Welcome to spring 1776.
America is such an amazing country, and we have persevered through so much.
And I enjoy celebrating who we are and where we've come from to get where we are today.
In 1776, agriculture was the backbone of the American economy. It was a grueling, labor-intensive lifestyle focused on subsistence rather than profit, relying primarily on human muscle, crude wooden tools, and draft animals.
But it was a proud occupation and the true backbone of our Nation, for back in 1776, when the Founders first signed the Declaration of Independence, around 95% of U.S. citizens worked directly in agriculture.
We are also a nation that looks to and remembers those men and women who have given their all for our country. That's what Memorial Day is all about - to honor and to mourn all U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the Armed Forces. Since I began to reenact and take part in living history, I've learned much more about the inner details of our history than I ever could have imagined.
America, land that I love...
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We were quite busy mixing, celebrating, and commemorating America's history over Memorial Day Weekend~~~!
Let's begin with Friday - May 22---my birthday.
A few days before my birthday, my dear wife asked me what I wanted as a gift. I told her a day spent in the past together---the Colonial past. Spending a few hours at the Waterloo Cabin working in the kitchen garden...and also a visit to Greenfield Village---in our 1770s clothing.
Even though we began our day at Greenfield Village, for today's post I am going to do a switcheroo and begin with our time working at the Waterloo Cabin kitchen garden at the Waterloo Farm Museum first, then show photos of our Greenfield Village visit.
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| A birthday selfie for your friendly 18th century farmers. |
Our founding political leaders, such as Thomas Jefferson, viewed farmers as the most virtuous and patriotic citizens, believing that those who owned and worked the land had a natural, uncompromising investment in the country's freedom. What this all means, as you might expect, such labor was cherished: in a letter to John Jay, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens.” Jefferson and America’s other early leaders, including George Washington and John Adams, held farmers in high esteem.
For most agricultural laborers, since early farm work was done by hand, this meant long days struggling to survive, with little time for anything else that was not a necessity.
Patty and I were previously there at the cabin only two weeks earlier (click HERE), along with other members of our colonial cabin crew, and even three of our grandkids. And we all labored pretty hard out in the garden for most of that day, for the good folks at Waterloo were unable to till the land for us beforehand, due to circumstances beyond their control, so we all spent hours digging up the overgrown grass and weeds that were growing in the hard dirt. Though we could not get it all completed in one day, we did till in sections and then planted as much as we all could. Hence a reason why Patty & I came out again - to till and sow what we could not complete a couple weeks earlier.
Living the colonial life.
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| My wife, Patty, uses the hoe to help pull out weeds. We both knew we had a lot of work ahead of us so we got busy right away. |
As patriotic fever spiked in the spring of 1776, gardeners in the 13 American Colonies went about their traditional work: cultivating the soil, fertilizing, sowing seeds, and weeding--to sustain themselves independently to meet their own needs without relying entirely on external sources.
Tilling and the other work we did in our own 18th-century colonial American kitchen garden relied entirely on manual labor, including hand tools.
And planting heirloom seeds to keep it authentic.
We've been doing our best to emulate that, especially since this is spring 1776 for us So, I suppose this is another way for us to celebrate and commemorate America250.
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| As you can see, we had our work in tilling cut out for us. We both agreed that it was definitely better when we had a few others helping a couple weeks ago. |
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| Wearing my work shoes. Even though we've had a goodly amount of rain, the ground was still hard and dry. |
In 18th-century Colonial America, kitchen gardeners rarely used plows, relying instead on a lot of sweat and muscle to utilize the heavy, human-powered iron and wooden tools. The primary implements for tilling and preparing the earth included the shovel and spade for deep turning, hoes, rakes, and pitchforks for clearing and weeding, and the dibble stick for planting.
Patty and I could see we needed to do more tilling before we began sowing, so we dove right into the most physical part of our labor, digging and overturning the soil and clearing out the weeds.
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| Mostly Patty and I worked together as a team, with me turning it over and she clearing it out. It was nice having the sun out, but with a lighter wind, it was definitely cooler when it went behind a cloud. |
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| It was tough work - the kind of work this old city man is not used to doing. But I / we persevered and are dedicated to living history. I do wish the discs in my lower back weren't degenerating. Oh! To have the strength of twenty years ago! |
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| I took this picture from an angle I hadn't done before, but it certainly shows well the cabin's location from the kitchen garden. |
Though I've seen historic planting done this way, I did not know the stick tool I used to dig (or poke) holes into the ground for the seeds had a particular name. In fact, I did not even know it was a tool at all:
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| A dibble stick (also known as a dibber or dibbler) is a pointed handheld tool used in gardening and agriculture to poke "evenly spaced, precise holes into the soil for planting seeds, seedlings, or small bulbs. It ensures consistent planting depth and helps streamline the sowing process." This was frequently used in those early gardening day. And the research continues... |
Since I didn't have an actual dibbler, I used a simple stick I found and marked the depth by eyeing it.
