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Homeplace Journal
We will list happenings on the farm, the animals happenings,
special activities, and other
occurrences that we have seen and are excited to share with you.
Come back often to participate in the experiences that
make LBL a special place to share with others...
Opening Day for the 2006 season! The
staff has been busy putting the finishing touches on projects to be
ready for the first day of the season. We are excited about working
with our new team of Percheron Draft Horses Bob & Jake and also our
Shorthorn calves Cain & Abel who are still in training to become oxen.
Activities which you may see if you come out this time of year may
include plowing the garden for spring vegetables such as lettuce and
Irish potatoes. We also will be busy smoking pork in the smokehouse
throughout the month of March. We will have a variety of programs
happening on the weekends which are listed in the 2006 Spring Calendar
of Events. Daily the staff can be found doing work and activities
which might have been seen on a farm in this area during the 19th
century.
We will be open Wednesday through
Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 10-5. We will be closed Mondays & Tuesdays in
March. We're looking forward to having a great year. Come and see us!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday March 8
Over the past week we have been busy working
in the garden. We've used our new draft horses.. Bob & Jake .. to
plow up the garden and harrow off the soil to plant spring crops. We
have some cabbage and onions set out but will wait to put out potatoes
until the signs of the zodiac are right. During the 19th century
farmers often relied upon Zodiacs to tell them when to plan and harvest
crops. One of the crops we got in the field this week was flax.
This plant is broadcasted and will be harvested in late summer to make
linen.
We also had a program on March 5th that was
called Firepower. This program focused on the role that fire played
on a 19th century farm. Discussions focused on household uses of
fire for heat, light, cooking and agricultural uses such as fire curing
tobacco, burning off fields, and preparing fence posts to protect them
against rot. During the program, discussions also focused on the
risks of using fire on a farm from barns burning down to dresses catching
on fire. This program also allowed visitors a chance to get some
information on the Oak Grassland Restoration Project that is going
to be developed around the Homeplace. The purpose of this project is
to recreate an area to the habitat conditions that were believed to be
commonly found in this area at the time of European settlement. To
accomplish this, the Forest Service will be using prescribed fire to burn
large sections of land to clear out underbrush and small saplings.
Over the next 50 years the project area will be transformed from forest to
a more prairie grassland range featuring a wide variety of warm season
native grasses. Trees found in the area will feature Oaks, Hickorys,
and possibly American Chestnut trees at about a ratio of 10 trees per
acre.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, March 15
This past week we've been busy with a
variety of projects including setting up the loom in the Single Pen
house, repairing fences and harnesses and just being active with a
variety of projects that you would see on a 19th century farm during the
early part of the year. We've been pulling logs with Bob & Jake that we
will then use to split fence rails. We're going to need a number of new
rails to complete a fencing project behind the Ox Barn where we area
going to try planting corn this year. The fencing is not to keep deer
out but to keep the sheep out as livestock free ranged farms in the
1850s and fencing was used to keep the sheep, pigs, and other livestock
out of the crop areas. The rails are split using mauls (wooden
sledgehammers) and wedges. The rails are then stacked on stones to keep
them off the ground and reduce rot. The rails are then stacked at right
angles to make them more secure as there are no nails put into the
fences to help hold them up. To have a good fence in the 19th century
was one that was said to be, "Horse high, Bull strong, and Pig tight".
Bob Holliday
The Homeplace
This past week saw the arrival of this
year's pigs to The Homeplace. The pigs are a 19th century variety known
as Tamworth and have been donated to the farm. Right now the pigs are
about 18 inches long and may weigh 20 pounds. By November the pigs will
weigh almost 300 pounds. In the fall the pigs will go to a local locker
plant to be butchered. We will then receive back the blocks of meat and
process it all into bacons, hams, sausage for program use. Some visitors
become a bit squeamish when they learn that last year's pigs are now in
the smokehouse but that is a very important message for us to tell. Farm
animals were not pets. They all had roles to play and one of the most
important was for food. Also as the Tamworth is a rare breed, by getting
new pigs each year that helps to continue the breed as the farmer we
work with has a demand for his extra male pigs. For more information on
rare breeds I would recommend contacting the American Livestock Breeds
Conservancy at www.albc-usa.org
Besides pigs we also planted potatoes this
week. The Saturday after St. Patrick's day there was a program at The
Homeplace titled Potatomania. During this program the ladies
cooked a variety of 19th century dishes featuring potatoes and also let
visitors helped with planting potatoes in the garden. One little boy
took his potato planting very seriously as he would set the potato half
in the ground "eyes up" and then position his potato just right before
moving on to the next one. What did he learn through all this? He
learned that there is a right way and a wrong way to plant potatoes and
he learned that children had a lot of chores to do on an 1850s farm one
of which was to help in the garden. The best part was though that he did
get to help us in the garden and had a great time doing it too.
Bob Holliday
The Homeplace
Wednesday, March 29
We had the sweetest little stray dog
come to visit us at The Homeplace this past week. He was a little
Feist mix who met me in the parking lot and let me pick him up. He was
covered in ticks and was a bit hungry. Very affectionate little dog.
We let him stay in the Visitor Center during the day and then took him
to LBL Law Enforcement. Whenever dogs are found in LBL Law Enforcement
will place them with a No-Kill Animal Shelter in the area. Annually
there are between 75-100 dogs that are turned in to Law Enforcement.
We were later told that our little friend had been placed by the end
of that day.
