrodsburg High School Yearbook of KYHS chapter.

Exploring the KJHS Archives, pt. 4



In April 2012, the Kentucky Junior Historical Society (KJHS) will convene its 50^th Annual Convention at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. While we are celebrating KJHS’s 50^th anniversary on this occasion, the quest to create a program that would connect Kentucky’s youth with their history began a little more than 50 years ago when the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) published a magazine in 1957 called The Junior Historian. Simultaneously, the governor of Kentucky, A.B. “Happy” Chandler, wrote letters to history and English teachers in order to promote interest in forming Junior Historical Society chapters at their schools. Governor Bert T. Combs continued Chandler’s work by helping to pass legislation that created the Kentucky Young Historians Association (KYHA).

In 1961, the first issue of Kentucky Heritage was published. This magazine published the work of KYHA members featuring the projects they created in their chapters. During the early years, KYHA had 720 members and 28 clubs in the state of Kentucky.

The first state convention occurred in 1963, and was held at Franklin County High school in Frankfort. A bit of trivia about KYHA during this time:

·         Membership was open to any student in primary or secondary school in Kentucky.

·         Dues were $0.50 for club members and $1.00 for individual members.

·         The first president was Bill Zarrett, from Bryan Station High School in Lexington.

During this early period, one of the most important achievements was creating the organization’s first constitution. Officers were to be elected at each convention. At this time the state officers included: President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary and Historian.

This constitution did not allow Junior High and Elementary district representatives as state officers. The next constitution was later amended to solve this issue. Not everyone could vote: only members in the first 11 grades of school could vote.  

Kentucky Young Historians would meet yearly at State conventions. These conventions were to be held annually at a place approved by the Executive Committees of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Young Historians Association. In 1962, a new competition was announced for KYHA members to enter: the essay contest. Ribbons were given out for the winners. Starting in 1964, KYHA members were admitted to state historical sites and museums. By 1966, KYHA membership had grown to 5,016 students and 110 clubs.

 
During the 1970’s, the organization continued to grow. In 1976, during the nation’s bicentennial, the Kentucky Young Historical Association changed its name to the Kentucky Junior Historical. KJHS began to sponsor summer programs for its members in the mid 1970’s. One of these programs was  weekend camps at the Wickliffe Mounds, where students learned how to dig for artifacts at an actual archeological site.

The 70’s also saw KJHS form relationships with other state junior historical societies such as the Indiana Junior Historical Society and the Tar Heel Junior Historical Association from North Carolina. The IJHS and the KJHS met frequently during the 1970’s to exchange ideas and form friendships.

During the 1980’s, the state convention flourished with many new events available to students. These included: art, photography, research, scrapbook, video, exhibits, crafts, speeches, performances, and the ever popular History Bowl. By 1987, KJHS consisted of 3,700 students and 175 clubs. 1987 also saw KJHS celebrate its 25^th anniversary and Frankfort was chosen as the site for the state convention.

In the 1990’s, KJHS had several exciting new opportunities. Kentucky celebrated its bicentennial in 1992, and KJHS members participated with local programs and activities. In 1997 KJHS members were introduced to the National History Day program to increase opportunities for competition beyond the state level. At this time KJHS and National History Day were both separate entities. During the 2009-2010 school years KHD and KJHS were combined in order to adhere to National History Day project standards.

KJHS has grown since its creation nearly 50 years ago. While many of the functions of KJHS have changed over the years, its main role hasn’t changed: to provide new ways to help connect K-12 students to Kentucky’s rich history. What’s past is prologue for KJHS. The next 50 years will continue to be very productive and rewarding for KJHS members.

Would you like to help sponsor a KJHS chapter or join? Please contact Tim Talbott at 502-564-1792 ext. 4428, or Tim.Talbott@ky.gov.

-Derrick Ranostaj

Images:

Image 1: Kentucky Young Historians Association chapter certificate.

Image2: Campaign card for the office of second vice president of 1965 KYHA convention.

