When you visit you will encounter the farm family as they go about the tasks necessary to make their living from the land. Although they do not actually live here, park staff and volunteers dressed in period clothing portray the tenant farm family and work the land as if it were their own. Please ask questions, and in keeping with the spirit of recreating the past, you will be answered as if you were visiting in the 18th century. Visitors are also welcomed and encouraged to help the farm family with their chores; the family is grateful for all the help they can get!
SPRING: April • May
This season finds the farm family busy with tilling the ground, planting, and pulling up early weeds. Planting their crops on time in the spring will increase their chances of a good harvest later in the year. Beans, peas, various greens and other cool-weather crops are planted in the garden. Both the farm family and their animals are glad to see green growing things after a long winter! The tobacco is planted in a special seed bed and transplanted into the fields when it grows large enough. Later in the spring, the tobacco must be primed (the lower leaves removed). The corn is planted in a field as well, with squash and beans planted around it once the corn grows to a certain size. In the orchard, the apple trees are in blossom, promising a good crop of apples later in the year.
Here is what you can expect on a Spring day: Morning: The farm wife cooks the family’s mid-day meal, while the rest of the family is hard at work with their hoeing, planting, weeding and other seasonal chores Noon: The family comes together for a hard-earned meal. They would be happy to show you what kinds of food they eat, and would certainly welcome your help in cleaning up afterwards! Afternoon: It is back to the fields and garden for most of the family; work on a farm is never done!
SUMMER: June • July • August
The growing season is in full swing by June… both for the crops and the weeds. The family must work hard to keep ahead of the weeds while ensuring that their crops and vegetables thrive. This is a big chore, and they need all the help they can get! Vegetables are eaten while they are fresh, and some are pickled and kept for winter. Melons, squash and okra are some of the kinds of foods grown in the garden at this time. The tobacco must be suckered and topped (this involves pinching off the side shoots and the flowers that the plant tries to produce), and the turkeys are turned loose in the fields in a constant hunt for the tobacco worms that could destroy the crop. Wheat is harvested in June, the flax in July and the tobacco in August. The summer heat makes outdoor work difficult; in this season the family is particularly grateful that their spring water stays cold all year round.
Here is what you can expect on a Summer day: Morning: The farm wife cooks the family’s mid-day meal, while the rest of the family is hard at work in the fields and garden with their hoeing, planting, weeding and other seasonal chores. Noon: The family comes together for a hard-earned meal. They would be happy to show you what kinds of food they eat, and would certainly welcome your help in cleaning up afterwards! Afternoon: It is back to the fields and garden for most of the family; work on a farm is never done!
The 1771 Colonial Farm is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, on July 4, and on Thanksgiving Day. The Gatehouse Gift Shop is also closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, July 4, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For groups of 10 or more, reservations are required. Please email groupvisits@1771.org for more information.
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