On site we've been continuing with a
variety of Spring projects including spinning wool, fencework, and log
hewing. We've also been working with our calves-Cain & Abel and doing
a variety of projects with Bob & Jake our new Percheron horses. This
past week we used Bob to plow up a plot of ground that will later be
set in tobacco. Many people enjoyed seeing the horse at work. While
the plowing was going on, the ladies were busy in the garden putting
in some spring vegetables including beans, turnip greens, and late
potatoes. Several visitors stopped by to visit and some of the
children especially enjoyed helping out.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, April 5
The weather has been cold the past
couple of days. So we've been staying busy splitting out fence
rails. These rails will be used to fence in a patch of corn that
we want to try planting on the back of the farm. The fencing will keep
the sheep from grazing down the corn. Jonathan used the horses to work
up this piece of ground and it broke up ok. As this ground hasn't been
planted in about 10 years it will need to be harrowed off to break up
the dirt clods and then plowed again. With a little luck we'll have
our corn planted well before the end of April.
The ladies have been busy cooking at
the Double Pen house lately. They've also been keeping up with the
house airing out the tickings and bedding of the house. This is quite
a sight to see as when you approach the house there are feather
mattresses, quilts, and such hanging over every banister, railing and
porch of the house but it was an important household chore of the
1850s.
Bob Holliday
Wednesday, April 12
With the recent rains, our spring garden
is doing very well with a number of potatoes, onions, beans, lettuces,
and other types of 19th century vegetables coming up very well. In the
garden each year we try to raise varieties of "heirloom" vegetables.
These are vegetables that you can save seed from each year to plant
for the next year. In addition to growing out a number of older
varieties in our garden, we also are offering a number of heirloom
seeds in our gift shop from the Seed Savers Exchange. This is in an
effort to promote conservation of the resource through action. Persons
who come to the farm and see our garden and learn more about heirloom
seeds sometimes want to try growing some for themselves. Having the
seeds for sale at The Homeplace allows that opportunity without the
additional fees for shipping and handling. Not to mention that the
vegetables grown from the seeds will more than most likely be much
more flavorful than anything you can buy in the super market. As well,
many heirloom varieties have very interesting stories associated with
them. I can think immediately of a Trail of Tears bean that is said to
have been carried by members of the Cherokee nation as they began
their forced march from Georgia to Oklahoma in the 1830s. Growing out
these types of heirloom seeds provides a connection to the past but
also offers protection for our future food supply as the genes found
within these seeds can be used to develop and improve the vegetables
of tomorrow.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, April 19
It's been a bit warm this past week.
The trees are really starting to leaf out bringing some very
comfortable shade. There's a folklore saying that when the oak
leaves are the size of a squirrel's foot that it's time to plant
corn. And this past weekend we did. Jonathan did a great job
getting the ground ready with Bob & Jake using a Chattanooga 45
walking plow. Rob also was busy preparing a sled to mark the rows
out. This is important because the corn is planted on a
checkerboard pattern called cross-checking. This allows more soil
nutrients per plant and it also permits using the horses to
cultivate around the plant in both directions.
The ladies were also busy working
the ground this week planting sweet potatoes and hoeing out the
spring garden. Yesterday they prepared a fine meal at the Double
Pen House using the wood cookstove. Dinner included- ham, leather
britches, potatoes, biscuits and applesauce spice cake. They've
also been quite busy getting ready for a quilting bee that will be
held on Sunday, April 30.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, April 26
Well we finally got some good rain
the last couple of days and with it the leaves on the trees are
out completely. We also have 12 rows of Bloody Butcher corn coming
up in the front field. In addition to this field we have plowed
and planted a small plot behind the Ox Barn in Stowell's Evergreen
Corn which is a white corn. The men have been busy with the wet
weather building fence around the back corn plot. This way the
free-ranging sheep won't eat up our corn. With the weather getting
warmer it will soon be time to shear the sheep and we will be
doing this as a program on Saturday, May 6th from 10am-4pm.
The wet weather also brought the
tobacco into order. Rob kept busy Friday "stripping" the tobacco
which is removing the leaves from the stalk, and then tying the
leaves into bundles called "hands". We will keep the tobacco on
display so that we can interpret the importance of tobacco in the
19th century to visitors touring the farm.
On Saturday, the ladies had an
interpretive program focusing on the Spring Cleaning of the Double
Pen house. A number of visitors were able to help air bedding,
scrub floors, tighten beds and perform other 19th century
housekeeping chores. A great time was had by all and we go some
work done along the way as well!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, May 3
We've had quite a bit of rain lately
which has been very good for the corn, tobacco, and garden crops.
However with all the rain, we've been a bit restricted in what kinds
of activities we can get into as we don't want to tear up the ground
anymore than what is necessary. So we've been working with the calves,
Cain & Abel and we've been doing quite a bit of woodworking. Jonathan
completed a new ground slide this past week which is like a
wheelbarrow in purpose but is set on runners and is pulled by
horses. In the garden, the ladies have put out tomatoes and beans as
well as some herbs. At the Single Pen House, a dye garden has been
planted that will feature a number of dye plants that could be used
for coloring wool of which we will have an abundance of this week when
the sheep are sheared on Saturday, May 6th. Stop out to see us if you
get the chance!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, May 10
This past week has been pretty rainy as
well. We've been keeping dry doing woodworking. Jonathan has been busy
constructing a corn cultivator. He has been preparing joints and fitting
the frame of the implement together. He also needed to make the handles.
This involved working down a piece of oak and then steaming it. The piece
of wood is then fitted into a jig to bend the wood to the shape desired.
This past weekend was our annual sheep
shearing. The program went very well and the sheep are definitely
appreciative of their new haircuts. With the cooler weather today they
were definitely feeling good running, bucking, and ramming each other.
Sheep are silly when they are feeling good.
The garden is almost under water with all
the rain but we do have spinach, lettuce, cabbage, beets and onions all
doing very well. The ladies are cooking tomorrow and have promised a
salad. It should be very good. In addition to cooking, the ladies have
also been busy working with the fresh fleeces from the sheep shearing
program. They have also been doing quite a bit of quilting.
