Rungs From the Chair
Janice Elvidge, CILH Section Chair
September 1999

As autumn is nearly here, I am reflecting on the future and what it holds. The summer season has wound down and many are looking forward to the "down time" of winter. In my last column I wrote about the upcoming bicentennial commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I'm going to continue with my discussion about the Bicentennial because many of the lessons learned can be applied to other living history sites. For those of us involved with Lewis and Clark sites, each day passes and we become busier and busier planning for the bicentennial. We have fewer and fewer days of "down time." This is an exciting time for all these sites as there are many plans and ideas for a commemoration to remember.

Here at Fort Clatsop National Memorial we are making big plans. Our regular third-person living history programs have been fine for the many years they have existed, but now we are looking for something more. We have found that the "regular" visitor knows much more about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They have all "read the book" (Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage). What once was a good representation now comes under great scrutiny. People ask about the minute details, the little things. We begin to ask ourselves, "How authentic do we become?"

As we purchase new and replacement living history replicas we wonder how authentic we need to be. We have had uniform coats for years, but now we have to decide whether we pay $450 for a machine sewn coat, $700 for one that has the visible stitching done by hand, or do we pay even more and get a coat that is all hand sewn? Do we buy brain tanned hides for the people in costume? Or is the commercially tanned hide OK? What about the stitching? Our coats are handled by many thousands of visitors and school children each year; how can we possibly afford to be 100% authentic? What is really cost effective? How authentic do we become?

In addition, we are struggling with changing information and research. Researchers disagree about what many items were really like. We are continually struggling with conflicting information. We need to replace many of our items now, but we don't know which item to purchase. Do we purchase as close as we can get, but according to which research or opinion? If it is an expensive item, how do we justify the purchase when it is needed right now but may be unusable in a few years?

Authenticity is something with which all living history sites struggle. Do you just use something that represents an item of the time period, even though it is made today with modern materials and construction? Is it OK to use a shawl purchased from a current Sears catalogue? Is there adequate research conducted to find out what was really used and if/where the item can be purchased? Each site needs to discuss and determine what the purpose of their living history program is and decide for themselves the level of authenticity they desire.

Discussion and site decisions are important to each of us. In order to make educated decisions, site managers must know what is being done and what is or isn't working. To learn more or join in this discussion about authenticity, join us for the 2-day pre-workshop session at the National Interpreters Workshop in Syracuse, New York and/or the Cultural Interpretation and Living History Workshop April 6-9, 2000 in St. Louis, Missouri. We encourage your participation in these training, learning and professional networking opportunities. Big events and commemorations such as the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, are wonderful learning opportunities for all of us. The world will be watching, and this is a grand opportunity for all living history professionals. Enjoy!