Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Though George Washington and the Continental Army didn’t traverse down the Nisqually River 250 years ago during the Revolutionary War, members of Spirit of ‘76 Living History Association worked to keep the memory of the war alive during an encampment and reenactment in Yelm on Saturday, July 19, and Sunday, July 20.
Kevin Saville, Spirit of ‘76 Living History Association event coordinator, and members of the organization have sought to keep the history and teachings of the Revolutionary War alive through encampments and reenactments. At a local farm on the outskirts of Yelm, just down George Road, the spirit of the Revolutionary War was alive and well.
One of the reenactments featured a battle between American patriots and members of the Royal Military Forces and included artillery exhibits for onlookers to enjoy. Saville is hopeful that the next generation of historians and reenactors can be inspired through attending historical encampments.
“Our purpose is to be educational to the public, especially to inspire young people to be interested in history. That’s a big part of what we do. Perhaps history doesn’t get enough attention in this day and age,” Saville told the Nisqually Valley News on Sunday, July 20. “The more we can educate and inspire about the history of our nation, the more we’re pleased with what we do. We don’t really hold private events — we typically hold public events.”
On Sunday, one of the group’s reenactments featured a battle between the Royal Army’s 43rd Regiment of Foot and a group of American patriots. Saville noted the British side of the reenactment featured vast numbers, though he stays partial to the American side of history.
“I’m partial to the American side, even though I’m often on the Royal Artillery side. I have at least three ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War. I’m a member of the Sons of the American Revolution George Rogers Clark Chapter in Olympia,” Saville said. “Spirit of ‘76 Living History Association, we’ve existed for about six years now, and we want to honor and commemorate the history of the American Revolutionary War period from 1775 to 1783. This year is the 250th anniversary of the early part of the revolution. Next year will be the 250th anniversary of 1776, and that’s the highlight — pretty much what people think about.”
Saville isn’t strictly tied into the Revolutionary War, and has previously participated in Civil War reenactments. Whether he’s teaching attendees about America’s fight for independence, or the Union and Confederate States of America fighting over slavery and states’ rights, the organization’s event coordinator is more than happy to teach young participants about the history of the United States.
“I’m not necessarily focused on just this period. I also do the Civil War era, too,” he said. “But I do this because I was young at one time, and now I’m like a grandparent’s age for these kids, and it’s like so much of our society is focused on (phones). It’s part of the whole socialization concept of people needing to interact and be with other people, especially if people can turn out and do something and appreciate it, it’s really cool. It’s great to have this opportunity. Some people can read, look things up online, but maybe it’s helpful for some people to see it and feel it.”
Saville noted that Spirit of ‘76 Living History Association has held several events this year, including an encampment at the Chehalis Veterans Memorial Museum in April, a reenactment on Anderson Island in June, and the current exhibit in Yelm. The organization will also hold “Early American Heritage Festival” at Wilkowski Park in Rainier on Aug. 15-17.
“It’s our highlight event of the season — Early American Heritage Festival. That will broaden out a little bit in scope. We’ve invited earlier colonial periods to join us if they wish, and up through Lewis and Clark. We have a Lewis and Clark unit that’s real active during the celebration of Lewis and Clark a few years ago, and they’ll be up there with us, as well,” Saville said. “We like to hold these events whenever we can, wherever we can. We participate in parades, largely in the South Puget Sound region. We hold two, three or four of these encampments in the summer.”