Bob Holliday
Wednesday, May 18
Again we've had a lot of rain this past
week. We've continued to work with the steers and they are definitely
growing. Cain & Abel are now 18 months old and are doing pretty well
in yoke. I've begun some coopering projects at the Tool Barn. The
first step in coopering is to make staves that could later be used for
buckets. Using a variety of hand tools such as a shaving horse, draw
knife and inshave pieces of white oak are shaped to where they will
fit together to make a conical shape that will become a bucket. In
addition to coopering, Jonathan has been busy working on a corn
cultivator. He steamed wood to make the handles this past week. With
all the rain we've had the corn will need some serious hand work to
get the weeds out. As a matter of fact, the rain has really brought on
the tobacco in the plant bed. As soon as the fields dry out we'll be
ready to draw plants and put in this year's crop.
The rain has also done wonders for the
garden. The ladies cooked a meal this week featuring pork, red ripper
peas, potato mash, sauerkraut, corn bread and a salad with greens
fresh from the garden. There was lettuce, spinach, radish, and fresh
onion. The ladies have also been busy quilting, knitting, and keeping
up with the house.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, May 24
Being a living history farm with a live
animal program, sometimes it is necessary to perform veterinary care
upon the livestock and sometimes that means making tough choices. This
past week we had to put down one of our Border Leicester ewes. She was
very old and her teeth had worn down. As well, she had a softball size
tumor on her underbelly. It was her time. We also had to work on a sheep
who got cut on the shoulder during sheep shearing May 6. She had a
gumball size knot on her right shoulder which turned out to be an
abscess (think of it as a giant pimple). Probably a bit of wool or dirt
got into the wound and it became infected. So we got her taken care of
and she is doing very well. Speaking of animals, our young Dominique
chickens are doing very well. Their feathers are fledging out and they
are making it over the walls of the brooder daily and exploring the farm
looking for worms, seeds, and meeting the world. We also cleaned out the
duck coop this week. Ducks are fun to have around the farm, but their
bedding stank something terrible.
It finally stopped raining just long
enough for us to do some field work the past couple of days. Friday Rob
plowed up a tobacco plot and I harrowed it with Jake. We then set the
field in hills on 48 inch centers and Robert transplanted the tobacco
from the plant bed over the last two days. Jonathan cultivated the corn
today with Bob. The corn is also set on 48 inch centers making the field
look like a checkerboard. This is so the field can be cultivated in both
directions. The ladies were also busy in the garden putting in the
summer crops of beans, tomatoes, squash, and such. Today they cooked us
a fine meal of potato soup, cornbread, pork, and broccoli. Last
Saturday we had corn beef and cabbage with bread and apple pie. It was
all very good.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, May 31
Well it seems that summer is here. We've
had some real hot weather the past week which has really slowed us
down for doing field work during the day. We were doing really well
getting ready for setting out tobacco. We had a plot of ground plowed
up and ready to harrow...and then we got 3 1/2 inches of rain. The
ground finally dried out yesterday and we harrowed it down real well
with Bob & Jake....and then we got 2 more inches of rain. Oh well.
We'll get the tobacco in sooner or later. One thing we have been
getting out of the ground is flax. Our flax was sown in March and we
had quite a thick stand of it near the tobacco barn. The flax is
pulled out of the ground to get all of the fibers that run through the
plant. The fibers are separated and will then be used for making
linen. The seeds of the plant can then be used for making linseed oil
which is used in paints and water sealers; as well, flax seed oil is
very popular in health food items.
Memorial Day weekend was very good. We
had a lot of people come out to check out our River Days activities.
On Saturday we had a fish fry with a discussion and demonstration of
historic methods of fishing the rivers. Sunday we had a program on
steam boats and their impact on material culture of the 19th century.
Monday we had programs focusing on how water was used for a power
source and how water moved from the springhouse to the kitchen of the
double-pen house. Children especially enjoyed wearing a water yoke and
carrying the buckets to get a feel for chores that they would be
responsible for had they lived in the 1850s.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Thursday June 8
Hot days have come through unexpectedly
with many a storm to brew over the horizon. We here on the farm have been
both miserable and joyful of the weather that nature has provided. The
field work has slowed down a bit because of the fields being to wet. One
exception to that is the tobacco which is better to set on cloudy days.
There is not anything like walking barefoot in the mud to set tobacco. The
days grow warmer the fields will dry out and we can get the horses into
the fields to cultivate the corn.
The women have the garden to keep up.
They have had some good luck this year as can be seen from the vegetables
that they have harvested all ready. Many a good meal has come out of the
garden all ready. They have been working on knitting dish rags and
quilting. They are completing a nine patch quilt and should finish some
time in the next couple of months. We have all been preparing for the
event this coming June tenth, Pickin' Party. Many local groups will visit
us to play Blue Grass music through both Saturday and Sunday. The old farm
will be lively with music and people coming to enjoy it all.
Robert Superchi
Interpreter
Wednesday, June 14
Well it seems that the weather has
calmed down a bit allowing us to get caught up on cultivating the
crops with Bob & Jake. We cultivated and cross-checked the corn. We
are planting two varieties this year- Bloody Butcher corn, a variety
with red ears and stalks that grow to be over 12 feet tall and
Stowell's Evergreen corn, a white eared corn that is supposed to last
for a long time on the cob after harvest. The tobacco set out over the
past month seems to have finally taken hold and is beginning to grow.
It won't be long until picking off the tobacco worms will part of our
daily chores.
The ladies worked in the garden
yesterday digging potatoes and picking beans, carrots, beets, and
onions. They cooked up a wonderful meal the other day of pork
tenderloin, new potatoes, beans, cornbread, and apple cobbler with
apples straight from the orchard. We have a new apprentice at The
Homeplace, Jessica Gertig who will be with us for the next year
learning some of the tricks of the trade of the living history side of
environmental interpretation. Former apprentice Nathan Lynn was at The
Homeplace over the weekend when his bluegrass band Bawn in the Mash
played at the annual Pickin' Party. We had a great weekend of music,
food, and fun. Our next special event will be Tuesday, July 4th from
1-4pm when The Homeplace hosts Independence Day - 1850 with a reading
of the Declaration of Independence, a visit by Kentucky statesman-
Henry Clay, springhouse cooled watermelon, a townball game, and more!
