A Living History of the Colonial and Civil War eras

On Sunday, April 16, the Iron Work Farm will explore the full meaning of Patriots’ Day, which was established to commemorate the start of not one, but two wars in our country’s history.  In both wars, the people of Acton and the Faulkner Homestead played an important part.

Beginning at 1:00 p.m., three groups of re-enactors will be on hand to mark the April 19, 1861 start of the Civil War.  Soldiers of the 28^th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and the 12^th Georgia Infantry will stage an encampment and hold skirmishes in the Faulkner woods, while members of “Be What Remains”, the re-enactors of the US Sanitary Commission, will demonstrate the help they gave to the enlisted soldiers during the war. A musical ensemble, the “Shades of Gray” will be on hand to perform mid-19^th century tunes.

On April 19, 1775, on the first day of the Revolutionary War, local families gathered in the Faulkner dooryard to cook food to take to the Acton militiamen in the field.  Visitors will experience 18^th-century home life with outdoor cooking, children’s games, etc., while in the Faulkner House, members of the Nashoba Valley Weavers Guild will demonstrate colonial weaving, and show off the old “barn frame” loom.

At the end of the afternoon, at about 5:30 the Acton Minutemen will stage their annual “Robbins’ Ride” reenactment—the arrival of the horse and rider who brought the news to Col. Francis Faulkner earlier that day that the British were marching on Concord.

Patriots’ Day Spirit is open to the public for a modest donation—“Give What You Will”.  Parking is available in the nearby public lots.

Image courtesy of Iron Work Farm