For reservations to experience “nkwiluntàmën: I long for it; I am lonesome for it (such as the sound of a drum)” by Indigenous artist Nathan Young, please go to https://nkwiluntamen.com/
Nash is often considered one of the best historical authors of his generation ( not to mention a personal favorite of mine whose work The Unknown American Revolution: The Unruly Birth of Democracy and the Struggle to Create America was definitely used in my master’s thesis!). Considering that legacy, I was really excited to see how much credit he gives our beloved William Penn and his role in creating Philadelphia’s cradle of liberty!
Check out his article and feel free to share your thoughts below!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up and live like William Penn? Spend a week eating and dressing like the Penn family, sleeping in the House at Pennsbury Manor?
Well I can’t really help you there. BUT apparently there are two hilarious, adventurous Britons who came very close to that dream! I have recently discovered a very funny show called “The Supersizers,” hosted by restaurant critic Giles Coren and broadcaster Sue Perkins who spend a week dressing, eating, and living in different times throughout British History. Not only is it absolutely hysterical to watch, but it offers a fascinating look at the food and lifestyle of the time!
One of the episodes looks at Restoration England, a slightly earlier time period (1660s) than what we interpret at Pennsbury (1683-1701). But it’s still full of really fascinating insights (note the part where they discuss the rising popularity of vegetables!). Enjoy!
So adorable!! I love when I see history portrayed well in the media. The more history is brought to life for audiences, the more they’ll be interested in finding out the REAL story. The whimsy and adventurous spirit in this commercial is exactly how I wish everyone felt when confronted with history! What do you think?
I thought I would share two related anecdotes from our recent annual Sheep Shearing Day at Pennsbury Manor. As you know, we are heavily dependent upon the efforts of all our volunteers, especially during these “Big Days.” Lately it seems our ranks have been replenished with some “fresh fish” — young volunteers from home school families. One such volunteer, 8 year-old Georgie McBride, clearly likes dressing up in period clothing, and worked with her mother Trisha in the Kitchen Garden demonstrating wattle-fence making. Taking a break Georgie stopped by to chat with me as I guarded the door to the Workers’ Cottage. If you were at the event you know I’m not lying: the place was teeming with kids Georgie’s age. Upon occasion she would look about to see what they were doing. In one instance a student let out a scream from behind The House. Georgie reeled around to see what all the commotion was about. When her gaze came back to me she said in an exasperated tone, “Why is it that kids my age like that thing over there – oh, I can’t remember its name! You know– that horsey-getter-upper-onnie-and-offy-thing? Ha!” We both laughed and I said, “Georgie, it’s called a mounting block but from this day forward it will now be known as…”
Earlier that morning I’d been guiding in The House. I always like to point out the three table-top vessels for coffee, tea, and chocolate in the Withdrawing Room. Now imagine the number of kids and chaperones in these groups as we try to herd them though the first floor. By that particular room the groups tend to get crammed into a small space! After I described their significance a boy about 8 to 9 years-old exuberantly replied: “Wow! It’s like I can even smell the coffee.” I burst out laughing and said in return, “Son you’re likely smelling my breath! I drank a lot of coffee before coming on duty this morning.” Oh, it gets better!
I handed that boy’s group over to another guide and went to the front door to pick up a new group. Much to my pleasant surprise there was a much needed lull in the action and I had no group to ferry about! Instead what happened was that our own Diane Reed, standing on the front steps landing turned to me and offered a basket of spearmint candy! Timing’s everything, and too funny, right? As the late Art Linkletter used to say: “Kids say the darndest things.”
It’s that time of year again…. the school buses are rolling in, the sun is shining (finally!!), and college exams are finished… what does that mean?? You guessed it – the Summer Interns have arrived!!
I’d like to introduce you to the 7 young, friendly faces you’ll be seeing around the site this summer. While sometimes you’ll see them giving tours, doing laundry, weeding the garden, or prepping program supplies, they will also each be spending some quality time on a special project they’ve been assigned. Be sure and say hello when you see them… leave the playing ticks to our mischievous gardener Mike!
Lloyd Frisone (University of the Arts Graduate student, supervised by Tabitha Dardes) Lloyd will be working on various public relations projects, including updating our Facebook and Twitter feeds and assisting in the development of our new website.
Danielle Lehr (West Chester University, supervised by Mike Johnson) When not working in the garden, Danielle will be researching and writing a new Garden Highlights Featurette for the Blog and assisting Ruth with her interpretive project
Ruth Lonvick (University of the Arts Graduate student, supervised by Mike Johnson) Ruth will be researching & developing a way for us to provide browsing visitors with more information about the Kitchen Garden’s plants and their uses. She will also get hands-on experience actually working in the garden throughout the season.
