Living by the seasons.
And teaching my grandchildren the same.
Many thanks must go to my living history friends (who are like family) for their willingness to share their knowledge.
We all had a wonderful spring planting day at the cabin.
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| This is me...totally me. Just trying to pass it on... |
The evening before our cabin excursion, our three grandkids spent the night at our own home, and I put on the American Girl Doll movie, Felicity
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| From the Felicity movie |
So, while the intent of this made-for-TV movie is for the younger set, and because of that I see it as an excellent introduction for the young 'tweens to American History, I feel that adults can enjoy and maybe even learn from it as well, for it's not dumbed down. It does have plenty of modernisms in the language, by the way. But because of the age of children it is meant for, and the fact that it was mostly filmed in Colonial Williamsburg, I feel that can be overlooked. My wife told me it was a brilliant idea to show this movie to our grandkids the night before our colonial cabin excursion (I'll take it!!) because it put the colonial period fresh in their minds. Plus, there were a few colonial mannerisms our granddaughter actually picked up.
I love that I have been able to experience 18th century life in ways I'd never thought would be possible, and now my grandkids can, as well. And to do this it has always been my goal to keep our group of cabin participants on the smaller side to help keep it real. (At the bottom of this post, you can catch up with my/our experiences of later 1700s daily life)~
So for this excursion on May 9 we had five adults and three children.
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| I think my three oldest grandkids - two brothers and a sister~~Liam (standing)---8 years old, Addy---ten years old, and Ben---eleven years old - did a terrific job as colonial kids as they spent their day working with us at the colonial cabin. I am very proud of them. |
Each was very excited and eager to join us in this spring planting season, as would have been the case in colonial times. All of the adults here were helping to teach the three kids about living in America 250 years ago - 1776.
And it occurred on Jackson County, Michigan's Free Museum Day!
So...here's how it went.
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| The day begins...morning at the cabin. Time seems to stand quite still In a child's world it always will~~~ Grandparents and grandkids~~~Liam absolutely does not like having his picture taken, unless it's on his terms (lol), but I explained to him that this is Papa's thing. Ben & Addy? Why, they're all in! We're known as Nonna and Papa to our grands. |
From what I've read, an 18th-century grandfather typically functioned as the patriarch of an extended family, holding legal and economic authority over the household and estate. His role focused on ensuring the family's legacy, managing land and finances, passing down professional skills to sons and grandsons, and mentoring younger generations.
Likewise, for an 18th century grandmother, they acted as primary caregivers, educators, and key contributors to child survival rates.
Both would pass along their knowledge, traits, and skills.
I do hope Patty and I are doing the same.
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| Here is a wonderful shot of our three grands glancing through the cabin window. |
By the way, as mentioned, this was Jackson County's Free Museum Day.
Free Museum Day offers free admission, open-house receptions, guided tours, and special activities for all ages at Museums all across Jackson County, Michigan. I love seeing the many locals who take advantage of this history opportunity, and I appreciate that Waterloo Farm Museum takes part.
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| Hand-dipped pure beeswax candle, candle lantern with cattle horn translucent instead of glass, a horn cup sitting atop a shaving horse. |
As you may know, we began these cabin days nearly six years ago, in October 2020, so 250 years before that was 1770. With each new year for us was a new year for our historical counterparts - always 250 years before - making this year 1776.
It is May 1776, therefore there is little talk of Independence. We are just hoping for a good planting and growing and harvesting season. For us, independence is not even a thought.
Yet.
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| Nonna and Ben prepare the dough for hearth-baked bread. The dough was made the night before at our home. We found it would be easier considering we do not actually live or stay at the cabin. Sometimes on the off, quieter days we may do everything right there. This was not one of those days. |
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| Larissa also helped Ben with the bread dough. |
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| Larissa, as you may be well aware, is the Queen of the Hearth. She has been cooking and preparing the old recipes in this manner for nearly thirty years working at the Daggett House (and on an old coal stove at Firestone Farm) at Greenfield Village. Larissa taught Charlotte and now she is teaching Ben. I can't think of anyone better to teach my grandson how to cook historically. Ben, through his father (my son, Tommy) loves to cook and bake, so was absolutely thrilled for another chance at experiencing the manners and ways of Early America. And how many eleven year olds do you know that can cook on an open hearth? |
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| Now she was teaching him about the fire and how to keep it "temperature controlled". |
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| Liam even helped out to keep the fire going with the hand-held bellows |
Hand-held bellows used for 18th-century fireplaces were commonly referred to simply as fireplace bellows or hearth bellows.
