A Weekend Steeped In History: Opening Day at Greenfield Village 2026, A Night At the Museum, and Another Day at the Colonial Cabin

Closed since the last evening of the wonderful Holiday Nights event on December 28th,  2025,  Greenfield Village reopened its gates on April 10 for those who pay extra for the Membership card,  and the next day,  April 11,  for the general public.  And now it will remain open,  for the most part,  through the end of this Semiquincentennial year of 2026.  It's always like a  "Welcome Home"  celebration for so many of us. 

As is what seems to be the norm,  the weather wasn't fully cooperative.  In fact,  we had a soaking rain all morning.  Only in the afternoon did it lighten up.

But we persevered.  Even while wearing period clothing.

Yep,  we had a small group of us living historians who hung out together . And there were others not part of our group who also took part in immersing themselves.

As we began our journey,  you can see the rain was a-pourin'  down,  hence the umbrella.

It was one of those cold April rains where you almost wish it would've been snow instead,  for this was just sogginess everywhere we walked,  and the dampness went right to our bones.

Main Street is definitely a replication of the turn-of-the-20th Century. 

We took the first of a couple group photos in front of the Logan County Courthouse.  Though it was built in the 1840s,  it still has the feel of a much earlier time.

In previous years we've had small groups dressed period - one year I recall I was the only one,  then other times,  like this year,  we get a decent-size group.

Theresa covered her youngest,  Abigail,  with her cloak to keep her dry.

For the first hour,  we had pouring rain.

Charlotte saved a toad from the middle of the street and placed him into the grass.

Inside the Cotswold Cottage,  Theresa replicated a photograph she had taken quite a while back.

A new floor was put in the cottage,  replicating the old floor.

The rain just seemed to not want to let up while we waited inside Cotswold,  so,  I could wait no longer and we made our way down the road just a short ways to my favorite house - the Daggett House.

There it is!
Even in the soggy weather it looks grand!

Pumpkin was being chopped up for a pie.
Pumpkin?
In April??
Why,  yes---it stayed well in the cellar over the winter.  Why not use it~

Theresa and her kids made it to Daggett shortly after we did,  but while we were there  (and she wasn't)  there were guests there who mentioned to the presenters how nice it would be to have children around to add more life to the home.
I wish they would've stuck around a few minutes longer...
In fact,  that's sorta what today's posting is about.

Theresa and her brood made it to the Daggett House - the kids had to make a pit stop  (lol)  so they could enjoy the rest of their time there. 

Little Abigail certainly enjoyed looking out the window at the falling rain!

It made me think of one of the Daggett daughters - Asenath or Talitha - doing the exact same thing on a rainy day 260 years ago~~~

Ruth and Charlotte in the midst of a cooking conversation.

I luckily was able to get a shot of Anne O.  as she left to go on break.

Wait---could this be Anna Daggett herself,  perhaps delivering a few small items 

to a neighbor?

Sometimes something as simple as seeing a presenter leaving a house can 

bring life to it. 

It was just so good to be back visiting my favorite house again!!

And it looks like the rain stopped~~~

The Eagle Tavern was next:

Norm,  who represents the 18th century minister,  Reverend Henry Muhlenberg, 
gave us a wonderful grace before we ate our meal.

Well!  With all of us all dressed in our period clothing,  we had to go to the Tavern to have a meal!

Normally I order the beef stew,  but since being diagnosed with colitis,  I need to watch my eating a little closer,  so I got a baked chicken.

Friend Knute showed up wearing his Redcoat.
He looks pretty snappy there - - - - 

The building Charlotte and I are near is now the Pottery Shop,  but at one time it housed the threshers,  grindstones,  shafts,  and pulleys needed for the miller to do his job of threshing the grains of rice. 
It was built in 1787.

We also spent some time at the printers:

There is the Printing Office.

Bruce was printing copies of the annual Opening Day print.

I enjoy watching the set up and the actual process of printing on this 19th century press.

My friend,  Melissa,  who worked at Daggett often last year,  was working at Firestone Farm on Opening Day.  She will be back at Daggett later in the year.

Well,  this is only day one of what I expect to be many in 2026.  I do hope to see some special celebratory activities for America 250 - the Semiquincentennial.

