Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
PIERCETON - One of the biggest companies in the world outfitting 18th and 19th century re-enactments is located in the little town of Pierceton.
Jas. Townsend & Son Inc. is tucked neatly into a corner building at First Street (Ind. 13) and Market Street. The shingle above the door may tell what the business is all about, but general manager John Townsend believes that few locals are aware of the shop's existence.
Part of the reason for that is because the store accounts for only about 5 percent of the business transacted there. The majority of business is mail order, with merchandise being shipped all over the United States, as well as to several European countries and to Australia.
"There are a lot more people re-enacting the Revolutionary War than you would believe," said Mick Ray, publicity director. "There's something going on all the time somewhere."
The time frame the company focuses on is 1750 to 1830.
In addition to helping the re-enactors dress the part, Jas. Townsend & Son supplies items to historic sites and has been called upon from Hollywood.
Anyone who has seen a movie on the big screen recently in which the actors were dressed in period costume might be interested to know that the clothing came from Pierceton. Among the major motion pictures for which clothing and other historic items were provided by Jas. Townsend & Son are "The Last of the Mohicans," starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeline Stowe; "Huck Finn," starring Elijah Wood and Jason Robards; "Interview With A Vampire," starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Christian Slater; "Glory," starring Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick; and "Little Women," starring Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon.
Clothing has also been requested for actors in the Broadway revival of "1776," in which Tom Roland of Wagon Wheel Theatre fame is the understudy for the character of Ben Franklin.
Additionally, the company has provided items for made-for-cable movies, including "Gettysburg," with Martin Sheen, and television shows, such as "Unsolved Mysteries" and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch."
Historic sites that have purchased items to help make them look authentic include Colonial Williamsburg at Williamsburg, Va.; Ulster American Folk Park in Northern Ireland; the Boston Tea Party Ship Museum in Boston, Mass.; Town of St. Georges on the island of Bermuda; Lower Fort Gary in Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada; and Sutters Mill in California.
Many of the company's customers have heard about them by word of mouth from fellow re-enactors, while others - especially in the past three years - have located them through the Internet. The company's catalog can be found online at http://www.jastown.com, where everything from blankets, books and buttons to tomahawks, trade silver, and weaving and spinning supplies can be found.
Also on the web site is a "gallery page" featuring the covers of current and past catalogs. The spring 1998 edition features a drawing by local artist Nancy Gangwer. Printed catalogs are also available.
A message at the front of the catalog from company president James L. Townsend introduces some of the newest wares: playing cards, large cast iron pots and pewter buttons ("we can do custom work"). Also, Townsend tells his catalog customers, "We are now shooting videos on various topics to make your camp life easier."
Among the wares in the catalog is the Frontier Lantern, the company's former name. The classic design of the lantern features a hinged door for access to a removable metal candle. The tenon and peg construction with twisted wire bail and handmade hinges is "our trademark lantern," according to information printed in the catalog.
The company has seamstresses working at the business and also hires some who work in homes and bring the clothing in when it's done.
They deal with a cooper for their kegs, a shoesmith for their footwear and others with specialty jobs.
Clothing items available for men include trousers, breeches, waistcoats (but no military jackets because of their complexity and the fact that each unit's is different), shirts, hats and footwear.
Women can find bodices, aprons, caps and bonnets. There is also a line of children's clothing, and patterns are available if someone wants to make their own clothes.
In addition to providing a source for procuring the necessities for re-enactments, employees of Jas. Townsend & Son are able to provide information to many people interested in participating in such historic events.
While they aren't necessarily able to offer specific facts about a particular person ("it's the re-enactor's job to find out what an individual person did"), they can describe the attire to authenticate the look a person is trying to achieve, according to John Townsend.
The company was started in 1973 and run out of the Townsend home. "It grew out a need," Townsend said. "Dad started shooting muzzle loading guns in Friendship, Ind., and saw that people couldn't find the things they needed."
"We provide sources to find wacky things that you can't find anymore," said Ray.
Many of the Townsend employees are family members, but most don't participate in re-enactments: "It's hard to be involved in a hobby when it's your job," said John Townsend.
