BRIDGETON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Hundreds of people made the trip to Bridgeton Saturday to take part in a living history event celebrating the 18th and 19th centuries.
“Bridgeton Rendezvous” is the first history event put on by the community this year. Organizer Celia Case said they have over 40 camps participating, giving visitors a glimpse of what life was like hundreds of years ago.
“It’s a living history reenactment, so you can see how people actually lived in the 18th and 19th centuries,” she said. “The time period is 1750-1840 that we’re portraying. All of our outfits are period accurate, our camps are period accurate, you can see lots of hands-on living demonstrations.”
The demonstrations include a blacksmith, cooking shows and shooting activities. Case said her favorite part of the event is designing the costumes and sharing her love of history with others.
“I’m fascinated by history, always have been,” she said. “Love to do the research, and learn about the background of why people lived the way they did then, the activities they did then, the wars that took place. The things that happened affect how we live today.”
The event, which is free of charge to attend, is also a good way to introduce younger children to history, according to Case.
“It’s very gratifying watching the children learn, watching the lightbulb come on” she said. “It’s not a dry history lesson in a classroom, it’s hands-on experience of how our ancestors actually lived.”
The event runs through Sunday. Case said the next living history event they will host will be a Civil War reenactment later in the summer.
