I had a fantastic weekend…here’s a bonus post!
Friday, August 1 and Saturday, August 2, were the dates of “Tea & Mystery in Winchester, Virginia.” Hosted by The McGuire Home Civil War Living History Group, this event delighted guests with a full tea menu, a historical mystery play, and open-forum for Civil War related questions. The event was in Southern California so guests did not have to purchase airline tickets to get to Virginia. (Here’s more info about Living History, The McGuire Family, or Up-Coming Events, if you’d like it…)
Displays of historical reproduction items contributed to the unique “tea room” setting. Each display represented a story of the McGuire Family or an account of War in Winchester.
Each table was named after a specific house or location in Winchester. Guests learned about the location and the people associated with it during the introduction to the mystery play.
I’m sharing some photos and photo journaling here to show the event. (If you want to see the photos in a larger format, click on one and it should link into a gallery for easy viewing). The article concludes after the pictures, so scroll down.
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- Welcome!
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- The entryway and stage set for the mystery play
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- Tea Room
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- Display of young lady’s dress, probably similar to what Miss Anna McGuire would have worn.
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- The Main Display of historical items. Each item tells a story about the McGuire Family or War in Winchester
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- One of the centerpoints of the display is a large wooden box containing items that might be sent to Dr. Hugh or Dr. Hunter: bandages, sponges, hardtack, food, tea, books, clothing, scarf, new belt, and blankets.
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- A wooden trunk is used to display items that might be found on a lady’s dressing table: gloves, ribbons, fan, handkerchief, collar, pins, dried flowers. Note that a Confederate flag is “hidden” and military photographs of General Jackson and Dr. Hunter McGuire are here, indicating that such items might be hidden away while Yankees occupy Winchester.
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- “Christ Episcopal Church” Table. This was the church that the McGuire Family attended. During the Civil War, Reverend Reed was one of the ministers.
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- “The Graham Home” Table. General and Mrs. Jackson stayed with the Graham Family during the winter of 1861-1862.
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- “The Chase Home” Table. The Chase Family supported the Union, which caused conflict with some of their neighbors. Miss Julia Chase kept a diary throughout the war years.
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- “The Logan House” Table. A Union general, Robert Milroy, took the Logan house for his headquarters. He exiled the family from town. Boo…
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- Cucumber, Eggsalad, Chicken and Cheese Tea Sandwiches, Fruit, and Pasta Salad Savory
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- Buttermilk Scones with Cream, Jam, and Lemon Curd
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- DESSERT. Vanilla ice cream and three 19th century recipe cookies – lemon, almond, chocolate.
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- In the mystery play Miss Margaretta McGuire (Sarah) and Mrs. McGuire try to discover if the situation is “a Confederate strategy or a Yankee trap.”
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- Guests participated in the mystery play by reading scripts to interact with the characters.
Mystery Play: the entertainment was produced with the goal of helping guests understand the hardship and uncertainty of living in war-time Winchester. The actual plot of the play was completely fictional, but real places, characters, and accounts were featured. When writing the play, the author tried to produce something that would entertain the audience, introduce them to a little history, and hopefully, inspire them to learn more.
I had a wonderful time planning this event and I think it was quite successful. I loved the guests’ enthusiasm and how they kept telling us “this is what makes history come alive.”
Proceeds from this event will be used to travel to Civil War re-enactments and produce more educational resources. A large portion will be donated to Civil War Trust to help preserve General Lee’s Headquarters at Gettysburg and Port Republic Battlefield in the Shenandoah Valley.
If you attended this event, thanks so much for joining us! I’d appreciate it if you leave a comment and we’ll hope to see you again soon – maybe at an upcoming event…
Your Historian,
Miss Sarah
P.S. See you on Friday for Part 2 of Demystifying WWI… Here’s Part 1, if you missed it.
Gazette665 