History is alive on Blennerhassett Island
By RACHEL LANE, rlane@newsandsentinel.com
POSTED: May 12, 2008
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About 50 people associated with the West Virginia Muzzleloaders camped on the island for five days from last Tuesday through Saturday, said Linda Reed, chairperson for Rendezvous on the River. The group tries to keep any modern items hidden from public sight as visitors tour the island.
“There’s a living history. We get to show children what history used to be about,” said Patty Hughes of Charleston. “There’s a true honor to walk through history. Not everyone gets to do it.”
She started attending re-enactments about 20 years ago with her family.
“We represent traditional mountaineer women,” she said. “The women were survivors, too... They usually wore their father’s or brother’s old clothing.”
Hughes and her sister, Kelly Hughes of Charleston, make much of their clothing for the re-enactments.
“We can throw a tomahawk, start a fire and shoot just like the men,” Kelly Hughes said. “We hate to go home.”
She said she enjoys getting away from the typical work week and enjoying nature.
“There’s a lot of pride in it,” she said. “We come out here just for the enjoyment.”
Joe Brooks, of Shinnston, W.Va., said he returns to Blennerhassett Island as a re-enactor every year for the children.
“The kids are so enraptured by this. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to teach them what they should be learning in school,” Brooks said.
“There’s no history taught any more.”
Brooks said he portrays a beaver trapper and has everything available to a beaver trapper before the Civil War.
“If I was really a trapper, I wouldn’t take all of this with me,” Brooks said.
He explained about sugar, chocolate and tea blocks.
“To make hot chocolate, you just shave off what you want (from the chocolate), add it to hot milk and add some sugar,” he said. “It really is better that way.”
Donna Smith, Blennerhassett Island State Park superintendent, said she loves having the re-enactors on the island.
“May’s a great time for them. Every May we have hundreds of school children,” Smith said. “They do a good service for people.”
Smith said she enjoys seeing the history and tents.
“They’re educating the adults and the children,” she said.
Parkersburg resident Sara Keller said she took her two children and visiting family to the island Saturday.
“I haven’t been here since I was a kid, but I remembered thinking it was interesting,” Keller said. “My kids and their cousins are loving it.”
She said the re-enactors did a good job of keeping the kids interested in history.
“I learned a few things, too,” Keller said. “They had cones of sugar to make it easier to carry with them.”
