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“I have always been an admirer of Boone,” said New, who is originally from Berea, Ky.
So serious is he in his dedication to teaching history that “I do this as a career, instead of as a hobby,” said New. “I am a historian who teaches history by way of character interpretation, as well as other means.”
New will bring his distinct insights on Boone to Shelbyville on April 2, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Stratton Center, 215 Washington Street. The public is invited to attend this free event, hosted by the Painted Stone Settlers, Inc. Refreshments will be served following New’s presentation of Coming Into Kentucky.
Through meticulous research, New is able to dispel many of the myths surrounding Boone’s life that audiences have become familiar with and unable to separate fact from fiction. Such is the case of the coonskin cap. New, along with many Boone biographers such as Robert Morgan, will deny that Boone ever donned a coonskin cap. This idea sprung from a minstrel show, “The Hunter of Kentucky”, when one of the actors was not able to find a beaver hat, Boone’s traditional hat of choice, and substituted a coonskin cap. The idea stuck, with Hollywood eventually capitalizing on the idea with its Fess Parker TV version of Boone.
New has been employed in the past at Colonial Williamsburg, American’s largest outdoor history museum dedicated to the 18th century. New returns to Fort Boonesborough this year, where he ran a store carrying 18th century items before moving to Colonial Williamsburg. He will be in residence at Fort Boonesborough throughout the 2009 season (April 1-Oct. 31) as a historian and historical interpreter.
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