By the way,  there are plenty more Greenfield Village photos still coming up in this posting.  If you can't wait,  scroll down a bit.  If you are enjoying my writing and photos,  I think you'll enjoy what we have in between the two Greenfield Village sections~~~

Then the very next day - the next evening,  rather - I took part in Plymouth Historical Museum's A Night at the Museum event.

It's at  the  Night at the Museum event at Plymouth Historical Museum where children can experience a birthday party they will never forget.  Museum staff,  inspired by the movies of the same name,  created this special evening,  where children discover that the characters within the Museum come alive after hours.

Kids begin the evening in the lower level meeting room,  where they gather and socialize before sitting down for a dinner of pizza or subs and drinks while watching one of the  "Night at the Museum"  movies.  When the movie ends,  the real fun begins.  The kids are greeted and told they get to tour the museum,  but when presented with a personalized  "Tablet of Akmenrah"  (like in the movie),  they discover that not all is as it seems. This tablet is a recreation of the Egyptian tablet used in the movies that brings the Museum characters to life,  which the children soon realize seemingly works in this Museum as well. 

The Museum is filled with reenactors silently waiting for the kids to bring them to life with the tablet. Kids could discover a Roman soldier dressed in full battle gear or Civil War soldiers preparing for war,  or women wearing big hoop skirts and fancy dresses.  There may even be a teenager from the 1950s hanging about,  waiting to be awakened so she can dance and sing to her favorite rock and roll music.  Any historical figure can be discovered at the Museum,  and the kids will enjoy the stories they tell.  Each character chats with the kids about a slice of history so children might learn a thing or two while they are having fun at the party.

A Night At The Museum characters in history~the past comes to life!
Here we have Teddy Roosevelt,  Paul Revere,  Betsy Ross,  Mary Todd Lincoln,  Thomas Edison,  Rosie the Riveter,  and Mark Twain.

My friend,  Sue Marie,  portrayed Betsy Ross and told the story of how what is considered to be the first stars n stripes came about.

On the flipside of her flag Sue Marie showed which colony each star represented...in order.

Here I am as Paul Revere speaking to a group of 9 & 10 year olds.
Looks like I have their attention!

Thomas Edison relates to the youngsters by using a then and now  approach.

I live about an hour away from the Plymouth Historical Museum,  so it is not always feasible for me to make it there for such events,  but,  if I have no other event or family gathering,  I certainly do try to participate because it is always a very good time.

So,  then,  the day following A Night At The Museum,  my wife and I took grandchildren numbers two  (Addy-10)  and three  (Liam-8)  to the colonial cabin  (Waterloo Cabin at Waterloo Farm Museum).  We purchased period clothing for each for them because they've been showing interest in that period.  They absolutely love their colonial clothing so,  since their oldest sibling  (Ben-11)  is helping their  father out of town,  we asked Addy and Liam if they wanted to come with us to the cabin---they did---and,  so,  well,  here ya go:  

Liam scampered joyfully out to the far end to do a bit of exploring while Nonna and Addy checked out the remnants of last year's kitchen garden.

Grandson Liam absolutely could not wait for the opportunity to come to the cabin

I pulled out the shaving horse and then Liam and I went into the nearby woods and found a nice large stick to shave and shape.

Then it was Liam's turn.  I showed him how the shaving horse works a year earlier and he remembered so up on the seat he climbed and began the task for himself.

He told me he  "felt like a real colonial boy."

My wife and our granddaughter,  Addy,  were at the wheel.
Nonna  (Italian for grandmother)  taught Addy how to spin,  though the spinning wheel was acting up.

But Addy got the hang of it after some trial and error.
The main thing for her was keeping a steady rhythm with the foot peddle.

Patty/Nonna got the wheel working.  Just as she did,  Liam put his tricorn/cocked hat on her head and ran off giggling as she feined shock and surprise.

For weeks before we'd had a cooler and rainier spell than normal.

And on our cabin Sunday,  the morning began the same way:  the weather began very soggy and in the 40s.  It rained,  and at times it down-poured on our journey as we drove to the cabin.  But then,  it slowed greatly to an eventual stop.  By our arrival,  the weather was actually pretty nice and the temps were beginning to warm.  The clouds thinned more and more.  By the end of the day it reached 81 degrees!

And sun!

So Nonna set up a lunch outside!