Call (931) 232-6457 for more information on the day's activities.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, June 21
This past week has been an interesting one
at The Homeplace. PBS has been at the farm this past Sunday to do some
filming for a documentary which will air next year. The documentary is
part of their American Experience series and will focus on the life and
presidency of Andrew Jackson. The Homeplace was involved as the
producers of the show wanted to do some segments focusing on what
America was like in the 1850s after Jackson's presidency. The film crew
got several takes of staff loading and unloading fence rails, sawing a
log, planing a board, hewing a log, and some great motion shots of the
draft horses at work. Look for this documentary to air sometime in
June/July 2007.
As well, the Center for Environmental
Education at Murray State University of Murray, KY held part of their
Summer Institute workshop at The Homeplace today. Four stations were
held for the group of 40 educators and students focusing on water usage
in the 19th century and non-point source water pollution. The four
stations included music, paper marbling, laundry, and a program focusing
on water and resource use in the 1850s. This station was interesting
because where today many pollutants such as human and animals waste
could be considered sources for cause of disease. This wasn't commonly
so in the 19th century. The miasmatic theory of disease which was
popular then suggested that the atmosphere had more to do with causing
diseases such as cholera or diphtheria than did emptying the chamber pot
near the springhouse.
Image courtesy of The Soap Factory and Arthur Ellis
News-channel 2 of Nashville was at The
Homeplace to do some filming for a piece to air in late July. We hosted
a program today called- Work Before Play focusing on children's chores
of the 1850s. Children coming to the farm could dress up in 1850s
children's clothing and participate in a variety of chores including
carrying water, beating rugs, and hauling stovewood. Several families
attended the program today and all of this including portions of the
Murray State program will probably be featured in the News-channel 2
piece.
Well that's all for now. We will be
hosting a week long series of programs next week focusing on the Mother
Goose Nursery Rhyme "This is the way we do our chores" Monday will be
laundry day, Tuesday will be ironing, and so on. For more information
call (931) 232-6457. Don't forget Independence Day at The Homeplace!
Watermelon, games, patriotic verse, and more on Tuesday, July 4th from
1-4pm.
Until then,
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Tuesday July 4, 2006
The women on the farm have been busy this
last week. Wash was done on Monday with ironing, churning butter, and
cleaning the house. The ladies have put in for their time to the domestic
arts. We even had church on Sunday with the circuit preacher Brother
Jones. Now Brother Jones is a decent man but can be a bit to get used to
when you first meet him. The ladies also had the usual hand work of
knitting some wash rags for some extra money to buy some lemons and ice.
Which makes lemonade and is a special treat for us on the farm. Charlotte
makes some really good lemonade that has just enough bite to it for
a hot day.
We men didn't have a break with the field
work. The weather has been to hot for the tobacco to be set in the field
from the plant bed. The transfer and then the heat of the sun doesn't
allow the plant to set in the field. So it dies. We have reset the tobacco
fields six times at least. With some of the rain I hope that we do
not have to do that any more. Corn is doing well though the deer have made
it a dinner site. With them and Bob the horse we may not get corn this
year. Bob likes to have a snack when he works corn and I don't mind that.
He likes to stop however in the middle of the row and that's not
good when cultivating it. We have had such field work that we haven't had
time to do other projects. There is a sugar box to be done and a candle
box as well. There is Blaze the ox yoke to finish so that he can get back
to work. The calves are growing by leaps. May have to get them into the
next size yoke for their training to continue. Well the night has become
long with what sounds like a storm. That or someone is still doing an
anvil toss for the Fourth of July celebration.
Robert Superchi
Interpreter
Wednesday, July 5
This past week wrapped up our week of
women's work activities. Thursday the ladies ironed, Friday they mended
clothes, Saturday they baked bread, and Sunday we did a version of a
19th century revival as Sunday was the traditional day to "go to
church". Monday we had a program on desserts which was called "Birthday
Pies" in honor of Independence Day. As for Independence Day itself, what
a time it was! We had George McGee perform a first person depiction of
the fiery Kentucky statesman- Henry Clay. His performance was
underwritten by a grant from the Kentucky Humanities Council and we
at The Homeplace are very thankful to the Friends of LBL for helping to
secure the grant. In addition to this performance, we had watermelon and
games, music, and the launching of a paper smoke balloon. A big time
was had by all.
Painting by Giuseppe Fagnani, 1852, Collection
of U.S. House of Representatives
In the fields, the corn is doing well
overall if you minus the damage caused by the deer and raccoons. In the
19th century this would not have been a problem because of unregulated
hunting and the number of farm dogs that would have helped out with such
a nuisance. The tobacco is finally coming on pretty well. Some of the
plants are very uneven but should turn out fine for harvest. In the
garden, the spring garden has all been harvested and it will soon be
time to plant a fall garden. Speaking of gardens and herbs, we will have
an Invited Artist at The Homeplace on Saturday, July 15th. Denise
Berryhill a local Herbalist will be at the farm from 10am to 4pm with a
variety of products to discuss. We hope to see you on the farm.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, July12
We've had some really good rains lately
that have helped a lot with the tobacco. The corn is another story. The
deer have been working it over pretty badly. We lost a whole plot of
Stowell's Evergreen corn that we had behind the ox lot. We actually got
some roasting ears of Bloody Butcher corn out of the front field today.
We plowed up a plot for the fall garden Monday and will plant that
before the end of the month. Out of the garden the ladies have gotten
quite a few onions and potatoes. The onions are being tied up in bunches
and hung in the breezeway of the house.
