11/23/2019 – 11/24/2019 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Dr. Jones penned in his journal on Nov. 16, 1846 – “Recommenced breaking up the strip of prairie on the east side of field…” As the crop growing season wanes and the fields go fallow, we’ll turn over the fields once more before winter sets in. Come see our strong oxen at work, and try […]
11/30/2019 @ 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Looking for something to do with the family after Thanksgiving? Why not travel back in time and discover the 1850s at Fanthorp Inn! Twilight Firelight brings the old stagecoach inn to life. Visitors enjoy the ambiance of the candlelit inn, period music, dancing, mule-drawn stagecoach rides and reenactors clad in period attire. Inns like Henry […]
12/06/2019 – 12/07/2019 @ 4:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Walk the candlelit paths at Barrington Plantation and experience a Texas Christmas in the decade before the Civil War. Discover the origins of some of our favorite Holiday traditions as costumed interpreters bring to life the festivities of the season with musket-fire, music, dancing and more! Tour the historic home of the last President of […]
12/14/2019 – 12/15/2019 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Enslaved men and women, such as Jerry, Mary, Willis, and Jake, were an integral part of the full story of Barrington. Cooking a hot meal after a hard day of work was a daily routine and typically included their ration of cured pork and cornmeal supplemented with seasonal vegetables from their garden. Come join us […]
12/21/2019 – 12/22/2019 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – What special foods do you enjoy at the holidays? Like you, the Jones family hosted visitors and enjoyed a varied diet full of exotic treats to mark the season. We’ll be making a few of these foods this weekend and talking about many others. This is a special focus weekend. Discussions and kitchen activities ongoing. […]
12/21/2019 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Travel back in time to where a nation was born in 1836. On the third Saturday of each month, staff and volunteers dressed in period clothing bring to life the people and events of Old Washington providing a unique opportunity to discover various aspects of life surrounding the birth of the Republic of Texas. The […]
12/28/2019 – 12/29/2019 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Dr. Jones noted in his journal on Dec. 29, 1847 – “Hired Mr. Bowen… Sent Him with two hands to Cedar Brake to make rails.” With the main crop fields turned fallow, now is the time to repair and restack fencing around the farm. Come help us clear and build up our fences so that […]
01/04/2020 – 01/05/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Mental health treatment looked very different in the 1850’s than current recommendations. We know Dr. Jones suffered from low spirits throughout his life and found it difficult to treat with medicine and advice available to him at the time. Listen to discussions about interventions for mental health maladies ongoing throughout the day. This is a […]
01/11/2020 – 01/12/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Butchering livestock was a very necessary way of life in the mid-19th century. Many of the animals raised on the farm were raised for that purpose. Pork has been preserved by drying, salting and smoking for centuries. There are different ways of curing, but they all serve the purpose of preserving to eat later. Join […]
01/18/2020 – 01/19/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – What games do you play on a rainy day? Victorian Texans had many imaginative games to entertain themselves without Nintendo’s, Wii’s, TVs, or computers. Play in the past and take home some fun ideas from a world without electronics. This is a special focus weekend at the plantation. Contact Barb King for more information at […]
01/18/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Travel back in time to where a nation was born in 1836. On the third Saturday of each month staff and volunteers dressed in period clothing bring to life the people and events of Old Washington providing a unique opportunity to discover various aspects of life surrounding the birth of the Republic of Texas. The […]
01/25/2020 – 01/26/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Though the weather is cold outside, there’s still much work to be done indoors repairing and conditioning leather harness for the next plowing season. Join us by the warm fire as we give all of our leather gear a once-over. Grab a brush and learn how to care for leather using a period saddle soap, […]
02/01/2020 – 02/02/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Enslaved men and women at Barrington, such as Jerry, Mary, Willis, and Jake, were an integral part of the full story of Barrington. Cooking a hot meal after a hard day of work was a daily routine and typically included their ration of cured pork and cornmeal supplemented with seasonal vegetables from their garden. Come […]
02/08/2020 – 02/09/2020 @ 9:00 am – 2:00 pm – Learn how to cook a period seasonal meal at this healthy cooking school offered on Saturday & Sunday. Class will be $30 per person. No refunds are offered after ticket purchases. Contact Stephanie.Busa@thc.texas.gov to register, or call, 936-878-2214, x222. If you have questions contact Barb King at 512-534-0267.
