SARAH M
SChlehlein
Living History
What is Living History and why do I love it?
Living History refers to the work of a person typically in historical attire "garb" engaging visitors or other members of the public in activities, many educational, that incorporate historic tools, trades, and demonstrations of the time they are portraying.
I became connected to the the world of Living History when I visited the Jamestown Settlement back in 2014 on the "historic route" my mother and I took back to Wisconsin from Myrtle Beach, SC. I later became employed at largest outdoor museum of rural life in the United States, Old World Wisconsin. I had the pleasure of sharing the stories of so many immigrant families that settled in Wisconsin to guests for two summers before moving to the east coast in 2018.
Towards the end of my Stage Management Fellowship in 2019, I was in search of work when I stumbled upon the listing for a Historic Trades Interpreter at George Washington's Mount Vernon and it was right up my alley! I have been able to expand on my historic skill sets by learning trades like spinning, weaving, distilling, milling, and many more. Hoecakes Video.
In the Spring of 2016, I participated in a history class entitled "Applied History" where we created a website for the Milwaukee Historical Society. The Milwaukee Historical Society 2016 main exhibit was entitled, "Melodies and Memories: 200 Years of Milwaukee Music". Our class was given the task of taking the existing exhibit and embodying it into an explorable, interesting, and educational site for teachers, students and music lovers alike. Each of us in the class was given an element to focus on in order to create a fully functioning website. I was in charge of taking photos of the entire exhibit, working on the main exhibit tabs, and working with a fellow classmate on our oral history section: "Storytime with Bruce Cole". This class helped me realize my love for public history and it developed my website building skills.