SACO — Dressed in Union blues and walking with the stiffness and assurance of a commanding officer, Charles Plummer strolled into the Masonic Lodge in Saco on Friday night and ceased to be himself.
It was performance time, and as he has done on hundreds of occasions, Plummer assumed the persona of one of his favorite historical figures: Brevet Major General Joshua Chamberlain, an important Civil War player and a former governor of Maine.
“I learned that he had been a Mason, and that’s one of the things that got me interested in him,” said Plummer, during a rare moment speaking as himself, Friday.
A longtime professor who currently teaches history courses for the University of Southern Maine in Lewiston and Bath, Plummer, 72, has a long track record of embodying historical figures. He estimates that he has given performances as Chamberlain and other American icons well over 500 times over the past 25 years, entertaining history buffs and Civil War aficionados from Maine to Virginia and points in between.
Far from a history buff in high school, it took college courses to finally get him interested in America’s past.
“The way they taught history in school didn’t click with me,” said Plummer. “I like people, and they’re more interested in facts. It wasn’t until I got to college that I became interested.”
Plummer’s first performance as Chamberlain came after he wrote a research paper about the general, which included a look into the man’s involvement with the Freemasons.
A combination social and charitable group, Masons strive to base their personal ethics around four principals: Temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice.
According to Plummer, Chamberlain was the embodiment of all four of these traits. And it was upon completion of the research paper that Plummer decided to take his interest a step further.
“I decided to be Chamberlain, figuring it would be my last history performance,” he said.
Two and a half decades later, he’s still at it.
“He’s like a modern-day Chamberlain in that he just embodies him and plays him so well,” said Mason Steve Boucouvalas, before the performance. “We’re really very lucky to have him come and do this for us.”
“He’s good at what he does,” said Mason Jim Dupuis, “(and) he also does some great research papers.”
After changing from a smart three-piece suit to his royal blue Union outfit, Plummer ”“ playing Chamberlain now ”“ walked regally down the center of the main artery of the Masonic Hall, surrounded by Masons and other onlookers as he took a spot at the front of the room. Waving his arms grandly as he spoke, he focused his presentation on the most famous of Civil War battles, the Battle of Gettysburg, for which Chamberlain was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Plummer’s voice swelled toward the end of the half-hour speech, his intonations reflecting an emotion that he says is at the core of all of his performances.
Perhaps that’s why Masonic groups and Civil War enthusiasts are so eager to hear him speak.
“I get very emotional when I’m in the middle of a performance,” said Plummer. “Emotion is the strongest connector to memory.”
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.
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