I got to help with an interesting program
over the weekend. A staff member from the Woodlands Nature Station and I
took a van tour of visitors to visit Kentucky Dam and Barkley Dam on the
Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. During the program we discussed the
historical significance of the rivers and their effect on 19th century
transportation. We also spotted a number of waterfowl and discussed how
the dams functioned. The visitors seemed to really enjoy the program and
we are hoping to offer it again in late February of 2007.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
J uly
20, 1850
The farm is running pretty smoothly these
days. However, the pumpkin patch did not come up this
year. The seed must have gone bad with age, but it was only for trial of
no significance. The corn has
done well in the front field but not behind the ox barn. The deer have
worked both fields pretty good
over the weeks in munching the stalks of corn. Even have a doe that snorts
at us from the corn as we work the tobacco as if we are disturbing her in
her corn field. These past days have been unbearably hot as well. Feels
like a furnace has been taped to allow the molten iron out. We have
received rain at the
end of the week to take away the heat though it shall get hotter as August
progresses. I was so hoping for a cool summer this year.
The ladies have been busy these past days
as well with the vegetable garden. That particular endeavor has produced
quit well under the ladies watchful eyes. They have brought in much
vegetables and have begun to dry and pickle them for storage. We shall eat
handsomely this winter again. One of the ladies made some milk paint to
stain a new candle box that was made for her. In fact we men have been
busy in the tool barn of late since the fields have been to wet to work
in. We have some problems with our young chicks not wanting to go up into
the coup. The problem is one rooster which may find its way into the
frying pan if it keeps being ... well a rooster. We have to
many roosters anyway on the farm.
I shall close with this last there shall
be a special even coming of a Children's Day on the farm. The children
around the area shall come to have fun with games and other little events.
It should be fun for the adults as well. The Agriculture Fair is coming up
soon. That always is a fun experience with all the craftsmen working and
animals and contests. I hear rumor that there may be a wedding. I'll have
to see whether those are true or not. No rest, it's time to go back to
work in the field. Ma is already
trying to shoo me away.
Robert Superchi
We had some relief from the heat with a
cold front that came through, this found the staff working in the
tobacco plots cultivating the crop, breaking the flowering tops off of
the plants, pulling suckers of of the base of the leaves, and looking
for tobacco hornworms pretty much everywhere. We've also been picking
some Bloody Butcher Corn in the roasting ear stage. The ladies have
cooked some of that with the meals they have prepared lately and it
has been quite good. In fact they cooked a dinner for us Wednesday of
fried chicken, potatoes, squash, biscuits, corn, and fried apples all
of which was very good.
In the afternoons when it does turn off
a little warmer the staff have been found quilting or doing handwork
in the breezeway of the Double Pen House or doing some tradeswork at
the Tool Barn. I've been doing some coopering lately working on a 10
inch wooden pail, Jonathan has been working on a rocking chair, and
Rob has been sorting and preparing some flax for a program that he
will be presenting on August 26 focusing on what flax is and how it
was processed into linen. Jonathan also constructed a dovetail jointed
candlebox for use at the Double Pen. Charlotte then prepared some
Milkpaint which is a mixture of pigment, turpentine, and sour milk.
The recipe she used has been around since the 1820s. She then used the
milkpaint to put a striking red coat of paint on the candle box and
also the wash stand in the breezeway of the Double Pen. Until next
time,
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, August 2
Well, it would be an understatement to
say that it has been hot recently. The heat has definitely been
affecting everyone on the farm. The staff are moving a little slower
and heading to the breezeways of the buildings to find some relief.
The sheep have been spending the day in the woods and don't move at
all except to breath. the horses come down from pasture already worked
up in a sweat and spend the day in the breezeway of the barn. So what
would people have done in the 1850s when if it was this hot? Well, any
fieldwork would be done very early in the morning and then the rest of
the day would be left for light chores such as woodworking, quilting,
and things of that nature. After dinner, time would be left for "nooning"
which was more or less taking a rest in the middle of the day.
On Saturday, July 29 we had a program
titled, Tomato-mania which featured a taste test of several heirloom
tomatoes. Visitors could try samples of Large Red, Arkansas Traveler,
Persimmon, Mr. Stripey, Cherokee Purple, Yellow Pear, Purple Calabash,
and Mortgage Lifter. In the taste test, Mr. Stripey won out overall
while Cherokee Purple came in second. Many visitors were very
interested to learn that there are a wide variety of tomato varieties
and flavors available today besides what is offered on the shelves at
the supermarket. For more information on where to obtain heirloom
tomatoes and other heirloom vegetable varieties, check out
www.seedsavers.org This is the
website of the Seed Savers Exchange, an organization which we purchase
seeds from each year and is doing a lot of work around the world to
protect our vegetable heritage resources.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, August 9
The heat and humidity have yet to
subside in any significant way around here which finds the staff doing
any needed fieldwork such as suckering and worming the tobacco early
in the morning. This is almost a daily chore as the sucker growths at
each leaf base will grow to draw energy from the leaf and even break
off the leaf if left go too long. The worms we speak of are the
Tobacco Hornworm which will eat large holes in the leaves which in the
19th century would have meant loss of cash income for a farm. We will
be cutting the tobacco sometime at the end of August or beginning of
September.
Photograph by: University of Missouri - Columbia
The ladies made ice cream last Friday
which was a very nice treat. They've also been doing quite a bit of
quilting and have Robert busy at the Tool Barn making darning eggs on
the lathe used of course to repair (darn) items such as socks.
Lora Ann and Jennifer were busy yesterday constructing a Time Machine
for use in our Children's Day on the Farm on August 19th. If you have
children, this is a special event not to be missed. For more
information call The Homeplace (931) 232-6457.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, August 16
Finally we've had a front come through
which caused the humidity to drop significantly which is a much
welcome change to the weather of the past few weeks. Over the past
week we've had some interesting things going on at the farm. Debbie
Shelton, a former employee came to volunteer one day and helped the
ladies cook up a meal at the Double Pen House.
Rob has put the finishing touches on
a scutching board which he will use for his flax program on Sat.
