Fort Defiance held annual Christmas in Occupied Clarksville celebration
Clarksville, TN – On December 15th, 2014 Fort Defiance Interpretive Center held their second annual Christmas in Occupied Clarksville. The allows visitors to the Civil War Fort to experience the holidays as soldiers and civilians would have during the 1860s.
“The public reception to Christmas in Occupied Clarksville as been absolutely overwhelming,” said William Parker, the Historical Interpreter at Fort Defiance. “We are very very very pleased at the turnout, we didn’t expect this many people but by golly we’re glad they came to celebrate the Christmas season with us here at the Fort Defiance Interpretive Center.”
Phyllis Smith from the Friends of Fort defiance talks to the visitors to the Fort Defiance Interpretive Center during Christmas in Occupied Clarksville
The interpretive center was decorated with period decorations, reenactors dressed in their finest Civil War regalia mingled with visitors; including a nineteenth century Santa Claus for the kids. “Santa Claus is dressed in the way that he would have looked back in 1862.”
Other activities included the singing of traditional Christmas carols, Christmas tree decorating. Reenactors held several talks about the history of Fort defiance and the Civil War. There were also period toys for the kids to play with.
Santa Claus tell stories to children at Christmas in Occupied Clarksville at the Fort Defiance Interpretive Center
Refreshments were made available. These were Gingersnaps, cookies, cakes, and nonalcoholic eggnog, which is what would have been served during Christmas parties in that time period.
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