I plan to make myself such a tool.
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| Here's a handmade dibber (aka dibbler) that I picked up afterward. I plan to replicate this. It shouldn't be difficult. |
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| Planting New England Heirloom pumpkins once again. I seem to have good success with that. |
I've had many people exclaim to me how surprised they are to see Patty and I - and the others when they are with us - working in and sitting on the ground, getting our period clothing dirty.
Well, they're actual work clothes and are meant to get soiled.
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| Patty planted green beans... |
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| ...squash...and brussel sprouts~ |
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| Of course, to water our freshly sown seeds, we filled the watering jug. |
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| Though there were multiple style watering cans and jugs used in the 1700s, I purchased the kind I saw used at the Daggett Farm House at Greenfield Village, which is what you see here in these photos. I've also seen this type, also known as a Terra Cotta thumb watering jug, used at Colonial Williamsburg. |
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| Watering cans have changed little over the centuries, and that's another reason I chose the jug. When we present and kids are around, they love using it. There were no kids on this day - just the two of us living a past life. |
The time my wife and I spent at the cabin would have been enough for me, but I was also able to spend time at Greenfield Village with her💓😊~~~ "History things"!
Originally we planned to go to the cabin first, but we switched it around at the last minute and went to Greenfield Village first, for we knew we would be quite smelly and dirty after working in the garden.
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| Here we are...Mr. & Mrs. Daggett, mayhaps? I think not quite, but those who know me know that I visit the Daggett House often, have done research on the house and on the family that once lived here. We are the most Daggett-y non-Daggetts there ever was! |
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| Ruth gave Patty a wonderful garden tour. Here they are checking out the madder root plant. |
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| The 18th century fashion of raised beds in the Daggett kitchen garden. Kitchen garden beds combined vegetables, herbs, and sometimes fruit trees, and were usually located just outside the home. They provided families with daily food, medicinal remedies, and textile dyes. |
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| While Patty was learning more about the kitchen garden with Ruth, Anne and I had a nice conversation as well. |
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| Anne continued to weed the beds throughout the day. Here she is with the asparagus. |
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| We can see the hops for beer-making on the right while Anne has a basket filled with weeds. Why keep the weeds? |
In the 18th century, gardeners generally disposed of pulled weeds by feeding them to livestock, composting them, or burning them. Because organic waste was highly valued, pulled weeds were routinely tossed into designated manure or "dung" heaps to break down into fertilizer, or given to chickens and pigs as supplemental feed.
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| Anne, Patty, and myself. Look at them asparagus! |
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| Off to compost the pulled weeds... |
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| Meanwhile, inside the great hall, there is cooking and knitting going on. |
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| Cooking up sugar cakes. |
A few years ago, Roy & Chuck made a new well-sweep, for the old one was rotting. Anyhow, the previous sweep was not an original to the house or anything, but I really liked it and because of my interest, I learned about historic well-sweeps.
Anyhow, a new one was made and I even got to help erect it (click HERE):
So....that being said, I was hoping that the powers-that-be would be kind enough to either let me have or let me purchase the "Y" branch used for the previous sweep.
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| The "Y" branch I am interested in. |
It's been sitting at the fence for the past three years, rotting further. It would be a neat little Daggett souvenir for me, since everyone knows my passion for the house. But, alas, it doesn't look to be happening. I've asked but...nada.
My sadness is that one day it'll be gone without a care or thought in hopes that I will not notice, and I'll find out it was cut up and burned.
That'll show me!
Why is this non-original / non-historic piece of wood important to me?
Because it was a part of the presentation of this house. No, not original to this house or even ancient or historic in any way, but helped with the Daggett appearance. And that is my only reason. With me, it'll have a long life yet to come.
Because it was a part of the presentation of this house. No, not original to this house or even ancient or historic in any way, but helped with the Daggett appearance. And that is my only reason. With me, it'll have a long life yet to come.
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| I wish I could say we took the horse and carriage to the tavern, but we, instead, walked. |
Imagine being able to dine inside a tavern that was built in 1831. Okay, a few years out of our time as colonials, but a tavern is a tavern is a tavern. In other words, like log cabins, taverns had changed very little since the earliest days in America.
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| Patty and I at the Eagle Tavern. We had just enjoyed a fine meal of stewed beef (for me) and trout (for my wife). |
After our fine Eagle Tavern meal and a fine Greenfield Village visit, we were off again...to our other favorite place---Waterloo Cabin, which began this post.
I have to let you know that on our way to the cabin, "Birthday" by The Beatles (from The White Album) came on the car radio.
I wonder...hmmm...lol
Had to crank it, though....
So, we did go to the cabin, as you read about earlier, and from there the long drive home.
What a wonderful birthday I had!
But we're not done yet!
How about the Memorial Day Parade held in St. Clair Shores?
A few of us - Patty, Charlotte, myself, along with SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) and DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) members - were invited by the SAR to take part in the St. Clair Shores (Michigan) Memorial Day Parade - Michigan's largest for this holiday.
