Do you ever have those moments where you have an interaction that really moves you and makes you feel like, despite all the noise that the modern world throws at you, there's real goodness in the world. That there's real purpose in what we as reenactors and living historians do. That this hobby of ours can transcend merely being a hobby and can have real and positive impact on our lives and those around us. In some ways, what we do is subversive. It's counter culture. It's standing with a foot in two worlds, the world of modernity and the world of our ancestors. It's keeping alive those pre industrial skills and rhythms of life, before blogs, instagram accounts and AI generated art.
I was walking along the row of tents, on my way to speak with someone when something caught my eye. The tinsmith at the event had some stuff out and I walked up to browse the cups and various items he had for sale. I gruff voice from the next tent over asked if I had been having a good weekend. I said yes, and I walked over and stood under the fly and scanned the items on the tables. I picked up a small jug and examined it. Reddish brown with a leather strap fastened as to be carried over the shoulder and a cork stuck in the top. "If you like that you can just take it." he said. I was sort of taken aback. "That jug has been on many a trek with me and I'd like to see it in the hands of someone who would appreciate its history and who's carrying on what we were doing so many years ago". I was still sort of shocked and I expressed my appreciation and then a long talk ensued that could have gone well into the evening and night.
Jim Jacobs is a well known name in this hobby. His vast knowledge of the 18th century frontier, his work as a craftsman, his treks and his adventures down the Wabash are legendary. He appeared in the Gary Foreman history channel documentaries that I loved so dearly as a kid. I've known Jim for years, but always sort of in passing.
I won't share everything we discussed because, honestly, I wish we lived in the moment more without the need to document everything, but our conversation was one of mutual respect, a mutual recognition of what we both have been in pursuit of our entire time in this wild and beautiful hobby of ours. He talked about how all those years ago, despite some elements that leaned on reenactorism, that he and others really set out with the goal of experiencing what they read in those first hand accounts. We talked about time travel. We talked about getting out in your gear, not just at events or in the woods, but out in the garden, doing simple little tasks in period clothes to gain an appreciation for what our forefathers and mothers really experienced in daily life.
Something I often mention to people who are trying to get into the hobby is that for many of us, this isn't just a weekend warrior thing where we go out a couple times a year to a public event and wear funny clothes and then come home and put it all away in the closet until next time. Most folks I know, Jim included, often live a life full of blurred lines between the contemporary and the historical. A chore done in jeans, a t-shirt and a pair of moccasins with a round hat on while working in your garden. A project sitting on the coffee table to be worked on during an evening watching a movie. It's not merely a hobby. It's a lifestyle that can become all consuming. For myself, virtually everything I do and think about has some history adjacent element to it. I'm often, as I just described, half in modern clothes, half in period clothes while working on some project. Even in my band with my wife, we strive for a historically inspired aesthetic. It permeates everything.
He talked about the 90s, how he really stands by what they accomplished, what they were able to get out and do and if that if he had it all to do again he'd do it. And I honestly stand by them too. I know this blog has been a place sometimes of pushing the envelope and riling some feathers, but through it all, I am so appreciative of the work of the old guard to bring us to where we are. I have nothing but admiration and respect for people like Jim.
I realized part way through the conversation that what I was being given wasn't just a jug, I was being given trust. Trust that I and others will continue to keep our history alive. Not just names, dates, facts, but this strange and wonderful hobby that combines craftsmanship, traditional knowledge, hunting, trapping, agriculture, animal husbandry, sewing and many more things. The LIVING history. Not just reenacting, but living it. And that is what Jim has done. He's lived it.
We're experiencing, I think, another "moment" in the hobby that we should take advantage of. Lot's of young blood coming up and getting fired up about this weird thing we do. Let's be encouraging and pass along the knowledge.
