News-Journal/Chad Pilster
Mark Barber
, from Jacksonville, takes a nap Saturday, January 12, 2008, during a Civil War living history re-enactment at DeLeon Springs State Park in DeLeon Springs. The re-enactment is DeLeon Springs General Birney's Raid of 1864. |
July 29, 2005
History out of the Books
Skirmish highlights
DeLeon re-enactment
By MORRIS SULLIVAN
Correspondant
Near the dead end of a rutted road through tannin-stained cypress swamp, a group of men in boots and tricorn hats stand along the shore of the St. Johns River and take turns firing muskets at a black target set yards or so down the shoreline.
One man, Leon Ciesla, hit the target, then bit off the end of a paper-wrapped gunpowder cartridge and reloaded, like a British colonist might have more than two centuries ago.
"It's a lot different loading and firing a musket than an M-16," Ciesla said. Except for the reference to M-16 rifles and the occasional speeding power boat, it could have been in the late 18th century.
These "British colonials," however, are re-enactors. In their spare time, Ciesla, a Deltona resident and Sanford police officer, and his makeshift militia re-create the people that lived in Florida during the Revolutionary War.
About 50 re-enactors are expected to come to DeLeon Springs State Park Aug. 6 for the 18th annual Day in Florida History. The event centers on an 1836 skirmish between settlers and Seminoles, along with a "living timeline" featuring re-enactments of people who lived in Florida from the Spanish era through the Civil War.
The re-enactors come to the event from all over Florida, plus Georgia, and as far away as New York, said Steve Ward, in charge of special events for the Friends of DeLeon Springs, which organizes the event. Re-enactments include demonstrations of old arts like blacksmithing, weaving and the like.
"We'll have demonstrators who do everything from woodcarving to spinning and quilting," he said. "We have a person that makes dulcimers, a chair caner, and people that spin their own yarn, do rug hooking, and a cooper that makes wooden barrels and buckets."
"Some get very involved in this," Ward said. "We even have one guy that sets up as a surgeon. He has all the implements from the Civil War, and sets up a full-blown hospital."
Re-enactors typically focus on a time and place. Ciesla's era of choice is 1763 to 1783, the period when the British flag flew over English colonists in Florida.
“I have a general love of history,” Ciesla said. He met some re-enactors while in the military, stationed at Fort Knox, Ky. “That was in 1993 or so, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Doing re-enactments takes a fair amount of time and money. “You’re going to be portraying someone from 250 years ago, so you start researching the time period, what they were wearing, and their mannerisms,” he said. “Later, you’ll study their crafts and learn to work with some of the tools.”
There’s a lot of preparation involved, he said. “When your musket’s worth over $800, you want to make sure everything’s clean,” he said. Also, Ciesla makes most of his clothes himself, along with the leather belt, cartridge case, knife sheath, and the like, although there are typically vendors at re-enactments who sell replica goods.
Most re-enactors are sticklers for quality. “Running around in polyester doesn’t quite get it,” he said. “The appropriate materials are natural, so you have to be label conscious.”
Of course, re-enactors use some common sense, too. “I drink out of pewter,” Ciesla said. “But it’s safe pewter — it doesn’t have the lead content pewter would have had at the time.”
However, a lot of re-enactors go to total immersion, Ciesla said. “Some people use the 10-foot rule: If it can’t be identified as modern from 10 feet, then it’s OK. But part of the fun of the hobby is getting as close as you can to authenticity.”
Did You Know?
Besides the Friends of DeLeon Springs, many volunteer organizations support state parks in Florida, providing service and enhancements at no cost to taxpayers.*The Citizen Support Organization at Hontoon Island State Park near DeLand raises money through sales at its Island Store, providing visitors and campers with souvenirs and supplies. Proceeds are used to further enhance park projects.
*Friends of Cape Florida was formed to support the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne as it recovered from Hurricane Andrew in September 1992.
*The Friends of Henderson Beach, Destin, built a nature trail, funded primarily by a neighboring retailer.
*Members of the Friends of Oscar Scherer Park in Osprey keep firewood available for the park's Campfire Circle. Donations for the firewood are used to help support the park through special projects and improvements to facilities.
SOURCE: www.floridaparks.org.
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