(Chelsea Update would like to thank Arlene Kaiser for the information in this story.)
The Waterloo Area Historical Society will host its annual Pioneer Day on Sunday, Oct. 9 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Waterloo Farm Museum and grounds.
The celebration of late 19th century farm life includes tours of the Farm Museum and Dewey School, live music, and demonstrations of crafts, trades, and traditional cooking methods.
Admission to the event, $5 for Adults, $4 for Seniors, and $2 for Children aged 5 to 12 and includes access to the farm grounds as well as guided tours of the ten-room farmhouse and one-room Dewey School.
WAHS members and children under 5 enjoy free admission.
For additional information on Pioneer Day and directions to the Waterloo Farm Museum, go to http://www.waterloofarmmuseum.org.
Now in its fifth decade, Pioneer Day is the premier event on the Waterloo Area Historical Society’s calendar. The roots of the occasion reach back to the very beginnings of the Historical Society, which held its first “Open House” on a fall day soon after acquiring the ten-room Realy Farmhouse. This year’s celebration will feature more down-on-the-farm fun than ever.
“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. And even though we rely on Pioneer Day to bring in close to one-third of the Historical Society’s annual budget, we’ve really held the line on the price of admission,” said WAHS President Mitch Planck. “A family of four can enjoy hours of fun for only $14. It’s a real bargain. We couldn’t do it without a small army of volunteers.”
At the heart of a visit to the Farm Museum is a tour of the Farmhouse, where costumed docents interpret each of the home’s ten furnished rooms. The grounds and outbuildings also come alive with demonstrations of all manner of crafts, vocations, and diversions of a bygone era. The pioneer farmer was “jack of all trades,” and it takes dozens of volunteer demonstrators to show the many skills he brought to bear. The lady of the house had her own skill set of home arts, exemplified by butter making at the Milk Cellar, open-fire cooking, brick-oven baking in the Bake House, and dried flower arranging in the Realy Barn. Costumed volunteers elucidate many more traditional arts like spinning, dressmaking, weaving and quilting, while others exhibit farm chores like corn-husking, -shelling, and grinding as well as cider pressing and butter churning.
But life wasn’t all work for our pioneer forebears. Visitors to Pioneer Day will also have the opportunity to try out stilt-walking and other outdoor diversions. Two music venues will feature local musical groups.
Just down the road lies another important institution of 19th century life—the one-room Dewey School Museum at Territorial and Mayer Roads located approximately 3 miles south-west of the Waterloo Farm Museum.
When you visit the Dewey School, , you will be greeted by the schoolmarm. She will take you through the day of a Mid to Late 19th Century One Room School day, when readin’, ‘ritin’ and ‘rithmatic was the skills every pioneer child was to learn. You may even be asked to stand at your desk and recite from the McGuffy Reader. And if you are naughty you may have to sit on the Dunce Stool.
This was also the place for community meetings, school plays, and holiday activities.
Horse-drawn wagon rides ($2 adults, $1 children under 12) provide an opportunity to relax and enjoy the serenity of the surrounding countryside. Representatives of several Civil War regiments as well as the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War will be on hand.
The aroma and flavor of Waterloo Bean Soup—with a piece of with “special recipe” Jiffy Mix corn cake from the Farm Wagon–is a sure sign of autumn. Guests can even pick up a jar of dried beans with the traditional recipe attached to try at home or give as a gift.
Pioneer Day began in the 1960’s as an open house at the Farm Museum. It has grown through the years, thanks to dedicated volunteers who believe it is important to teach young people and remind older ones that Michigan’s Pioneer farmers were hard working, resourceful people who carved out a living in the wilderness with a determination and dedication that needs to be celebrated and remembered.
It is the mission of the Waterloo Area Historical Society to preserve that way of life.
Directions to the Waterloo Farm Museum:
From I-94: North on Clear Lake Rd. into Waterloo Village, then 3 miles north on Waterloo-Munith Rd. Farm Museum on left inside a big curve.
From I-96: South on M-52 through Stockbridge to Territorial Rd. West (right) on Territorial to Parks Rd. South (left) on Parks Rd, which becomes Waterloo-Munith Rd. Around a big curve to the left and about ½ mile to the Farm Museum on right.
Mark your calendars now: Christmas on the Farm and at Dewey School on Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 4, noon – 4 p.m. A re-creation of the holiday’s traditions on an 1880’s Michigan Farm and a one-room school. Admission includes access to both museums and a guided tour of the ten-room farmhouse. Admission: $5 Adults, $4 Seniors 62+, $2 Children 5-17. Members and Children under 5 FREE.