Joshua Martin (Kutztown University student & former junior volunteer, supervised by Hannah Howard) Josh has such great memories of his time as a junior volunteer, he decided to come back! Josh will be researching and talking with our youth volunteers to form a new, meanigful, organized volunteer program for our Under-18 recruits! He will also be helping with volunteer recruitment planning.
Danielle Straub (University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg undergraduate student & former junior volunteer, supervised by Todd Galle) Danielle will be researching and writing the Collections Highlights Featurette for the blog. We hope to develop these featurettes comprehensive collections guidebook for volunteers to use as a reference throughout the House.
SEASONAL EMPLOYEES
Sarah Enke (Bucks County Community College, supervised by Diane Nadler) Sarah started as a student employee this Spring, and we are very glad she can continue to help out during the summer season. Sarah does a bit of everything, from giving tours to keeping our period clothing clean and freshly ironed.
Jennifer Martin (Shippensburg University & 2010 Intern, supervised by Diane Nadler) We are so glad Jenn is back to run our Summer Camp Program! But since it’s already planned and she hates to sit around and do nothing, though, we suspect in her extra timeshe’ll have her hands in a variety of projects this summer.
I just discovered a great online resource called American Centuries that I just had to share! This website, which can be found at this address: http://americancenturies.mass.edu/home.html, was developed by Memorial Hall Museum in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It’s main content looks at the turn-of-the-centuries in American History – 1700, 1800, and 1900 – and examines the people, politics, and daily life. It includes some great content videos, activities, and even online collections to browse.
These are very good examples of early 18th century dress, and very close to how we try to dress at Pennsbury Manor. To learn about a garment or accessory, simply roll your mouse over the object until it highlights – a text box should appear and an audio voice will also read the text aloud. Have fun learning and feel free to discuss in the comments section below!!
It’s amazing how fast the Internet is making museums and historic sites more accessible every day! Now everyday people can visit some of the world’s top art museums without the expense of a plane ticket, thanks to Google’s Art Project ( http://www.googleartproject.com/ ). Not only do they provide a detailed look at the museums’ collections, but they manage to present a 360˚ tour of the actual galleries!
Imagine families, classrooms, and home-bound seniors being able to walk through the Palace of Versailles in France or the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia! In my opinion, experiencing the paintings, sculptures, furnishings, and other decor in their actual settings, even in a virtual setting, makes them more real and impressive than looking at a photograph.
Of course, this will never replace the sense of awe and history that can only come from ACTUALLY being in Versailles… but for people limited by their location, finances, and health, it could open up a whole new world. This large project could be only the beginning of museum and historic site access online!
What do you think? Could you one day see Pennsbury Manor offering a virtual tour of the buildings and grounds for those who cannot make the trip? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
The lucky winner of our Blog Subscription drawing is… drumroll please!…. SHIRLEY BRILLIANT! Congratulations, Shirley! You have won a glass vase with haindpainted peacock feathers and filled with M&Ms!
Thanks again to everyone who has subscribed, I look forward to a New Year filled with new ideas, research, photos, and feedback from you! Please feel free to share your opinions in the comments section of each post. If you want to suggest a featurette topic or related website link, I’d love to hear it!
When I get back from our Longwood gardens trip on January 3rd, I will be putting all our volunteer blog subscriber’s names into a drawing for this…..
Hand-Painted Peacock Feather Vase
(filled with holiday M&M’s!)
Thanks again for participating in Pennsbury’s Volunteer Blog. Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in our Comments Section, located below each post. Also, if you have any ideas for new topics for our featurettes or interesting links you’d like to post, please email me at c-hahoward@state.pa.us!
I’m sorry we are so behind in posting November’s Collection’s Featurette, but hopefully many of you have already seen it published in the newsletter…
Delftware Charger
This month’s focus object is a delftware (most likely Dutch) charger or platter. The use of earthenware in the food service realm was widespread both in Europe and the colonies. A healthy trade in tin glazed pottery began by the Dutch and later continued by the English, expanded as the colonies matured and developed. Tin ware, wooden bowls, and pewter were augmented and sometimes replaced by imported delftware as socio-economic conditions improved.
The rapid development of Philadelphia as a trading center would have helped to make such goods available to a wide variety of early colonists. This example is useful in interpreting the rapid development of Pennsylvania as both a colony and an economy desirous of bringing a European style of living to the New World.
This artifact also helps to illustrate the museum collection management and curatorial field. People often ask what a curator actually does. The easiest explanation, and one that Pennsbury staff and volunteers can appreciate, is that curators are stewards. We look after not only objects, but also the track the history of the object, the ‘who, what, where, when, why’ type of information helpful in interpreting that item. In the next newsletter, I’ll let you know what the file tells us about “PM75.127 / CHARGER, DELFT / 4: Food Service T & E” as well as other curatorial considerations regarding the object.
