The Shandaken Historical Society will mark the country’s 250th anniversary with its first Revolutionary War reenactment, featuring participants portraying life in an 18th-century military camp.
The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 26 at Big Indian Park on Route 28, according to Historical Society Museum Director Joseph Prieboy.
About a dozen men dressed as militia members will demonstrate military camp life, joined by women and children in period costumes. Two young participants will portray fifers, while children will demonstrate games including “graces,” played with hoops and sticks; throwing contests; and a dice game called “shut the box.”
The reenactment will be directed by Larry Maxwell, founder and executive director of the Living History Guild. Maxwell, whose ancestor served in the 4th New York Regiment, has worked with reenactment groups for about 25 years and makes historically accurate uniforms.
The mountainous area that became Shandaken was sparsely settled in 1776. It formed part of the ancestral homeland of the Esopus Munsee, a Munsee-speaking group of the Lenape people, and had relatively few European settlers.
Although no major battles were fought in what is now Shandaken, residents were aware of the conflict unfolding around them.
“They were right in the path of the different armies moving around the area,” Maxwell said.
The 4th New York Regiment, commissioned in 1775 as part of the Continental Army, was sent to fight in Canada during the war’s first year. British forces later burned Kingston, roughly a day’s journey from Shandaken by horseback, in 1777.
Maxwell said men in the region served in local militias, while residents were pressured to declare whether they supported the revolutionary cause or remained loyal to the British crown.
People of varied backgrounds fought on both sides of the war, and the reenactors will reflect that diversity. Rather than depicting a battle, the program will focus on how soldiers and their families lived.
The Living History Guild will fire a French four-pounder cannon at 10 a.m. and once every hour through 2 p.m. No cannonballs or other projectiles will be used during the demonstrations, and the area surrounding the cannon will be cleared before each firing.
Maxwell will speak afterward about the cannon and the military forces active in the region, followed by questions from the audience.
Experienced reenactors and members of the public may participate. Anyone who wants to borrow a period costume should contact Maxwell at 845-241-0035 or larryamaxwell@gmail.com by Sept. 18. Participants may also wear their own costumes.
For safety reasons, participants should not bring working muskets or other firearms. Wooden musket replicas will be used instead.
Margaret Tomlinson is a contributing writer. You can send her an email at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.
