Saturday Sep 13, 2014
Destinee Udelhoven 608-742-6362
Contact: Destinee Udelhoven, Executive Director, Historic Indian Agency House
Telephone: 608-742-6362
The Historic Indian Agency House of Portage is hosting their 6th annual living history encampment on Saturday, September 13, 2014 from 9am to 5pm. This year’s event, “Tavern Times,” will transport you back in time to 1836, when the Agency House served as a boarding and ale house reportedly run by Mr. and Mrs. James Ubaldine. Visitors to the site will get the opportunity to observe and interact with a host of characters in historic costume and character in an authentic historic setting. Learn about the travel culture of early America and the accompanying frontier waysides through special tours, demonstrations and activities taking place throughout the day–all in a family-friendly, education-driven environment. Some of the topics you will encounter include interactive tavern games, boarding house etiquette, brewing, the temperance movement and its offspring, the suffragette movement, open-fire cooking, and even ladies clothing and undergarments!
A few of the 19th century folks joining us for the day include the tavern master/home brewer, Italian Mr. Ubaldine, and his hard-working and outspoken Irish wife, a slick tavern employee whose specialty is games of skill, chance and all sorts (try your hand a few times for free, then pay a quarter a game to continue honing your skills—with all proceeds directed back to the site), and a vigilant frontier traveler ready to share his knowledge of self-preservation in sometimes-seedy stop-overs.
Catch a special tour of the “Eagle Tavern” and its guest rooms at 9:30am, 11:30am, or 3pm, with a special outdoor demonstration at 1pm entitled “Frontier Defense of the Gentleman and the Scoundrel.”
At this time, Allen Reed and Mark Tully will co-present on a range of historic defense styles and mechanisms, including knife-fighting, sword-fighting, gentlemen’s duels and even tomahawk throwing. Mr. Reed is the President of Gallowglass Academy in Leaf River, IL, where he relies on thirty years of experience in law enforcement, martial arts and many other areas of self-defense to teach a variety of short classes and seminars. Mr. Tully is an accomplished swordsman who has taught courses in fencing in both the public and university realms.
The special tours and midday demonstration are free to the public. Between scheduled activities, visitors are encouraged to wander the site—stroll about and mingle with our historic guests, all experienced educators with an interest specifically in the 1830s era…and they can’t wait to share their knowledge with you!
Please note that special care has been taken to ensure that this event remains family-friendly. No graphic or gruesome elements will be present.
The free event is made possible by a dedicated and knowledgeable group of living history volunteers and a generous grant from the Great Circle Foundation, Inc. of East Northport, New York. For information regarding this or any other Historic Indian Agency House event, call Director Destinee Udelhoven at 608-742-6362.
Picture Caption: On Saturday, September 13, 2014, the Historic Indian Agency House will host “Tavern Times,” a living history encampment with a focus on the Agency House’s 1830s stint as a boarding house. Some topics covered include brewing, tavern games, outdoor cooking, and frontier defense. (This 1820s painting by John Lewis Krimmel is a lively representation of a likely similar public house.)
Date and Time
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM CDT
Location
1490 Agency House Road, Portage, WI
Fees/Admission
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