Image 3: Picture of KJHS chapter, unknown location, ca. 1990.

Image 4: KJHS members at the Wickliffe mounds ca. 1970.

Exploring the KJHS Archives (pt. 2)

Exploring the Kentucky Junior Historical Society archives I found out that it all comes down to the yearly conference in Frankfort. Each KJHS student, teacher and sponsor carefully prepares throughout the year for this event. It’s a time of great excitement and happiness, but also anxiety. These conferences were two days in length, and were typically held at the Farnham Dudgeon Civil Center in downtown Frankfort. All members of KJHS were invited, and most schools sent representatives. Typically students from the 4^th-12^th grades came to these conferences. Currently the conference is held at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. In the future there are plans to hold the convention in Louisville and other locations throughout Kentucky.    

Yearly conferences encouraged students to actively participate by creating projects, voting for their state KJHS representatives and participating in the ever popular History Bowl.

Students created projects and activities including posters, artwork, arts and crafts, plays, songs, photography, research papers, and historic walking tours for their local area. All of these projects had to focus on a historical person, place or thing from Kentucky’s past. Many of the students dealt with popular topics, such as the Civil War, or local history, such as how their town was founded. The projects were then displayed and judged at the conference. Winners received a ribbon and a mention in the KJHS publication Kentucky Heritage.

Kentucky Heritage was published from 1965 until 2007. This magazine contained information on the projects KJHS members completed for each convention. Each issue’s front cover featured artwork drawn by a KJHS member that won an award at the convention. Receiving mention in Kentucky Heritage was a great honor for many KJHS members. Artwork wasn’t the only thing shown in this magazine: research papers, plays and poems were also printed. In 2007, Kentucky Heritage stopped publication. Timeline was created in the late 90’s and had become a replacement for the magazine. Much like its predecessor, Timeline keeps KJHS members informed of upcoming events, workshops, and of course, reminders for the yearly state convention. Two years ago, Timeline switched from print to online-only publication.     

At every conference, students also campaigned for the offices of KJHS president, vice-president, treasurer, historian and reporter. These state representatives would help guide the organization until next year—when they would often seek reelection. Being a state representative for KJHS was a strange mix of politics and history. Not only did these students make decisions for future KJHS members, but they also created an organization that encouraged outreach among students and the community. This certainly proves that young people DO care about their history!

The centerpiece of past conventions has always been History Bowl. History Bowl is a contest between schools that asks questions about Kentucky’s past. It was very fast paced since many of these questions involved quick recall. There were three divisions: elementary, middle and high school, with two to three rounds to identify the final two schools in each division. As you can probably guess, History Bowl is still popular with the students since competing can be a huge boost to student morale.

Of course, not everything was about competition. KJHS conference gave students a chance to mingle with fellow KJHS members. Each convention had a mixer and dance for students to get to know each other. Since many of the members are from all over the state of Kentucky, these opportunities provided a great place to meet each year. I’m sure KJHS members (past and present) will not forget the memories made at KJHS conference.

-Derrick Ranostaj

Photo credits:
Image 1: An example of a KJHS member presenting their project at a convention in 2008.
Image 2: Awards from the 1970 KJHS state convention.
Image 3: Picture of KJHS history bowl, 2008.

Exploring the KJHS Archives

Hello! My name is Derrick Ranostaj. I am a recent graduate from Kent State University with a master’s degree from the School of Library and Information Science. I also have a master's degree in public history. Currently, I am an intern in the Kentucky Historical Society’s education department.

As an intern I am helping to get ready for the Kentucky Junior Historical Society’s 50th anniversary. I am also updating the database used in the history bowl. KJHS is an outreach program that encourages K-12 students to appreciate and learn about the events that have shaped Kentucky’s history. 

My internship allows me to delve into the records of the KJHS archives. As I go through these records I am struck by how passionate and active many of these young KJHS members were in their local groups.

