Scriptwriter Cindy Gaylord and Tory Bob Plasse welcomed the audience.
Reminder Publishing submitted photos
WESTFIELD — At Ghost Talks 2025, a production of the Historical Commission, 15 characters associated in some way with the American Revolution were portrayed by residents who brought them to life in four shows on Jan. 30 and 31 at the First Congregational Church.
Commissioner Cindy Gaylord, who did most of the research and wrote the script for the show, was happy with the results. She said Friday night was more crowded than Thursday despite the weather with over 50 tickets sold at the door in addition to those sold in advance at the Westfield Athenaeum, indicative of word-of-mouth enthusiasm.
Harry Rock greeted people with a lantern, and members of the Historical Commission, those not in the cast, sold tickets at the door. All of the Historical Commission participated in the event. Gaylord and Bob Plasse welcomed everyone, and the show began in the sanctuary, with theatrical lighting by Jay Pagluica.
The cast of characters included Dick Baldwin portraying General Warham Parks, a general from Westfield, lesser known than General William Shepard. Gaylord said Baldwin did the research and wrote his own script on Parks.
General William Shepard was portrayed by Mike Knapik, and Kathy Knapik portrayed his wife, Sarah Dewey Shepard, who spoke about the occupations of the women during the war.
Theresa Allie played an everywoman in the cause, the ones who refused to pay the tax to buy British goods and were forced to make their own tea, soap, clothes, candles, take care of the children and raise the crops. The women also had to raise money, because even though the militia was promised $6 a month, the money rarely came through, and continental currency wasn’t worth anything.
Paul Nesbit, pastor of the First Congregational Church, portrayed a revolutionary war soldier. He talked about the horrible conditions of the war and the lack of food and clothing. Chris Lindquist portrayed Captain Henry Knox, who dragged cannons through Westfield on what is now known as the Knox Trail on the way to Boston. Knox later became a general in the Continental Army.
Jesse Tappin, who teaches history at Westfield State, portrayed Gillam Ashley who was enslaved by the Ashley family. He joined the Patriots with the promise that he would most likely be freed, but there is no historical record that he was granted his freedom, Gaylord said.
Since all men between the ages of 15 and 45 were required to join the militia, families bought slaves to serve in place of themselves, offering their freedom in return. Tappin talked about two families in Palmer who did grant the men freedom after the war; however, kept the money that was supposed to go to the soldiers, usually 60 or 90 pounds, Gaylord said.
Other cast members included Patrick Berry, who portrayed Lt. Richard Falley Jr. Falley, a blacksmith, played a vital role in the revolution with his armory in Montgomery, where he made muskets for General George Washington. What is believed to be the remnants of the armory, which was never discovered by the British, have been found in the area of Mount Tekoa.
Women in the cast included Tina Gorman, who portrayed a Patriot spy; CC Costello as Deborah Sampson, who dressed as a man to fight for the cause, and Kathleen Palmer, Historical Commission chair, as the wife of soldier Eldad Taylor. Palmer read a letter Taylor wrote home that is part of the collection in the Westfield Athenaeum.
WHS history teacher Michael Ingraham, another member of the Historical Commission, was Abner Fowler. After the war, some of the soldiers were promised land. Fowler’s brother gave him land in Ohio, where he founded Westfield, Ohio — now called Fowler, Ohio.
Bob Plasse, a last-minute fill-in due to some cases of flu among the cast, was Tory loyalist John Bancroft, the only Tory represented in the show. “In true Bob Plasse fashion, he was phenomenal,” Gaylord said.
Rick Gaylord portrayed Ludd Gaylord as a skeleton that he manipulated from behind, with a mouth that moved, flailing arms and glowing eyes. Ludd Gaylord was a 17-year-old who was hanged when he tried to desert.
“All deserters were hanged, by a Washington decree,” Cindy Gaylord said, adding that a pardon was given for Ludd Gaylord, a distant relative of her husband Rick, but it didn’t arrive in time.
Gaylord said she started thinking about the script a few weeks after last year’s Ghost Talks. She said quite a few hours were put into the research of each character.
While plans for next year are still under discussion, another show will most likely happen in March 2026 at the historic First Congregational Church on Park Square Green, Gaylord said.
