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When Mel Hankla dons period correct clothing to bring to life a certain persona, he is in his element. With a distinguished repertoire that includes Gen. George Rogers Clark, Simon Kenton, and new characters Governor Isaac Shelby and Benjamin Franklin, Hankla has only one goal in mind:  education. He has high hopes that a new website will help him achieve his objective.

``Education is everything about it," said Hankla of living history. He firmly believes that the ``whole living history movement can make a difference," in the way people view America's history.  In an effort to promote this concept, he has begun a new business, American Historic Services, LLC. 

Through his website, Hankla will be able to assist K-12 grade teachers in educating their students about different historic periods and providing them with a unique way to teach Kentucky history. The site even contains links to a Speakers Bureau, where living history interpreters can be contacted in other states.  It is not just a regional link; a good example is a link to a Canadian interpreter who provides a presentation on the fur trade era.

This Jamestown, KY native is more than well equipped to teach history in a varied format.  He has been on the roster of the Kentucky Humanities Council as a featured Chautauqua performer for 11 years. Hankla also holds an EDD (Educational Doctorate), that he earned as a co-op student through the University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University.  Averaging between 90 to 100 performances a year, he became deeply interested in history while learning to build flintlock rifles. 

Many years ago he became friends with master gun maker Hershel House and counts him as a major influence in his journey to becoming a living history presenter. Hankla also credits a folklore class he took under instructor Jay Anderson as an instrumental step in applying for a NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) grant, which enabled him to become House's apprentice.

In 1985, he met Earl Lanning, whom he credits as a major force in the gun building movement. Through his acquaintance with Lanning, Hankla learned that Lanning had been researching famed pioneer Simon Kenton for years.  Lanning went beyond mere note-taking research.  Relying upon police forensics, Lanning was able to reconstruct an image of Kenton's face at age 21, attributing an accurate physical appearance to a man much written about in the pages of history.

As the year 2002 rolled around, Hankla became involved in a project at Locust Grove, marking the 250^th birthday of Gen. George Rogers Clark. Hankla took part in a docudrama that year entitled, The Remarkable Clarks. ``It was obvious to me he (Gen. Clark) was a forgotten figure," said Hankla.  ``I felt like his story needed to be told."

As a result, Hankla has appeared countless times as Gen. Clark, educating young and old alike to Clark and his place in Kentucky history. Hankla has now decided to try something new with American Historic Services, LLC.   ``It is not a Chautauqua-type show," he said.  Instead, Hankla will provide 30 minutes of an in-character performance, and an additional 20-minute lecture about the historical figure.

Hankla, 50, had been told countless times that he looked like Benjamin Franklin, so the decision to portray Franklin was only natural. Hankla said there were pieces of Franklin's life that he could not work into a presentation, but felt that they needed to be told through a follow up lecture.  There are many things about Franklin's life that people know nothing about, said Hankla. Hankla will mimic the things Franklin did, such as play the violin.  Franklin also wrote music and loved to sing, which Hankla will do a cappella-style on a song Franklin wrote about his wife, ``An Ode to My Plain Country Joan."

Of the other character he has chosen to portray Hankla said, ``Isaac Shelby plays right into Kentucky history." Shelby (1750-1826) was the first governor of Kentucky, taking office on June 4, 1792.  He led the transition of Kentucky from primitive wilderness into American statehood.  Hankla has chosen to portray a man well known for his common sense, diplomacy and self-control.  In 1818, Governor Shelby joined Andrew Jackson to draw up a treaty with the Chickasaw Indians, which became known as the Jackson Purchase. This area covered 4,600 square miles in Kentucky and Tennessee.  Governor Shelby died at his Lincoln County, KY farm, Traveler's Rest. 

Through these characters and his website, Hankla hopes to proved ``high quality educational programs," he said.  Through his teachings, he also strives to convey the concept of what it took to make America a free country. He feels this is his duty, because ``I'm a very patriotic person."

With the current influx of immigrants calling America home, many don't know what it took to establish America and become a true American, said Hankla. If he can make a contribution to help educate the world, especially children, as to the sacrifices many made so that America could be a free country, then Hankla has achieved his goal.

He credits Graphic Enterprises with ``providing an informational source into the living history of this region." Thus he chose the business to design and maintain his new website.  ``I was really impressed with Graphic Enterprises," said Hankla.  That is why he challenged owner Kathy Cummings to construct ``the best site you've ever done."

Take a look at it and you'll see why: www.americanhistoricservices.com. 

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