There are a great number of projects that reflect these young scholars' passion in both history and state pride. I hope to share much of this information with you in the upcoming weeks during my internship here at the Kentucky Historical Society.

The 50th anniversary gives us a great opportunity to reflect upon the past, and plan for the next 50 years of KJHS!

If anyone would like to share any past stories, or donate any pictures from the Kentucky Junior Historical Society to commemorate their 50th anniversary, please contact Tim Talbott at 502-564-1792 ext. 4428, or Tim.Talbott@ky.gov.

Playing it up at the History Center!

Last night, KHS visitors and staff experienced a real treat at our Bill Monroe Centennial Kick-Off Concert!  It was an absolutely splendid performance by former Blue Grass Boys Jim Smoak and Danny Jones, and master bluegrass musicians Hoot Hester, Steve Cooley and Larry Raley!  The way that they played together, you would have thought they’ve been in a band together for years.

 Now, as awesome as last night’s performance was, I would be seriously remiss to go on and on about it and not to talk about our Voices of Kentucky Concert that happened August 26th.  So now that I’ve teased you with the bluegrass concert, I let you know how the Voices of Kentucky Concert went.  You’ll just have to wait until next week to hear the samples from last night’s concert.

We had the spectacular female trio of the Johnson Sisters, along with Don Rigsby and the fabulous Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers.  We’ve worked with them before at our Made to Be Played concerts, and thought that it would be wonderful to get them all together on stage again.  Here they are performing at Made to Be Played:

Each group sang individually until the very end, when they all performed together in what was a very harmonious rendition of “Swing Low.”  Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not all that familiar with gospel harmony, but I do know a bit about a cappella performances, and they really blew me away.  So, to share the experience, clip the player below to hear Don Rigsby and co, The Johnson Sisters and the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers perform “Swing Low:”

VoicesofKentucky_web_clip

The concert was a great success, and as last night’s were as well, we hope to have many more to come.  Keep tabs on the Kentucky Historical Society’s frequent special events and Thursday night programming for more exciting opportunities to listen, learn and experience Kentucky’s incredible culture and history.

-Alisha Martin

“Mining the Museum for Relevance”

As an actor, I struggle to keep performances fresh and exciting.  I have performed some plays hundreds of times, but it may be the first time the audience has seen it.  I must deliver lines, discover thoughts and experience feelings as if they are just happening.  If my performance is believable, I can connect with the audience on a deep and personal level.  If they see themselves in the story, it becomes relevant to them.

 

Sometimes it isn’t easy.  Life gets in the way, and while one side of my brain speaks the lines of an injured Italian coal miner, the other side makes a grocery list.  The mind is an amazing thing, but if my pot roast becomes more important than the show, I will forget myself and as actors say “go up” on my lines.  It is a horrible feeling to be lost and alone on stage.  Wondering, “Where am I?”  “What did I just say?”  “What is the next line?”  Perhaps that’s what a trapped miner feels like.  Alone and scared.  Helpless.

 

Face of the "A" coal on Riley Fork of Long's Creek, Breathitt County.

URL: http://205.204.134.47:2005/u?/Jillson,104

 

For several weeks now, thirty three miners have been buried deep underground, in a copper mine in Chile.  It will take several more weeks to dig the tunnel that will allow them to escape.  They must feel helpless.  Luckily they are not alone.   They have each other down below and they have family and friends above ground scrambling to rescue them; sending food and supplies down a long line of pipes.  A line that reaches out to the miners deep underground.

 

A good script should be that kind of connection for an actor:  a long line (or a series of lines in this case), that reach out and connect the actor to the audience.  The script must be clear, and speak to a number of different people on a number of different levels.  It must have relevance.

 

 

 

I’ve been performing “In the Veins:  Conversations from a Coal Town” for almost ten years now.  It is fun for an actor.  In only twenty minutes I must become a young boy who has just moved into town, an injured Italian coal miner, and a union supporter.  The characters are composites of real stories from the collections of the Kentucky Historical Society.  Dozens of oral histories and primary sources were researched to create the characters in the play.  Stories of people like Frances Turner.

