Farm Day gives visitors a glimpse of the past

Visitors to Jarrell Plantation’s Family Farm Day will get a glimpse of the past and what life was like on the farm in the late 18th and early 20th centuries.

“The farm is coming to life. We’ll have a lot of activities going on, showing the chores of the past and the skills like sewing and quilting and woodstove cooking. We have some members of a leather guild coming, and we’ll have basketry and spinners as well,” interpretive ranger Taylor Delia said.

The plantation’s 30-horsepower stationary Talbot steam engine that was used to communicate within the mill complex will be running, and visitors will be able to blow the whistle to see the big cloud of steam that rises from the smoke stack.

“We’ll have a table set up with toys from the period that kids can play with, many of the demonstrators will let kids get involved with their craft, and they can sample food from the woodstove,” Delia said, adding that the plantation’s 1847 house also will be open on Family Farm Day with a volunteer giving tours.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Farm Day gives visitors a glimpse of the past."