Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Popular Grove Plantation

This past Thursday the first grade classes went on a field trip to a plantation not far from here. This isn't one of the big fancy ones you see on TV.
Their main focus is education and to preserve history.

It is one of the oldest peanut plantations in North Carolina. The orginal land was purchased in 1795. The Foy family owned the property for 6 generations.
There are several things that go on there. Not only tours for schools but Civil War reenactments too.
This is the tenant house. Looks like pretty meager living if ya ask me.
There were 64 slaves on the plantation and after the war 63 stayed to work here.
They have several out buildings set up for demonstrations. My favorite was the weaving house. An interpreter showed us how to spin wool from sheep and demonstrated the spinning wheel and the weasel.
Remember the old nursery song; "Pop goes the weasel"?
The weasel was used to count how many times the yarn was wrapped around the wheel. This way you would figure out yardage. A small peg in the middle would pot out when it was full. Ha ha! How cool is that!
As you know there are several other steps but I won't bore you all with that.
We also learned all the plants used to die the wool like black walnut and onion skins.
Back in the old days, if ya didn't have it ( grow it your self) you did without.
This weaving is called "Tabby"
We ended the day with a hay ride, actually it was a wagon ride.
It was such a beautiful day. We all had a great time and especially me!
Thanks for stopping by.

4 comments:

Melanie said...

Oh how awesome!! What a cool place to take kids!! Very interesting about pop goes the weasel!! I never knew what that meant!! They had some crazy songs back then. .like ring around the rosie. .was a song about the bubonic plague~ HA! Glad you had a great time! Thanks for sharing.

Bonnie said...

Sounds like a great field trip. I didn't know about the origins of pop goes the weasel either...so cool! It's been a long time since I've seen someone spin wool, but I love to watch it! It's entrancing and it looks like it would be soothing to do.

Maya Kuzman said...

I would have had the time of my life!
I enjoyed this post tremendously! Thank you for sharing this trip with us! And I would have loved to be bored to death with the story :)

Lovely Light said...

I was in Wilmington, NC once- to be an extra in Dawson's Creek! Didn't get to do any sightseeing though. Looks like a nice time there.