Tuesday, July 21, 2009

"Blast" from the Past

On July 21, we went to the Citie of Henricus Historical Park. They have many exhibits that show life in the Colony of Virginia around the time 1611 when the Citie of Henricus was established.

We learned from re-enactors about
wars between the colonists and natives, the weapons used by both sides, and armor used by the colonists. Here, you can see a re-enactor firing a matchlock musket. We all took a turn holding the musket (that's Matthew).

In the Native hut, we saw many pelts that were curing. Victoria took the chance petting a skunk (she swears it didn't smell). Also, onsite, they had a trades/blacksmith building. The guides described the trades and how much training one had to have in order to perform a certain trade and earn a living. We also learned about tobacco: how to farm it and how to process it. Tobacco is still one of the largest cash crops coming out of Virginia, today. Last, we saw the colonial hospital and where colonists brewed medicines from herbs and plants. Victoria even tried her hand at using the mortar and pestle that were made from tree trunks.

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