Deane Center's History Comes Alive Series to Feature Thomas Pitz as Thomas Jefferson Next Friday, July 10 in Wellsboro

Pictured is Tom Pitz as Thomas Jefferson.

At 7:30 p.m. next Friday, July 10, the Deane Center’s History Comes Alive series will continue in the Coolidge Theatre at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro with actor and living historian Thomas Pitz of Keswick Virginia, portraying Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743-July 4, 1826), one of America’s Founding Fathers. 

"I have portrayed Jefferson for 39 years, since 1987. I live on Edgehill farm, which once belonged to Jefferson's daughter, Martha, and his son-in-law, Thomas Mann Randolph. What is history to others, is the world in which I live,” Pitz said.

A high school guidance counselor in Orange, Virginia for 32 years, from 1973 to 2005, Pitz remembers when he first became Jefferson. “In 1987, I was in a summer stock theater production playing Jefferson. I got a call from the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville asking if I would portray Mr. Jefferson for a group of their guests. I’ve been playing Jefferson ever since.” 

Pitz’s love of history began when he was a third-grader. His main interest continues to be Thomas Jefferson and the American Revolutionary War era from the 1750s on.On July 10 at Wellsboro, Pitz, a nationally acclaimed historical interpreter who is known for his highly regarded portrayals of Jefferson, will turn back the clock 204 years to July 10, 1822. Speaking in the first-person as Jefferson and dressed in period clothing, he will welcome the audience and reminisce about the events that led up to the July 4, 1776 adoption of America's Declaration of Independence and the attitudes that prevailed at that time. 

While the focus of his presentation will on these events, he will be open to questions and comments about his role as the third president of the United States from 1801-1809, including the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 from France for $15 million that doubled the size of the United States, secured permanent access to the Mississippi River, and set the foundation for westward expansion.

Other questions may include his relationships with prominent Founding Fathers, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin. 

This weekend, Mr. Pitz and other historical re-enactors are performing as U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln during the annual 4th of July shows at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. They also frequently perform in the "Rushmore Live" program at the memorial. Carved into Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, this massive sculpture depicts the roughly 60-foot high granite faces of these four U.S. presidents. It was completed in 1941. 

In addition, Mr. Pitz has recently performed at the Fort Dodge Library, the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, 250th Commemoration of the Birth of the U.S. Army in Philadelphia, the Clapham Group in Philadelphia, South Dakota State Legislature, University of Virginia, Cadoma Foundation in Casper, Wyoming, etc.

History Comes Alive is made possible by grants from America250PA and the Charles Knox & Margaret Etner Foundation.

Tickets for each show are $15. Children 12 and under accompanied by a paying adult are admitted free. For information or tickets, call 570-724-6220 or visit www.deanecenter.com.