Civil War Encampment in Valparaiso offers a ‘slice of life in 1864
Reenactors representing the 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry from an 1860s battle in Tennessee are slated to take up residence on Porter County Museum’s North Lawn for a free event.
Living History: Civil War Encampment on Saturday in Valparaiso features mostly members of the 36th Illinois Infantry.
“This one’s going to be based around the 9th Indiana Infantry, which was heavily recruited out of Porter County and their experiences at the Battle of Franklin in November of 1864,” said Ian Baker, organizer of Living History: Civil War Encampment.
“There’ll be a bit of everyday life and the things that a soldier would have on them — a little bit of food and rations and that sort of thing — and then a little bit of era-specific things that would have been going on that they would have known about or participated in.”
Baker is no stranger to Poco Muse, for which he has been involved in several other events, including Living History: First World War Encampment in November 2021 on 1871 Porter County Jail’s Front Lawn in Valparaiso.
“They really enjoy the hands-on history experience,” said Baker about why he continues to take part in living history events for the museum.
“The living history display really connects people with artifacts. Even if it’s a reproduction artifact, it connects people’s everyday life to history in a more meaningful way than just, ‘Oh, look at that funny thing behind the glass case.’”
Living History: Civil War Encampment offers a look into what is described as “sometimes referred to as Pickett’s Charge of the West.”
“We’ll have a lot of items laid out on display for people to see and ask about,” said Baker of Michigan City.
“We’re hoping to have slightly more on food for the time period so people can see, for example, what kind of spices would be common in mid-19th century food that these guys would have experienced on a regular basis. It’s mostly a slice of life in 1864.
“We’ll have displays of historical weapons, both reproductions and some original pieces; uniforms and some modified uniforms from the Union Army in 1864 specific to that time frame and different than what they were wearing at the start of the war.”
Baker, who will represent a Union soldier at Living
History: Civil War Encampment, was young when he first became a living history interpreter.
“My aunt and uncle got me involved in Civil War reenacting when I was 9 years old so I’ve been involved in this for quite a while,” he said.
“Those that don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it and I’ve certainly seen that throughout my time. It’s just a way to connect with both the general past skills that are no longer seen and how people live day to day.
“My big connection with history is material culture. I love being able to look at an object from the past and to know what it was — understanding what happened in the past, how people lived and how people experienced even everyday things.”
Baker estimated up to 10 from the Northwest Indiana and Chicago area including residents of Hammond, South Bend and Joliet, Illinois, will present Living History: Civil War Encampment. “It’s a great way to connect with local history,” said Baker, a member of the 36th Illinois Infantry.
“For example, one of the companies of the 9th Indiana Infantry was recruited almost entirely out of the Valparaiso area. This is very local history despite representing a battle that took place several states away.
This is what the local guys dealt with in the war.”
Baker was introduced to the Poco Muse a few years ago when a World War I exhibit was on display and he showed up in uniform.
The living history events that he participates in for the museum sometimes introduce others to what is billed as “the oldest institution devoted to the history and culture of Porter County.”
“So many times during our living history events, people look over and see the museum and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know this was there,’ or ‘I haven’t been there since I was 13.’ It’s a hidden gem of the county,” Baker said.
“Our goal is to do a living history event every quarter. We’re looking to do an indoor one for the first quarter of 2023.”