August 26th. During the program, he and Cindy will demonstrate and
discuss the process of turning flax into linen and other materials. We
saw 15 turkey poults in the the upper pasture. Also, I met a visitor
who said that they had never seen corn growing in a field before. So I
took her out into our patch of Bloody Butcher corn and discussed the
finer points of raising a crop of corn in the 1850s with her.
We've also been working more with the
horses and the working steers, Cain & Abel. This is always a slow time
of year for us as children are heading back to school but schools are
yet to begin their fall field trips. We will be busy Saturday with our
Children's Day on the Farm program and mark your calendars for the
17th Annual 1850s Agricultural Fair to be held on Sat. September 16th.
You won't want to miss it!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, August 23
Well around the farm it seems that
autumn is just around the corner. We shocked corn this week. This
is done by cutting the corn stalk with a corn knife, (which looks
a lot like a machete) the corn is then stacked in a stack with the
tops pressed against each other. This allows the corn to dry
thoroughly and also allows a protected place to store pumpkins. As
well, in the tobacco patch, the suckers on the base of the leaves
have declined in number. We will probably start cutting within the
next week or so. The tobacco will then go into barn to be cured. A
low fire is built under the hanging tobacco for several weeks that
causes the tobacco to turn a dark color and will give the tobacco
a smokey flavor. In other agricultural news, our young roosters
who came to us in April are starting to to try to crow. It will be
nice to have a rooster's crow on the farm again. We've been
without roosters since coyotes killed all of ours last August.
Tomorrow begins a quilt show in
Dover, TN. We've entered two of the reproduction quilts made at
The Homeplace. One is called Trip Around the World and the other
is a Bear Paw. Both are going to be displayed in a historic
building in town that was used to house refugees from Paducah, KY
when that city flooded in 1937. Pink and white fabric was
purchased from a local seamstress by the Red Cross to make
clothing for the children who were displaced. After their stay in
Dover and the children went home, the discarded clothes were
gathered and were made into a pink and white quilt which will also
be on display during this quilt show.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, August 30
This past week we cut tobacco. All
the tobacco from the back field was put up in the barn Sunday and
the rest of the tobacco was cut yesterday. It will go up in the
barn Friday. When the tobacco is cut, it is split down the center
and then five plants are hung on a wooden stick. The tobacco will
hang in the barn for a few weeks before we begin to fire cure it.
The barn will be closed and low fires will be started in dirt
trenches in the floor. The fire-curing will take six weeks or so
and will produce a dark color to the plant while flavoring it for
chewing tobacco. This was a very important cash crop during the
19th century which is grown for demonstration value at The
Homeplace.
Speaking of the Tobacco barn, it and
the Double Pen House, Smokehouse, Corn Crib, and Single Pen
House are all having some restoration work done to them. The
buildings are being sprayed with a mildew remover and then will be
treated with a wood preservative. Things were proceeding well on
this until work began at the Double Pen. While the cleaning
solution was being applied, it came through the walls of the
parlor where the daubing had contracted just a little. To be on
the safe side, We moved all the furniture in the house away from
the walls and covered everything with plastic. The house will be
open for the Labor Day weekend after the cleaning stage of the
project is finished.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, September 6
It would seem that Summer is finally
winding down with the recent Labor Day weekend. We had a very good
weekend at The Homeplace with a great number of visitors over the
three day weekend. Over past years we have tried a number of
different programs including last year we focused on a variety of
harvest activities including making cheese, processing flax into
linen, and cutting tobacco and putting it up into the barn. This
year we tried a different approach. We planned a triad of programs
that focused on 19th century recreation. On Saturday we had a
program titled Pop Guns and Other Dangerous Toys in which Rob
demonstrated a number of tops, pop guns, persimmon throwers and
other toys that were fun to play with but carried a certain amount
of risk to those that played with them. Sunday Jonathan lead a "Nooning"
program at the Double Pen House. "Nooning" was a common 19th
century time for rest and refreshment after a morning of work and
a big noon meal which was commonly called "dinner" Jonathan played
the banjo and worked on a Mule eared rocking chair while the
ladies made ice cream and quilted. On Monday we had a Watermelon
Social where we had ice cold watermelon, pitched washers and told
stories. It was a very fun and successful weekend.
Now although the Labor Day weekend
is the traditional "End of Summer" this does not mean in any way
that we are winding down at The Homeplace. On September 16th we
will host the 17th Annual 1850s Agricultural Fair. On October 21
the ever popular 1850s Wedding will return to The Homeplace along
with the traditional Halloween program Snap Apple Night on Friday,
October 27th. Also, if you are looking for something to do with
the relatives over the Thanksgiving weekend you are welcome to
join us on November 25th for our Christmas in 1850 program. Fall
will find the staff fire curing tobacco in the barn and starting
to do some plowing of the summer crop plots. For more information
on any of these program please call us at (931) 232-6457. We look
forward to having you come visit with us!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, September 13
We started fire curing tobacco today.
This process will take several weeks of daily fires in the barn to
produce a smoke to cure the tobacco for use as chewing tobacco. Over
the past week, Jonathan has made two axe handles and prepared some
wood for making shingles during a program on Sunday, October 1st. The
restoration work is moving along as the roof of the Garden Crib has
been replaced along with the porch on the Single Pen House. The Double
Pen House will be the last building in this cycle to have a wood
preservative applied to it. This work will be completed next week.
Lora Ann pulled up all the remaining
tomato plants in the garden and removed the stakes. This is a sure
sign that summer is coming to an end. However the fall garden is doing
well with a variety of beans, lettuces, and turnip greens coming up.
Bob & Jake got a nice present this week. We had a new set of plow
harness made for the boys and they are really going to look sharp
working around the farm. The boys will be used this weekend during our
1850's Agricultural Fair doing a variety of plowing demonstrations
where visitors will be invited to try their hand at a walking plow.
There will also be a number of other demonstrations around the farm.
