Union soldiers regroup after battle with Confederates.
CHENEY – Locals and visitors alike came from all over to watch the recreation of a piece of American history at the Spokane Civil War Reenactment over the Memorial Day Weekend in Cheney.
Lillian Applington portrayed a typical housewife taking care of her children, who were also dressed in timely attire to demonstrate what a typical home would look like during the Civil War.
Applington said her interest in the era of time began when she was 12-years-old while watching a Ken Burns documentary called "The Civil War." She's played a part in the reenactment for more than 25 years.
"This is preserving the history of it [the Civil War] so that people don't forget where we've come from," Applington said. "Good, bad and indifferent, we need to know where we come from and be proud of where we come from. This is about learning from their successes and mistakes so that we don't repeat history."
The original features of the event are what Applington said makes it a good learning opportunity for children and adults.
"This isn't make believe, this is real. This is good for kids to come and interact and learn," she said. "Events like this bring people in and it's really good for everyone."
Many attendees of the event expressed a similar sentiment towards the reenactment.
Randy King is from Tennessee, where he had attended many Civil War reenactments. It was his first time attending the event in Cheney.
"It [the battle reenactment] was pretty good," he said. "They just don't teach it like this in school anymore. I graduated high school in 1974 and they really taught history. Kids ain't gonna learn this anymore."
The event was highly interactive. Attendees were able to go into the camps of the volunteers, talk with them and ask questions about their roles.
Children volunteers explained their roles to other children and offered them ideas of what a child during the Civil War might've been doing at home or contributing to the war.
Medical tents allowed viewers to hold actual equipment from the time and watch how medicines were made. They also got a chance to lay on the examiner's table and were told how a doctor would've removed a bullet from a soldier's legs.
Kathy Bernard has attended the reenactment in Cheney for a couple of years. She said she takes a more significant interest in the home life reenactment than the battles.
"There's a woman with an antique sewing machine down there," Bernard said. "I like the camps and the number of women and children here all dressed up in the clothes of the time and demonstrating the home arts."
The reenactment produced an account of the history of the Civil War and created a portal into a different time in Cheney.
Michaela is a former newsroom intern at the Cheney Free Press. She covered stories on education, city government, cops/courts/fire departments and local businesses.
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