HALIFAX—The ways Revolutionary War soldiers and civilians celebrated the holiday season will be recalled at Historic Halifax State Historic Site Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This fun family event will feature colorful living history demonstrations, military drills presented by the 5th North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Line re-enactors, historic buildings decorated like they would have been during the War for Independence, a heritage crafts show and sale, and much more.
Unless otherwise specified, all programs are free and open to the public.
At an encampment near Halifax’s Tap Room tavern, re-enactors dressed in period military uniforms will present several living history demonstrations that show what camp life was like during the holidays for Revolutionary War soldiers, along with a typical military drill. Highlights will include exciting firings of 18th century muskets and even a real swivel gun, a Revolutionary War-era small portable artillery piece.
Inside the Tap Room tavern, authentic holiday dishes like many North Carolinians enjoyed at Christmas during the 1770s will be on display. Visitors may also tour other 18th century historic buildings at Halifax including the Owens House and Eagle Tavern. The exteriors of various buildings will be decorated with natural materials for the holidays and seasonal decorations will festoon the interiors of the Tap Room and other buildings.
From noon until 5 p.m., light refreshments will be offered in the site’s visitor center for a donation. Also, a heritage crafts show and sale will be held in the orientation room, featuring local artisans who will also demonstrate how they create handmade rag dolls, colonial tin items, pine needle baskets, tatting, hand-painted works of art and more. To learn how to cook a new holiday dish, be sure not to miss a cooking demonstration by the N.C. State Cooperative Extension Service, Halifax County Center.
A tasty soup and sandwich luncheon will also be served by the Halifax United Methodist Church on King Street in the fellowship hall from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. A small fee will charged. At the historic Eugenia House on Dobbs Street—a privately owned historic home—visitors may take Christmas tea for a small donation. Sponsored by the Halifax Garden Club, the tea will be held from 1-3 p.m. Halifax merchants will also feature holiday sales, a perfect chance to grab that unique holiday gift.
The first 85 years of the town of Halifax’s life are recalled in the historic site’s preservation. The Owens House—with a gambrel roof and furnished as the home of a prosperous Halifax merchant—is the oldest building and dates from about 1760. Eagle Tavern and the Tap Room are also 18th century. The Roanoke River Valley’s prosperity during the 18th and 19th centuries is reflected in the many Federal-style plantation homes built here from the 1790s to the 1820s, including the Sally Billy House. The two public buildings within the historic district—the Clerk’s Office and the Jail—were built by the same contractor.
Other site features reflect Halifax history: Magazine Spring, long a town water source; the cemetery; Market Square, which served as the town park, pasture and marketplace; and the river outlook, near an early ferry landing. The site’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history of Halifax, where North Carolina first declared independence from Britain.
Historic Halifax is located in Halifax County, a little over five miles east of Interstate 95. Take exit 168 onto State Route 903 and follow brown historic site signs to the Historic Halifax Visitor Center. For more information call 252-583-7191 or go to http://www.halifax.nchistoricsites.org. It is an agency of the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites, Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2008 theme observance of “Telling Our Stories.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com or call (919) 807-7385.