Tea With Sarah: Historical Dresses, Living History, & Photography

March 17, 2018March 16, 2018 / Sarah Kay Bierle / 2 Comments

Good afternoon, it’s time for tea!

This weekend I’m at a Civil War Re-enactment in Moorpark, California, so I thought it would be a great time to answer a couple of those fun and often asked questions that I hear during living history presentations.

If you were able to join us “live” at the McGuire Home in Civilian Town, you’d likely find the weather a bit chilly today, but plenty of hot tea and ginger cookies!

And – by the way – Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m actually wearing a green dress today, but it was blue dress when we did a tea photo shoot a couple events ago… (And in honor of the occasion, Irish harp music CDs are on sale in our store.) Continue reading →

Tea With Sarah: California Civil War, Historical Movie, & Valentine’s Day

February 3, 2018February 2, 2018 / Sarah Kay Bierle / 2 Comments

Good afternoon, it’s time for tea!

The blog scheduler (oops, that’s me) made a slight mistake and we’re having tea two weeks in a row, but actual works best with the big picture plan. So happy day – more tea and cookies for us, right?

We did have a couple questions from a blog reader or Gazette665’s team, and then we used a question that has been discussed recently around here.

Feel free to share your thoughts or answers to the questions in a comment. It’s always nice to hear from readers! Continue reading →

Tea With Sarah: Living History, Evening Thoughts, & Out For Tea

January 27, 2018January 26, 2018 / Sarah Kay Bierle / 5 Comments

Good afternoon, it’s time for tea!

Thank you to our blog readers who sent questions to enliven the conversation this weekend. We’ll be talking about living history, historic thoughts, and places to enjoy tea… Brew a cup of your favorite flavors, and let’s inspire each other.

Feel free to share your thoughts or answers to the questions in a comment. It’s always nice to hear from readers!

Continue reading →

Christmas in July!

July 20, 2015 / Sarah Kay Bierle / Leave a comment

I’ve always wanted to host a Civil War Christmas educational event, but December always gets so crazy busy. This year McGuire Home Winchester, Virginia, Civil War Living History hosted “Christmas in July” – a tea and educational event.

We had a lot of fun decorating the room with items which might have been used in a Civil War Christmas celebration.

The dramatic presentation “Christmas in Winchester” took our guests through five Christmases at the McGuire Home (1861-1865) and emphasized the importance of courage and family love.

Here’s a few photos of the event – and Happy Christmas (in July)!

Click on a photo to view the gallery in full-screen mode.

: Christmas in July Tea and Educational Event

: Christmas in July Tea and Educational Event

: Christmas in July Tea and Educational Event

: Photographs of Hugh and Sallie McGuire, Christmas in July Tea and Educational Event

: Wooden Sleigh and Photographs of Hunter and Mary McGuire, Christmas in July Tea and Educational Event

: Civil War Era Christmas Tree (Re-creation)

: The Union Soldier Table, Christmas in July Tea and Educational Event

: The Jackson Table, Christmas in July Tea and Educational Event

: The Jones Family Table, Christmas in July Tea and Educational Event

: Cornelia P. McDonald Table, Christmas in July Tea & Educational Event

: Sarah Kay Bierle & Susan C. Bierle – McGuire Home Winchester Virginia Civil War Living History

Photos From Moorpark Civil War Re-enactment 2014 (Part 2)

November 13, 2014November 13, 2014 / Sarah Kay Bierle / 2 Comments

Here are the promised photos of “The McGuire Home, Winchester, Virginia” at the Moorpark Civil War Re-enactment 2014. For re-enactment military photos from this event, click here.

We had a great time at this event. Our camping location was superb and we were able to share history, answer questions, and interact with a lot of spectators and students. Thank you to the Moorpark Rotary Club for hosting another wonderful weekend.

There were new display items featured at our “home.” We had a box of supplies and Christmas gifts which we were preparing to “send” to our McGuire family members with the army. I think people enjoyed seeing the simple, practical, hand-made gifts, and it was a nice teaching tool when talking about the historical family members and what they did during the war. (If you want historical information about the McGuire Family, please use this link.)

I took 75 Christmas cards to the event and invited re-enactors to sign them for US troops stationed oversees. The project was a great success! And many thanks to the chaplains, officers, and other re-enactors for their help and support.

Enjoy the photos! (You can click on one photo and view all of them as a gallery).

: “The McGuire Home, Winchester, Virginia” Civil War Living History

: Some of our neighbors in Civilian Town

: Mrs. Ann Eliza McGuire (Susan Bierle) and Miss Margaretta McGuire (Sarah Kay Bierle)

: Re-enactor signing Christmas card for US troops overseas

: Display box of supplies. The McGuire ladies have been preparing these items to send to their men who are with the military

: These are the gift items for the McGuire men. Handkerchiefs – Dr. Hugh McGuire (Father); Journal – Dr. Hunter McGuire; Knitted Cap (wrapped) – Edward McGuire; Cavalry Sash – Captain Hugh McGuire; Knitted Scarf (wrapped) – Willie McGuire

: Mrs. Ann Eliza McGuire (Susan Bierle)

An exciting news update on my research of the McGuire family! Earlier this week I found a portrait of Captain Hugh H. McGuire who was in the 11th Virginia Cavalry. Maybe I’ll write a special post about Captain McGuire at a later time.

Your Historian,

Miss Sarah

P.S. Which is your favorite photo? Do you have questions about the weekend, our living history scenario, or the new display items? Share your thoughts in a comment.

And don’t forget…tomorrow (Friday) is Part 2 in Shakespeare’s Historical Fiction.

Photos from Moorpark Civil War Re-enactment 2014 (Part 1)

November 12, 2014 / Sarah Kay Bierle / 1 Comment

Here are some photos from my weekend at the Moorpark Civil War Re-enactment 2014. This gallery contains a few of the best “battle” pictures.

It was a challenging location for taking photos; the ground was sloped, the combatants didn’t venture too close to the sidelines, and it was terribly dusty. However, I still had fun snapping photos and here are my favorites.

(You can click on one of the photos to see them all in larger format and as a slideshow).

I will post some photos of my civilian “home” and some of our living history activities. Look for those tomorrow!