2010 Burr Family & Friends Homecoming

Many have asked about the next Burr Family Homecoming for Oct 2010.

I selected a date 3 months ago and am still waiting for confirmation from the hotel to make sure the dates are good for them. Before I let that sound like the hotel has fallen down on the job, let me state that the person with whom I was working got sick and was out for a while. When I checked on her condition in mid November, I discovered that she had died. So, the hotel's general manager who has been very good to us is taking care of the matter and promises to have info back to me very soon. As of mid December, he hired a replacement person whom I'm sure has been very busy during this hectic season. I will try again in early January to confirm our dates.

Meanwhile, people still want to know when the next homecoming will be. My fear in announcing a date is the slim possibility that the date by chance might not be good for the hotel. Yet, because many still want to know, I will make the following announcement (with fear and trepidation) that I hope the dates for our next homecoming will be Oct 9-16, 2010. While I'm about 95% sure that date will hold, please do not hold me to it if we do in deed need to make a change.

With that said, you will notice that I'm planning a full week for this event. I'm aware that some people may not be able to attend for a full week, but I plan to post the schedule so you may pick which days you want to attend if you can only do a few of the days. The reasons for scheduling a full week is to allow us to do more but to also have more free time for small group site-seeing based on your own preferences. I will organize information to help making choices for optional tours more successful while allowing you to choose places that most interest you. Hopefully, the planning for these optional tours as well as planning for the larger ones will be the beginning foundation for what I hope becomes an online Tourism Resource.

Our first and last homecoming in 2008 was a success. We had fun and got to know each other. We will have more fun this time and we will get to know each other even better. Much will be different. This time,

• I will not be preparing all (or even most) of the meals. The registration fee, therefore will be smaller (probably about $75 per person) even though we will enjoy more days together. You will be on your own to select where and what you eat most of the time.
  
• We will have full and unlimited access to the Peter Burr House. I'm contemplating renting a large tent in order to make the historic property the center of our administration for the event. We will be able to post the big chart that shows the family tree and leave it up for the entire week. We will be able to use all of the buildings on site. We will be able to hold and participate in actual workshops.
  
• We will invite not only descendants of Peter Burr but also descendants of in-laws (the people who married Peter Burr's children) and descendants of Peter Burr's friends and neighbors. Many families do not have a 260-year-old homestead to return to and to actually TOUCH and to feel the immediate feeling of linking to the past. I've learned that those whose ancestors had other connections to the Peter Burr House also have the same goose-bumpy feelings as the hair on the backs of their necks stand on end when they too are able to touch a structure that their ancestors visited. These are some of the people who may well become avid supporters for the preservation of the house. And some of these people may have family documents that add to the documentation that our family has found thus far. It is very useful to expand the scope of those whom we want to draw in.
  
• We will also invite all of the volunteers who donate their time, effort, money, and love to the Peter Burr House. The will be invited to attend all of our events. Family needs to know these people and these volunteers need to know who we are as family. 
  
• We will also invite the local people of the Jefferson County and surrounding areas to share in a limited number of the events. Our purpose is to blend the descendants of Peter Burr with those friends and neighbors who may someday be the ones helping to support the historic property. The assembling of the family will be the big event that I believe will cause local people to want to come and blend in and become a part of the Peter Burr House experience.
• We will have some special invited guests who will share specific expertise and knowledge and possibly conduct some workshops. Much of this is still in planning stages, but as the one who knows what is being planned, I can tell you these will be fun-packed and informative experiences.
• I will gather tourism information to help you to make the best of small group tours according to your own choices. While some may have special interest in the numerous Civil War sites in the local area (including: Manasas, VA: Harpers Ferry, WV; Sharpsburg (Antetium), MD, and Gettysburg, PA), others may have more interest in the historic railroad system (including the historic B&O that passes through Peter Burr's property) or the historic C&O Canal, or the important historic roads and gathering points in the area (the National Road, the Philadelphia Wagon Road, Warm Springs Road, or Pack Horse Ford river crossing, and the other old Indian paths) that today are major roads in the area.

The plans already include two full days of touring on a chartered bus to sites focused:

• one day on the French and Indian War and 
• the other day on the Revolutionary War period.

These are both very interesting periods and several sites exist that can provide excellent historic experiences that paint the picture very vividly. Both time periods and the focus on cultural differences are important to the larger picture of motivations and processes behind historic events. The same information will help to identify even better who Peter Burr was and what his life was like. Hopefully, you will leave the event with a much better idea of possible reasons why he came to the area and most certainly with some pride at being his descendant or person with related interest.

At least one other day (and possibly a second day) is planned to be a hands-on 18th century experience. Last year, attendees got to visit the Peter Burr House and see artisans demonstrating 18th century crafts. This time we will be doing the 18th century crafts including preparing our own 18th century supper and participating in other activities and games. You will have the option to dress in authentic reproduction clothing or otherwise in less costly faux-18th century clothing if you wish. We will have news reporters and television cameras present to publicize what is going on at the historic Peter Burr House. We will make this a significant media event. Also, there MAY be one or more professional television people filming or assessing the setting for a possible mini documentary series (about Peter Burr and family) that is currently under consideration. If this documentary series occurs, it will be filmed with Peter Burr telling his story and the stories of other family members from the Peter Burr House. The House will serve as the base setting for all the related stories. While I make no promises, I can envision some shots from the homecoming with people in period clothing being included in the series. And with various personalities emerging, it is possible that some people at the homecoming could be useful later as extras in the filming of the documentaries. Who knows what interestingly little experiences will result?

Well, this is enough on this subject for today, but this blog site will likely be the place where I will post updates related to the upcoming homecoming. It might be useful to bookmark this site and to visit from time to time.

Much more on the 2010 Burr Family and Friends Homecoming will be forthcoming.

Joyce Cole, Founder
Reliving History, Inc. and
The Peter Burr Society