Former teacher reenacts historical figures, literary characters

Nov. 3—GREENTOWN — New life was breathed into the past at Greentown Historical Society's museum last week.

Dressed in garb Freedom Township's original settlers might have worn, Sharon Dillman performed for a crowd that nearly filled the front portion of the museum Oct. 25.

She's been dressing up as historic figures and literary characters for about 40 years.

Dillman explained she began reenacting historical figures when she was a third grade teacher at Blair Pointe Elementary School. Her class' history textbook wasn't doing much to grab the attention of her students, so she took it upon herself to make the subject interesting.

She began dressing up as an historical figure — starting with Betsy Ross — and would spend the next few weeks diving into that person's life with her class.

"My third graders, when I see them today — of course, they've grown up — they always say, 'You know what I remember the most about third grade was history. I just love history,'" Dillman said.

She retired from the classroom after 42 years, but more than a decade later, Dillman is still bringing stories to life.

She visits retirement homes in Kokomo, North Manchester, Peru and Wabash once a month to share stories. The residents, Dillman said, are always glad to see what she has in store for them.

During Constitution Week, she visited area high schools dressed as Betsy Ross.

"I was just amazed at how interested they were in history and the questions they had to ask," Dillman said.

Greentown settlers

Dillman didn't segue into her historical figure at the Greentown Historical Society's museum. Instead, after a brief introduction, she began to project her voice and address the crowd as a character named Mary.

The reenactor switched freely between narration and dialogue, as if she were reading to her audience.

She started in the east, with a blacksmith husband who always wanted to become a farmer. The family decided to head west and start a homestead.

Sprinkling in details, such as the contents of a well-packed trunk, Dillman told the crowd about the family's arduous trek. After months of travel, they finally reached the Ohio River.

"I remember when we crossed over that river into Indiana. We thought we had found paradise," Dillman said. A few members in the audience chuckled.

The homesteaders kept pushing northwest, occasionally spending a night or two with people who had already settled on the land. Dillman, still in character, said the stops allowed them the luxury of washing their clothes.

"I remember them telling us 'Now, don't you be going up Terre Haute way. I hear the soil is so poor up there, unless you can live off crab apples,'" Dillman said. "And then they said, 'Now don't you be going near Indianapolis. Why it's been said that all squatters around Indianapolis, why, they got moss growing up their legs clear up to their knees.'"

The crowd chuckled again.

Eventually, the family made their way to Howard County, finally settling in an area that was "just so green."

As Dillman's story came to an end, she explained it took place around 1860. Liberty Township would have been established two years prior, she told the audience, after Greentown was settled in 1848.

The homesteading tale was fictional and loosely based on "A Packet of Seeds" by Deborah Hopkinson.

Greentown's first settlers were Quakers from Tennessee, she added.

History builds character

Dillman, who lives near Peru, has developed 52 characters over the years. The most recent addition was Marie Stuart Edwards, a Peru suffragist who helped secure the right of Hoosier women to vote.

She researches each character, sometimes conducting interviews if locals are able to offer some insight. Children's books and old newspaper articles often include details that get left out of the history books, Dillman said.

"I try to make sure that if it's a historical story, that it is true," Dillman said. "Other fiction stories, you can add things to those."

The next step is writing a script for the character. The stories come naturally to Dillman.

"You've got to be ready and in the mood to do it, and then it just comes," the reenactor said. "If I'm having difficulty and I just can't get it down, I just quit and then go back to it."

Dillman also sews her own costumes, which gives her control over the appearance of each character.

She's never been especially interested in performing with a theater group — puppet shows at her church are the closest she'll get. All the hard work Dillman puts into each character simply comes from a love of reading and history.

"I just like telling stories," Dillman said. "I'm a storyteller."

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.