Call it a blast from the past, the Old Clinton Historical Society's annual fundraiser is underway in Jones County and students in Gray are learning about life in the 1800s from the camps to the clothes.

"Hopefully we're educating them. It's amazing sometimes history gets swept up under the rug a lot of times and we trying to give them a first person impression of what they're ancestors did, how they live and how they're lives were run during that frame of time," says JC Nobles of the Old Clinton Historical Society.

Jones County's youth also realized why it's important to know the history of where they live.

"It's really preserving the historic of the town and helping people learn what happened," says Ayla Collins, a student from Clifton Ridge Middle School.

The fundraiser showcased a real life look at what Old Clinton was like in the 1800s and included a cannonball demonstration from the 16th Georgia. Members of the Historical Society and volunteers will also be camping out all weekend living in the past.

"We get up in the morning build a fire, cook bacon and eggs you know biscuits feed the guys, wash up afterwards the old fashion washtubs," says Dixie Cromer of the 16th Georgia.

The Historical Society thought it was important for students to tour the camp and see how much life has changed in their county since the War Days.

"Today's children they don't have any idea what the soldiers and the people of that era actually went through," says Cromer.

And the hardest part of re-enactment...

"Probably getting dressed," says Cromer.

This is the 19th year of the festival and this weekend the public can come watch re-enacters recreate the Battle of the Sunshine Church and Griswoldville in 1864."

"If we can show how life was then and the terrible tragedies that the people went though and came back together and rebuilt their lives and their homes and built this country into the greatest free nation in the world we can all learn lessons from that," says Nobles.

Battle re-enactments will take place Saturday and Sunday at 2:05 p.m. at Old Clinton.