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| So, look what Larissa also did~ I call it a double Dutch oven! (Though they were not known as a Dutch oven back then): |
In the 18th century, what we now call a Dutch oven was commonly referred to as a bake kettle, baking pot, or simply an iron oven. These, along with other similar items like tin kitchens (aka reflector ovens or roasting ovens), which can be seen in the picture below, were often found in households to describe both covered cast-iron pots and metal reflectors for hearth cooking.
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| There you see the reflector oven/roasting oven/tin kitchen on the right, and something called a "spider" on the left for frying. |
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| And inside the reflector oven we can see the pasties being cooked. |
Pasties were a staple for the working-class . These 'portable', savory pies featured thick crusts designed to be held with dirty hands and were commonly filled with meat (venison, beef, mutton, even chicken) and vegetables like turnips, greens, or potatoes.
So what else is going on around the cabin/farm?
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| Norm snapped a picture from inside the cabin looking out. I've always liked window shots~ |
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| Look at that garden! It certainly needs to be tilled before any planting can take place! We have a lot of work ahead of us! |
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| It was "all hands on deck" to get the ground turned over so we could sow the seeds. Normally, Waterloo will have the garden area tilled for us so all we have to do is plant. Well, due to extenuating circumstances, it was up to us to do all the tilling as well. And work we did! We dug into the hard ground, pulled weeds, got calluses on our hands, and got quite dirty. That's the best part - we are not afraid to get our colonial "farm clothes" dirty, for they look (and are) more authentic that way. Even the kids~~~ |
Someone walked up to us, noticing adults and kids all taking part in the 18th century activity of farming and gardening, and said, "Generational."
I liked how Charlotte explained the history of tomatoes in colonial America: how they were rarely grown here and eaten until the late 18th or early 19th century, that Thomas Jefferson was one of the first in 18th-century America to cultivate and eat tomatoes, and how Jefferson's "Garden Kalendar" shows he planted them from 1809–1824 and likely as early as 1781, with mentions in his publication, "Notes on the State of Virginia" (his only full-length book, written in 1781). Patty and I added our knowledge to Charlotte's and, so not only did visitors get to witness America's agricultural past, but learn more about it as well.
We explained to the kids that as 18th century farmers, we had to toil in the dirt - in the garden - to get results to survive. Also that we, as 21st century members of society, don’t have to grow and preserve enough food to last our family the entire year. Stepping out to the store to purchase fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, and other produce isn't given much thought here in 2026. So they needed to pretend that we would not survive without this garden---that we were living in the 1700s.
Marigolds are also highly effective at repelling garden pests, acting as a natural pest deterrent. We do not want our garden sprayed with modern chemicals.
James Moore, Bibleman, is the one who replicates these wonderful bibles.
I like that.
There is quite a bit of history in farming.
“Let us never forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.”
Daniel Webster
(1782 - 1852)
And between Charlotte and I, we would speak to the many visitors passing through about this bit of history that is little thought of today. In fact, it's this history that compelled Henry Ford to build his wonderful historical Greenfield Village, for he said back during an interview in 1916: "History as it is taught in the schools deals largely with...wars, major political controversies, territorial extensions and the like. When I went to our American history books to learn how our forefathers harrowed the land, I discovered that the historians knew nothing about harrows. Yet our country depended more on harrows than on guns or great speeches. I thought a history which excluded harrows and all the rest of daily life is bunk and I think so yet."
Ford made the comment to justify his anti-war stance, claiming that traditional history focuses too much on wars and politicians rather than everyday life.
Though we must always understand and cannot ever forget the unfortunate importance of war and, dare I say, politicians, in our nation's history, I agree with Ford's quote. So let's mix the two together rather than replace one with the other.
That's my way of thought.
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| I took short breaks here and there from the digging to speak with visitors. |
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| Charlotte - my back hurts just from eyeing this picture! Addy and her Nonna/grandmother as well... |
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| Charlotte hardly took any breaks in her work - the sun shining down truly helped to keep all of us motivated. |
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| Charlotte oversaw the kids picking stray asparagus. |
We were genuinely excited to see this highly nutritious, perennial vegetable spearing up through the ground near the garden, so the kids were put to work in pulling them.
