Corsets, hoop skirts, frock coats and cravats will be back in style this weekend for the Athens County Historical Society & Museum’s Second Annual Civil War Ball.
The Civil War Ball started this past year as an idea because it was the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, said Laura Farrell, the assistant manager of the historical society.
“We’re always looking for interesting fundraiser ideas,” Farrell said. “We want something to help people learn about history and to have fun and maybe experience something historical in a way that’s more meaningful than maybe just reading about it in a textbook.”
It is encouraged for people who attend the ball to wear period-appropriate clothing, but it is not required, Farrell said.
“It’s not for everybody, but (for) people who do love (to dress up), it gives them a place and time to do it,” Farrell said. “The legions of Civil War reenactors usually make the outfits themselves or have them made.”
Volunteers for the event are provided with costumes from Norm Fox, one of the historical society’s board members, Farrell said.
Katie Conlon, a freshman studying history and a volunteer for the ball, said that most of her work has been for the general planning of the event.
“I was a student intern at the museum last semester and unfortunately was unable to do it this semester, so I’m just really excited to be working with the people at the museum again,” Conlon said. “I think they’re a really great group of people.”
The historical society arranged sewing days to help people sew their own costumes as well as set up waltz lessons at the Athens Public Library, said Jessica Cyders, the museum’s curator.
Civil War-era dancing is what Cyders is most looking forward to, she said.
“The dances were designed to make beautiful shapes and patterns on the floor,” Cyders said.
Making everything authentic and getting the feeling of what an 1860s ball would actually be like was incredibly important, Farrell said.
“History is full of a lot of important dates and events but it’s really about people, and if you don’t understand what individuals were living like at a certain time period, it’s really hard to understand what the events were that were shaping that era,” Farrell said.
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