 

When the play is over I stop pretending and talk to the audience as myself.  Sometimes I answer questions, but I always listen.  I listen to the audience share stories of their youth in a coal mining town and we connect through the lines of the script.  It isn’t just a play to them, it is their life.  I don’t want to forget their stories so I keep a journal beside my computer.  After one performance many years ago, I wrote:

 

“A woman told me, ‘You brought tears to my eyes.’  She removed her necklace and showed me the “scrip” she wore around her neck to remind her from where she came.” – July 20^th, 2002

 

I can’t help but recognize the significance here.  Scrip is a type of money paid to miners, that could only be spent in the company store.  Her "scrip" necklace connected her to the place that she was from, while my "script" connected our collections to her. 

 

Did you grow up in a coal town, or do you remember stories of a relative who did?  Share your story by posting a comment below.  You never know who you might connect with.

 

Visit the Kentucky Historical Society on Thursdays in September to experience “In the Veins:  Conversations from a Coal Town”.  Connect to the new and improved Museum Theatre webpage to download playbills, view the online calendar for more performance dates and times, and plan a tour.

 

- Gregory Hardison, Director of Museum Theatre

 

P.S.  Please, keep the chilean coal miners in your thoughts, until they return home to their families.

O’ Ye Authors and Books, O’ Ye Actors and Rehearsals!

“[My teacher] Mrs. Harris said, ‘Education gives you satisfaction,’ but I had rather be ignorant and have fun, than be educated and have satisfaction."  Thus quotes the young Virginia Cary Hudson, in the year 1904, at the precocious age of 10.  But you know, that sounds like something my daughter Bella might say today, over 100 years later.  Times change, fashions change, but children will always say what they think.

 

Virginia Cary Hudson wrote her comment, and a host of many more in a series of essays for her Episcopal boarding school.  Many years later they were discovered by her daughter and printed in the book, “O’ Ye Jigs and Juleps” published in 1962.  The book quickly became a Top National Bookseller with over one million sold to date.  The small coffee table book includes Virginia’s honest and hilarious thoughts about everything from education and marriage, to dead cats and the sacraments. Many critics believe the book was creatively edited with an adult sense of humor and insight.  You’ll have to decide that for yourself, but I thought that was an interesting angle that needed to be explored.

 

So, last month a young actor named Emma Bryan worked with the Museum Theatre program to bring the words of Virginia Cary Hudson kicking and screaming into the 21^st century.  Ms. Bryan is a bright and beautiful girl of fourteen, and not at all as precocious as the troublesome Ms. Hudson.  And I am a man of …well …let’s just say I’m not 14, and I am very precocious. (I guess that is where my daughter gets it from.)  Together, during a series of rehearsals, we reinterpreted several selections from the book.  Emma's young perspective provided a playful connection, while my …well…older perspective discovered hidden meaning and layers in the writing.

 

The performance takes place in the recreated State Law Library of the Old State Capitol, and is the first in a new series for the Museum Theatre program called Novel Readings:  New Interpretations of Old Literature.  The concept is simple; select historically popular books from the collections of the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library, work with an actor to present selections from the text before an audience of museum visitors, and engage them in a discussion that connects the text to current issues or modern thought.  In this case, we wanted our guests to compare modern children with children from the past.  What differences or similarities are there?  How have things changed?  What caused these changes?  Our audiences made lots of interesting observations and indeed discovered new interpretations of old literature.

 

The next time you visit our beautiful building, climb up the long curved stairway that leads to the library and read from an original printing of O Ye Jigs and Juleps.  I visited with my daughter and she loved the book, especially the part about sliding down the long stair rail.  But I convinced her that would not be a good idea to try on these stairs.

“Like” it or not, kids have a mind all their own. Always did, and always will!

 

- Gregory Hardison, Director of Museum Theatre