I
always love these kind of historic recreation parks. Being able to
actually be immersed in the culture of the day with the help of interpreters
in period costumes brings it to life in a way that boring history
books in school never could.
In the
17th century, the Totero Indians lived in villages similar to this
recreation when English explorers arrived in 1671. I got a kick
out of mom remarking that the deerskin covered wooden pallets in
here were just a bit more uncomfortable than the hide-a-bed in my
motorhome!
Moving
forward to the 18th century, you'll be greeted by Eddie Goode at
a typical frontier fort. We were so impressed that he basically
built this entire complex himself with only the help of a couple
of volunteer buddies. He based the design on extensive research
of the Vause family who lived here in the 1750's. He educated and
entertained us with tales and demonstrations of musket shooting,
fire building and music making. We also learned here about why documents
in the 18th century used what looked like an uncrossed "f"
instead of an "s" in some instances and what the rules
were for that use - sure looks weird to us now, and I'd always wondered
about that.
Mom sat
on the porch at the Hofauger Farmstead and chatted with Kimberly.
Even though this was built in 1837, mom said it reminded her a bit
of the house she grew up in in Delta Farms, Louisiana - a town that
no longer exists thanks to a hurricane that blew through many years
ago.
At the
one room schoolhouse, Miss Rachel looks like she's about to take
the switch to mom for not learning her lessons well enough!
At the
Batteuman's Shanty, we heard about how these flat-bottomed cargo
boats traversed the rivers bringing necessities of the day to the
residents. Differing blows of the horn signalled what they were
delivering so they could be met at the docks.
The paths
were quite beautiful and well laid out, but in places a bit steep.
What made it possible for mom to see the entire place was being
able to ride in the golf carts. Once we were through exploring an
exhibit, the interpreter would call for the cart to transport us
to the next. We both thought this was an exceptional service to
their guests.
