Melondy Phillips
Staff Writer
I began volunteering at the Virginia’s Explore Park in Roanoke, Virginia, more than 20 years ago. I loved working at the 1700s fort with my main demonstration being hand dressing deer hides into leather, but I also enjoyed visiting the other time-period locations scattered throughout the park.
The park held to strict guidelines about how the workers and volunteers should dress, it had to fit the time-period we were demonstrating in.
I could not afford to pay someone to make an outfit for me, especially when the linen fabric alone was more than $15 a yard. That was expensive 20 years ago! I did, however, have a little bit of knowledge of sewing from playing around with it on my own, so I set out to make my own outfit.
The lead person for the fort had a few outfit patterns he allowed me to use. I started with a petticoat since it looked the simplest. All top stitching, edges and any other stitches that could be seen had to be hand stitched, but at least the main assembly seams could be done with a sewing machine. After successfully completing my first petticoat, I proceeded to lay out, cut, and construct a shift (a lightweight undergarment). While caring for very active young boys, all the animals we had, making some home repairs as needed, cooking, cleaning, and yard and garden work it took several weeks to make a complete outfit, comprising of: two or three petticoats, a shift, bed jacket, pocket (which is a separate piece of clothing), bonnet and apron. I did eventually hand knit a pair of socks, using two-ply natural spun wool, to go with my colonial shoes. There were a few items I never wore that were considered basic wear for colonial women: a stay (a stiff, fully boned garment similar to a corset) and a modesty cloth (to wrap around the neck). I eventually went from two or three petticoats to just a single one. The reason behind this was due to a diary the lead person of the fort found – he preferred first-hand accounts when doing any research. The diary was written by a New England minister who had visited the Augusta County colonial frontier in the 1700s. He wrote about how disgusted he was that the woman didn’t wear a modesty cloth or stay and only donned a single petticoat. Makes sense to me. These women were living in the wild frontier with their nearest neighbor miles away. They had to be practical. Those socially appropriate items of clothing were an encumbrance to the hard work that had to be done around the homestead. No one hardly ever saw them so why wear extra layers that could cause overheating during the summer, more clothes to be unnecessarily washed and wear out, or increase the chance of a petticoat catching on fire because they were so fluffy. I know there is some controversy over how often this actually happened, but I have per- sonally experienced how fast a single spark from a fire can burn highly flammable linen fabric.
Several times, during my presentations, normally on very hot days, a patron would ask me how much I got paid to dress in that many layers and actively work on the deer hides. I always smiled and replied, “I volunteer to do this,” and then softly chuckled to myself as their jaw dropped in disbelief. When you really enjoy doing something, it doesn’t seem too much like “work” even when it’s difficult and laborious.
The fort became my home away from home as I spent most of my weekends there. My husband and the boys joined me so often that it became a part of them, as well. In the beginning, my husband kept the boys with him throughout the day but after many visits, that slowly began to change. Even though the boys had not even started kindergarten, they were so acquainted with the layout and dangers, of the park and with the other workers and volunteers there, that they freely roamed about while I worked at my station. They loved sitting in the audience section at the doctor’s tent to watch his demonstrations. As part of the doctor’s demonstration, he would hold up different 1800s medical devices and asked the audience what they thought each tool was used for. After a bit of silence, the boys raised their hands and correctly answered his questions. The looks of the other patrons’ faces were priceless as they saw that these two little kids knew such obscure information. Other favorite sites for the boys were the blacksmith shop, the schoolhouse and the bateau.
The park closed in 2007 but reopened in 2013 after the new owners created an operating lease to the County of Roanoke. I have not been back to the park since 2007, and although I see there have been many changes, my heart still holds a fondness for the old park.
