From left, Eric Robinson, of Martinsburg, Clay Robinson, of Martinsburg, and Marc Robinson, of Inwood, show off their French and Indian War and Revolutionary War uniforms, in front of Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — For the Robinson family, history has become much more than a class they were forced to take in school.

As visitors flocked to Shepherdstown on Saturday for Christmas in Shepherdstown events and shopping, Marc Robinson, of Inwood, Clay Robinson, of Martinsburg, and Eric Robinson, of Martinsburg, greeted them and talked with them about local history.

As members of the Colonel James Wood II Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the three brothers learned about the Revolutionary War’s Beeline March, which took place in Shepherdstown, along with a military fort from the French and Indian War, which is located in the area, and decided they wanted to share that information with the general public. So on Saturday morning, Marc donned an American Revolutionary War uniform and Clay and Eric donned French and Indian War uniforms, and stationed themselves in front of Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery, where they ended up talking and getting photographs with a number of passersby.

“This is the first time we’ve done this. We came to the parade last week, and were invited to come back this weekend,” Marc said, mentioning he is a Shepherd University alumnus. “We are reenacting and trying to come out to educate people about the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. A lot of people are unfamiliar with local history.”

According to Marc, the brothers all joined the SAR in honor of their grandfather, who loved history.

Reenactors from the Sons of the American Revolution talk about local history with passersby in front of Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“We enjoy it — we love history and he loved history,” Marc said, mentioning they’re trying to persuade their fourth brother to join the SAR and their sister to join the DAR, so all of the siblings will be involved in preserving local history.

Eric, who is also a Shepherd University alumnus, teaches history at Musselman Middle School, and said joining the SAR has helped him learn more about early American history.

“I’m still learning,” Eric said.

Portraying military members is not far off for the brothers, as both Marc and Clay are Army veterans. Clay, who served in Operation Dessert Storm, said that although his love for history is not as great as his brothers’, he views his SAR membership as a way to honor other military veterans.

“I like to pay tribute to veterans who have faced combat, since I am a combat veteran myself,” Clay said, mentioning that his appreciation for history has grown since he joined the SAR. “I’m learning to appreciate the idea that we’re losing our history. We’ve got to know where we all started, so we don’t continue to make the same mistakes that we made in the past, and to build a better future.”