A new feature in the garden this year was our rope hops walls. These large structures were created to support 12 new hops plants, which in the future will be Read More
gardening
Curioisities in Pennsbury Manor’s Garden
We have many vegetables and herbs growing in the Kitchen Garden that we still grow and use today, but what about the ones we don’t? For the adventurous visitor who Read More
Intern Reflections: The William Penn Farm
Pennsbury Manor’s interns have been hard at work researching new stories for our 75th anniversary. As they continue to explore Pennsbury’s history, we’ll be sharing their reflections on what they’re discovering! Read More
Pennsbury Manor’s Summer Harvest
It’s been a great summer for our garden here at Pennsbury Manor! Because of all the rain, our summer harvest is growing quickly and will need to be harvested in the Read More
The Country Life: Growing our Clothes
As the summer heat drags on, we turn our focus to an important crop we’ve been growing in the Kitchen Garden: flax. This reed-like plant has been used for thousands Read More
William’s World: Hi-Ho the Dairy-O!
“My cow is a commonwealth to me… for she allows myself, my wife and son for to banquet ourselves withal.” ~ Food in Early Modern England A while back, we posted Read More
Confessions of a Costumier: Dressing the Laborers
About a month has passed since our 17th-Century Fashion Show, and we had such an amazing time! A HUGE thank-you goes out to our lovely volunteer models (L-R) Mike Thomforde, Read More
The Country Life: Beating the Winter Cold
Although the Penn family did not reside at Pennsbury in the dead of winter, the estate was certainly not dead; the staff worked to ensure the smooth running of Penn’s Read More
William’s World: Ode to the Springtime Milkmaid!
The Milkmaid, Jan Vermeer, 1657-8 I really don’t like to milk cows. I can’t stand to churn butter. I know this is a shocking admission from a so-called history Read More
Living the Life of a 17th-Century Farmer
Last weekend, during our annual spring Interpreter training, I shared an amazing BBC mini-series on 17th-century farm life, and I wanted to make sure everyone else got to hear about it Read More