We encourage you to visit us!      (To view Use Scrollbar)-->

To find out more about a Rendezvous in your area:

-Click on an Event button (upper left) to select the web site provided for more information on that Rendezvous.
-Call/email the Booshway or staff member listed
-Call the Business office at 717-312-3016

Visitor Rules
We recommend that you wear shoes made for walking in all sorts of terrain and weather.
While at "camp" we ask you follow a few rules:
-No pets or animals of any kind.
-No running in camp.
-Stay out of marked, adjacent or wooded areas without a guide.
-We encourage you to take photos, but please be considerate!
-Please put trash and extinguished cigarette butts in the proper receptacles, not in the porta-jons!

Information
Once you have visited us and you would like to join in on the fun, and you ask yourself, “Can I do that?” Sure you can!

All it takes is a love of history, the desire to camp and the willingness to do a bit of research.

So you’re a great lover of History and would like to live it…what do you do first?

Deciding which time period would be a great start!

The National Rendezvous and Living History Foundation (NRLHF) represents the time period between 1640 and 1840.

We have folks representing all time periods of America’s exploration… The 1700s? The French and Indian War? The Revolutionary War? You betcha!

Perhaps a longhunter, one of the many craftsmen of the time or even one of the eastern woodland Indians?

Yup, yup, yup and yup!

Or perhaps your interest lies in the 1800s, the time of the Mountain Men or the French Courier du Bois.

The NRLHF has you covered.

When you're getting started, go to as many events as possible and talk to people. You will find people that live history are a valuable resource in trying to determine your ideal period of interest and are usually more than happy to help a “pilgrim” (someone new starting out).

At any given rendezvous you will see individuals dressed from chain mail (documented to have been in Jamestown settlement in 1640) to full Native American regalia. Depending upon which area of the country you happen to be in certain styles may prevail and these will also change with time. Variety and change are good and tend to keep people interested.

In the area known for the "Eastern Primitive Rendezvous" many changes have occurred in the past 20 years from predominant portrayals of the western Mountain Man to more of the traditional Eastern Longhunter and Colonial style of both dress and lodging. This also included military re-enactors from the French & Indian War, Revolutionary War and War of 1812.

During the NRLHF five regional rendezvous, period correctness is highly valued whereas the NRLHF Corps of Discovery is a learning/teaching event open to all beginners (more information on all the events can be found within this website).

Once you have decided on a time period, it is time for more research. Learn what types and styles of clothing including footwear is period and proper, also which type of gun and/or accoutrements are correct for the time. Clothing, patterns and accoutrements can be purchased and either created by you or someone you can hire for the job. Make yourself a haversack from a light cotton canvas and purchase a tin plate, a tin cup and eating utensils and you're pretty well set. Folks around the rendezvous are always happy to take in a “Pilgrim,” feed them and provide all the necessary research you’ll ever need!

If you are an avid shooter and would like a period appropriate gun, there are many types from a multitude of sources – research again! Everything from production guns to custom built. Generally speaking, you will get what you pay for. Quality costs more, but a good gun or rifle can be found for relatively low expense. Knowing which time period you want to reenact is crucial here. An eastern Longhunter would not have had a Hawkins style cap lock rifle, as it wouldn't have been made in the same era.

Researching your shelter or “lodge” is another step in starting out. First, what type of tent or shelter is right for your period and then what is right for you. Again, there is a variety of types and styles to choose from. From as simple as a square piece of canvas you can crawl under to the most elaborate tipi. There are many considerations. Picking your lodge is a big step and has many considerations - is it period correct? How much is enough and what is too much. What about ease of set up and tear down? How will you transport poles? And then there is the cost.

O.K.....You have all your stuff together...now what?

Well, most of us go to as many rendezvous, market fairs or period events as we can in a year. A rendezvous can either be a small group of people/friends getting together for a weekend of good times to local black powder/muzzleloader clubs hosting a weekend event with primitive competitions. Other events that may be of interest are battle reenactments or going to local schools to “teach” children about a particular time period. Larger events are sponsored by the NRLHF in 5 regions around the country and these can draw upwards to 1,000 attendants for a 10 day event. All in all a very pleasant way to spend one's vacation since modern intrusions are not to be seen. That means no pagers, cell phones, "boom boxes" or TV's allowed. Also, no internal combustion engines except in designated areas and brief periods for people to either load or unload their camp (with a 1 hour time period). We do also make some allowances for service vehicles (Water and ice delivery, garbage and sewage removal).

The main point is get involved! Most groups are always looking for new ideas and new people. A bonus to you is that you are able to spend time with people who have been doing this for years and are more than happy to answer any questions you might have about our hobby or about history. Most of us are amateur historians but we do have quite a few professionals in our midst.