Jan 10, 2018 3 min read

Clay Kilgore will literally keep the home fires burning next weekend.

Executive director of Washington County Historical Society, Kilgore plans to spend next Friday night stoking the blaze in the Kennedy Log House fireplace in preparation for the society’s Twelfth Night celebration.

“It has a stone floor, so I like to heat it up ahead of time,” he said.

The festivities will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Jan. 20 in the log house, located near the Main Pavilion in Washington Park. The event was originally scheduled for this Saturday, but because of the chance of freezing rain that day, it was postponed to next week.

Regardless of temperatures that day, “By 3 p.m. Saturday, it will be very warm,” said Kilgore.

Twelfth Night, or the Epiphany, was the major winter holiday celebrated by colonists in the 1700s.

“The holiday season we think of now is Christmas. In the 18th century, the settlers in the area more heavily celebrated Twelfth Night,” Kilgore said. “It wasn’t just a holiday event, it was also kind of a post-harvest festival, celebrating making it through another year. Life was tough.”

Anything left over from that year’s harvest, including smoked or salted meats and dried vegetables, would have been enjoyed during the celebration. In that spirit of the settler’s fare, the tasting menu includes smoked wild turkey, double-boiled rabbit, stews, soups, dried meats, cheeses and bread, and, of course, period tavern drinks, like rum and whiskey.

Previously called the “Hughes House,” Kennedy Log House will serve as an 18th-century tavern for the festivities. Within the house, which was moved from North Main Street in the 1960s when it was discovered it was built from logs in the late 1700s, tales of the Pennsylvania frontier will be told and songs will be sung.

“It’s a neat night where people can sit and congregate and get a feeling of what an 18th-century celebration would have been like,” said Kilgore.

Kilgore and other society members and history enthusiasts will don period dress, but visitors are welcome regardless of their attire. The event is free, but donations will be accepted.

“We have several events throughout the year that are not fundraising events. We want to get out and give something back,” Kilgore said. “We’ve been getting wonderful support. This is a way to give back and say, ‘You’re helping us. Let us do something fun for you.'”

Washington County Historical Society, which administers the Francis J. LeMoyne House, LeMoyne Crematory, Norma K. Grimes Research Library and Washington County Frontier History Center, surpassed last year’s Annual Appeal goal and is currently raising funds through this year’s efforts. Their mission is to preserve Washington County’s history and heritage.

The society hosts other events, including Ghastly Tales of the Pennsylvania Frontier, Spirits in the Garden and Art in the Garden.

For more information about the Washington County Historical Society, visit www.wchspa.org or call 724-225-6740.