Gigglemugs Aplenty

Visitors to Shooting Star

History in Hitchcock will leave with brains full of information and faces full of smiles.

BY ZOE TRAVERS

SHOOTING STAR HISTORY is more than a museum, the couple behind it more than docents. On their Centennial Ranch, which has been in the family since about 1905, Marna Jean and Doug Davis offer a chance to step into the shoes of people living in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Davises provide a fully immersive experience with costumes, storytelling, crafting, blacksmithing, and even singing. Their guests may experience a campfire dinner, afternoon tea, and croquet games while learning about the lives they could have led had they been born just a century earlier.

The Davises share a longstanding love of history, especially the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and they’ve dedicated their home near Hitchcock to recreating some of the intricate fashions and accessories of the time. Doug is the resident leatherworker, woodcarver, and saddle and boot maker—he even apprenticed with famed Guthrie designer Lisa Sorrell. He’s also worked as a professional cowboy on ranches in Missouri and Wyoming.

Marna Jean began her journey back in time very early. When she was four, her grandparents bought her and her brother a flock of sheep with which to make money in lieu of an allowance. By the time she was ten, she was spinning her own yarn and learning how to make historical pieces, and while in high school, she designed her first dress.

Today, Marna Jean has an extensive collection of patterns dating back as far as 1886. She also has crafted a collection of clothes the average gal might have worn, sizing them to fit modern women and making them as accurate as possible based on her knowledge of everyday life. Her pieces also have been featured on the silver screen: She made parasols for Cold Mountain, The Legend of Zorro, and Bolden, a 2019 film about Buddy Bolden, the Cornet King of New Orleans.

“I’ve learned to interpret the stress points of original dresses, so I understand how they were being worn and what kinds of stresses they had on them,” she says. “I’ll wear them while doing the types of things that the original women of the time would have been doing, like cooking, dealing with livestock, and sewing—and make sure they’re still wearable.”

Every experience at Shooting Star History is uniquely arranged for groups small and large, including Marna Jean’s detailed dress demonstrations. For these, the clothier may take visitors through the history of work dresses, parasols, corsets, and summer gowns. She shows them how these dresses were made at the time and demonstrates how to operate a loom, detailing the shortcuts of Victorian sewing, or diving into the evolution of the bustle-era skirt or the sunbonnet.

Marna Jean and Doug Davis aren’t historical reenactors—they bring history to life in Hitchcock.

But there’s a lot more to learn about than fashion at Shooting Star. The Davises offer lectures about famous cowgirls, the practical uses of herbs, dating historical photos, and other topics by request. They’ll also introduce visitors to Teddy and Alice Roosevelt, Annie Oakley and Frank Butler, and Lucille and Zack Mulhall, among others, during activities in which the couple brings these figures back to life. They even host cowboy cookouts where they make things like stews, cobblers, and bread pudding— dishes popular in the state around the late nineteenth century.

There’s a genuineness that transcends historical authenticity at Shooting Star. The Davises are a time capsule of knowledge, with all the skills to turn their herbs into medicinal remedies or to expertly date antique photos. And they clearly love sharing their passion and knowledge with others.

“Marna Jean and I were just talking the other day about things we take for granted,” Doug says. “Other people don’t have a clue. There are people who just don’t have any concept of how things worked during the Victorian era.”

After some time with Marna Jean and Doug, however, guests will leave with treasured memories and a much better understanding of that fascinating time.

Shooting Star History

Classes, lectures, or any other historic adventures at Shooting Star History must be booked in advance.

> 14950 State Highway 8 in Hitchcock

> (405) 448-6260

> marnajeandavis.com