Even though Memorial Day is for us to remember and to honor those military men and women who gave their "last full measure of devotion" (making the ultimate sacrifice), the parade attendees and participants were not solemn but joyous, as I truly believe those who died would want.
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| With this being America's 250th year, I asked to borrow one of the flags for this posed picture. Charlotte revised her wonderful Martha Washington, my wife Patty portraying a farmer's wife, and I suppose I was Paul Revere. |
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| Another posed picture of the three of us in the staging area for the parade participants. |
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| "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop" is a classic proverb warning that boredom and a lack of purpose leave the mind vulnerable to temptation and destructive habits. My wife Patty need never worry about that, for due to her constant knitting (and/or crocheting), her hands (and mind) are never idle. |
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| The wonderful Plymouth Fife & Drum Corps~~~ And Charlotte is in the middle of it all. |
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| The festively decorated trailer in which we rode upon. |
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| Or sit in should we get tired. "Well the first thing you know ol' Jed's a millionaire..." |
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| We were proud participants of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) float. |
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| Following close behind was the Plymouth Fife & Drum Corps, who played our kinda music the entire nearly two mile stretch! The Plymouth Fife & Drum Corps also always joins us for Patriot's Day event at Mill Race Village. |
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| Charlotte had such a ball, yelling to the crowd, telling them that her husband, General Washington, sends his regards. |
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| Long-time friend, Ian, saw us and ran up to us for a selfie! Ian, himself, was in the Dearborn Memorial Day Parade the next day playing his bagpipes~ |
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| We very much enjoyed smiling and waving at all those sitting at the sidelines watching. Toward the end of the parade route the flags being passed out were gone - no more to give. I had only one flag that I waved but gave it to a child...and that little one gave me such a smile! My wife did the same shortly after. |
I was able to snap a few shots of a few of the others who participated in the parade, including Parade mainstay, Lynn Anderson:
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| My friend Lynn Anderson and her husband Vince and their Herbie the Love Bug from the 1968 movie of the same name. No, this is not the actual movie star Volkswagen - though it is the same make and model, however, and painted to look just like the original. From what news writer Maria Allard wrote in the local Metro-Detroit C&G Newspapers a few years back: after seeing the original Love Bug movie and its sequels, Lynn loved the car so much she bought her very own 1965 Volkswagen Beetle she “found in a barn in Dundee.” The Clinton Township resident refers to her find as “a Herbie the Love Bug tribute car.”
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| Great scott! It's Doc Brown and his DeLorean! |
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| Actually this is Joe Vitale and his Back to the Future DeLorean. Looks like he went back much further than 1955~~~ |
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Celebrating 20 years a haunted attraction aimed to thrill all scare levels "Looking for the best haunted house near Detroit? Scarefest Scream Park is more than just a 15-minute walk-through—it’s a full-scale Halloween festival and the ultimate destination for a night out with friends and family." |
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| Here is the float for Vietnam Veterans of America. ~Thank you for your service. |
To see so many people waving the American flag, also the America 250 flag, and wearing red white and blue apparel as we moved passed was a wonderful site indeed!
It was an honor for us to take part.
So here we go -
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| My house on Memorial Day Monday: The Betsy Ross and the America 250 flags. |
I visited Greenfield Village once again on Memorial Day itself, as I have for literally decades (yes, decades---remember, I was also a part of Civil War Remembrance).
Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I saw there were no patriotic buntings or flags anywhere in the Village. Not at Firestone Farm, not at Eagle Tavern, Wright House, the TinType Shop, nothing hanging from the light posts---no red white and blue anywhere.
For shame.
It is a true American Holiday, and in years past - as recent as last year - the red white and blue were giving all visitors that patriotic flavor as early as mid-May.
So...I asked about a half-dozen workers in about a half dozen areas and received just about as many answers.
Just excuses, in my opinion.
I also posted my feelings on one of the Greenfield Village facebook pages, which upset a few folk. I have a feeling some believe I do not like Greenfield Village.
On the contrary, I complain because I love Greenfield Village and disagree with the direction in which they seem to be heading. I have the right, as a paid member, to complain. Those who agree with me will agree. Those who disagree have that right as well.
By the way, if you are interested in other postings I've written on our great nation, please click HERE for one entitled "With Liberty and Justice For All: The Fight for Independence (From the Collection at The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village)"
Actually, I wrote a posting with a bunch of American History links - click HERE to visit my posting entitled "Links to the American Revolution from Passion for the Past Postings to Help Celebrate America's 250th"
To see how patriotic Greenfield Village used to be, click HERE
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
~To read about our 2026 spring planting in early May, please click HERE
So...adding this current visit written at the beginning of today's post, that makes 38 days spent in the 18th century at this cabin.
Oh, what joy each and every visit to the cabin continues to be!
God willing, these adventures will continue for a long time to come.
Until next time, see you in time.
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