The Ol' Sipley Mess is an affiliation of like-minded Civil War living historians, dedicated to the accurate portrayal of the Civil War soldier. We do this by participating in immersion and semi-immersion events and, also, by focussing upon the material culture of the 1860s.

Our mess group is made up of living historians who are looking for more out of the hobby than static encampments and battle re-enactments. Though we still participate in such events, we focus more upon full- and semi-immersion events where we can immerse ourselves into the time period and experience (as best we can) what life was like for Americans during the 1860s.

Our primary impression is that of the Federal infantry soldier — but many of us also portray Confederate soldiers and civilians from either side of the conflict. Having multiple impressions allows us to maximize our opportunities within the hobby and, also, allows us to experience life from several standpoints.

Our mess name is taken from the history of the 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. However, we do not portray or represent any specific regiment as our primary impression. Our membership currently includes people from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa; and all of our members are also members of the Old Northwest Volunteers (ONV) — a regional association of authentic living historians from the old Northwest Territory.

Membership is open to our mess group to any individuals who are seeking more out of the living history hobby than they are currently receiving, of for those who want to start out in the hobby doing it correctly. All we require is a positive attitude and a commitment to creating and maintaining a period-correct impression based upon our guidelines.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website. We truly appreciate the drop-by.

Best wishes,

The Ol' Sipley Mess