Re-enactors bring the past to the present at The Gathering at Macktown

By Jean Seegers

Reporter

ROCKTON – The grounds at Macktown Living History and Education Center were studded with white tents, and teepees as visitors wended their way down the pathways and encampments during the Gathering at Macktown on Saturday, April 3 and Sunday, April 24.

Stephen Mack and his wife Hononegah founded the settlement, originally calling it “Pecatonic.” It later became known as Macktown.Two original buildings are still on the property: The Stephen Mack home and Whitman’s Trading Post.

To celebrate the history of the area, re-enactors gather each year on the grounds of Macktown to remember and celebrate the past.This year’s Gathering featured black powder demonstrations in the quarry, traders and trappers displaying their wares and Native American families gathering around their fires.

Visitors had the opportunity to glimpse the rich culture and everyday life of the people who lived in the area from 1700 through 1850.

On Friday, April 23, the Gathering was for “students only.”Over 660 school children arrived on busses from throughout the area to learn first-hand how their ancestors lived many years ago.

Macktown is located at 2221 Freeport Rd in Rockton.

For more information about programs, upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, call (815) 624-4200.