The 35th's return to the annual Old Bethpage Village Candlelight Tour was a busy and very satisfying event to close out our 2024 calendar. Three soldiers and two ladies of the start of Queen Victoria's reign were set up in the William Benjamin House, built in 1829, making our 1830s contingent a particularly appropriate one for the structure, although obviously it never housed the Queen's Finest. The original owner, the Rev. William F. Benjamin, served in the militia during the War of 1812, and his sabre is on display in the house which is decorated as it likely was around 1830. He was a farmer and a Congregationalist minister. There were about 10 people living in the house at the time, and the front room was at one point occupied by an 85-year-old woman who had nowhere else to live, the beneficiary of the minister's charity.
The evening on the 26th started off with a false non-start: we arrived a little after 5, when the tours began, and it was quiet initially. The soldiers occupied the living room with our ladies setting up in the kitchen. About 5:30, however, the tours arrived in earnest and did not let up until almost 9:30--four hours later. We discussed the house, Victorian Christmas traditions, the British army, society, and more without let up to group after group. The audiences were very engaged and as a result of the constant interaction, the time seemed to fly by. We were told that approximately 2,000 people came to visit Old Bethpage Village that night, visiting the various houses and walking around the grounds illuminated only by lanterns.
We are very appreciative for the opportunity to go back to Old Bethpage and talk to so many people about the early Victorian era and its shaping of our modern ideas of Christmas. This also closes our 2024 events, a very busy and rewarding year for reenactment and living history.
Happy holidays and happy new year to all our friends and supporters!
Photos by Vivian D., Sharon and John V.V.
The evening on the 26th started off with a false non-start: we arrived a little after 5, when the tours began, and it was quiet initially. The soldiers occupied the living room with our ladies setting up in the kitchen. About 5:30, however, the tours arrived in earnest and did not let up until almost 9:30--four hours later. We discussed the house, Victorian Christmas traditions, the British army, society, and more without let up to group after group. The audiences were very engaged and as a result of the constant interaction, the time seemed to fly by. We were told that approximately 2,000 people came to visit Old Bethpage Village that night, visiting the various houses and walking around the grounds illuminated only by lanterns.
We are very appreciative for the opportunity to go back to Old Bethpage and talk to so many people about the early Victorian era and its shaping of our modern ideas of Christmas. This also closes our 2024 events, a very busy and rewarding year for reenactment and living history.
Happy holidays and happy new year to all our friends and supporters!
Photos by Vivian D., Sharon and John V.V.
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