Hands on History
We believe the best way to learn about history is to experience it. School groups find here skilled interpreters describing the lifeways of Steuben County residents from the first European settlements in the 1790s through the 1890s. Our education programs are based on the New York State learning standards.
 Then & Now(capacity 20) Common household items from the 1800s and their modern counterparts encourage students to compare and contrast technology's impact on lifestyle. Choose an object from the "then" basket and find its equivalent in the "now" basket. Program can be adapted to the age of participants. Program length: 30 minutes Target audience: Preschool and above |  Family Life(capacity 15) Explore the domestic experience through family, food, and work. Learn about chores and family members’ responsibilities a long time ago. Program length: 30 minutes. May be combined with Mr. Knapp's Trunk for a 1-hour program. Target audience: Grade 2 and over. Please click on the picture for a link to additional details. |  Oxcart Man(capacity 20) A story-format, hands-on program based on R. Donald Hall's Caldecott-Award winning book. Program length: 30 minutes Target audience: Preschool and above |
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 Mr. Knapp's Trunk(capacity 15) Learn about travel in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries by exploring the contents of a traveler's trunk. Program length: 30 minutes. May be combined with Family Life for a 1-hour program. Target audience: Preschool and above. Please click on the picture for a link to additional details. |  QuiltingThe quilting program focuses on the artistic qualities and geometric patterns of a quilt. Several different quilt patterns will be shown. Each participant will create a quilt square using foam pieces to follow a traditional quilt pattern. The participants will discuss the value of the quilt from an artistic and commercial point of view. |  A day in the Schoolhouse (LH1)(capacity 30) Spend a full day examining family life, education, and play in the Browntown Schoolhouse. Step back into the 1890s as a costumed instructor teaches lessons from nineteenth-century schoolbooks. Program length: 3-4 hours. Target audience: Grade 3 and up. Please click on picture for link to additional details. |
 Living History II - Grade 4(capacity: 50) A half day in the Browntown Schoolhouse combined with a half day of activities from the History a´ la Carte menu or a general tour. See how the lifestyle of local residents changed from the 1790s to the 1890s. Split sessions make this program a good choice for larger groups. Length: 2-4 hours |  History a´ la Carte - Grades K-2(capacity: 50) Oxcart Man Then & Now Family Life Mr. Knapp's Trunk Quilting: Art and math combined! Create a ‘quilt’ and see the secondary patterns emerge. Lighting: A look at science and technology through innovations in domestic lighting, 1600-1860. Schoolhouse: Learn about a typical school day in 1878 rural America. For a detailed look at program choices, please click on the picture and follow the link. |  History a´ la Carte - Grades 3-7(capacity: 50) Farming: Agriculture in the four seasons, try your hand at ‘milking’. Hearth Cooking: Preparing and preserving seasonal foods in the Inn kitchen. Eliza’s Cabin: Rural subsistence living during the Civil War. Textiles: Fiber availability, preparation, and use. Travel: What to bring and how to get there in the 1790s (Inn Bedchambers) Taverns: Their function on the eastern frontier. For additional program choices and more details please click on the picture and follow link. |
 General Tour - Grades 3-12(capacity: 50) A costumed interpreter will guide your group through the Patterson Inn, Wixson Road Log Cabin, Starr Barn, Browntown Schoolhouse, Cooley Blacksmith Shop, Joiner's Shop, Woodshed, Agriculture Shed, and Gardens. Tour may be combined with one or more special demonstrations (additional charge). Program Length: 1-2 hours Target audience: Grade 3 and above. Please click on picture for link to additional details. |
Program Fees
Living History I (Schoolhouse only): $145.00/class. Living History II (Schoolhouse & menu or tour): $145.00/class. All other tours and programs: $4.00/student (minimum charge per group is $50.00). Custom Programs: please inquire. Please note that there is an additional fee for the blacksmith and any programs that include cooking at the hearth.
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