A Step Back in Time: Mission San Luis

Marching to the fort.

This weekend I decided to take a minute and relive our area's history. I found myself at Mission San Luis in Tallahassee for their living history event. There you can interact with living history demonstrators, which takes you back in time to when the Spanish and Apalachee were living in close proximity at this exact location. This past weekend entry fees were waived as part of a special program put on by Visit Tallahassee and the Tallahassee T.O.U.R. Guides program.

My first stop was the fort, well, actually I marched with the soldiers to the fort, snapping photos along the way. On the way to the fort they stopped in front of the church, where they were blessed by a Spanish friar. Visitors of all ages were marching with the soldiers as they made their way to the fort. When we arrived at the fort, after making our way around the plaza, we had the opportunity to interact with the soldiers and learn about the fort itself. They showed us their weapons, where the soldiers slept and the various tools they would have used. There was even hard tack and olive oil on the table, giving visitors a real sense of what it would have been like to be a solider at the Spanish mission in the 1600s.

The musket firing at the fort.

After that, it was time for the real reason we were all at the fort, the musket firing demonstration! They had a visitor read the firing drill in Spanish. This was the actual drill that the soldiers would have used at Mission San Luis. Then we were all told to cover our ears and two musket were fired! It was awesome!

The blacksmith.

After that I decided to take a walk around and visit some of the other living history demonstrators. My first stop was the village blacksmith. He had an apprentice assisting him, a young visitor with a ton of enthusiasm. I doubt that little boy will ever forget the day that he had the chance to actually assist a real blacksmith! His mom was busily snapping pictures.

Inside the Council House

Next we stopped by the Spanish House and visited with some Spanish women working in their garden and tending to their chickens. Yup, that's right, there were living history chickens there as well! I wonder if they attended interpreter training?! After that I just had to check out the large, thatched roof council house. This is where the Apalachee would have attended to their business. It was huge! There was an Apalachee woman in the council house who was very informative and showed me around and explained many of the items that were inside the structure. There were ceramics, drums, rattles and many other items the Apalachee used. There was a fire pit in the center of the structure and wooden platforms for the Apalachee located all around the fire pit. I could almost see and feel what it would have been like to sit around the fire with the Apalachee.

After my visit to Mission San Luis, I would have to put this on my list of places you must visit when in Tallahassee! In addition to the living history interpreters and the reconstructed structures, there is a beautiful museum and visitors center too! It was a great way to spend a Saturday!