With regards to the inquiry on mid 19th century Christmas celebrations,
Conner Prairie, a living history
museum that interprets 1830s Indiana, has presented "Conner Prairie by
Candlelight" for nearly 20 years.
The 90+ minute tour of the historic village exposes the visitors to the
diverse attitudes about Christmas
and the emerging observances (and non-observances) of the day.  The
tour, firmly rooted in historical
research of the period, clearly demonstrates that the Christmas
celebrations that we know today are
really a mixture of different cultural, regional, religious, and ethnic
influences.  At times, it can be somewhat
unsettling for visitors because they tend to possess rather romantic
(and somewhat simplistic) images of
Christmas, ones that do not acknowledge the diverse origins of the day's
observance and celebration.
I would suggest contacting the Senior Historian at Conner Prairie for
more information on their program.


David G. Vanderstel, Ph.D.
Executive Director
National Council on Public History
425 University Boulevard - Cavanaugh 327
Indianapolis, Indiana  46202-5140

317.274.2718
317.274.2347 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
http://www.iupui.edu/it/ncph/ncph.html

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Harry Needham [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, November 26, 1998 7:10 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: 1848 Christmas
>
> Richard;
>
> I believe many of the major historic sites, particularly Colonial
> Williamsburg and Old Stursbridge Village, do special Christmas
> programs. I
> am not aware of much in Canada as, frankly, it is usually too damned
> cold to
> do this kind of programming! Fort Stanwix, in Rome NY, does a great
> deal of
> programming based on the various special occasions of the year. Their
> period
> (colonial) is different from yours, but you might get some ideas from
> them.
> Also, Chris Dill, director of the state history museum in ND, who
> often
> contributes to this list, might be able to tell you what they do or
> plan to
> do at Fort Lincoln, across the river from his site, where the 7th
> Cavalry
> was based, under some ex-Civil War brigadier general with long locks,
> whose
> name I can't quite recall!
>
> I'm afraid the Canadian garrison experience will not be of much help
> to you
> as, during the period you are interpreting, our garrisons were almost
> all in
> well-established cities and towns in the eastern part of the country -
> and
> many of the customs associated with the festive season by our military
> are
> quite different from yours. I would be happy to provide more details,
> but
> don't know if it would be helpful.
>
> One of our Christmas projects for the near future will be an
> exhibition
> based around a Victorian Christmas in a military garrison, but, so far
> we
> have done nothing to plan for it. Another possibility for us is a
> special
> Christmas exhibition based on our very large collection of military
> miniatures and toy soldiers.
>
> My partner and I host a mid-Victorian Christmas dinner each year and I
> could
> provide ideas from this, but I wonder how similar the diets might have
> been
> to the 7th Infantry!
>
> In any case, best of luck!
>
> Harry
>
> Harry Needham
> Special Advisor - Programme Development
> Canadian War Museum
> 330 Sussex Drive,
> Ottawa, Canada
> K1A 0M8
> Voice: (819) 776-8612  Fax (819) 776-8623
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
> > ----------
> > From:         Richard A Fields[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> > Reply To:     Museum discussion list
> > Sent:         Wednesday, November 25, 1998 3:22 PM
> > To:   [log in to unmask]
> > Subject:      1848 Christmas
> >
> > Hi List,
> >     I am hoping someone out there can help me out.  The Fort Gibson
> > Historic Site will be having an 1848 Candlelight Tour on Dec 11 &
> 12.
> > On this tour we have about a dozen stops where we portray life in
> the
> > 7th Infantry as they were stationed at Fort Gibson in 1848.  One of
> my
> > staff pointed out to me that as it is so close to Christmas, we
> should
> > try to incorporate some Christmas elements into the program.  I know
> > Christmas in 1848 was celebrated differently than so today, but as
> it is
> > so close to the event, I don't really have time to do an extensive
> > study.  So I guess what I am asking is this, does anyone have any
> > suggestions on how 1848 Christmas scenes might be incorporated into
> what
> > is essentialy an 1848 military tour?  Do any of the historic house
> > museums display this period and if so, do you have any suggestions?
> > Thanks in advance for the consideration.
> >             Richard Fields
> >             Superintendent
> >             Fort Gibson Historic Site
> >             Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
> >