The first stop of our weekend celebration was The Spirit of New Jersey History Fair, which was just a few miles from where we camped :)
If you have been around here for a bit, you know how
This history fair occurs every year, but I only found out about it this year from other homeschool moms.
The idea is that every historical museum, archive, re-enactment company, etc. will be represented.
When I heard that history buffs would set up tables, I thought we would by-pass this area. But, it was right near where we parked, so we meandered through on our way into the village. Turns out, it was one of our favorite parts. These folks have a passion for history and have amassed large collections of artifacts that all have a (hi)story and they are excited to share the stories. Love it!
We heard Ben Franklin and Molly Pitcher speak. A had a vested interest in Molly as she read a biography on Molly Pitcher for our Biography unit at the beginning of our homeschool year. She loves the story of how when Molly went to collect her husband's pension they told her they would not give her her husband's pension money. They would give Molly a pension based on her own merit of saving the lives of many soldiers and risking her life by bringing them water on the battlefields. I get a little burst of pride in being female at that story--so glad my girl gets it too!
The girls got to see what chores would have been like in the 1830s.
Makes cleaning your room not seem like such a bad deal, doesn't it?
There was music EVERYWHERE. Seriously, a spring day with bluegrass music--does it get much better?
We saw an 1864 baseball game! Fun!
And an 1820s small village wedding.
The girls got front row seats!
They were so excited!
We got to see what working life would have been like in an 1830s company town.
a-blacksmithing
b-barn raising
c-plowing (kids got to try this!)
d-cool shoes
e-quilting bees
f-cooking over an open fire :)
g,h,i-carpentry
We saw the townsfolk just hanging out ;-)
The girls sat and had their silhouettes done.
I think we are going to frame them!
It was an awesome day!
A fantabulous weekend!
A fantabulous weekend!