Forced from her homeland of Ireland, Maggie Delaney, along with her husband and children, came to the American colonies as an Indentured Servant hoping to find a better life. Instead, she found sorrow and hardship as human property forced to serve whatever master bought her. Listen as Maggie shares her tale that reveals how thousands of our ancestors came to America in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This presentation is 55 minutes plus a Q&A time.

The Widow Delaney has joined up with Ould Badger, the leader of one of the underground gangs that is supplying doctors and medical schools with the cadavers necessary for their studies. Unfortunately, the group is short one man and they are recruiting to fill that position! Maggie, with the help of Badger will explain the Resurrectionists: who they were and why it was necessary for their services. She will also relate her work as a Professional Mourner and her little side business of selling teeth and hair. Ould Badger will bring the equipment and tools that are needed as the gang goes about their nocturnal business, but be careful not to tell! You may the next one to visit the doctor one night!

This presentation is approximately 45 minutes, plus Q&A time

The Dowager Baroness, Lady Caroline Linnington, will tell us the proper way in which mourning and funerals were done during her time. Would you contact an undertaker, a funeral furnisher, or a feather furnisher? Whom do you invite to the funeral? What funeral gifts should you purchase? Her Ladyship will explain the bier vs. the hearse, the proper pall, the arvil bread, the funeral cake or cookies, the mutes, the underbearers, and more. She will also address the proper mourning clothing and jewelry you should be wearing and the length of time you should wear it. At the conclusion of the program, everyone present should be able to lay out an elegant and proper send off for their dearly beloved.

This presentation is 55 minutes, plus Q&A time

The Indentured Servant, Maggie Delaney, will give an interactive presentation that delves deeper into the facts and fallacies of Indentured Servants and their role in the foundation of our country. Who were the indentured and where did they come from? Was there more than one type of indenture? How long did indentured servitude last?

This presentation is 30-45 minutes plus Q&A.

It's been a hard life so far, but Maggie and Ould Badger were doing pretty well for themselves until a few years ago. However, life has dealt them some pretty hard blows and they are no longer the successful couple they once were. Now they are on the streets and barely surviving. But what do you do when you are too old and tired to make it on your own anymore? Where do you go? What is left for old and forgotten people when life stops working for you? Come with us to the streets and listen to the options that Ould Badger and Maggie have to choose from. Do they go to the Poorhouse or continue to struggle on their own? What is the Poorhouse like? What happens there? Is it a place of compassion or sorrow? Badger and Maggie will present both the pros and cons of what it was like to move into the Poorhouse in the 1700s and give up your independence and the control of your own life.

This presentation is 45 minutes plus a Q&A time.

Scoundrel’s Alley is a program of Parson John Living History, Inc. While Parson John Living History provides the organizational, educational, and interpretive foundation, Scoundrel’s Alley focuses specifically on the Underside of 18th century society. Together, they share the same mission: using well-researched living history and first-person interpretation to help modern audiences better understand everyday life in 18th and early 19th century America.

These presentations are designed for outside events and require space for setting multiple tents.