With each passing year, there are fewer ways for young Americans to learn about life in the 1800s other than by way of photos and written words.
But thanks to Bucyrus residents David and Sherry Harmon, groups of students from two Texas County communities have been getting a first-hand look at what things were like in the mid-1800s. That’s because the Harmons since 1999 have annually hosted fourth-graders from Raymondville and Plato for “Cabin Field Day.”
The event takes place at the Harmon’s authentic log cabin and features everything from demonstrations of tools used during that era, to food cooked in an antique wood stove and even family members dressed in attire similar to what would have been standard back in the day. Last Friday was the Harmon’s 20th Cabin Field Day, as they sometimes have staged more than one in a given year.
“This keeps the period alive for the kids,” Sherry said. “This gives them a way to see this kind of thing, and experience how it used to be, because they might not otherwise get the chance.”
The Harmons more or less rescued the small cabin from a terminal fate commonly experienced by other structures built a century and a half ago by accepting it as a gift, disassembling it and then moving it and rebuilding it on their property west of Houston. The rebuilding was also a refurbishing project including an expansion, with some of the material coming from the old Lone Star Mill on the Big Piney River.
“It’s on its third life,” Sherry said. “It started as a house, then it was a barn and then we moved it here. At one time it housed a 13-member family.”
The interior of the cabin is outfitted with numerous real antiques, including an icebox, hand-made wood furniture, a working loom and framed photos of family ancestors.
“We have really enjoyed combining all things that are in it,” Sherry said. “Some of it has been in the family for years, but it’s amazing what you can find at yard sales around here.”
The Harmons have also hosted church groups and family get-togethers at the cabin. The connection to Raymondville and Plato schools stems from family members teaching in those districts (including David and the Harmon’s daughter, Jessica Smith).
Fourth-graders are the selected age group because they’re fresh off of studying Missouri history and reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book, “Little House on the Prairie.”
“This is a great part of their learning,” Sherry said. “They learn about it in the classroom and then they come here and see some of it.”
Activities students participated in last Friday included candle-making, corn grinding, rope making, weaving, games like an “ice-hauling relay race” using blocks of ice and sleds (emulating a task performed by Almanzo Wilder, as documented in the “Little House” book) and more.
“We enjoy history,” David said. “When we got this cabin, we decided to share it with kids. We’ll keep doing this as long as we can.”