Niagara County Historian, Kate Emerson, presents historic details of the men's 18th century waistcoat to Niagara University students as a contributor to a collaborative project between Old Fort Niagara and the university.

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(December 14, 2016) Youngstown & Lewiston, N.Y. - The Old Fort Niagara Association and Niagara University have partnered on a creative project to produce 18^th century men's waistcoats, which theatre department students are sewing and donating to the fort's fife and drum corps.

Five university students in associate professor Marilyn Deighton's Costume Construction class have spent 20 - 25 hours sewing 1770s British 8^th Regiment waistcoats for their final project, which is due this Friday, December 16.  The vests are made of white wool, lined with unbleached linen, and sewn with a welt pocket (one without a flap).

The idea for collaboration happened this past summer, when the fort's fife and drum corps' coordinator, Suzannah Emerson, contacted regional theatre departments with the invitation to partner in the making of historic clothing. Ms. Emerson offered to provide the fabric and share the history of the clothing in exchange for the making and donation of the finished products, which would add to her group's limited clothing wardrobe.

Professor Deighton enthusiastically responded and built the project into her syllabus. She and Ms. Emerson decided to work on the 18^th century waistcoat, which is a buttoned vest that was worn over a linen shirt and under the British red military coat.

"There is a wealth of creativity, knowledge and talent in our community, and it's great to see the fort and the university come together to showcase it," said Robert Emerson, Old Fort Niagara's Executive Director. "We appreciate and salute Professor Deighton's interest in working with us on the waistcoat project. It will be a highlight to see the clothing worn by our fife and drum corps staff."

"When Suzannah contacted me, I immediately thought it would be a great final project for my Costume Construction class," Deighton said. "This is an excellent opportunity for my students to work on a period garment and learn several advanced sewing skills, such as working with a heavy wool fabric, welt pockets and buttonholes. These waistcoats are great examples of skills that they can add to their costume portfolios and resumes.

"Also, because hand sewing these waistcoats requires a significant amount of additional time outside of class to complete, the students are earning five community service hours."

Over five three-hour class sessions, students learned about the function, appearance and creation of the vests. Niagara County Historian, Kate Emerson, visited the class to share the history of the clothing, including how and why waistcoats were developed, how they looked, and how and when they were worn. The cutting, assembling and sewing instruction was provided by Deighton, and then the students were left to their tasks.

This Friday, the students' final projects are due, and Ms. Emerson plans to view the waistcoats and bring along additional period clothing to show the students. After the vests are graded, they will be donated to the fort's fife and drum corps and will be worn by musicians this upcoming spring and summer.

Old Fort Niagara's fife and drum corps practices and performs military music of the fifes and drums from the 18^th and 19^th centuries for the site's daily and special programming, and parades. Historically, fifes and drums were used for military communications for centuries. The Old Fort Niagara Association has been investing more resources to develop a larger corps of musicians, which creates demand for new clothes. The corps' wardrobe includes French, British and American uniforms, which are additionally distinguished by time period. More information is available the corps' Facebook page, "Old Fort Niagara Field Musick."

Deighton, who holds an MFA in costume technology, has directed costume shops for the Paper Mill Playhouse in New York City, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and North Carolina's Shakespeare Festival. In addition, she was a tailor for the Broadway version of Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk and a draper for the Robert Altman film Cookie's Fortune, which starred Glenn Close and Julianne Moore. Her studio course (THR/FAA 243) at Niagara University allows students to learn the fundamentals of costume construction through demonstrations and practical applications.

Old Fort Niagara

Old Fort Niagara (www.oldfortniagara.org) is located in Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown, N.Y., which is 14 miles north of Niagara Falls via the northbound Niagara Scenic Parkway. The fort is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admissions end 30 minutes before closing. Old Fort Niagara is a Registered National Historic Landmark and New York State Historic Site operated by the Old Fort Niagara Association (a not-for-profit organization) in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Niagara University

Founded by the Vincentian community in 1856, Niagara University is a comprehensive institution, blending the best of a liberal arts and professional education, grounded in our values-based Catholic tradition. Its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, and Hospitality and Tourism Management offer programs at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral level.

As the first Vincentian university established in the United States, Niagara prepares students for personal and professional success while emphasizing service to the community in honor of St. Vincent de Paul. Niagara's institutional commitment to service learning has led to its inclusion on the President's Honor Roll for Community Service every year since its inception in 2006, and its recognition with the Carnegie Foundation's Classification for Community Engagement.