In the 18th century, asparagus was both a prized food and a medicinal herb, and was frequently grown in kitchen gardens. It was known for its ability to purify the blood and was a necessary part of a garden.
Asparagus was also grown in gardens at Monticello as well as in Williamsburg.
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| Over the years we've noticed asparagus growing hither and thither, and the kids certainly enjoyed gathering this vegetable that was shooting up out of the ground, seemingly from nowhere. |
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| And there it is---fresh picked asparagus! |
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| Liam was helping to plant as well as tie the string to mark off where the seeds were. |
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| So, with many of the seeds sown, it was time to do some watering. Addy and Liam filled up the washtub with water and hauled it to the garden, struggling a bit from the weight. |
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| Addy filled the watering jug by dunking it in the washtub. They've been using this watering jug for years at the Daggett House at Greenfield Village. I then saw one very similar to what I have here being used on one of the British-made farm documentaries - either Tudor Farm or Tales From the Green Valley (1620) farm. So...I had to have one as well! I am very glad I got one, for I no longer see it in the shop~ |
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| When Brian saw the kids struggling to carry the water in the washtub the way they were, he jumped on the shaving horse and decided to help them out. |
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| So look at what he came up with using 18th century ingenuity! |
I only wish I would have remembered to bring the yoke and buckets.
Perhaps next time.
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| Charlotte took a wonderful wide shot that shows a part of the vast land we were on as well as the size of our kitchen garden. |
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| Liam found there was plenty of space to play with his wooden sword, when he could sneak off (lol). |
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| Here's Charlotte with her trellis so the beans she planted can climb. She has. as she put it, "a salad bowl in the center" - where she planted her lettuce. Then there are the marigolds to help deter rabbits and rodents. |
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| Just diggin' life in the 18th century~ It's great doing living history as an 18th century farmer. |
I first saw a T-handle shovel at the Daggett House in Greenfield Village. So, upon research, I found a blacksmith who was willing to make one for me - Jymn Hoffman at Hoffman Forge.
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| Norm and his son Tony. Norm portrays our minister while Tony not only heads up the 1st Pennsylvania, but also is a Son of the American Revolution and often does extra activities with them, such as presenting and parades and the like. |
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| Norm's replicated 1733 New Testament bible. |
"This is a replica of our original 1733 New Testament.
The dawning of 1733 began much as any other Year in the British Empire, but it was destined to be of particular Importance to future Posterity. It was the year of the founding of the Colony of Georgia, the passage of the Molasses Act, the first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack, and the first birthday of General Washington."
Norm is so honored to own such a replica, and he very well deserves it, for we are honored to have him as "our" minister as colonials in the cabin.
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| We all came in from outside, for it started to rain. To us it was God's Blessing, for this was later in the afternoon and we had hoped to have some rain to water our crops. |
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| When the rains came, Colonial Toyman Tom, who normally dresses in period clothing, moved his items inside until the down pour ended. In the mean time, my three grandkids were very interested in what he had, including granddaughter Addy. |
Let's look at an 18th century agricultural holyday not too well-known in our modern day: Rogation Sunday.
Rogation Sunday is celebrated on the 5th Sunday after Easter (also known as the 6th Sunday of Easter) in the Anglican tradition. In the 18th century, Rogation Days were days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity.
The core purpose of Rogation Days was agricultural, and is to ask for God's blessing on crops, as well as to pray for protection from natural disasters. This was particularly relevant in the largely agrarian society of the 18th century.
Not all Protestant churches participated, but particularly the Anglican churches, did celebrate Rogation Sunday and the Rogation Days in the 18th century. We at the cabin portray 18th century Lutherans.
In essence, while the specific details of the celebrations might have varied between some of the Protestant and Catholic denominations, the general practice of observing Rogation Sunday and Rogation Days as a time for prayer for the harvest and the community's well-being was present.
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| Listening to our pastor's blessing of our hard-work today planting our kitchen garden. |
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| "In the 18th century, Rogation Sunday marked a significant period for rural communities, focusing on blessing crops, praying for good harvests, and reinforcing boundaries, which involved walking the perimeter, reciting psalms, all while observing fasting and even meatless meals as acts of supplication." |
In the 18th and into the 19th centuries, this was the day when farmers looked to their land and crops and prayed for a bountiful harvest. On this day the clergyman and his flock walked through the village and out into the farm fields to bless the planted ground.
