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Friday, July 03, 2009

FFF -- The Field Trip...

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts Friday Fave Five in which we share our five favorite things from the past week. If you would like to play along just post your 5, link back to Susanne and visit her to see who else is playin'!

I actually forgot FFF this week... BUT... I'm going to use today's post for it anyway - because surely this Field Trip would count as AT LEAST 5 of my favorite moments this week! So there.

Of course Carletta guessed absolutely right! Yesterday's Sepia Scene was indeed taken at a living history place! I took Luz (and mom) down to historic St. Mary's City - Maryland's FIRST capital city. The time is the early 1600's. I won't bore you with all the history - you can read it on the website if you'd like! When we first arrived we were told to HURRY down to the dock as they would be firing the cannon in 15 minutes! Needless to say, we hurried!

This is The Dove
It, and it's sister ship, the Ark brought our
first settlers to Maryland in 1632.

We boarded the Dove and met some of the crew.

Learned ship etiquette...

And a little history. Then they fired off the cannon! Of course I didn't get a picture of THAT because you are warned to COVER YOUR EARS - and it's very hard to cover BOTH of your ears and take a picture at the same time!!! LOL! Once it was done, I wished I'd forgone the ear covering... I don't think it was THAT loud! Luz did say it made her jump though!

Luz down in the hold with Margaret
(an indentured servant)

Our next stop was the "plantation" -- mind you, they just got off the boat maybe a year or two ago... they are still in the process of settling... This is NOT the actual plantation house - I missed my chance to get a pic of IT - but this looks very similar to it! This was just a little "out building" just outside the "Shop at Farthing's Ordinary". Just imagine THIS building nestled back in the woods amongst fields and a garden! K?

Ahhhh! And here is the mistress of the establishment! They had some new chicks on the plantation - and Luz was lovin' them! The mistress was very happy to give us a tour of the place! I thought she was a little too "proud" of her new glass windows... but, I guess glass windows ARE worth being proud off! (200 lbs. of tabacco A PIECE they are!) Well! I should say I would be proud too!!!

We went in through the back door - the pantry so to speak!
Her flour mill and butter churn and all her beautiful dishware
are kept in here... and this is where all the prep work goes on.

Of course, THIS is the actual kitchen -- right smack dab in the living room/bedroom! Yes, well the house is basically one room + pantry on the ground floor ... they do all of their living down here. And then upstairs is where their twelve children and the servants sleep! Mind you there are no suppers with the family gathered around the table! There is nowhere for 14 plus people to all sit at once! Maybe 6! LOL! Smaller family you say? Oh my NO! They barely have enough hands to get all the work done NOW!

So, truly I wonder, when do these toys get played with?

This is a horrible picture, I know... but it does show her outfit well! And the bare feet! I asked about this - everyone was barefoot - even the mistress! (this one is her indentured girl!) Well, they DO have shoes you know! (Mistress has 2 pair!) But they only wear them when they must. 20 pounds of tabacco a pair makes shoes a rather precious commodity! Not as precious as glass windows mind you! But much more necessary! Just not in summer!

Luz helps out with the chores! She thought
watering plants with a gourd was great fun!
She thinks Nana should get a bucket and a gourd!

Thanks to all the rain we've had, their vegetable garden was actually looking quite healthy this year! But I can just imagine there were years when bringing water UP from the river, and watering crops was a full time round the clock JOB for these people! I don't know how they EVER ate! Surely God took care of them...

So as we left the plantation, we ran into a couple of gentlemen. The elder was instructing and testing the younger on the proper use of a musket. This is VERY important work because all lads age 16 and above required to own and know proper use of a musket. They are tested on this, and for each mistake they make it costs their parents - or in this case the Master 5 lbs. of tabacco! Yes - the young lad is an indentured servant. So, you can imagine how HE pays back that 5 lbs. of tabacco if he makes a mistake!

This little lady brought him his "fire" for
firing the gun!
(I wondered where she was during a war!)

Fortunately, he knew his stuff and it all went off without
a hitch!

She went back to the house... and we went on our merry
little way too! (oh! That IS the plantation house to left
of this picture!)

On our way out we passed some of these...

You might think they are food, but that is not entirely the case. They are protection! They wander freely in the woods and they are vicious! They kill foxes and attack humans who might otherwise be up to mischief on ones property! Of course, they are eaten also - and the FINE for stealing one is 300 pounds of tabacco! 100 pounds to the owner of the pig, 100 pounds to the snitch, and 100 pounds to Lord Baltimore - just cuz! If your caught twice you get fined again AND your hands get burned! I didn't ask what happens for a 3rd offense!

OUR last stop of the day was at the Indian Village.

This is the smaller of two huts we saw, and the one that displayed the way the settlers lived in them. There was a larger one that displayed the way the indians lived in them. However, at the time that the settlers were arriving, there was another tribe of indians from the north that were pushing the Yaocomaco Indians out and across the river. This turned out to be a win/win situation for both the settlers and the Yaocomaco. The settlers needed something to live in, and the indians needed STUFF! Trades were made, the indians went across the river and everybody was happy! I think the indians got the better part of the deal -- they were being pushed out anyway -- and they got lots of stuff. The settlers on the other hand were not really HAPPY in these little hut shelters, and within 3-6 months had built themselves homes -- so then the huts were empty again! (or being moved into by new settlers just arriving). Anyway... it all worked out for everybody.

This was the women's "work hut" - basically just a place to sit and get the sewing and basket weaving and pottery making and whatever DONE with the advantage of a breeze and some shelter from the sun.

A basket of "woman's work" from the settlers hut!

