A quick read through of the script by Kathy Cummings and a safety check by Jay Kell prepare the re-enactors.
One of the favorite historical accounts of the Pigeon Roost massacre is the “Indian who stole a woman’s clothing from a burning cabin” portrayed here by Jim Green.
Isaac Coffman and Elias Payne were in the nearby woods searching for bee trees when the Indians attacked, Payne though wounded managed to escape while Coffman was killed instantly.
Captain John Norris was visiting at the home of William Collings when the attack began. Collings son John was bringing in the cattlle and came running toward the cabin screaming “Pa, Pa, Indians!”
The Indian who donned women’s clothing stolen from one of the cabins to disguise himself, was killed by Collins.
Captain Norris started off with the children. Collings managed to shoot four Indians from his porch before his rifle was hit.
Henry Collings was shot while working in his flax field.He was found two days later nearly dead but did manage to name his attacker before he died.
Mrs. Jane Collings Biggs, her baby and two other children were out looking for their cow when the Indian attack occurred. She returned to her clearing to find her cabin on fire. She stumbled back into the woods and hid. As the Indians were passing her she tried to stifle her baby's cries with the edge of her shawl, only to find after the Indians had moved on that she had suffocated her baby. She wandered the woods all night with her dead baby in her arms.
The wife, mother and children of John Morris were also killed.
Joe Gibson - a descendant himself is also the “resident historian” . Always working behind the scenes we snapped this shot of him fittingly in front of the town sign while taking photos of the event.
But the most amazing part of Pigeon Roost is the number of descendants that still live in the area and come every year to see this portrayal of their ancestors. This year’s descendants included ( right) native re-enactor - Daniel Midgett (a Collings descendant) who drove with his father and grandfather (John William Collings) from Illinois to participate in the one day event.
Pigeon Roost is a small re-enacting event in a small town. But although Lexington, Indiana is a small town it has a big heart. When we first put on this event for Old Settlers Day in 2003, Joe Gibson of Lexington transformed the park shelter house into a “log cabin” for us. The town decided not to remove the log slabs after the event and the shelter has remained the same. Every year the fire department graciously feeds the re-enactors at their fish fry.
