The Southampton Historical Museum celebrates life in the 19th century Southampton with a variety of activities that harkens back to a simpler, hands on era where everyone, children and adults, pitched in to make an income for the family and to make a sustainable home life. This annual event will again have costumed trade and craft people demonstrating decoy carving, beekeeping, blacksmithing, candle making, basketry and many more traditional skills. In addition a special feature will be a silhouette artist, Deborah O’Connor, who uses only scissors and paper to create your silhouette in exacting detail. Also there will be Civil War re-enactors making camp, rifle shooting and parading.
New for this year’s event will be the reenactment of the 1850 marriage of Captain George White and Elizabeth Fordam. Captain White was a whaling captain who, after success in the gold rush of “49,” came home to marry his sweetheart. The wedding begins with the bride getting dressed (for girls only), a promenade to the ceremony, a reception with dancing, music, and cake, and finally the throwing the bouquet.
