Wormsloe offers volunteer opportunity, educational experience

Photo By Patrick Young | Staff Sgt. Micah Hall, a Soldier with the Fort Stewart’s WTB, who is a volunteer at Wormsloe, portraying an 18th century South Carolina militia, demonstrates how early Soldiers would use flint and steel to make fire.  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

02.08.2020

Story by Patrick Young 

Fort Stewart Public Affairs Office

Hundreds of volunteers and thousands of visitors helped relive history at the Wormsloe State Historic Site in Savannah, Feb. 8 and 9 during its annual Colonial Faire and Muster.

The event, free and open to the public, was hosted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and local sponsors. It featured music, food vendors and an interactive nature trail complete with demonstrations of historic life from the 18th century.

Musicians performed live period music and dances as hundreds of guests traveled the trail past the ruins of Noble Jones 1730’s tabby house. The hike took guests past vendors selling historic memorabilia, militia camps performing musket drills and hourly cannon firings and an authentic colonial village.

Crystal Mindedahl, a GDNR Wormsloe staff member who provided cooking demonstrations there noted the village included a daub house, a blacksmith shop and other wooden structures, recreated based on what would have been found on the original 1730s estate. She said Wormsloe compromised 1,266 acres along Long Island and Pigeon Island. The next stop on educational jaunt was a Native American encampment - complete with a Creek warrior who displayed common tools and skills used for hunting, fishing and related information about early Native American life in the area. One of the last stops was a cricket field, staffed with volunteers offering to teach one of the colony’s earliest sports to modern guests.

Staff Sgt. Micah Hall, a Soldier with the Warrior Transition Battalion on Fort Stewart, was among the volunteers supporting the Colonial Faire and Muster. At the event he portrayed a member of the Georgia South Carolina Rangers who provided a strong hold at Wormsloe to help protect the fledgling town of Savannah, noting Georgia didn’t become a state until 1732.

“Many people don’t know that Wormsloe was actually part of the defensive works for the town (Savannah),” Hall said. “The city of Savannah was actually under Siege twice. Once during the Revolutionary War – first in 1778-1779, when General (Casimir) Pulaski died. The second siege was in 1782.”

Hall said has been supporting historic reenactments in Georgia like the one in Wormsloe, since 2012. He said historic reenactment provides an opportunity for Soldiers and their Families to get involved with the community and learn about the area. He said he plans on supporting another event March 13 at Fort King George in Darien.

Upcoming Wormsloe events include the Colonial Sailors event, Feb. 22; Build your own Colonial Fort on March 7; the Full Moon Hike, May 7 and the War of Jenkin’ Ear event, May 23. For more about Wormsloe and other Georgia State Parks, visit Georgia’s DNR website at http://gastateparks.org.

• Date Taken: 02.08.2020
• Date Posted: 02.18.2020 13:26
• Story ID: 363321
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US