Ed and Debbie Braun are volunteering at Fort Frederica National Monument this year for the first time. In fact, this is the first time they are volunteering at a National Park site. Ed and Debbie are from Edmonton, Canada, so they have enjoyed avoiding the snow and cold in Edmonton. Like the rest of us, they gave up snow when they retired.
Ed and Debbie have been doing living history with Tom and me on Saturdays. Debbie does gardening and has both the kitchen garden and pollinator garden in great shape. Ed does carpentry and has an elaborate setup which draws in lots of people. Both Ed and Debbie are very good at talking with folks. Debbie will meet them on the sidewalk as they come out of the Visitors Center.
Ed calls them over to talk to him or check out what he is doing. The crosscut saw, which requires a visitor’s assistance, is very popular. Ed has also been making shakes (wooden shingles) out of a piece of live oak. Live oak does not want to split the way cedar or even pine would. Ed has lots of time to talk to people while he uses the froe to split the wood. He repaired the shaving horse and added a spring pole to it so it would hold the wood better.
On Saturdays, Tom and I tend the fire and cook. After lunch Tom talks about soldiering while I demonstrate spinning. Debbie is not interested in cooking but she and Ed have been very appreciative of the things that I make. I’ve been through my entire repertoire while we have been here. Chicken and rice soup, Brunswick Stew, bean soup, apple pie, blueberry cobbler, honey cake, oatmeal and molasses cake. Everything has been edible and the soups and stews are appreciated by all the volunteers. We had as many as 12 people eating lunch every Saturday, but now we are down to just five.
The visitors also enjoy seeing the cooking. The baking kettle is always a big hit and people love the toaster sitting by the fire. Tom and I talk about the early settlers living in palmetto huts and using the bake oven.
During January and February, Diana Strode, another RV volunteer, worked in the Visitors Center. She wasn’t interested in doing living history, but she was a valuable part of the team. Someone has to stay in the Visitors Center so the rest of us can be outside, and she did a great job with visitors.
Ed and Debbie have Sundays off. Tom and I have been doing “living history lite” on Sundays because it has been raining about half the time. When it isn’t raining, Tom is out blacksmithing. I have been inside or on the breezeway with my weaving. Right now it is just Tom, me, and Ranger Bob on Sundays. If Tom is blacksmithing, I cover the desk. If it is raining, Tom covers the desk.
Ed and Debbie have been a good addition to the living history program at Fort Frederica. They are quick learners and do lots of research to get their stories right. They are also very good at talking to folks. With the four of us working, people linger and listen and learn. Just what we are hoping they will do.