Many colonials observed Rogation Days in the 18th century, a tradition brought from England.
We did not walk the perimeter, for we only have our kitchen garden. Nor did we walk through town for, in the cabin's current location, we have no town to walk through. So we remained at our large garden and prayed there.
Aside from the small bits of meat in our pasties, our meal was mostly meatless, by the way.
After the Rogation blessing, it was time for us to enjoy our afternoon dinner meal of pasties, asparagus, and bread. Yes, Pastor Gerring dined with us.
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| We always say Grace before each meal. I have to agree with Larissa when she wrote: "I cannot tell you how much I love this picture!"
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| A spring feast for our Rogation Day celebration~ |
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| Larissa calls us "friends who are family!" She couldn't be more correct |
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| Visitors walking through as we were eating thought that they were disturbing us, but we turned it into a history lesson for them! |
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| Norm mostly portrays Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg (September 6, 1711 – October 7, 1787), a German-born Lutheran clergyman and missionary who immigrated to Pennsylvania. This year, however, he has expanded a bit and will, at times, also portray The "Patriot Parson" Reverend Jonas Clarke (1730–1805) who was an influential American clergyman and political leader in Lexington, Massachusetts, best known for his pivotal role in the American Revolution. As the pastor of the Church of Christ in Lexington for over 50 years, he was a staunch advocate for colonial rights and hosted two key figures - John Hancock and Samuel Adams - at his home on the eve of the Battles of Lexington and Concord---April 18th, 1775. He was also friends with Paul Revere and Joseph Warren.. |
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| My grandson Liam loves Link from the Legend of Zelda video game. Since Link uses swords, when Liam saw Tony's, he asked if it was real. Upon hearing the affirmative answer, he asked if he could hold it, then, this young lad who does not like having his picture taken, asked if I would take his image holding a real sword. |
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| After working most of the day, the kids were quite tired. They're not used to such physical labor. |
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| The boys crashed! Addy was in a zone~~ lol |
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| "I think I'm going to go up to the loft and take a nap!" But he didn't nap - he kept right on working all the day long. |
Jeff Pavlik, a professional historian and chef who teaches culinary arts at Lincoln High School in Warren (Michigan), was also at Waterloo this day in the bakehouse. For 25 years Jeff owned and operated a bakery in Farmington (Michigan). During this time he continued his passion for historical reenacting and research, learning the skills of an 18th century soldier. He has published several articles on the breads of the American Revolution and given workshops to museum staff across the country on 18th century foodways.
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| Jeff peeking in to see how his bread is doing. |
The Waterloo Bakehouse is a historic 19th-century German-style community bakehouse restored in 2024 with a new wood-fired brick oven, roof, and workbenches, and can be easily modified to look 18th century.
As far as Ben's long dreadlocks - he likes his hair long and wears it the way his father - my son - does. I love that he loves his father so much that he wants to emulate him. Nothing wrong with that.
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| Fresh from the bake oven is an 18th century-style double bread loaf. |
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| As we always do, here is our group photo. |
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| The females of the cabin (Annual selfie) |
We all do our best to keep our game upped in various ways. While at the cabin, each of us does labor, in ways we would have done 250 years ago, to the best extent as we are able. On this May 9th, we all worked mighty hard, whether inside the cabin or out in the large garden. I think what truly made this day as wonderful as what it was is how we all pulled together, as we normally do, but only this time the adults there, aside from my wife and I, practically wrapped their arms around Ben, Addy, and Liam and guided them into the world of long ago.
As Larissa said: "We are friends who are family!"
Yes, these wonderful living history friends welcomed three of mine and Patty's grandkids as only family can do.
Now...how did this all happen with our grandkids involvement?
Well, late last summer - near fall - Ben, the oldest, came up to me out of the blue and, without any cajoling from me, asked me about the cabin. So I proceeded to tell him and show him pictures from my blog posts. His interest grew. I asked him if he wanted to come out there with me. He said he did, so we brought him out, through we had no colonial clothing for him to wear. I did bring a tricorn hat for him to wear however. Patty and I wore our colonial clothing. And then, unexpectantly (but very welcoming) Charlotte and Norm came out, all dressed. So we all had a great time together: Ben got to meet his Papa's (me!) living history friends, and just had a fine time.
