Second Saturday: "Waterford/West Farms in the Revolution and Beyond"
The Town of Waterford was originally a part of New London known as "West Farms."
As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th year of independence in 2026, the Waterford Historical Society is welcoming to Jordan Green the Dirty Blue Shirts living historians portraying scenes of life in the former West Farms from 1770-1812.
They'll portray life in West Farms from the lead-up to the Revolution, the Revolutionary War itself, to the incorporation of the Town of Waterford in 1801, and finally touching on the War of 1812.
Highlights:
- Pirates! Investigate the legalities of 18th century piracy. Would you have supported your cause by land or by sea?
- Tattoos! Discover how Protection Certificates worked and hear about Captain Stevens Rogers from Great Neck, who twice survived imprisonment and came home with a tattoo of an eagle and an American flag. Come learn about what these symbols meant to a sailor and have a turn at designing your own!
- Fashionistas! See garments & accessories that made up an average 18th century West Farms woman's wardrobe.
- Stand guard! What do you do when war invades your home? Imagine yourself a member of the militiamen guarding the coast at Goshen's Point or the Brown family on Pepperbox Hill.
- Foodways! No it's not a grocery store chain, but a demonstration of what day-to-day foods were common back in the day; how they were hunted, grown, fished, harvested and preserved.
- Shuttlecock, anyone? Relax with a spirited game of battledore & shuttlecock, the precursor to today's badminton, roll a hoop on the Jordan Green, or toss the beribboned graces and enjoy a late summer's day in Federal Era Waterford.
- Old-fashioned chocolate? Attend a chocolate-making and tasting demonstration with the 1800s period-attired Pewter Pot Chocolatiers in the Stacy Barn upper level at 11 a.m. $10 per person, cash or check. (Maximum 30 seats, so come early.)
- Get fired up! See the blacksmiths at work at the Ralph bustling Madara Blacksmith Shop, see glowing steel formed into useful objects, and pick up some hand-forged items for home and garden.
- Peek inside historic buildings: Jordan Park House (the original Waterford Public Library), 1840s Beebe-Phillips House, 1740s Jordan District Schoolhouse, Stacy Barn and imagine life as it used to be.
- Pop in to the Jordan Park House to purchase local historical books, maps, mugs, notecards, hand-forged items and more.
There's free, handicap-accessible parking at Avery Lane/Rope Ferry Road, and handicap accessible rest rooms in Stacy Barn lower level. There's also parking at Waterford Public Library and the Community Center.