The kids very much enjoyed the quiet,  natural sounds of birds and frogs n toads.  During the course of the time we were there,  I would ask them just to stop and listen...for we were out in the middle of rural Michigan,  and though we were next to a paved road,  motorized vehicles drove past every-so-often.  It was funny when they did because they would look out and see these colonial people ---I can imagine what they thought! 

What cool and rainy spell?
Our weather was wonderful,  especially for mid-April in Michigan!
Picnics at this time were mainly for the upper class.  But we,  as farmers,  decided to  "act rich" - and our grandkids loved it!

Inside the cabin is a large bear skin with fur.  All of us cabin folk have tried it on previously - it is very warm.  So Addy wanted to give it a try.

I think she liked it.

Addy tried on the bear skin.
She said it was very warm,  which it is!

The two found,  then lost,  a toad and were looking for it.

Liam is majorly into video games,  but he didn't miss them at all on this day.  And he was so good and didn't even bring them up.

Neither did Addy.

What's up the ladder you ask?
That's the loft where the kids would sleep.

It was wonderful to have the kids enjoy life in the past without modern conveniences.

As is our tradition,  we had a group photo taken of us.
Grandparents and grandchildren~

This was my 36th time utilizing the cabin in this manner  (see links for the other 35 at the bottom of this post) - that's quite a few hours spent in the 18th century past.  And each time is different.  I simply cannot get enough.

My wife mentioned that we should stop at Greenfield Village on the way home and perhaps enjoy a custard.

So we did.  In fact,  we left a little earlier than I originally intended so the kids could enjoy the treat  (albeit a bit modern treat for our 18th century time,  lol,  but it's okay for today).

However---with my grandkids dressed the way they were,  my thoughts went straight to a very cool opportunity:  getting photos with them at my favorite house  (the Daggett House).  I mean,  I'm always at Greenfield Village and at the Daggett House while dressed in my colonial clothing.  Here's my chance to take that to another level.

Could this be Isaiah  (born 1759)  and Talitha  (born 1757)  Daggett looking through the front window of the Daggett House?
Well,  if this was 1767,  it very well could be,  for my grandson Liam is eight years old and his sister,  Addy,  is ten.
I have little doubt siblings Isaiah and Talitha Daggett were somewhat close and most probably did look out this very same window!

Same window from the inside.
There's the wool yarn dyed last fall using natural dyes.

Looking out the side window from the great hall.

Watching a Daggett presenter spin on a great wheel.
My wife also spins on the great wheel we have at our own home,  but she prefers her much smaller saxony wheel.

Liam asked the presenters a ton of  "colonial questions" - some of which he already knew the answers to,  thanks to yours'  truly  (lol),  but he asked anyway.  His questions were pretty well thought out.

Can I not  be any prouder  (using a Chandler Bing voice lol)?

When we left the Daggett House,  just a short jaunt down the road is the Plympton House - a house with a Paul Revere connection  (click HERE).

Except for a bed that's out of the picture frame on the right,  here is pretty much the entire Plympton House,  all set up for perhaps a gathering of friends.  Or maybe even ready for a visit with the minister.
Most of what you see in this photo are original 17th and 18th century antiques.
This house is another of my favorites.  I wish they had period presenters here as well.

Liam came along with me to see the inside of the house,  so I was able to line
him up for this photo where the plexiglass cannot be seen, 
nor anything reflecting off it.

No pictures this time of the exterior of the Plympton Home.

Click HERE  to see such an image.

Though covered bridges were not around in the colonies in the 18th century,  I still took the picture because I like how it looked..
The first documented covered bridge in America was the  "Permanent Bridge"  completed over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia in January 1805 - nearly 30+ years after the time we are representing.

By the way,  there were numerous visitors who very much enjoyed seeing us at the Village all dressed up in our period clothing,  and even thanked us.

That added so much to our time,  for this second weekend in April was quite the time-traveling weekend for us,  and me in particular.  It was just filled with history - my kind of weekend.

When young kids are first getting involved in living history,  we must be a bit gentle in garnering their interests;  we mustn't be too overwhelmingly strict on them.  Improvements will come in time.  But we work toward improvements constantly,  taking a step at a time.  My number one rule for my grandson Liam,  who is a gamer,  is no video game talk.  And he really did do a wonderful job keeping it at bay.  My wife and I are working on getting them reenacting shoes next, just something basic while they're still growing.

