1 post tagged “darien”

The first stop on our vacation was Fort King George in Darien, Georgia, where we got to watch what's called 'living history'. To celebrate Independence Day weekend (ironically enough), a group of volunteer history enthusiasts dressed themselves as the colonial (and that means Red Coats) garrison and took up residency in the restored blockhouse and outbuildings on the old fort site.

Imagine a whole weekend of getting to play in the biggest play-fort you've ever seen, shoot muskets and cannons for fun, and not have to hear the words 'Iphone' or 'MySpace' for an entire three days! 

Below are the reenactors portraying His Majesty's Independent Company of South Carolina (because there was no Georgia yet).

 

And when these gents finished shooting muskets, they shot artillery.

Now..for those of you who ask, YES those uniforms are rather hot and uncomfortable, NO none of those guys were actually alive during the Colonial period, NO they aren't shooting real bullets, and YES they actually are doing this because they like to. I used to do American Civil War reenacting and have heard all of those questions and even a few that were even more strange.

Below is one of the ladies who portrays a Colonial civilian lady. She was there serving up watermelon and lemonade to the park's visitors, but she also plays the flute, and she and one of the other reenactors who is a guitarist gave us a quick concert.

 Meanwhile,Codename:Pooky was seen going hither and thither with measuring stick, pen and paper. He is still working on his model (see my links to the left) and was proudly showing off the bits he has already completed. There are around a dozen different structures on the site, and on each of those structures a collective zillion wooden planks and shingles to represent. He hopes it will be finished by the fall when our next vacation rolls around.

 

 

It's one of those funny things about being a photographer. You NEVER get to be in holiday snapshots yourself!

I was really excited to get to see the artillery demonstration. In spite of my genderly femalenessity, I used to be part of a reenacting Civil War artillery unit..and in spite of having given up the hobby for about ten years now I STILL miss the big guns. I wonder how much I'd have to beg or bribe any of the FKG volunteers for a chance to put on the red coat and hold the linstock.

I'm not sure what caliber the cannons at Fort King George are. They look like 24-pounders. For them of you not in the know, that means the ball they shoot weighs 24 pounds. The guns themselves are considerably heavier..especially when one rolls over your foot.

 What's happening in the first picture is the powder and ball being rammed down the muzzle of the gun while the gunner on the right covers the touch-hole to prevent embers from a previous firing from setting off the new charge while the rammer-man is still loading.  In the next picture, they are pushing the gun forward into the earthen wall that surrounds the fort. In the third picture, the priming has been lit and there is a brief but anxious few moments of hissing before....

YES, it is recommended that you wear ear-protection...and YES I am now a little bit deaf.

They also have a 12-pounder mortar there, but we did not get to see it shoot. My spouse (a.k.a. Pookypedia) informs me that the GR painted on the back of the mortar bed stands for "George Rex"

Below, we got to see a few different kinds of cannon ammunition. Not only do they shoot balls, but they shot exploding shells, grape-shot (usually nine smaller balls arranged in three layers of three), chain shot (two balls connected by a length of chain for shooting at ships' rigging) and bar shot (looks like a little dumbell)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, since this IS a living history, there was plenty of non-military equipment for people to look at, ask about, take pictures of, and if they ask nicely, to actually handle. Nope, no red-velvet-ropes here!

To the right is a bag of coffee beans (the second-best thing about the discovery of the New World..right behind chocolate), and a tin candle-lantern. I also have scads of pics of knives, muskets, swords, canteens, eating utinsels, etc..but it's getting late..and maybe you're getting just a teeny bit bored maybe?

Lastly, this one is my favourite picture... because believe it or not, I'm usually a bit shy about asking people to be in my pictures..but most (excluding some) reenactors like seeing their visages captured in glorious phototivity...and the red uniform is just so dang COOL!

This 'is' Colonal John "Tuscarora Jack" Barnwell.

So this concludes Act II, but check back soon. I still need to crop and edit tons more pics, including our dinner in St. Augustine and Fort Matanzas.