ATTACHMENT B TO "GETTING STARTED"
SOURCES AND RESOURCES
FOR REENACTORS
Books
Anderson, John Q. (ed.), Brokenburn: The Journal of Kate Stone, 1861-1868. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1995.
East, Charles (ed.), Sarah Morgan: The Civil War Diary of a Southern Woman. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.
Gallaway, B.P. (ed.), Texas: The Dark Corner of the Confederacy. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1994.
Leisch, Juanita, An Introduction to Civil War Civilians. Gettsburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 1994.
Leisch, Juanita, Who Wore What? Women's Wear 1861-1865. Gettsburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 1995.
Mills, Betty J., A Calico Chronicle. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech Press, 1985.
Trestain, Eileen Jahnke, Dating Fabrics: A Color Guide 1800-1960. Paducah, KY: American Quilter's Society, 1998.
Sutlers
Frazer Bros, 5641 Yale Blvd., Dallas, TX 75206; 214/696-1865. They carry two styles of women's shoes, including Fugawee's, which are a bit more dressy and have (authentic) side elastic.
James Country Mercantile, 111 North Main, Liberty, Missouri 64068; 816/781-9473. www.jamescountry.com Good source for patterns (Homespun and Past Patterns), as well as buttons, blankets and others miscellanea.
James Townsend & Son, Inc., 133 North First Street, P.O. Box 415, Pierceton, IN 46562; 800/338-1665. www.jastown.com An especially good source for spectacle frames (if you don't want to take the dive into antique frames right away) and for timepieces (without the identifying manufacturer's name on the face); also sugar nippers, blown bottles and just generally fun to look through the catalog. A source for "older" styled items (they supply Rev War and French & Indian War reenactors) like trade knives.
Kay Gnagey, "Originals by Kay", 8115 E. Old US 33, Churubusco, IN 46723. www.originals-by-kay.com Kay makes very well-fitted corsets in several styles.
Miller's Millinery, P. O. Box 8077, Lancaster, PA 17604-8077; 717/285-3373. www.bonnets.com Mrs. Miller has a number of patterns (for various periods of the 19th c.) for bonnets - both fashion as well as work bonnets, day caps and children's bonnets and does custom millinery work also.
Patterns for the Little Ones at Home, Kelly C. Krause, 1811 Jeanette Avenue, Evansville, IN 47714; 812/473-5233. This is THE source right now for authentically styled children's patterns.
Sidekick Sutlery, P. O. Box 53733, Indianapolis, IN 46253; 317/293-0587. They have nice shoes, and you can special order a pair if you are hard-to-fit.
The Bookguy, Ed O'Dwyer, "Shamrock Hill Books & Gifts", 12725 Bethany Road, Alpharetta, GA 30004. www.bookguy.com Ed specializes in history books and has a vast array of social commentaries, cookbooks, and general CW history volumes. If you can't find it on his website, email him and he can tell you where to find it on the website or will special order it for you. Very service oriented.
The Paper Lady, Mary A. Whisante, 251 Gladden Lane East, Alexandria, AL 36250; 256/820-1186 (10 am - 8 pm CT). She makes corsets that are of lighter-weight material, but certainly marvelously comfortable and long-wearing.
NOTE: Many, many other sutlers are out there - this is just a beginner's assortment of sources for gear.
Resources on the Web
www.CW-Reenactors.com
This is not only a good page to visit for guides on reenacting, but it also sponsors an e-mail discussion forum, affectionately called "The List". The List boasts better than 600 subscribers, including some extremely knowledgeable folks that can answer your questions in shortorder. Discussions can be lively, but many have spent years researching their favorite aspect of the Civil War time period. To subscribe, go into the Home Page, and look for the button entitled "CW-Reenactors Mailing List". It will tell you how to subscribe. But beware....at times you could get as many as 50 e-mails a day, but great information.
www.cwreenactors.com
You may see this referred to occasionally on The List as "Szabo's Forum". It is a discussion forum on topics having to do with the Civil War. There are forums for military topics as well as civilian. You don't have to register or subscribe just to go in and root about for discussion topics of interest. There is also an archives that can be accessed by subject. A lot of the people on The List also post to the Forum. To get to the forums, go to the home page. On page 1, scroll down to "Civil War Reenactors Forums". On page 2, scroll down to "Civil War Reenactors Forum". On page 3, you will find the buttons to link you to your choice of military or civilian forums.
www.ElizabethStewartClark.com
Mrs. Clark has a wonderful webpage that has general information on many subjects (e.g., clothing children properly, or camping with your family without battling), as well as free patterns for drawers and chemise. She will soon have patterns for children which can be ordered. Of particular interest is her "Stump" on "Best Bet Wardrobe" for the beginner.
Southern Refugee Society at www.geocities.com/s_refugee_soc/
This is a civilian organization out of Alabama that does a refugee impression. There are great guidelines for both beginner and advanced, as well as articles on children's and gentlemen's clothing. Of particular interest is the section on General Camping.
Burbridge's Regiment at www.geocities.com/burbridgebn/
Burbridge Battalion has great authenticity guidelines for men. Other articles are of interest too.
Bonnets at www.geocities.com/secondvirginia/bonnet.htm
The Second Virginia civilian website has a great selection of pictures of bonnets of various types - corded, sun, spoon and straw.
Glenna Jo Christen at www.rust.net/!gwjchris/
Mrs. Christen has some excellent guidelines for footwear, underpinnings, as well as bodices, under the heading of "Dress for the War." She also has a good article describing how to gauge a skirt.
Periodicals
"Camp Chase Gazette" is a general periodical covering Civil War subjects of mostly military orientation. It has a rather thorough listing of reenactments all over the country, and sources for just about anything can be found in the advertising throughout the magazine. Published by Camp Chase Publishing Company, Inc., at P. O. Box 707, Marietta, OH 45750, subscriptions are $24 per year.
"The Citizens' Companion" is a periodical by the same publishers as "Camp Chase Gazette" but is geared to the civilian. Subscriptions are $24 per year.
"From the Home Front to the Front Lines" is a new journal edited by Eileen Conklin, author of Women at Gettysburg and Exile to Dixie. It is to be published by Thomas Publishers and will feature articles about women who took an active role in the War. It is not known when the first edition will be available or how much the subscriptions will be. Virginia Mescher (mmescher@erols.com) seems to know the most about it.
