Getting our house in order

When I was a boy, my Scout troop toured Ft. Frederick, in Big Pool, Maryland, soon after the reconstructed barracks were built.  These barracks were based on the best information available on what a typical British barracks building would have looked like, in the 1750s. (Or, more accurately, what was perceived by the powers-that-were as the best information. These sorts of projects always run afoul of a certain amount of bureaucracy) There are no known diagrams, drawings, or other representations of the original barracks, and subsequent research has indicated that some of the details are inaccurate.  Nevertheless, they got the job done to the reasonable best of their ability, in time for the Bicentennial of American Independence, in 1976.
A testament to the notion that they came at least reasonably close to the ideal is found in a notice posted in a Maryland Loyalist barracks (I don't recall where) during the Revolution, imploring the men to use the tubs "placed between the doors" in the barracks for nighttime urination. Out of context, the phrase 'between the doors' doesn't seem to make sense. However, in the reconstructed barracks, when an entry door is opened, it strikes the corner of the two-sided fireplace, and the next nearest door swings open to hit the corner of the other face of the same fireplace, creating a rather well-concealed alcove betwee the front wall and the fireplace with the doors on either side. Thus, we see that at least some of the details make sense.
As a boy, I was infatuated with the idea of something I wished I could do, but had never heard of anyone actually doing. I latrer learned it is called 'reenacting', and I have since been an enthusiast. At the age of 12, however, not knowing of such a hobby, I found myself wishing that I could somehow have the chance to live like a real Revolutionary War soldier in those very barracks. Now, as a memeber of Joshua Beall's Company of the Maryland Forces, the only part of that wish that hasn't occured, is that I reenact the French and Indian War, not the Revolution.
The fort, however, is incomplete. The original crumbling curtain walls were reconstructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and the barracks were completed in the 1970s, but the last major element is the third large building inside the fort, the Officers' quarters, known as the "Governor's Mansion".
The Mansion's foundations are clearly visible, and in excellent condition, as far as I can see. There have been plans in the works for decades to reconstruct the mansion, and some of the best minds in 18th-century military architecture and construction techniques were called upon to create plans. Again, the plans are based upon knowledge of typical structures, as there are no known illustrations of the original.  Construction has been repeatedly delayed by two things, as I understand it; funding and approval. The funding, it is said, is in place, but there are various entities who weren't involved in creating those plans, who feel (perhaps legitimately) that they should have been active partners in the planning. Whether this is a pissing match between too many cooks, or an effort to make sure the money is spent in the best way possible,  I cannot say, and is probably genuinely a matter of who you ask. However, I am frustrated that these stumbling blocks keep cropping up.

The problem is partially that whatever is built will become the 'real thing' to generations of Americans, whether it's accurate, or not. It reminds me of a project I once worked on, on a much smaller scale.  I was working at History For Hire, a Hollywood prophouse  (The BEST Hollywood prophouse!) which is largely staffed by reenactors. We were creating props for an IMAX film about Lewis and Clark, and were recreating William Clark's Journals. One of these journals had come apart, and Clark re-bound it with an elkskin cover while wintering over at Ft Clatsop. The cover had a flap, with a button and a long thong to hold it closed. The thong was broken at a length of maybe 18", and part of my job in making the elkskin cover was to try to figure out how the journal was probably tied shut. My boss, Jim Elyea, was very careful to impress upon me the importance of being careful in how I designed my reconstruction, saying that "However YOU decide it was done, will be the way it WAS done, in the minds of thousands of people, for generations."  In making the thong, I cut a thong that was several inches longer than the original, as it appeared in several photos. I noticed that the last 1/2" seemed to be split. I made a small mark on my reproduction thong, to see were that split might hit when wrapped around the cover. As it turned out, the split hit right at the base of the button. From this, I surmised that the split might have originally been a slit in a longer thong, and passed over the button. This is how I made it, and this is how it appears in the final film. Now, for good or ill, my interpretation may be the foremost interpretation for years to come. That's just a thong on a button. Imagine the responsibility of creating a new historical 'reality' through designing a building.

Given that perspective, it's almost amazing we've even had any close calls. It makes me wonder if we're ever going to see this thing built. I hope that at some point, all the cooks will decide that the broth is as ready as it's ever going to be, because we will NEVER actually know what the origianl looked like.

Beginning my blog

If you were to ask me why I am starting a blog, I'm not sure I could answer concisely. I'm sure it involves at least a measure of narcissistic self-indulgence; I am rather fond of expressing my opinion on a range of subjects, from History, to language, to politics, to religion, etc.  I seem a bit overly fond of talking about those very things that polite people are not supposed to discuss, because opinions can run so hot.  I am also, admittedly, a bit weird. (perhaps the two are inextricably linked)  However, my purpose in discussing such subjects as politics and religion is not to assert my opinion as superior, but to actually hear differing viewpoints.  I lament that opinion is so often taken as attack, these days, as it hinders discussion, and thus, problem solving.  I hope to comment on subjects that may raise a few hackles, but I hope that by doing so, I may inspire independent thought, even if it is contrary to my own thought. I'd rather talk to thinkers who don't agree with me, than talk to non-thinkers of any stripe. I hope that you, the reader, will feel free to post comments. I only ask that those comments be kept civil and respectful of the right of others to disagree.


Buzz