Kathleen A. Ernst, Hearts of Stone

I'm often asked where my interest in the American Civil War comes from. Because I grew up in Maryland, I had lots of opportunities to visit Civil War battlefields. Since Maryland was a border state, I also had plenty of opportunities to consider the experiences of people on both sides of the conflict. And in addition to learning about the soldiers' lives, I always tried to imagine what it was like for civilians who found themselves in the midst of fighting.

After moving to Wisconsin, I got a job at a large living history site called Old World Wisconsin. For the first two years that I worked there I spent every day in period clothing, going about daily chores from spring through fall. Three of the farms at Old World Wisconsin have been restored to the 1860s. I was lucky enough to work in all of them, at one time or another.

I got a lot of hands-on practice with cooking, craftwork, gardening, livestock, etc., etc. Later, I did a lot of the research that helped develop new programming at the historic site. Some of the details in my books come from those experiences.

That's me at the right, spinning flax fibers into linen thread at the Schultz Farm in the German Area at Old World Wisconsin. This photograph was taken way back in 1983.

Scott Meeker & author Kathleen Ernst

During that time I also got involved in Civil War reenacting. Many of the experiences I had gave me insights and ideas for novels. I usually portrayed rural working-class women.

This is my husband and me in a makeshift campsite for refugees at a Civil War event in Wisconsin. Most visitors to Civil War reenactments come to see the soldiers, but a small group of us tried to help visitors think about people who were displaced by armies and fighting. This photo dates from the 1990s, and was taken at the Wade House Historic Site.

In October, 1994, I participated in a refugee camp scenario planned as part of a huge reenactment held in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The day we set up camp was marked by torrential rain, and soon the entire area was a sea of mud. I slept in a small tent that evening, but remember well the women who managed to spend the night under makeshift shelters formed from quilts and gum blankets--just as families left homeless during the Civil War had to do.

Fortunately, it didn't rain all weekend. The event organizers had worked hard to prepare a full weekend for the participants. We were busy with food preparation and clean up, inspections from the provost guard, and interacting with other reenactors and event visitors.

At the right you can see a group of refugees enjoying the autumn sunshine. We were portraying refugees in an army-run camp, the kind Hannah and the children find in Nashville in Hearts of Stone.

Civil War Refugee Camp impression, Tennessee, 1994

Fellow refugees Meghan Meeker and Stephanie Ernst.

Meghan helps out with food preparation.

The children participating were adorable, and what an experience for them! But watching them made me feel sad, as I thought about all the real children who became homeless during the Civil War. These little girls helped me imagine the twins in Hearts of Stone, Mary and Maude.

By the time that event was over, I knew I wanted to write a novel about children who end up as refugees during the Civil War. But I needed to do a lot more research! So, I went to Tennessee. I visited libraries. I read letters and diaries and old newspapers. I went hiking in the Tennessee mountains, and I drove the route Hannah and the children took to Nashville (at least as closely as I could, considering how much has changed since the 1860s.)

I looked at photographs and paintings, too. This photograph of real Civil War refugees is from the National Archives.

Hearts of Stone

Kathleen Ernst

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