The Adventures of a Novice Historian

Yesterday my father and I drove down to Gastonia to visit The Schiele Museum of Natural History & Planetarium. My purpose in driving to two hours to Gastonia was to see their 18th century backcountry farm exhibit. My hope was that they would have a kitchen garden and I would be able to confirm that the plants I chose for my garden at Vance were indeed accurate. My efforts were rewarded as all of the herbs I was looking for were in the museums garden. The herbs I want to plant are as follows: Parsley, Chives, Rosemary, Dill, Mint, Sorrel, Yarrow, Sage, Lavender, Chamomile, Bee balm, Thyme. I chose these they common in kitchen gardens because they are both culinary and medicinal. The versatility of these plants was very important in the backcountry in the 18th century as doctors were scares, so people had to create their own medicine. I was very pleased with the backcountry farm, but I was disappointed to learn that the museum does not have interpreters in the farm yard o...

Today was a slow day at Vance. No one wanted a guided tour, so Lauren and I spent our time going through the History Mystery trunks. Then later in the afternoon we restocked the books in the gift shop and marked down the books that were now on sale. I got to use the price gun which was fun! In other news, Lauren said today is National Intern day. So she posted a photo of me from yesterday which was taken outside the main house and introduced me to the world via their social media accounts. This is what she posted: Photo credit: Lauren May "Happy National Intern Day! Meet Jenna, our Summer/Fall intern! A student at UNC-Asheville with a love of all things UK, Jenna hopes to become an interpreter at a historic site across the pond. For now, she is learning the ins and outs of an NC historic site by leading tours, assisting in collections care, and learning about education programs. For her main project, Jenna will be using her green thumb to replant our interpretive herb gar...

I wrote my first social media post for the Vance birthplace's Facebook page this week which Lauren will use in September. "For a farmer like David Vance Jr, livestock was an important commodity. By raising animals like pigs, sheep, and cattle, Vance was providing, not only food for his family, but also goods that could be sold in Asheville. Cattle could produce meat, hides for tanning, and dairy products like milk and cheese. Sheep could produce wool for clothing, and meat. And pigs provided fat for cooking and bacon which could be smoked and cured for the winter. In fact, upon his death in 1843, David Vance Jr. left his wife 2,000 pounds of bacon." I chose livestock because it was important during this period of time in Western North Carolina. The Buncombe Turnpike which was a drover's road, going from Greenville, VA to Greenville, SC, moved livestock like pigs and cattle from one market to the next. This road ran right through the Reems Creek valley. Locate...

I began my research for my internship project this week. After talking with Kim and Lauren, I have chosen to makeover the little fenced area next to the tool shed. We all agreed that the area would make a fantastic kitchen garden. To start, I will plant herbs that would have been used in cooking and for medicinal purposes. I ordered five books on herbs and gardening in the 18th and 19th century from Ramsey Library which have arrived at various points during the week. The Backcountry Housewife: A Study of Eighteenth Century Foods, vol. 1 by Kay Moss and Kathryn Hoffman (1985) The Gardener's Calendar by Robert Squibb (1787) A Backcountry Herbal by Kay Moss (1993) The Herball or General Historie of Plants, vol. 1 and 2 by John Gerard (1597)       I have also found several very interesting websites about herbs, and Colonial Williamsburg's kitchen gardens. On the 28th of this month I will be visiting the 18th century backcountry farm at The Schiele Museum of Natural Hi...

Photo credit: Dennis Owenby   Yesterday was the first day of my internship at the Vance birthplace in Weaverville, NC. I worked one day this week and was very nervous. I've never done anything like this before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but everyone was very kind to me and that put me at ease. There are three full time staff members, Kimberly Floyd who is the site manager, Lauren May who is the assistant site manager, and Dennis Owenby who maintains the ground and does light interpreter duties. I have also been told that there is a part time employee named Timothy. I'm sure I will meet him at some point.       I spent my time following Lauren around. I learned how the office works, how the cash register in the gift shop works, and how to greet people as they enter the visitor's center. In the morning I went on a small guided tour with a woman and her three small children. In the afternoon we had a summer day camp visit. There were 43 children ranging in ...