So...a little at a time.

One thing,  however,  until kids are involved,  you do not realize just how much they can complete the picture.  It is my hope that my grandkids,  and the children of some of the other living historians,  will take part and help us to continue to add to the realism of our time travel hobby.  As I've read elsewhere,  "Living history children enhance events by adding authenticity,  relatability,  and energy,  transforming static displays into immersive,  multi-generational experiences.  They demonstrate daily chores,  engage in period games,  and wear authentic attire,  helping visitors visualize the past and connect with historical contexts.  Including children provides a realistic look at historical communities,  which is crucial for portraying accurately populated,  sustainable settlements. "

So,  with that,  until next time,  see you in time.

To learn more about the history of Greenfield Village and its beginnings,  please click HERE

To learn more about Greenfield Village's historic structures,  please click HERE

To learn more about the Revolutionary/18th century Houses inside Greenfield Village,  please 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 2025 Colonial Christmas Celebration/Christmas at the Farm  click HERE

~To read about our 2026 Early March/Late Winter time at the cabin,  please click HERE

So...adding this current visit,  that makes 36 days spent in the 18th century at this cabin.

And,  God willing,  these adventures will continue for a long time to come.

Thank you to Charlotte Bauer,  Marty Kerstens and my wife,  Patty,  for allowing the useage of some of their pictures.

~~  =  ~~

Daily Life in the 18th Century - Month to Month: April

 Here is the second of a twelve part series.  Yes,  it,  once again,  centers mostly on farming,  for in the last half of the 18th century approximately 90 to 95%  of the populace were farmers.  I began with the month of March  (last month - click HERE),  and now we enter into April. 

As I get further information,  for I am in a constant state of research,  I will continue to add to the months.

Now,  let's get into...

The Month of APRIL

I snapped this photo of the Daggett house in mid-April a few years back.
Sam Daggett not only built this house  (in the early 1750s),  he and his family lived in it well into the 1800s.  He also farmed the land it sat upon.
One can just imagine the preparation that would have been going on inside and outside this wonderful old home.

We oftentimes think of April as a warm spring month.  But,  especially during the first half of the month,  it can be as much  "winter"  as March or even late February,  even in our modern times.  But we must remember that during the 18th century,  we were in a  "little ice age."  The Little Ice Age was a period of wide-spread cooling that lasted from the end of the Medieval Warm Period early in the 14th century until the present-day warming trend that started in the middle to late 19th century;  a period of regional cooling marked by harsh winters,  advancing glaciers,  and crop failures,  particularly in Europe and the North Atlantic. 

So this should be remembered upon reading this post.

There are countless books written on colonial/early Republic daily life.  Maybe over time I will be able to add bits and pieces of that information to these monthly posts and include some of urban life.  But even urban folk knew how to farm or,  at the very least,  garden.  There were many who lived in towns and cities who may have had only a backyard kitchen garden that would have been similar to our modern pharmacy,  for there would have been medicinal plants for the many ills that invaded their daily lives.  Plus there were the wonderful edible cucumbers,  beets,  asparagus,  cabbage,  beans,  perhaps squash,  maybe a couple of fruit trees,  and the like.  The men of these city households often worked outside the home as blacksmiths,  silversmiths,  tin smiths,  wood workers,  house wrights,  wheel wrights,  carriage and cart makers,  coopers,  staymaker,  chandlers,  rope makers,  barkeeps and tavern owners,  store proprietors,  bakers,  tanners,  basket makers,  gunsmiths,  tailors,  printers,  lawyers...in fact,  for whatever was needed,  there were people to work at such things!

And the women may have cared for that all important garden.   And some may have done extra work as dairymaids and seamstresses.   

But the most popular of all occupations at that time was farming.  Even our first seven Presidents were all farmers:

George Washington

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

James Monroe

John Quincy Adams

Andrew Jackson

and each man listed here continued farming after his Presidency.

No secret service.

No to becoming rich by touring and making speeches.

And,  aside from John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson,  none listed here became career politicians.

And farmers lived truly by the seasons.

Usually associated with late February and
March in our day,  in colonial times maple sugaring
was also done well into April,  mostly due
to the harsher winters caused by the
mini-ice age of the 18th century.

