The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex presents "Pastimes and Professions of the 19th Century,'' a living history event at Arsenal Park on April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will focus on civilian life in the Cape Fear region during the late 19th century. Admission is free. This is an outdoor event and takes place in Arsenal Park adjacent to the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex.
Shades of Our Past, a living history group from Williamsburg, Virginia, will be returning to perform a “19th Century Medicine Show.” Medicine shows were entertainment acts that toured the country touting "miracle cures" and other products. These “snake oil” medicines were promoted by a “doctor” who engaged the audience with jokes, stories and various entertainers to sell his cures. The show will be performed at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Photography was a new profession in the 19th century. Harry Taylor, a fine art photographer based in North Carolina, will be demonstrating tintype/ambrotype photography for the event. He mostly works in the Wet Plate Collodion process; this involves large format cameras up to 16x20 and on-site processing in a mobile darkroom. Visitors can have their tintype or ambrotype photograph taken for a fee (4x5 $50, 8x10 $100) throughout the event. Learn more about his work on his website, harrytaylorphoto.com.
Musical performances will be provided by The Huckleberry Brothers band at scheduled times during the event. Formed as a group in 2002, they perform at living history presentations, period balls and for various functions at historic sites throughout the state. The Huckleberry’s instruments include 5-string banjo, fiddle, guitar, accordion, mandolin, tin whistle, harmonicas, bones and tambourine. The music they perform is composed of songs, ballads and fiddle tunes from the 1700s through 1865.
Other pastimes and professions will be demonstrated by historic re-enactors, including the Tarheel Civilians, a dedicated group of individuals and families who recreate the years 1857-1865 by portraying civilians from all the social-economic classes. Demonstrations will include spinning and blacksmithing.
