Ready-to-Wear History By Elise Hartman Ford Special to The Washington Post Wednesday, July 19, 2000

"I'm glad I don't have to dress like that," says my 8-year-old daughter Lucy as we stare in pity at the men in serge and the dames in long skirts, long sleeves, stockings and bonnets. We're on a summer tour of styles long out of fashion--the anachronistic world of Civil War reenactments, living history and real-time tableaux. Today we're at the reigning monarch of living history attractions in the region, Colonial Williamsburg. But our review includes other, less well-known places where people swelter in the name of bygone accuracy--an early British settlement at St. Mary's City, Md.; the never-ending battle of Gettysburg, Pa.; and the pre-Revolutionary War fort in Fort Frederick, Md.

There's no better way to wrap yourself in history than by surrounding yourself with a well-researched, double-stitched re-creation. Try as one might to imagine what life was like in another time and place, the mind falls short. You can read a book, see a movie and still have trouble getting close to the past. But step into the picture, and history comes a little closer. Places where they get the clothing right, in both texture and aroma, invite visitors to step into the picture and lay their hands on the very fabric of history.

In Williamsburg, we stopped at the George Wythe House, an original dwelling that dates from about 1755, and watched the cook toil over an open hearth in a kitchen adjacent to the house, turning out pickled beef tongue, Virginia ham, duck and syllabub (a kind of dessert). When we expressed sympathy for his having to labor in such heat, the cook responded testily, "This would not have been the hottest job at all; that would have belonged to those who worked all day in the fields." Our cook could not have felt cool, dressed as he was in standard breeches, stockings and billowy shirt, and field workers, a docent here informed us, would have worn very much the same, perhaps with a wide-brimmed straw hat to help stave off the burning rays of the sun.

Seeking refuge from such a sun, we toured the grand Governor's Palace. In the palace ballroom, a wigged attendant described the dances, or "routs," once held here under blazing candelabra that cast a hot yellow glow on the heavy gowns and well-cut coats of the colony's elite: "The evening would begin formally, with one couple at a time dancing the minuet, as the other guests stood aside to watch and criticize. As the night went on, and more drink was consumed, the minuet would be replaced by faster dances, and the party grew rowdier. Routs would quite often continue into the morning."

Colonial Williamsburg (800-447-8679 or 757-229-1000, www.colonialwilliamsburg.org) lies about three hours from Washington, via I-95 south to I-295 south to I-64 east to Exit 238. Admission is $30 per adult, good for one day, and $18 for children 6-17, good for seven days. Pick up the Visitor's Companion when you arrive, so you know what events are taking place each day.

Historic St. Mary's City

St. Mary's is the site of an early British settlement in Maryland and, like Williamsburg, was once the state capital, from 1634 to 1695. Like Williamsburg, too, St. Mary's City's living history program takes place daily, though on a much smaller scale, in a more rural setting. Spread throughout the 800-acre complex are an active archaeological dig; a replica of the square-rigged 17th-century merchant's ship the Maryland Dove; a working tobacco plantation; a reconstructed 1676 State House; and an Indian hamlet. Wandering the grounds, you encounter interpreters in period dress: Indians barefoot and in leather dress; "English" women in layers of sleeved shift, petticoats, skirt, bodice and white apron, with frilled cap; barefoot sailors aboard the Dove attired in "slops," or the linen shorts worn over breeches, and loose-fitting shirts. Each interpreter stays in character and draws you in by telling vignettes that incorporate historical events, reenacting the past in amusing fashion. Meanwhile, the family and indentured servants on the tobacco plantation present the daily life of Tidewater farmers, their tasks and lifestyles changing with the seasons.

St. Mary's City (800-762-1634, www.smcm.edu/hsmc), 75 miles from Washington, can be reached by following Route 5 south until you see the signs for the historic area. Admission is $7.50 per adult, $6 per senior or student, $3.50 for children 12 and under.

Gettysburg

Military history buffs, of course, will want to visit the Gettysburg National Military History Park, a huge battlefield shrine with more than 1,000 monuments and 400 cannons on 5,700 acres. The park is famous for its annual reenactment of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, staged the first few days of July, commemorating the three-day battle of 1863. But nearly every weekend throughout the summer, the park invites small artillery units representing different parts of the country to set up encampments and provide a living history lesson. These groups appear in uniform and demonstrate the use of firearms and equipment, all of which would be true to the time they are re-creating during the Civil War.

In addition, you may run into park rangers and professional actors dressed as real people who played non-soldier roles during the Civil War: a Sister of Charity from nearby Emmitsburg, who nursed the wounded, or a farm woman who maintained the homestead when her husband went off to war. Soldiers were always happy to see the nun's habit of black woolen dress, white muslin cap and black veil that identified a Sister of Charity, and named these selfless souls the "Angels on the Battlefield." Interpreters rep-resenting farm women wear long-sleeved, ankle-length cotton "work" or "camp" dresses with a hook-and-eye fasten up the front and bonnets.

Gettysburg National Military History Park (717-334-6274, www.gettysburg.com) is about two hours from Washington; take the Beltway to I-270 north to U.S. 15 north to the Steinwehr exit. Check in at the visitors center for a schedule of the day's events. Admission is free.

Fort Frederick

Fort Frederick is a state park that encompasses 583 acres and an original fort from 1756, the time of the French and Indian War. It is considered the country's best preserved pre-Revolutionary War stone fort, with the walls and two barracks restored to their 1750s appearance. Visit any day between now and Labor Day and you will encounter a costumed historian, in red wool coat and red breeches, knee socks and tricorn hat, and carrying an 18th-century musket--the typical uniform of an 18th-century Maryland Forces soldier. The historian demonstrates skills and relates the events that would have been unfolding at different periods of its history. Specially scheduled programs are sporadic but tell the stories best, whether through military reenactments or re-creations of family life. Upcoming events include Colonial Children's Days, Aug. 12-13, during which kids can try on period costumes.

To reach Fort Frederick, follow I-70 to Maryland Route 56. Admission is $2 per adult, $1 per child. Call 301-842-2155 or check out the Web site www.dnr.state.md.us; click on "parks," then again on Western Maryland, and find Fort Frederick.

Closer to Home

Travel to another time without traveling far from home. Several excellent living history/reenactment centers lie within easy reach:

* Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey Run (6310 Georgetown Pike, McLean; 703-442-7557, www.1771.org). A working re-creation of an 18th-century family farm. Admission is $2 per adult, $1 per child or senior.

* C&O Canal Barges (1057 Thomas Jefferson St. NW in Georgetown, 202-653-5190, and at Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center, 11710 MacArthur Blvd. in Potomac, 301-299-3613). Park rangers in period dress steer the mule-drawn barges along the C&O Canal while regaling passengers with legend, lore and song. Mid-April to early November. Fee is $7.50 per adult, $6.50 per senior, $4.50 per child.

* Gadsby's Tavern (138 N. Royal St., Alexandria; 703-548-1288, www.gadsbys.org). Come for an 18th-century feast in the tavern where Washington often entertained. Authentic 18th-century structure, period music, servers in Colonial attire, early-American fare: baked ham and cheese pye, Sally Lunn bread and the like.