Please be patient with us as this website grows, check back with us often as we bring the computer age back to the 18th century! We are the Merrimack Valley Independent Militia, an organization of living historians dedicated to researching and recreating the lifestyles of 18th century America. We study the past and duplicate the material culture of two centuries ago, then we put our 'artifacts' and ourselves to the test by using them in the field during historical reenactments and other living history events. At some living history events, we present ourselves as a 1740's + 50's militia unit known as Goffe's Snowshoemen. For a partial list of events you may join us at, check our calendar. As you do, please remember that all dates are subject to change. Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Babies bring a lot of changes. When I returned from my family leave from my mechanic job, my position has been filled. Yes, I know that violates the Family Leave Act, but it wasn't worth fighting. I took a few more weeks to spend with my recovering wife and new baby, then got down to business. I had been trading in reenactor stuff to make gas and powder money since 1993, so I decided to take it seriously and do it full time. In the past year my business, the Middlesex Village Trading Co. has gone from a "blanket trader" affair using my old lean-pi that I got from Pescunck Larabee all those years ago to a full time business with a cargo trailer, marquee tent, and a website.
Check back to our site often, I plan on adding a few new pages of photos, including our 18th century wedding (summer 1999) and a memorial page with photos of my mother's 18th century funeral (summer 2000).
In the meantime, here are some pages that may be of interest to you. In the course of researching personal equipment and new products, I have often found it useful to throw together a quick web page to explain something to someone across the country or across the world. I'm going to go through them and straighten things out when I get a few minutes. With no real order to them, here they are:
A study of the English Long Land musket
A study of English Sea Service pistols
A really cool Spanish blunderbuss that I got at the Butterfield's auction this summer
The privateer 'Bombarda' being built for an Italian group. Perhaps we should get one of our own?
Pictures of blown glass oil lamps we had made in the Czech Republic
More pictures of the reproduction Naval cutlass
A reproduction English Dragoon pistol
An Indian Trade musket built out of a 3rd Model Brown Bess
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