Barrington Plantation State Historic Site Events

Oct. 23rd & 24th, 10a – 4p:   

What does your morning routine look like? See how the Jones family prepared to face the day and maybe clean yourself up a little bit along the way. Our family’s morning ritual probably is not much different! Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information.

Nov. 6th & 7th, 10a – 4p: 

Ponder for a moment all of the skills and trades practiced by others that you rely upon daily: auto mechanics, carpenters, electricians, plumbers just to name a few! Just as you need skilled laborers to live, so too did the farmers of early Texas. Join us at Barrington Plantation where demonstrators will exhibit some of the many skills needed by our...

Nov. 13th & 14th, 10a – 4p:  

Fall is here! It is time to clean the house and ready it for the cooler months of the year. Take part in the action as we air out mattresses, sweep floors, chase out the cobwebs, and roll out the parlor rug. Hands-on projects and demonstrations ongoing throughout the day. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more...

10a-4p

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 as we demonstrate cooking a traditional meal in the style of...

Dec. 10th & 11th, 4:30p-8p

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 the Republic,...

Dec. 18th & 19th, 10a – 4p: 

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 will be making a few of these foods this weekend and talking about many others. Discussions and kitchen activities ongoing. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248...

Jan. 8th & 9th, 10a – 4p:   

(may switch with Jan. 15th & 16th depending on weather conditions) 

Butchering livestock was a very necessary way of life in the mid-19th century. Their main source of meat, pork, has been preserved by drying, salting and smoking for centuries. Join us for our annual butchering and curing weekend, where we will be butchering a hog on...

Jan. 15th & 16th, 10a – 4p:  

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 and start sewing your own pincushion to take home and finish. All supplies...

Jan. 22nd & 23rd, 10a – 4p: 

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, or take a turn sewing on the stitching horse! Contact...

Jan. 29th & 30th, 10a – 4p:  

Essential to good health, common table salt has been prized for hundreds of centuries. Unlike today, salt was not always so readily available, and colonists and pioneers depended on imports from across the seas. Historically, salt was an integral part of many civilizations. Come to the kitchen and help make brines for food preservation and mordants,...

10a-4p

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 as we demonstrate cooking a traditional meal in the style of...

Feb. 12th & 13th, 9a - 2p: 

Sign up to join a cooking workshop on either Saturday (Family Class) or Sunday (Adult Class), to learn how to cook a period seasonal meal. No experience needed, but class fills up quickly! Class will run from  9a-2p and is $45 adult. For the family session it is $45 adult/first child, each additional child is $10. Contact Stephanie Busa to register at ...

10a-4p

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 as we demonstrate cooking a traditional meal in the style of...

Mar. 12th & 13th, 10a – 4p:   

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. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information.

Mar. 19th & 20th, 10a – 4p:  

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. Join Barrington...

Apr. 2nd & 3rd, 10a – 4p: 

We are following the cotton cultivation methods laid out by the period account of Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped from Washington D.C. in 1841, and enslaved near Holmesville, LA, which is about 280 miles from Barrington. In his book, Twelve Years a Slave (1853), Northup described using a plow to cultivate (turn under the weeds) and hand hoes...

Apr. 9th & 10th, 10a – 4p: 

Dr. Jones was an enthusiastic reader who enjoyed books and poetry. His library contained more than 1,000 books in 1858. Learn about his favorite authors and opinions of their work. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information.

10a-4p

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 as we demonstrate cooking a traditional meal in the style of...

Apr. 23rd & 24th, 10a – 4p:  

Where did American music styles originate? How is the banjo connected to West Africa? Hear the answers to these questions as well as period musical instruments as you join us in the Quarter to learn the power of music in the 1850s. Contact Ben Baumgartner at ben.baumgartner@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information. 

May 7th & 8th, 10a-4p:

Learn what life was like for women in the 1850s. Sewing, cleaning, cooking, and childcare comprise the main elements of the “Domestic Sphere” of nineteenth century women. Areas of responsibility change when explored from the perspective of a mother like Mrs. Jones, or an enslaved woman, like Mary, in the field. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov...

May 14th & 15th, 10a – 4p:   

Dr. Jones noted in his journal on May 14, 1850 - “Finished ploughing and hoeing corn first time.”   The crops are short and the weeds are tall, it’s time to cultivate! Come help us clear between the rows of our field crops using our single ox and walk-behind cultivating plow! Contact Ben Baumgartner at ben.baumgartner@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248...

May 21st & 22nd, 10a-4p: 

Come and see cooking in the kitchen as we talk about food preservation and pies with spring fruit. Ongoing from 10a-4p. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information. 

May 28th & 29th, 10a – 4p: 

The garden kept by those enslaved at Barrington provided diversity to an otherwise bland diet, and more importantly filled the gaps in nutrition. Join us as explore the heirloom varieties growing in the garden in the Quarter, and take home a few seeds to start your own garden! Contact Ben Baumgartner at ben.baumgartner@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248...

Jun. 4th & 5th, 10a – 4p: 

Spring cleaning was a yearly ritual that has been obliterated by modern conveniences. Preparing the house for warmer weather, chasing out cobwebs and dirt, scrubbing walls and floors, is far more laborious than cleaning today. Help wash windows, beat rugs, and wash and wax furniture as needed. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-...

Jun. 9th & 10th, 10a – 4p:  

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” (bunches) of fodder from our corn crop! Contact Ben...

Jun. 11th & 12th, 10a – 4p:   

Dr. Jones noted in his journal on July 19, 1846 – “Ripe peaches from my Orchard at Barrington.” Caring for an orchard takes skill and patience, but it can be highly rewarding! Come help us haul water and cultivate the orchard as you learn about heirloom trees and fruit growing in the 19th century! Contact Ben Baumgartner at ben.baumgartner@thc.texas....

Jun. 18th & 19th, 10a – 4p: 

Though purchased at the price of others’ freedom, Dr. Anson Jones and his sons enjoyed a variety of gentlemanly pursuits in their leisure time, including card playing, hunting, and fishing.  Join the world of the Jones men and try your luck at cards while sitting in the cool of the dogtrot of the house, or head to the field for a demonstration of the ...

Jul. 2nd & 3rd, 10a – 4p: 

We are getting ready for the 4th so we’ll be making some period desserts and talking about picnics like ones Dr. Jones might have attended. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information.

Jul. 16th & 17th, 10a-4p: 

Wear some old clothes and help us paint the fence and kitchen interior with whitewash. A traditional part of yearly cleaning it keeps the Plantation looking nice and tidy. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information.

Jul. 23rd & 24th, 10a – 4p:  

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! Contact Ben Baumgartner at ben....

Aug. 6th & 7th, 11a – 2p:  

Taking a break, or “nooning,” in the heat of the day would help both enslaved and free 19th century farmers renew their energy on a long day in the blazing Texas sun! A little rest, food, water, and shade goes a long way. Pack a lunch and join us under the cottonwood trees by the crop fields as we take a break from our labors and recover so that we can...

Aug. 13th & 14th, 10a – 4p:  

Come stay cool with us in the heat of summer and discover what early Texans did to stay cool. Without modern A.C. you might be surprised at how comfortable you can be in a Texas summer. Contact Barb King at barbara.king@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information.

Aug. 20st & 21st, 10a – 4p:   

Dr. Jones noted in his journal on Aug. 4, 1847 - “Thrashed out rye”.  Now that our grain crop has been harvested, it’s time to thresh and winnow it to separate seed from stalk. Come help us make our harvest ready to be ground into flour! Contact Ben Baumgartner at ben.baumgartner@thc.texas.gov or 936-878-2214 x248 for more information.