Eighth graders at Hightower Trail Middle School were recently treated to a performance by two reenactors of the colonial Georgia era. As part of a unit on Georgia’s colonial history, the historians Neil Fitzgibbons and Joseph Hackney spent the morning teaching the students about the lifestyle of the Highland Scots of Darien, GA, during 1730-1750s.

During the lesson, both Fitzgibbons and Hackney wore authentic attire and included a demonstration of the tools and equipment used during the early 18th century. The students learned a bit of Gaelic, practical reasons for wearing kilts, and had a demonstration of battle tactics used by the Highlanders during the War of Jenkins Ear. The two men are members of a reenactment clan that has provided public demonstrations at many historic sites throughout the southeastern United States. The clan’s living history programs have been presented in Blairsville, Culloden, Fort King George, Fort Frederica, Fort Mose, and Kennesaw.

The school’s amphitheater, donated and built by The Home Depot through the Partners in Education program, provided the ideal setting for this glimpse into the lives of the people who settled in Georgia almost 200 years ago.