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Santa Claus--much as 19th-century artist Thomas Nast depicted him--hugs a visitor at historic Chatham in southern Stafford. |
By CLINT SCHEMMER
A very different sort of Santa will appear this weekend at one of the region's most-storied homes. And you're invited to meet him.
Chatham Manor, the circa-1771 plantation house that graces the Stafford County bluff overlooking Fredericksburg, will open its doors.
And Santa Claus, sporting a fur-trimmed, star-spangled navy-blue shirt and red-and-white striped trousers--just as Civil War soldiers saw him in Harper's Weekly in Christmas of 1862--will be on hand.
Living historian Kevin Rawlings portrays a patriotic figure, based on illustrator Thomas Nast's 1860s representation of the then-emerging Christmas icon. His holiday attire is noticeably different than that worn by Santa Claus today.
Considered America's top expert on Christmas during the Civil War, Rawlings has won acclaim for his portrayal of Santa.
Genial and historically accurate, the re-enactor developed the role in the early 1990s, when he was looking for a new role to play at Antietam National Battlefield's grand illumination, which draws thousands of visitors. He hit upon Nast's Santa, and enlisted the help of his wife to create an appropriate costume.
It was Nast, a Unionist, who fixed Santa's home and toy-workshop address at the North Pole "so no nation can claim him as their own." Nast, a German immigrant, took the Dutch-German "Sinterklaass" and that culture's custom of his giving gifts to children on St. Nicholas Eve, Dec. 5, and gradually turned St. Nick into a popular American holiday figure.
A resident of Hagerstown, Md., Rawling has even written a book on Civil War holiday customs, "We Were Marching on Christmas Day."
He'll share some of that lore at Chatham at 1 p.m., presenting a 40-minute program for adults and older children that describes the history of Santa Claus and how his image has changed over the years.
From 2 to 4 p.m., he will visit one-on-one with younger children.
Candles and traditional greenery will decorate Chatham, the headquarters of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, for the occasion. Volunteers will be on hand to pass out refreshments. And throughout, the musical group Evergreen Shade will perform period songs appropriate for the season.
Children are welcome to participate in a holiday scavenger hunt.
Notably, the park is offering not one, but two, holiday open houses this year.
For another version of Claus, visit Ellwood in Orange County, where a Victorian Santa will hold forth from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. At 11 a.m., the Joysong Chorale will sing; from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., volunteers will offer guided tours of the historic home. Refreshments will be served.
Both Ellwood and Chatham, now preserved by the National Park Service, were owned by the Lacy family. The Lacys sold Chatham and moved to "Dear Old Ellwood" after the Civil War.
Clint Schemmer: 540/368-5029
Email: cschemmer@freelancestar.com
What: Chatham open house When: 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Santa visits with younger children from 2 to 4 p.m. Where: Chatham Manor, 120 Chatham Lane, Stafford Info: Free. 540/373-6122 or 540/786-2880; nps.gov/ frsp; fowb.org |
