Hands-On History
www.historyisfun.org
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- History is an adventure at Jamestown Settlement
and the Yorktown Victory Center, museums of 17th- and 18th-century
Virginia. Whether trying on armor or wandering through soldiers'
tents, people of all ages will find the past coming to life as they
encounter costumed historical interpreters demonstrating everyday life
in re-created settings.
In 1607, English settlers aboard three merchant ships endured a four-and-a-half month voyage across the Atlantic to arrive at Jamestown. On the pier where the replica ships Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery are docked, families can delve into the contents of a "see"Â chest and learn how ship's rigging is used to lift and lower cargo. On board one of the ships, they may steer with a whipstaff or tiller. Children might try out one of the crew's beds on the Susan Constant, the largest of the ships, then descend to the deck below to see where the 54 passengers lived.
Back on shore, the world of Pocahontas -- the legendary Indian maiden who befriended the English colonists -- comes alive in Jamestown Settlement's re-created Powhatan Indian village. Historical interpreters help visitors make cordage the way the Powhatans did, using plant fibers. Families can learn how the Indians fashioned tools from bone and stone, pound corn kernels into meal, and discover how they processed deerskin to make clothing and furnishings.
Inside a re-created colonial fort, children can play a game of ninepins or quoits. Adults and children alike can feel well protected as they try on metal armor and watch as a historical interpreter fires a matchlock musket.
In a riverfront discovery area, families will learn about the vital role of the James River and other waterways in 17th-century travel, commerce and cultural exchange among the Powhatan, European and African cultures. Adults and children can use oyster shells to scrape out a tree trunk to learn how Powhatans made canoes, and then climb into one already hollowed out. Visitors can work at a carpenter's wood-shaving bench, try hoisting barrels, and handle examples of trade items.
A short distance from Jamestown Settlement, the Yorktown Victory Center, a museum of the American Revolution, also engages visitors in hands-on history to make learning an interactive experience for the whole family.
Here, kids can see what they would look like in colonial garb, as they try on 18th-century clothing in a mirrored corner of"A Children's Kaleidoscope" discovery room. They can also copy from a hornbook, make rubbings of woodcuts, play the African game mancala and explore mystery boxes containing objects known to a colonial child. In an adjacent resource room, equipped with computer monitors and printed materials, adults can explore topics and issues presented in the museum's exhibition galleries.
Outdoors, a re-created Continental Army encampment familiarizes visitors with the daily activities of Revolutionary soldiers. Families can explore their living quarters and try on a uniform, visit the camp surgeon's tent to learn about 18th-century medical techniques, observe how soldiers prepared meals at a unique earthen “kitchen†and, seasonally, participate in military drills.
At the re-created 1780s farm, visitors can try breaking flax, one of the steps in producing linen thread. In the farm's gardens, youngsters can lend a hand pulling weeds, watering plants with hollowed-out gourds, and harvesting -- just as children did two centuries ago.
Jamestown Settlement is located on State Route 31, about six miles southwest of Williamsburg, and adjacent to Historic Jamestowne. The Yorktown Victory Center is located on Route 1020 in Yorktown, about 12 miles from Williamsburg, and near Yorktown Battlefield.
Courtesy of HistoryIsFun.org.
This news arrived on: 10/03/2006
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