Rebecca Boone: A Portrayal by Bonnie Strassell
Submitted by ATHS Admin on March 12, 2015 - 11:17am
Rebecca Boone: A Portrayal by Bonnie Strassell
Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 7 p.m.
Stratton Community Center, Shelbyville, KY
Presented by The Painted Stone Settlers, Inc.
“It is difficult for us in the present century to imagine the personal hardships and tragedies daily faced by women of the 1700’s. Their stories remain largely untold, yet they persist, waiting for someone to rediscover and assign them their rightful place in the annals of American history,” said living history interpreter, Bonnie Strassell. For the last 15 years Strassell has focused her storytelling abilities on frontier women, telling the amazing stories of Rebecca Boone, Jennie Wiley, Eva Lail (a Shawnee captive take from Ruddles Fort) and Elizabeth Zane (famous for her courageous gunpowder run during the Revolutionary War).
It is women like Rebecca Boone that captivate Strassell. “There are many women such as Rebecca Boone whose undaunted courage on the bleak and lonely frontier is undeniable,” said Strassell. “I believe Rebecca Boone epitomizes these self-sacrificing individuals and I am fascinated with her absolute fierce strength of character that enabled her to raise a family, defend her home when needed, and patiently remain a steadfast anchor in Daniel Boone’s life.”
Strassell will present a program about Rebecca Boone in Shelbyville on Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Stratton Community Center, located at 215 Washington Street. Her first presentation as Rebecca Boone was given three years ago at the Patriot Fair in Ohio. Since then, Strassell has continued to add to her story as new documentation surfaces. To garner clues about Rebecca’s life, Strassell interviewed Boone descendants, read endless books and articles on Daniel Boone and pursued the Lyman Draper manuscripts along with those of John Dabney Shane, two noted 18th century historians.
Strassell’s heritage stems to Ireland, Scotland and Wales where her ancestors traveled from to settle in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. A native of Ohio, she currently lives in Owen County, Ky. She is a storyteller and member of the Kentucky Storytelling Association, in addition to writing a weekly history column for the News-Herald in Owen County. Strassell and her family have been involved in historical re-enacting for thirty years and she has just written a book entitled, "1812: Kentuck Is Coming."
For the evening performance with Rebecca Boone on April 2, light refreshments will be served. "Rebecca Boone: A Portrayal by Bonnie Strassell" is hosted by The Painted Stone Settlers, Inc. This group seeks to preserve, document and interpret Kentucky ’s vast 18th century history in many ways. Each year they present The Long Run Massacre & Floyd’s Defeat (Sept. 12 & 13, 2015) and a very successful School Day program with over 20 stations available to teachers and students for hands-on learning. The group participates in many other living history events and meets the first Thursday of each month in Shelbyville.
For more information please contact Kathy Cummings at (502) 228-3746 or Helen McKinney at (502) 738-9435, or visit www.paintedstonesettlers.org.
Media note: picture of Bonnie Strassell as Rebecca Boone can be provided upon request
Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 7 p.m.
Stratton Community Center, Shelbyville, KY
Presented by The Painted Stone Settlers, Inc.
“It is difficult for us in the present century to imagine the personal hardships and tragedies daily faced by women of the 1700’s. Their stories remain largely untold, yet they persist, waiting for someone to rediscover and assign them their rightful place in the annals of American history,” said living history interpreter, Bonnie Strassell. For the last 15 years Strassell has focused her storytelling abilities on frontier women, telling the amazing stories of Rebecca Boone, Jennie Wiley, Eva Lail (a Shawnee captive take from Ruddles Fort) and Elizabeth Zane (famous for her courageous gunpowder run during the Revolutionary War).
It is women like Rebecca Boone that captivate Strassell. “There are many women such as Rebecca Boone whose undaunted courage on the bleak and lonely frontier is undeniable,” said Strassell. “I believe Rebecca Boone epitomizes these self-sacrificing individuals and I am fascinated with her absolute fierce strength of character that enabled her to raise a family, defend her home when needed, and patiently remain a steadfast anchor in Daniel Boone’s life.”
Strassell will present a program about Rebecca Boone in Shelbyville on Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Stratton Community Center, located at 215 Washington Street. Her first presentation as Rebecca Boone was given three years ago at the Patriot Fair in Ohio. Since then, Strassell has continued to add to her story as new documentation surfaces. To garner clues about Rebecca’s life, Strassell interviewed Boone descendants, read endless books and articles on Daniel Boone and pursued the Lyman Draper manuscripts along with those of John Dabney Shane, two noted 18th century historians.
Strassell’s heritage stems to Ireland, Scotland and Wales where her ancestors traveled from to settle in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. A native of Ohio, she currently lives in Owen County, Ky. She is a storyteller and member of the Kentucky Storytelling Association, in addition to writing a weekly history column for the News-Herald in Owen County. Strassell and her family have been involved in historical re-enacting for thirty years and she has just written a book entitled, "1812: Kentuck Is Coming."
For the evening performance with Rebecca Boone on April 2, light refreshments will be served. "Rebecca Boone: A Portrayal by Bonnie Strassell" is hosted by The Painted Stone Settlers, Inc. This group seeks to preserve, document and interpret Kentucky ’s vast 18th century history in many ways. Each year they present The Long Run Massacre & Floyd’s Defeat (Sept. 12 & 13, 2015) and a very successful School Day program with over 20 stations available to teachers and students for hands-on learning. The group participates in many other living history events and meets the first Thursday of each month in Shelbyville.
For more information please contact Kathy Cummings at (502) 228-3746 or Helen McKinney at (502) 738-9435, or visit www.paintedstonesettlers.org.
Media note: picture of Bonnie Strassell as Rebecca Boone can be provided upon request