Craig Russell

I started reenacting at 14 years of age in 1965. The group was the Westchester Co. militia based in White Plains, NY. We spent the next 10 years researching and preparing for the bicentennial of the American Revolution from 1975 to 1983.

In March of 1983 Jim Reh, the Kent Delord House Museum director, wrote to me requesting my participation in a weekend demonstration centering on the Battle of Plattsburgh. This led to subsequent school days and other weekends in later years. In 1991 a group of us debuted the 15th US Infantry at the KDH and truly started authentic 1812 portrayals of the BOP.

A 1996 KDH demonstration weekend under director Janet Garrell (sic) was recorded by Cal Castine and Gordy Little. This took the area by storm and the BOP weekend committee was formed.

The first weekend was in 1997 and grew in size up to the Bicentennial in 2014. Now 6 years later a group of us are striving to sustain a simpler reenactment weekend by starting in this COVID environment with a simple one day demonstration.