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Visit an archaeological experiment
The Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation is nestled between the hills and
valleys of Ridley Creek State Park with worm fences surrounding it. The
fences were so named because they were made up of a series of crooks.
By JOANNE SPAHR
How about taking your
family to an archaeological
.expedition next weekend?
4}t’s not as silly as it sounds.
Although most people
conjure up pictures of an
cient Egyptian pyramids
and tombs in the
Mediterranean, these are not
necessarily the only ar
chaeological expeditions
which exist. Actually, there
is one fairly close by to
families in Lancaster,
Berks, York, Lebanon, and
especially Chester, counties.
The place in mind is
Colonial Pennsylvania
Plantation which is nestled
between the hills and valleys
of Ridley Creek State Park
near Edgemont, Pa. Now in
Delaware County, back in
the time of Joseph Pratt HI
during the mid-1700’s, the
period to which the plan
tation is being restored, it
in East Bradford
Township, Chester County.
That was the time history
was being made in
Philadelphia, and Benjamin
Hawley, a neighboring
farmer, didn’t even record
the momentous events in his
diary. He was too busy going
about his business of
working a Chester County
farm. To find out exactly
what it was that Hawley and
other Chester County and
southeastern farmers did as
a daily routine, what their
tools were like, and how long
it took them, plus many
more facts of daily life are
the goals of Bishop’s Mill
Historical Institute, a non
profit corporation which has
pledged in its goals and
objectives to “establish an
accurate 18th century
~ working farm, alive in all
♦ espects and accurately
reflecting the historical
natural environment as well
as the life style, technology,
and world view of most
people in this area two
hundred years ago.”
To do this, the group uses the mid 1700’s and living in
the plantation as a working the manner of the Joseph
laboratory and ar- Pratt m family, they keep
chaelogical experiment. The records of their work and in
staff and volunteers at the this manner learn more
plantation dress in the style about the period and what it
of the 1770’s and, working actually was like to live back
with “reasonable fac- then. In technical terms, this
similes” of the original tools, is called imitative or ex
actually restore the plan- perimental research,
tationandfarmtothe way it For instance, they have
was at that time. While restored the floors of the east
working with the tools and section of the house using
the facilities found back in replicas of the old tools, and
The farm family, or staff and
volunteers who work at the plan
tation, have a daily meal which they
prepare from foods they have raised
on the farm. Although they do buy
some ingredients which the colonial
Mini vacation
jsts were m , used - just rails. They were all of equal length and were
loosely piled over one another. pholo „ Splto
by keeping a ledger of all the procedures, while for other
work done, now more closely experiments they don’t plan
understand the procedure of on enough time. It is this
making the floor and the actual participating and
“work life” of the tools in- trying the experiment
volved. themselves which helps to
“We’re experiencing what clarify history and the
we term a “learning curve,” researcher’s understanding
says one staff member. To of the period.
explain this further, he goes According to Ernest
on to say that sometimes the Palmer Jr., vice president of
researchers will predict too the Board of Directors of
long a period of time for BMHI, and historian for the
carrying out some group, there has been no in-
family of the 1770’s would have also
needed to purchase, the group is
trying to be as self-sufficient as farm
families at the time of the American
Revolution.
Lancaster Farming. Saturday. Jul
<f MMU
for a change
24.1976-
depth understanding of the
typical, propserous, though
not wealthy, farm back in
the 1750’s in this region. So,
the group is out to learn what
was what by using the
plantation as a laboratory.
But, the Colonial Penn
sylvania Plantation is not off
limits while all this is going
on. Actually, the staff en
courages visitors to come
and share on a personal
basis what they are learning.
“Here, visitors can touch
things and ask questions. We
are working for a per
sonalized museum,” says
one volunteer.
And it is very per
sonalized. Instead of the
huge influx of visitors which
flow through most roped-off
museums, Colonial Penn
sylvania Plantation has
about 300 visitors a day and a
garrulous, friendly staff who
will stop and explain the
techniques they are using
and what they have learned
from their research.
But, of course, each visitor
can glean from the museum
in the making whatever he
wishes. For those who want
to go in depth into certain
areas, there are experts on
folklore, archaeology, an
thropology, historic
agriculture and American
studies. Comer any one of
these experts and your world
will be expanded rapidly.
But, if you are not in the
mood for an archaeological
or anthropological lesson,
you can just stroll through
the working plantation and
enjoy the feeling of going
back into history during the
time when George
Washington was nearby at
Valley Forge.
Dr. Jay Anderson, who is
in charge of the project, says
that the majority of the
visitors stay two hours or
more, which is fairly long for
a family with children. Then,
he adds, there are also the
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