ELIZABETHTON, TN - Less than ten minutes from Milligan’s campus is a little park called Sycamore Shoals. Many photography students are advised to go there to shoot their “nature and landscape” assignments, but Sycamore Shoals offers a lot more than just a relaxing walk through nature. During the month of March on Saturdays and Sundays from 2-4pm Living History demonstrations take place in the fort. This is a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages to come learn about history, especially history in the local Tennessee area. 

Laura Ellis, a 22 year-old college senior, graduating with a bachelors in history and a minor in environmental studies, was kind enough to answer some questions I had about events like this. Laura is a full-time student and works with Tennessee state parks as a seasonal historical interpreter. She currently focuses on 1760-1812 (Colonial through Regency Eras) and most often portrays Ann Robertson of Fort Watauga and enjoys being able to teach history in a visual way, most of which cannot be found in an average history textbook. Laura said, “The most rewarding part is getting to see everyone’s reactions, especially when they learn something new. I have had visitors become emotional or inspired by the programs to carry on different traditions and lifestyles.” As a child, going to historical events was always exciting. Laura said the most fun thing about when children come visit a living history museum is, “So many children are visual learners. Children get a visual idea outside of a classroom of what history was like. Their imaginations fill in what we cannot, and it immerses them in an experience I hope they carry home with them.”

Cory Franklin, a 26 year-old park ranger for the state of Tennessee told me that his job also entails historical interpretation. He talked with me at great length. He said his favorite part of living history, “...is carrying on the stories of the people that came before us. If I can tell someone about how the people in the Watauga settlement shaped our state and country into what we see today I have had a successful day. I enjoy experiencing life as it was in the late 18th century and gaining a better understanding of how truly nice we have it today.”

Cory said he doesn’t do living history in the normal sense of portraying a real person because he wouldn’t be able to stay in character for long. Instead he portrays general characters from the 18th century and enjoys interacting with the visitors. Cory said, “The most rewarding part is something so simple: a smile. Seeing someone enjoying what we are doing is what it's all about for me. It is very rewarding when someone stays after to ask further questions about the Carters, life in the 18th century on the frontier, or anything else related to our story.” 

Reenacting can also be a family group effort. Michael and Eli Hardy have been reenacting as a family since before their children were born. Michael started reenacting in the 1980s and he and his wife, Eli, met during an event in the 1990s. Their oldest child was only a few weeks old at his first reenactment. Eli joked that, “We should have charged for photos of our children in their cute historical clothing.” 

Both agreed that having children at reenactments is a lot of fun because, “History is alive to them.” It’s not words in a book or dates to memorize, it’s real and it’s touchable. While being able to teach children about history is vital, Eli said that teaching the older generations that their stories are history is just as important. Eli, who teaches about how plants were used to treat ailments said, “People will come to me and ask, ‘How did I not know about this?’ And I tell them it’s because everyone who knew is dead and it wasn’t written down. Then I urge them to write down their own stories, if nothing else for their grandchildren. You know that they say, every time someone dies a library dies with them.”

One of the neatest things about visiting reenactments is that history comes to life through stories from humans. For many, history is interesting for the first time because they’re making connections to the past through real human interaction learning what it meant to be human many years ago.