He asked to come back.
That November, to celebrate our colonial Thanksgiving, Ben joined us once again and had a super time (again), this time wearing his uncle's (our son Robbie) civilian clothing. Robbie is not too much taller than Ben, so it worked well all around.
Next thing we knew, Ben's younger sister (Addy) showed an interest. So, for Christmas we bought both Ben and Addy colonial clothing. All of a sudden, grandchild number 3 - Liam - wanted to come out. So at the Kalamazoo Living History Show, I was able to pick out, rather cheaply, clothing for him.
I'm not certain how involved the kids will continue to be, but as long as they are interested, I don't want for them to lose that interest. But I'm not going to push them either. It should be a want, not a have to with us.
We'll have to see where this will go.
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| Not in my family---not if I can help it! |
And there you have it.
Until next time, see you in time~
Many thanks to Brian, Charlotte, Larissa, Norm, and my wife Patty for taking wonderful pictures to add to mine for this blog post.
Interested in fireplace history?
Check this out HERE
Check this out HERE
Interested in colonial hearth cooking?
Check this out HERE
Check this out HERE
Interested in farming from long-past?
Check this out HERE
Check this out HERE
Interested in early colonial farming?
Check this out HERE
Interested in wonderful videos of historic farming?
Check this out HERE
Check this out HERE
Interested in colonial-era lighting?
Check this out HERE
If you follow this Passion for the Past blog then you should be more than aware of a few of us who experience our historical research at the Waterloo cabin. Every few months throughout the calendar year we are there, in the rural countryside, living a full day as if it were 250 years earlier.
Here's our documentation of our time in the past.
To see posts about our other colonial cabin excursions, please click any of the links below:
~To read about our 2020 autumn harvest excursion - our first time at the cabin - click HERE
~To read about our 2021 wintertime excursion at the cabin - click HERE
~To read about our 2021 springtime excursion at the cabin - click HERE~To read about our 2021 summertime excursion at the cabin - click HERE
~To read about our 2021 summer harvesting of the flax at the cabin - click HERE
~To read about our 2021 autumn excursion - click HERE
~To read about our 2022 winter excursion at the cabin - please click HERE
~To read about our 2022 spring excursion at the cabin - please click HERE
~To read about our 2022 summer excursion at the cabin - please click HERE
~To read about our 2022 autumn excursion at the cabin (Pioneer Day) - please click HERE
~To read about our 2023 winter excursion at the cabin (Candlemas) - please click HERE
~To read about our 2023 spring excursion at the cabin (Rogation Sunday) - please click HERE
~To read about our 2023 late spring at the cabin - click HERE
~To read about the 2023 early summer - please click HERE
~To read about the 2023 summer (Lammas Day) - please click HERE
~To read about the 2023 autumn Pioneer Day - please click HERE
~To read about our 2023 Thanksgiving harvest celebration - please click HERE
~To read about our 2024 Winter experience at the cabin - please click HERE
~To read about our 2024 spring excursion at the cabin - please click HERE
~To read about our 2024 late spring with just Patty & I - click HERE
~To read about our 2024 summer (Lammas Day) - please click HERE
~To read about our 2024 mid-and-late-summer - please click HERE
~To read about our 2024 mid-September - click HERE
~To read about our 2024 autumn Pioneer Day Celebration - please click HERE
~To read about our 2024 Thanksgiving Harvest - please click HERE
~To read about our 2024 Christmas at the Farm Cabin presentation - please click HERE
~To read about our 2025 winter & Candlemas Day - please click HERE
~To read about our 2025 spring/early May Rogation Sunday excursion - please click HERE
~To read about our 2025 Memorial Day/Late May visit, please click HERE
~To read about our 2025 (Lammas Day) Celebration, please click HERE
~To read about our 2025 September visit with my grandson experiencing living history, click HERE
~To read about our 2025 Pioneer Day event, please click HERE
~To read about our 2025 Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration (including my grandson!), click HERE
~To read about our 2026 Early April - time spent with Grandchildren at the cabin (you will need to scroll a bit), please click HERE
So...adding this current visit, that makes 37 days spent in the 18th century at this cabin.
And, God willing, these adventures will continue for a long time to come.
God's Blessing be upon you all~~~
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