CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Seminole Valley Farm Museum put history into action this weekend with its 16th annual Reflections of the Civil War.
About 100 reenactors showed the community what real civilian life looked like during the Civil War.
To play the part, reenactors wore certain clothing, used specific tools, ate different foods and even slept in tents.
Jason Hoover, a coordinator for Reflections of the Civil War, spoke about what makes reenacting important.
“As we progress and modernize through time, we lose a little touch of things, like what it’s like to sleep in a tent or cook over an open fire,” Hoover said.
He explained how this event isn’t static – you get to see, hear and smell the past.
By sharing history this way, they were able to teach people about artillery, infantry, medicine, and fashion from the time.
Hoover said this event is a reminder of the freedoms Americans fought to protect.
“The Civil War was really the first test of us as a country, of our constitution and what our country stood for,” he said.
In August, history will come alive again in Seminole Valley when the museum puts on another reenactment: World War II remembered.
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