Luz just LOVED trying those little scissors over in the
work hut. She'd have liked to take them home!

Silly Nana saw this game and thought it must be just for fun! Luz sure had fun with it - and was GOOD at it too! The "darts" were made of corn cobs with feathers attached. She got them through that hoop on every try! I did not fare as well! I was 0-3 on mine! LOL! Anyway... of course this is not just for fun! In indian life, EVERYthing had a purpose! This was a tool to teach "aim" of course. And boys AND girls would use it - because the women had to be able to fight too sometimes.... or at least kill a something to eat on occasion.

This is the indian's corn mill. What surprised me was how VERY similar it is to the settlers flour mill! (which I unfortunately did not take a picture of because I was hoping the mistress was going to demonstrate it - but then she didn't!) But I actually got to grind some corn meal in this mill - and while it's not HARD work... it's quite time consuming. It takes about 15 minutes of grinding to get a cup of corn meal. ROUGH corn meal!

Sooooooo that was our field trip! I definitely need to go back by myself one day - in much cooler weather. You can see Luz looks a little wilty in all these pictures. It was HOT Wednesday! Hot, hot, HOT!!! Not the best day to be there -- but it sure gave me a FINE appreciation for what the settlers put up with! But we did NOT see the old State House, most of the Town Center, or the Church... so I definitely want to go back.

And then... just so you know...

We DID relocate the pool to the shady spot!
But then the water never really gets warm enough for
her to enjoy it. My yard has never been pool friendly!
When my kids were small I put their pool out on our
deck - but now we have a table out there.
So this will have to do... I guess.

16 comment(s):

Very interesting tour, Melli! Thanks. I had flashbacks to seeing the Tudor kitchen at Hampton Palace in England when I saw the settlers' kitchen. Very similar.

By Willow, at 7/03/2009 11:51 AM

Wow, what a wonderful day you had Melli, I can imagine you've all enjoyed it much. I love living history museums, this post reminded me a little of the Bokrijk Museum we have here in Belgium, which is one of my favourite places here! But this one of course shows American history!

By Jientje, at 7/03/2009 12:03 PM

That's a very interesting place - I always find working historic sites so fascinating. Especially when you can talk to the characters and learn about the time period.

Looks like your granddaughter had a wonderful time too!

Thanks for dropping by my blog.

By Anonymous, at 7/03/2009 12:24 PM

WOW Melli. What a wonderful post. I actually felt that I was there with you :) Excellent my friend :) Aloha

By Anonymous, at 7/03/2009 12:47 PM

This looks like it was a lot of fun. I love stuff like that!!
Luz is as cute as ever! Isn't it fun have a little girl round??

By Jane, at 7/03/2009 1:38 PM

I was pretty sure I knew. Your sepia photo reminded me a lot of Jamestown in Virginia. It's set up much like this with three boats, the musket shooting, etc. I've escorted a lot of school kids there.
Looks like a great way to spend a day! Well, maybe on a cooler day. I don't really want to imagine the settlers in all those clothes on even just what we would call a warm day. It would still be too hot!

By Carletta, at 7/03/2009 3:07 PM

What a lovely place to visit. Thanks for the virtual tour. I googled indentured servant. It's nice to learn something new today. Seriously I love the photos. The chessboard reminds me of my father. And look at that pantry! I just love the aura of "old" in it.

By Hazel, at 7/03/2009 8:57 PM

I really enjoyed the tour. It was just like going along with you. The pictures and the narration were great.
Thanks
Our pool sits in the shed and I doubt we'll haul it out.

By Dr.John, at 7/03/2009 9:32 PM

Great tour! It reminds me of Plimoth Planation and the Mayflower II in Plymouth Harbour - we loved our visit there.

By Pamela, at 7/03/2009 9:41 PM

Looks such a fun place! We had a place in another town that did "living history" things about once a month, but it wasn't that extensive.

I just got to the computer (at least for play) this evening, so I think I'll skip FFF this week.

By Barbara H., at 7/03/2009 9:50 PM

It looks like you all had a wonderful time. I appreciate the trip with you.

By Maria's Space, at 7/03/2009 10:20 PM

Thanks for the interesting tour.

By bettygram, at 7/03/2009 10:44 PM

Wow that was an interesting post and pictures ! Just loved it ! So that's also a place where the WASPs started, lol ! The tools and stuff looks exactly like the once we had here in old times (of course, how intelligent of me) and shoes were indeed a luxury ! 20 pounds of tabacco ! not bad !
All smokers here in blogworld will be happy to read that it was tobacco which was used for payments ! What happened to non smokers, did they all die ??

By Ingrid, at 7/04/2009 1:56 AM

What a wonderful tour, Melli!! great shots, I particularly like the one from your last stop at the Indian village, Luz looking at the hut. I don't know why I like it because one cannot see her wonderful little face, but I love the shot.
And I didn't know all those facts about historical tabacco! enjoyed reading your post, have a wonderful day. No coffee since it's too hot now XD

By MaR, at 7/04/2009 5:18 AM

That was a great tour, Melli. We here in Ft. Worth have a log cabin village that I've never gone to see. It started with one cabin and I thought that was all there was still. The other day I was looking at the city website and saw they now have several cabins. I'll wait until this fall to go check it out.

Our pool is delightfully warm this year for a change. There was a large tree that shaded it most of the day and it never really got warm. We spent the afternoon out in it yesterday.

By Amber Star, at 7/04/2009 10:39 AM

What a great field trip. I love living history museums.

Happy 4th of July.

By Nessa, at 7/04/2009 7:27 PM

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Friday, July 03, 2009

FFF -- The Field Trip...

16 comment(s):