Revive Accurate Historical Reenactments!
- by: Meredith Savage
- recipient: The President of Colonial Williamsburg Mitchell Reiss (The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)
Colonial Williamsburg's Hog to Ham Program is an accurate depiction of an historical event. Butchery is a skill that the interpreters take pride in learning and sharing with the public. Colonial Williamsburg should be a place of living history and celebrate all that our forefathers accomplished in such a tough new world! How can we teach children accurate history if we continue to eliminate and mask events that occurred in our great nation’s past? The answer is we can’t. Colonial Williamsburg should stand strong in its butchery program and continue to educate the public about this historically important practice.
Dear Mitchell Reiss,
We respectfully request that you reinstate all pig roasts and animal butchering programs at Colonial Williamsburg. Using these programs as an educational tool that promotes proper and accurate historical representations of daily life in the Colonial Era helps current and future generations understand the limitations colonists faced and the necessary processes they used because of those limitations (i.e. technology). Colonial Williamsburg is a “revolutionary city” which expands the knowledge of the city’s visitors through interactive programs such as Hogs to Ham. These programs function as a learning experience for both the interpreters and the viewers. The interpreters take great pride in their ability to recreate the butchery process and potentially master a skill that would’ve provided for their family in the colonial era. Colonial Williamsburg is a place of learning and exploration. It accurately depicts daily activities from the Colonial Era. Removing this program defeats your mission statement: “The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation operates the world’s largest living history museum… The Colonial Williamsburg story of a revolutionary city tells how diverse people, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolves into a society that values liberty and equality” (www.history.org).
By removing Hogs to Ham and similar programs, Colonial Williamsburg infringes upon the rights of visitors who desire to learn about this process. Those who do not wish to attend these events have the right to choose not to attend, but removing the program infringes upon the rights of those interested in learning and experiencing all this beautiful city has to offer! Your program offers a unique educational experience. A hands-on program allows visitors to more accurately understand these practices and their necessity. Without this program, I know I would not thoroughly understand colonial butchery techniques and how they affect bone surfaces as well as I do. This program allows visitors to visualize the creation of bone features, which helps more accurately interpret an archaeological site.
Thank you for continuing to be the “world’s largest living history museum” and a “revolutionary city.” It is important that living history programs continue to thrive!
-Supporters of Colonial Williamsburg
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