It will certainly not be a day to be missed!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Friday September 22
It was a beautiful weekend. The
family and I went to the Agricultural Fair near Model. Thee were
many people showing their skills and selling their wares to the
public. The blacksmith had many of his items on display.
He used his portable forge as he fabricated a number of items as we
watched.
There were people weaving rugs and
making baskets, making paper and showing hand made wooden boxes.
The plow salesman was not too
successful in selling any of his new models of plows but I am sure
that he made some profit in plow points.
Some of the most popular at the fair
were the phrenologist, who studied the bumps on the heads of people to
determine their character. The fact that it was a woman who
performed this medical marvel made this even more interesting.
The other exciting craft highlighted
was the photographer. His glass Collodion photography was
truly remarkable. Many families had their portraits taken before
his camera.
It has been a blessing that some cool
weather has come to the area. It has also brought many days of
rain. This has delayed the harvest for some. We have
brought everything into our barns except for some of the corn shocks
out in the field. The rain should not be of any concern for
that. The rain will make for good curing of the tobacco. A
damp day with the smoke will give the leaves that good dark color.
It is time to finish reaping any
crops and prepare for winter stores. The ladies have busy with
this already. The fall garden looks to be of sufficient crop to
last the winter and early spring. The day is wet with storm. I
need to go out to the tool barn to finish some presents for the girls.
Robert Superchi
Wednesday, October 3
The leaves are beginning to get a bit of
color as fall takes hold of the hollow. The cool morning air combined
with the robust aroma of firing tobacco really makes the farm something
to see. Besides firing tobacco, we have also been splitting shingles and
fence rails and continuing to work with Cain & Abel. The ladies have
been preparing applesauce and dried apples using what we had left over
from the Agricultural Fair. We've been having a bit of a problem with a
deer getting in to the garden and eating the red ripper peas. Soon we'll
be plowing the garden under as well as the former tobacco & corn fields
bringing an end to this year's crop growing.
Soon it will be time again for the very
popular Homeplace Wedding on October 21st. The program goes from 10am -
4pm with the ceremony taking place at 1pm. This year as an added bonus
we will have a 19th century photographer on site making ambrotypes and
deguerotypes. And don't forget Snap Apple night! That haunting eve will
take place on Friday, October 27 with ticket sales beginning at 5:30pm
and the program going from 6-8pm. You won't want to miss it!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, October 10
As the weather stays cool with autumn
setting in, many of our activities are reflecting the cooler weather.
Jonathan presented a shingle making program demonstrating the
processes of splitting a block of oak into billets and then splitting
out the shingles using a froe. We also will be active splitting out
fence rails.
At the Double Pen House autumn is
also setting in. The ladies will be presenting a program this weekend
on tightening the house showing and allowing the public to help with
the tasks needed to get the house ready for winter. During this
program, the house will also get a good top to bottom cleaning which
will be a good thing as the 1850s Wedding will be next Saturday's
special event program. The Friday night following will be our Snap
Apple Night 1850s Halloween program.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, October 18
This past week we've been doing some
more work with the draft animals. Jonathan worked with Bob, one of our
Percheron horses, to do some plowing and also worked some with Blaze
our Milking Shorthorn ox. Firing of tobacco continues almost daily and
will continue for a few more weeks. The ladies have been in the garden
picking peas and turnips and have been busy getting ready for the
1850s wedding. They have been cleaning the houses and baking tea cakes
as well as a wedding cake using 19th century recipe. We have had a
very wet fall. There has been an unusual amount of water standing
around the farm. Lora Ann spent part of one afternoon using a hoe to
dig a canal across the back of the Double Pen yard to help drain the
standing water. We've definitely have had our share of "duck" weather
lately, and the ducks do love it!!!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, October 25
We hosted an 1850's Wedding at The
Homeplace this past weekend. It was a very splendid affair. Again this
year Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Vinson lost yet another daughter to marriage.
Their daughter Jessica, wed the charming son of their friend and
neighbor Captain and Mrs. Louis Partain. Captain Robert Partain
following in his father's footsteps, left home at an early age to work
on the river. Starting as a common laborer, he quickly rose in rank
until he became one of the youngest riverboat captains to ever run the
Mississippi or Cumberland Rivers. Estranged from his father for many
years, Captain Robert decided it was time to mend fences with his
father and meet his new stepmother. While visiting his father between
the rivers, he attended the famous Vinson's Corn Shucking Bee where
Jessica Vinson caught Captain Robert's eye. The courting commenced
soon after the gathering. Captain Robert proposed marriage to Miss
Jessica on Christmas Day last year. The couple would have been married
in the spring, but her father, Daniel Vinson, refused permission until
Robert promised that he would not take Jessica away from Pryor Creek.
Captain Robert and Jessica finally agreed to set up housekeeping in
her grandmother's home and Robert agreed to try life as a farmer.
It was a beautiful day for a wedding.
Over 570 neighbors and guests attended to see the ceremony which was
officiated by Brother Ezra Jones of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
During the ceremony, the mother of the bride, Elizabeth Vinson brushed
Jessica's face with wheat to symbollically ensure fertility upon the
couple. Mr. Vinson also tapped Jessica's head with a shoe and then
passed that on to Robert in an old English tradition that shoes
represent authority and that Mr. Vinson has passed the authority of
his daughter unto Captain Robert.
Following the ceremony, guests were
treated to cake and cider and a lively band played as everyone danced
away the afternoon to the Virginia Reel, Grand March, Waltzes and
other favorites. The unmarried men and women tossed a cat in the quilt
and ran for the broom so we'll just have to see who might be wed in
the coming year!