Some chores and activities usually occurring in the month of March often continued on into April,  especially in the 18th century.  For instance,  Maple Sugaring.  Many inland families used no sugar but that which they made themselves from the sap of the maple.  Every farmer in the districts where these trees flourished wished to have his  "sugar orchard and sugaring off."  This was as much of the agricultural year as plowing or haymaking.  

(From Diary of An Early American Housewife - as taken from the book,  The Seasonal Hearth by Adelaide Hechtlinger):  April 16,  1772 -- 

Josh and the boys are making sugar.  They are spending the next five days in the maple woods back of our house and hope to get enough sugar to last us for the year.  Perhaps there will be enough sugar to sell in Boston.  If the weather holds out nicely as it is at this time,  we might have some of our neighbors join the men in finishing the process of making the sugar.  We have not had a party for some time now.  It will be good to see the neighbors again now that the winter is ending.  This winter was not good;  there was too much snow to get around visiting.

As was written by diarist Noah Blake that first week of April:

April 1,  1805

Robert Adams came by in his Father's sleigh to take me to the Adams place.  I shall help them for the week with maple sugaring.

April 2,  1805

Worked at the Adams place.

As long as the daytime and nighttime temperatures cooperated,  there could be plenty more sap to gather for the making of syrup for Noah in this week leading up to Holy Week:

Tapping the maple trees.

Boiling the sap down...this was a critical spring activity,  serving as a vital source of sugar. 

And so a holiday - holyday - brought Noah Blake back with his family.

Here is an exact replication of an original
1733 New Testament Bible,  as made by 
James Moore -  Bibleman,  setting upon
a table inside a house that was built
in the mid-18th century 

April 7

Palm Sunday.  Went to Meeting with the Adams and returned home with Mother and Father.  I earned a tub of sweetening for my week's work.  It is good to be home again.  

 Palm Sunday was celebrated as the start of Holy Week,  just like it is in our modern times,  marked by blessing palm branches  (or local greenery)  and hosting solemn processions.  

The celebrations of Palm Sunday,  which commemorated Jesus'  entry into Jerusalem,  centered on blessing palm branches,  willow,  or olive branches,  often featured elaborate processions,  dramatic reenactments,  and the singing of hymns.  These ceremonies,  blending liturgy with local tradition,  served as the formal start of Holy Week.

In the 18th century,  Dutch and German immigrants often used eggs to celebrate Easter and Pentecost.  One of the most famous observations of Easter eggs in the 18th century comes from Thomas Anburey,  an officer captured at Saratoga while staying in Winchester,  Virginia,  in 1780.

"At Easter holidays the young people have a custom,  in this province,  of boiling eggs in logwood,  which dyes the shell crimson,  and though this color will not rub off,  you may,  with a pin,  scratch on them any figure you think proper.  This is practiced by the young men and maidens,  who present them to each other as love tokens.  As these eggs are boiled a considerable time to take the dye,  the shell acquires great strength,  and the little children divert themselves by striking the eggs against each other,  and that which breaks becomes the property of him whose egg remains whole."

"To impress the minds of his children with there glorious struggle for independence,  as they term it,  the Colonel  (Col. Beattie)  has an egg,  on which is engraved the battle of Bunker's Hill.  This he takes infinite pains to explain to his children,  but will not suffer them to touch it,  being the performance of his son gone to camp,  but now being slain,  he preserves it as a relic.  The Colonel favoured us with a sight of it,  and,  considering the small space,  the battle is very accurately delineated."

Traditional Hot Cross Buns

Another Easter tradition during the 18th century was the baking of Hot Cross Buns,  though the first name for these buns were Good Friday Buns or Cross Buns.  Since before medieval times,  marking baked goods  (like breads,  buns,  and cakes)  with the sign of a cross was a common thing for a homemaker or a baker to do.  The cross was said to ward off evil spirits which could affect the bread and make it go moldy. 

While specifically associated with Good Friday,  Hot Cross Buns were often eaten throughout the Easter weekend,  including Easter Sunday.

The Christian traditional preparation for Easter Sunday consisted of prayer,  fasting,  and almsgiving.  So Good Friday,  and the food consumed on this day  (Good Friday Buns / Hot Cross Buns)  are also traditionally a part of  Lent fasting.

