Immersion Event at Historic Eastfield Village
September 27th & 28th
This fall, the Brigade of the American Revolution will once again return to the evocative setting of Eastfield Village for a weekend of immersive living history. Nestled in the hills of East Nassau, New York, Eastfield is a recreated village that captures the spirit of early America with its carefully restored 18th- and early 19th-century buildings. Originally begun in 1971 by Donald Carpentier, Eastfield features taverns, dwellings, workshops, and tradesmen’s shops—all dating from 1787 to 1840—and serves as an unmatched backdrop for bringing our shared past to life.
The 2025 Eastfield Weekend, scheduled for September 26 and 27, is designed as both a learning laboratory and a reenactor’s retreat. Participants will be asked to step away from the modern world and embrace the rhythms, hardships, and customs of the late 18th century. The event will begin with a military muster on Saturday morning and will unfold through a combination of tactical scenarios, fatigue duties, communal meals, and period socializing. For many, this weekend provides one of the most authentic opportunities to fully inhabit the world we seek to represent.
As in past years, soldiers and camp followers will march into the village, carrying their own gear and forming provisional mess groups. Their tents and shared cooking equipment will be transported on baggage wagons, while the soldiers themselves draw rations, post guard, and prepare meals from raw ingredients. Fatigue duties—chopping firewood, digging fire pits, foraging straw—will reinforce the daily grind of 18th-century camp life. Rations, pay, and even a bit of rum will be issued, offering participants the chance to barter, gamble, or relax (if not on duty) at the Yellow Tavern.
Meanwhile, civilians and officers residing within the village will portray local townspeople, innkeepers, craftsmen, and genteel figures. These participants will stay in the village’s historic buildings, many sleeping on rope beds and feather ticks, and all bringing their own bedding and candles. The roles played within the village are vital to creating a layered and believable environment: tradesmen may work their crafts, while domestic figures prepare food, tend to children, or offer services to weary soldiers. Social class and historical etiquette will be observed, lending structure and depth to the weekend’s interactions.
Eastfield’s strength lies in its atmosphere. The village and surrounding countryside offer open farmland, forested trails, and rustic lanes ideal for skirmishes, patrols, and spontaneous historical moments. While not free from modern intrusions—occasional fences, power lines, or distant traffic—the core of the village retains its timeless charm. When viewed through the haze of smoke from the cook fires, as candlelight flickers against hand-blown glass, one begins to feel the past is not so distant after all.