02/15/2020 – 02/16/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Dr. Jones noted in his journal on Feb. 4, 1856 – “Water froze inside the house…” Though the house was designed to stay cool in summer, it certainly got cold in winter! Gathering, splitting, and stacking firewood to feed the fires were ongoing tasks during winter. Come join us as we use our team of […]
02/15/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Travel back in time to where a nation was born in 1836. On the third Saturday of each month staff and volunteers dressed in period clothing bring to life the people and events of Old Washington providing a unique opportunity to discover various aspects of life surrounding the birth of the Republic of Texas. The […]
02/22/2020 – 02/23/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Make and take a pincushion. The Girl’s Own Book (published in 1834) says, “There is no accomplishment of any kind more desirable…than neatness and skill in the use of a needle.” It also claimed that children should learn to sew a shirt before the age of twelve. We invite you to learn the basic stitches […]
02/29/2020 – 03/01/2020 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm – Saturday, February 29: 10am – 6pm Sunday, March 1: 10am – 3pm This annual two-day celebration features live music, food, traditional crafts, living history presentations, firing demonstrations, historical encampments and commemorative programs. Guests will experience life in Texas in 1836 by visiting with reenactors; witnessing firing demonstrations in the Texas Army camps; watching cooking, weaving […]
03/07/2020 – 03/08/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Keeping gardens weeded, watered, and in good order was considered part of a woman’s daily duty. It contributed to a varied diet and survival in 1850. Lend a hand to help water, plant, or weed as necessary to help our gardens get ready for summer. This is a special focus at the plantation. Contact Barb […]
03/14/2020 – 03/15/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Turning the fields over after lying fallow is a rite of spring. Livestock trained to work, such as horses, mules, and oxen, played a vital role in the operations of early Texas farms. Whether it was pulling plows, harrowing fields, hauling cotton, or cultivating corn, beasts of burden made light work of sometimes daunting tasks. […]
03/21/2020 – 03/22/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Enslaved men and women, such as Jerry, Mary, Willis, and Jake, were an integral part of the full story of Barrington. Cooking a hot meal after a hard day of work was a daily routine and typically included their ration of cured pork and cornmeal supplemented with seasonal vegetables from their garden. Come join us […]
03/28/2020 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm – Come forage for food with Dr. Mark “Meriwether” Vorderbruggen, PhD. as he teaches us which plants throughout the park are edible and medicinal. We will meet at the park Visitor Center before beginning our adventure! Class size is limited so call or email to reserve your spot, for ages 13 and up. Morning Session 9am […]
03/28/2020 – 03/29/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Spring has sprung- and there’s so much to do! Who has time to be sick? Many families had their own special recipes for a Spring Tonic to boost their immune systems for a jump on their spring chores. Learn how families concocted these remedies from their own herbs and other items in their garden and […]
05/02/2020 – 05/03/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Enslaved men and women, such as Jerry, Mary, Willis, and Jake, were an integral part of the full story of Barrington. Cooking a hot meal after a hard day of work was a daily routine and typically included their ration of cured pork and cornmeal supplemented with seasonal vegetables from their garden. Come join us […]
07/04/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Join us for a 1850s style Independence Day celebration. Musket firing, toasts and a reading of the Declaration of Independence will commemorate the day. Bring your own picnic basket, and enjoy al-fresco dining, just like Dr. Jones writes about in his journal. This is a special program at the farm. Contact Barb King for details […]
07/11/2020 – 07/12/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Dr. Jones penned in his journal on July 13, 1854 – “Commenced taking corn blade fodder.” Although very few ears of corn were used to feed livestock, the dried leaves of the corn plants made excellent hay (fodder) that could be fed out to them as needed to supplement foraging. Come pull and make “hands” […]
07/18/2020 – 07/19/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – What games do you like to play? Young Texans wouldn’t get much free time in the nineteenth century, but it wasn’t all work and no play for farming families. Come play with us and learn some games kids would have enjoyed at Barrington in 1850. This is a focus weekend at the plantation. Contact Barb […]
07/18/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Travel back in time to where a nation was born in 1836. On the third Saturday of each month staff and volunteers dressed in period clothing bring to life the people and events of Old Washington providing a unique opportunity to discover various aspects of life surrounding the birth of the Republic of Texas. The […]
07/18/2020 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Join us under the Live Oaks at our Visitor Center to shop local and support area farmers. Fresh vegetables, baked goods, food vendors, artisans and much more!
07/25/2020 – 07/26/2020 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Though free time for those enslaved at Barrington was typically limited to Sundays and occasional holidays, time off provided an opportunity to rest and enjoy a variety of games, music, and entertainment. Come learn how Jerry, Mary, or Willis might have spent their time off. Make and take a clay marble home with you. This […]