Now...why do we call it  “Good Friday”  when that was the day Christ was crucified?

"Good"  comes from the Old English/14th century meaning of  “pious”  or  “holy,”  in reference to persons or God  (“goodbye,”  for instance,  is a contraction of  “God be with you”  as a favorable blessing or gesture upon parting).

Thus,  the Middle English meaning of  "holy"  is preserved in our modern times in  “Good Friday.”

Lost to the modern age,  most Christians who commemorated this day in the 18th century more than likely would have known this.  Isn’t etymology wonderful?  

In the 18th century,  Easter Sunday was celebrated,  depending on your religious practice,  with a mix of solemn church services following the end of the 40-day Lenten fast,  making it a time for breaking fasts and celebrating the resurrection.  Celebrations often included eating special foods like tansy puddings and cakes.  

Other traditions saw clergy often leading processions while parishioners sang hymns,  sometimes processing from a churchyard or nearby location to the church entrance to symbolize Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.

Our own Norm Gerring,  who portrays 18th century Rev Henry Muhlenberg,  standing
at the door of a replicated New England church of the period~
Easter fell in the month of April more often than March in the 1700s, 
therefore that's why I included it as such in my post. 

In some areas,  Easter Monday was marked by lively,  sometimes rowdy,  games and traditional hunts.

Then it was back to work.  

Depending on your denomination,  Palm Sunday and the other Easter Holydays - Good Friday and Easter itself - may not celebrated at all by some Christian denominations of the time,  such as those directly descended from the puritans:  Congregationalists and Baptists.  Strong practitioners of these two sects,  unlike the Catholics and Lutherans,  for example,  would more than likely not have celebrated Easter,  Good Friday,  or Palm Sunday,  for I've found that Congregationalists and Baptists of that period believed that only the Sabbath was ordained by scripture,  making Easter  (along with Christmas and saints' days)  an unnecessary and, what they may have considered to be,  an ungodly tradition.

I've also learned that even though they may not have celebrated,  they could/might have,  at the very least,  acknowledged  the day,  perhaps in a prayer. 

Caring for the pregnant farm animals was also a top priority,  for this would ensure continued generations of cattle,  pigs,  sheep,  horses...all necessary to run a farm. 

In a lot of ways spring is the perfect time for baby animals to be born.  Mother mammals usually need better,  richer food to produce quality milk for their babies to nurse.  For grazing animals like cattle,  sheep,  and horses,  the fresh green grass and other plants on pasture in spring and early summer are rich in nutrients.  These plants can have a higher percentage of protein and  ‘total digestible nutrients.’   This can lead to better milk production for the babies.  Most calves are born between January and May because of this reason.  Also it was a good time because the days became longer along with the temperatures rising.  

Mary Moss grabbed this wonderful picture of a newborn lamb with its mother.

With the warmer weather it is easier for the calves and other baby animals to survive.  And because spring is such a good time of year for these babies,  many animals evolved to accommodate such natural cycles.

(From THIS page)

From mending fences and tools to tapping the trees for syrup,  the next big job a farmer has is hauling manure from the manure pile in the barnyard to the field where he will later plow,  harrow,  and plant.  

Manuring
(photo courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg)

The gutters behind the cows are cleaned daily and the mixture of straw and manure becomes an ever-growing pile in the barnyard.  No matter how much one may love cows and horses,  I can almost guarantee they will simply despise having to shovel manure onto a horse-drawn cart or into a wheelbarrow and then haul it back to the manure pile.   And then,  once spring planting preparations begin,  the farmer again will have to haul the pile,  load after load,  out to the planting field.  This is a back-breaking ordeal,  for carrying a heavy load of manure through the crevice-filled field is no easy task.

Then comes the duty of spreading the manure...I would venture to guess this was probably the worst job in a farmer's year.

It was in April where a diary entry reads... "The three horses carting manure from the yard to Field Number 2 and covering it with the drill plough,  Seven workers,  including one woman,  were spreading the manure..."

Usually by mid-to-late April,  the snow had melted,  maple sugaring completed,  Easter over,  and the sun shining bright giving strong hints that warm weather was here to stay,  and with warmer weather came thoughts of plowing,  harrowing,  and sowing/planting,  which would have been on most farmer's agenda at this time,  especially later in the month when the thermometer would begin to show even higher and steadier temperatures.  