Bob Holliday
The Homeplace
Wednesday, November 1
Yesterday was Halloween a day full
of entertainment and enchantment for the Scots-Irish who lived
between the rivers in the 19th century. We celebrated Halloween at
The Homeplace on Friday night with an event that we cal Snap Apple
Night. During this evening event we had story telling around
bonfires out on the farm site. We then had time where visitors
could go to the Double Pen House to enjoy some period
entertainments. There was snaping of apples where you peel an
apple and throw the peel over your shoulder. The peel would then
land in such a way to form the initial of your future husband or
wife. We played the the 3 Luggies where you close your eyes and
reach out in front of you for a bowl of dirt, sand, or cornmeal.
Whatever bowl you choose portends your future for the coming year.
Then there was the fate doll, as she would spin she would point to
a fate that you might be due for. Last but not least, we had a
very creative display of scarecrows in the yard of the Double Pen.
In the magic of the night, it seemed that some of them moved on
their own. But how could that be possible? They're only
scarecrows. Meanwhile, near the bonfire, Jennifer performed
phrenology on anyone who would dare to have their head read.
Phrenology is the science of feeling the bumps on your head to
tell you about your personality. A lot of fun, but in every
reading there is a bit of truth!
The weather didn't do us any favors
Friday night, but we still had a great program for whoever was
bold enough to chance the elements. Our last Special Event of the
year will be Christmas in 1850 on Saturday, November 25th. As we
progress into November, The Homeplace will be closed on Mondays
and Tuesdays and Thanksgiving Day. We will then close for the
season on Thursday, November 30.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, November 8
Worked Bob quite a bit this past week
for a lot of odd jobs. It sure is nice to have a horse that you can
just harness up and go do something and not have to be overly worried
about something going horribly wrong. We hauled trash wood for the
tobacco barn and moved pieces to make fence rails and cross pieces. We
had to call the vet to take a look at Jake. He had an abcess develop
in his back foot. He's doing fine now.
Jonathan has been busy making a sugar
chest using dovetail jointery. He's using some walnut lumber that was
donated to us and it is going to be a fine looking piece of furniture.
At the Double Pen House the ladies have been cooking up the last of
the apples from the Agricultural Fair back in September. They made
applesauce, apple cobbler, and apple sauce spice cake. There was also
a knitting bee on Sunday and Jessica made some fresh bread practicing
for a program that she will be leading in 2007.
Ah yes, 2007 is just around the
corner. We'll be open for 2006 though until November 30th so come and
visit with us if you get a chance. If you're looking for something
special to do, Christmas in 1850 will be November 25th and should
prove to be a great program for the family over the Thanksgiving
weekend. We hope to see you then!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, November 15
The weather has definitely turned off
cooler and that has found the staff involved in a vareity of
activities that would be appropriate for this time of year.
Over the weekend Rob presented a program
focusing on the processes involved in 19th century timbering. This
type of program is even more fitting as there is a 70 acre tract of
land that is currently being timbered behind The Homeplace. This area
is part of the Oak-Grassland Demonstrtion Project which involves
turning about 5000 acres of land in the Pryor Creek watershed into a
grassland savannah with only about 10 selected types of oaks, etc. per
acre. A variety of methods including timbering and controlled use of
fire will be used to alter this landscape over the next several years.
The Double Pen House was also a scene of
seasonal activity as the ladies prepared a batch of lye soap. This was
one of the few activities that young children would not be allowed to
help with because of the caustic nature of the lye. The process
involves a somewhat volatile chemical reaction as lye, lard, and water
are mixed together in a cast iron kettle. No fire is required as the
chemical reaction itself causes the outside of the kettle to heat up.
Indeed, the soap must cure for 6 weeks before it is safe to use at the
house.
Speaking of the house, yesterday
Charlotte prepared a fine meal of fried pork, red ripper peas, potato
mash, hominy, and gravy. We also had basic cake, fried apples and
coffee. This made the cold, rainy day that much more enjoyable.
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
Wednesday, November 22
This past weekend we had two very
interesting programs at The Homeplace.
On Saturday, Robert presented, "All but
the Squeal" a program that focused on 19th century butchering
processes. In preparation for the program, Robert pulled together a
number of tools needed in the butchering process and had them
available for people to see. However, he lacked a guest of honor, a
pig. Actually going through the process of butchering a pig wasn't
going to be possible for us; however, we needed something to
demonstrate where the various cuts of meat came from. We had been in
touch with a local butcher but we were going to have to spend almost
$100 for a partially processed pig. So we went with plan C. Robert
found a rubber pig on the internet and marked it to show where the
various cuts of meat came from. The program was received very well by
the public and helped to emphasize the importance of farm animals as
food sources in the 19th century and today.
On Sunday, the ladies presented a
program called, "Puttin' by the Garden" another foodways program that
focused on foods coming from the garden. Now, considering that we have
already had several hard frosts and freezes, there wasn't much coming
out of the garden. However, the ladies focused their program on things
that would have been harvested earlier from the garden and how those
foodstuffs would be stored for later use. Most commonly this was done
by drying, salting or pickling.
Speaking of food, the smell of
gingerbread will be smelled in the kitchen of the Double Pen House
this Saturday as we celebrate Christmas in 1850 from 1-4pm. Santa
should be arriving about 2-2:30pm so we hope you'll stop by if you
can!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
November 30, 2006
Well, another year has come and gone at
The Homeplace. We will be closed for the winter but will re-open on
Thursday, March 1, 2007. In all reality that isn't very far away. Over
the winter we will be busy planning out what kinds of crops we will
raise on the farm as well as what sort of programs we will offer on
the weekends. In fact it is soon time for the pigs to go off to be
butchered. When we get the meat back it will be used during our first
program for the spring which will be "Leave Nothing but the Squeal"
when we demonstrate sausage making, smoke hams and bacons and discuss
just how important pigs were to a 19th century farm. All of the other
livestock stay at the farm over the winter enjoying the comforts of
the modern barn. This has been a very good year at The Homeplace with
over 36,000 visitors having come to visit with us. We hope that you
will come to visit with us in 2007!
Bob Holliday
Lead Interpreter
The Homeplace
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