x
Breaking News
More () »

People Gather to Celebrate History in Bradford County

SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP — High atop a hillside in Bradford County is a sight you don’t normally see. As many as a thousand people from all walks of life...

SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP -- High atop a hillside in Bradford County is a sight you don't normally see.

As many as a thousand people from all walks of life are camping out this week for a rendezvous, a gathering that depicts the lifestyle that people lived from 1640 to1840.

"It is incredibly unique and we take a tremendous amount of pride in it. We get very persnickety about remaining in period. iPhones need to be out of sight, that sort of thing," said Ross Pruyne, who owns the land.

"I'm retired and I go to as many rendezvous as I can. I've been to about 14 states this year. I love this. This is my life. It's not a hobby, it's my life," said Jan "Sunshine" Low, from Ohio,

"We really enjoy doing it. We don't reenact anything, but we relive history by doing this," said Roxy Wells, New Albany.

And throughout the campground, the rules are strict. All materials and clothing must be within the 200 year time period.

"The time period is from 1640 to 1840 and you can't have anything outside of your lodge that is outside that time period and we're trying to keep everything as authentic as we can," said David Wells, New Albany,

People from all around the world gather at these rendezvous to take a step back in time and unplug from the rest of the world.

"It's a way to step back in history and step off the grid for several days and be with about 1,000 of our closest friends," said Pruyne.

"It's kind of nice to get away from the stresses of life. This is much less stress. Even though you have to cook over a campfire. It's still less stress," said Roxy Wells.

Before You Leave, Check This Out