Harrowing - breaking up the clods of dirt while helping to mix the dirt and manure together.

According to the book,  The Complete Farmer and Rural Economist by Thomas Green Fessenden,  April is a great month for ground preparation,  for near the back of the book is a section/chapter called FARMER'S CALENDAR,  and it tells us what should be done month by month.  For the month of April it lets us know that plowing  (spelled ploughing in the book)  is one of the chores of the month,  as is sowing certain barley  ("as soon as the ground is sufficiently dry"),  oats,  and rye.  Many of these cereal grains are normally planted in the fall.  Potatoes can be sowed as soon as the ground can be worked,  usually mid-April.  The same with peas,  as well as flax,  and hemp.  

Of course,  the grains listed here can,  and often are,  planted in May as well.  Same with flax and hemp.  Planting  (or sowing)  depends on what part of the country the farmer resided in.  In fact,  at the cabin where we have a large kitchen garden,  we do nearly all of our planting in May.  However,  at Greenfield Village's Daggett kitchen garden,  the ladies who work there oftentimes plant in April.  Of course,  we live in the cooler climate of southern Michigan.  So we will save more of our planting information for next month.    The following in italics,  taken directly from the book,  By The Seasons by Kathryn M.  Fraser  (with some slight modification from me),  tells us:

Spring arrives abruptly,  and with it comes the chores that keeps the family out-of-doors from morning's light until nightfall.  It is the planting season,  which all the family pitch in for the work is hard and back-breaking.  

It's this time when you would plant tomatoes and peppers and beans and corn and squash and pumpkin and melon and cucumbers and whatever else your little heart desires to put into the ground.

A warm mid-April: the kitchen garden being prepared.

Late March,  April,  and May were the leanest months of the year - I've heard it called  "starving time" - with food supplies running short.  With March and April signaling the end of the winter season,  the colonial family would most likely be using up things in the root cellar.  By the time springtime arrived,  people were nearing the end of their winter storage of the food from last fall's harvest and were looking forward to the growing season.

However,  some of the stored winter vegetables have begun to rot,  and the apples are getting soft.  Mushy potatoes will be made into starch,  and the winter's accumulation of fat needs to be made into soap before it turns rancid.

For vegetables,  there are the last of the potatoes,  winter squash,  carrots,  onions,  and dried beans,  though it would not be long before some fresh greens will hopefully be sprouting.

Pickled items of all sorts would be on the pantry shelves as well.

For fruit you would have jellies,  jams,  and the last of the cellar apples.

Growing hops to be ready for fall beer brewing time.

Clearing land,  repairing fences,  and planting early cool-weather crops like peas and oats as the ground thawed kept the farm family quite busy.  The main sowing season,  which included all of the ground preparation mentioned already,  continued on.  This critical,  labor-intensive time involved preparing small,  diversified subsistence farms for the coming season,  and relied on hand tools like hoes and plows to ensure a good growing season.  Tool making and repairs,  and bucket-soaking was imperative.  

Ed Davis captured buckets being soaked.
No,  that's not ice  (lol)  -  that's reflections.

Soaking a wooden bucket in water is a traditional method used to stop leaks by causing the dry wood to expand,  closing the gaps between staves.  The process involves submerging the bucket or filling it with water,  oftentimes for several days until the wood swells and the container became watertight.

All this is part of the springtime preparation to make sure every tool,  including buckets,  were in good working order.  So much to do...and all by hand.

"Farm life offers the complete satisfaction of knowing that each day's work has been truly productive,  a joy scarce in present times.  In the old days,  whether you were a blacksmith,  a butcher,  a carpenter,  a politician,  or a banker,  you were also a farmer.  Before setting out for the day,  there were chores to be done that often took as much time as a complete day's work for the average man of today."

Eric Sloane~

Next up in this particular series:  18th century life in the month of May will be featured!  There may be,  once again,  some overlapping of chores and activities,  but,  well,  that's life then and now.  

Until next time  (next Friday),  see you in time.

Click HERE for part one in this series:  March

To lean more about colonial-era crafts and trades,  please click HERE

To learn more about early farming practices,  please click HERE

To learn about watching wonderfully accurate historical farming on TV,  click HERE

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