Hello, let me introduce myself: My name is Kay Dodge and I have been a living historian/reenactor since 1991. I have a bachelor of Arts in American History from the University of Louisville, I am married and have 3 boys ages 18, 14, and 31/2. My husband Greg is also a reenactor of the infantry type Civil War. He is also a 21st century solider serving in the KY Army National Guard.

My passion for things old started when I was 12 years old. I went to a swap meet with my father who restores classic cars. There I saw a hat box, not just any hat box, but a Dobbs 5th Avenue Top Hat box. It was a glorious thing hand painted with scenes of turn of the century New York going all the way around it. Horse drawn carriages, people walking and all those beautiful clothes! I was smitten! I had to have it, It was terribly expensive by my standards, a whole $12. Why that was a months allowance, but my father who loved his only daughter bought it for me. I carried it home in my lap like it was the finest thing ever made.

I placed it on a shelf in my room and decided, it needed some company I must have an old hat to put in it. My search was on. Soon I had 10 hats all at least turn of the century or no older then 1920. One year later not only had the hats gotten out of control so had the boxes. They were in every corner and empty space in my room. My mother had told me no more hats! Okay I said I can live with that. I switched to clothes! So my collection grew. By now I had narrowed my preferences down to one certain era. I loved the Victorian , espceially the 1860's. My search was on. Another few years passed and I had storage boxes spilling out the closet, stashed under the bed, stacked wherever I could find a place. I was a goner. I received antique clothing for Christmas and birthdays, my friends thought I was nuts! I was reading everything I could get my hands on to learn about this fascinating time in American History. That's where the Civil War came in. The more I read the more interesting it became. This was the era of women's first emancipation. They entered the work force they took on jobs that men had previously done, they began to shed the old stereotypes. These women were my heroines! Clara Barton, Dorthea Dix, Rose O'Neal Greenhow, Phoebe Pember(she is my favorite) to many to name. All strong and independant.By 1991 I was looking for way to vent all of my energy and enthusiasm and education in American History into something.

I went with my husband to a small civil war reenactment not to far from where we lived. Oh glory! finally I could actually do something with all I had learned. They were recruiting and I was looking to join. So join I did. I soon learned that women only followed the men around and looked pretty in all their Scarlet O'hara wonder. Oh no ,I was told we don't actually do anything, we just walk around and be a belle. I wasn't liking this. I wanted to do something. And those clothes they told me to make, something just wasn't right. Okay I said to myself you can figure this out, go to the library and see what you can find out about all the clothing that you have under every bed in your house and see what you can learn to make what you are wearing better.

Off I went to the library, research! I had it figured out, I would start trying to change what I was wearing to fit with what I was reading...Now that I am getting long winded we will skip ahead about 10 years. I read and I read and I asked questions and I made wonderful friends who helped me along the way, I am still a work in progress, but isn't that what we should all be? Just when you think you have something figured out, you find an original garment or a new entry in a Godeys book that you missed the first 10 times that you read it or that ever elusive tangible evidence a pristine CDV. My motto nowadays is live to learn and learn to live like they did. I will never be perfect but who is? I only want to make my foremothers proud of me for remembering them and their sacrifices and to educate along the way.

I hope you enjoy your time on this website, feel free to e-mail questions, and never ever stop looking and learning. Perfection is just right there beyond your fingertips....