LIVING HISTORY CENTERS OFFER CULTURAL LESSONS
The lifestyles of some of the United States’ early settlers—ranging from western Europeans to the Amish—can be explored at living history
centers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The following five attractions, each of which covers unique aspects of American
heritage, offer learning-based programs and tours geared for student groups.
Mystic Seaport
Old Sturbridge Village
Amish Farm and House
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
amishfarmandhouse.com The Amish Village
Strasburg, Pennsylvania
theamishvillage.net Mystic Seaport
Mystic, Connecticut
mysticseaport.org
Since 1955, the
attraction has
showcased the Amish
lifestyle on the 90-minute
Countryside Bus Tour
that takes groups through
the picturesque Amish
Country. The ride can be
combined with tours of
the 209-year-old house
and traditional meals. Visiting the 12-acre
village is a great way for
school groups to learn
about a culture that
has remained relatively
unchanged in nearly
300 years. Students
can explore a one-room
schoolhouse, watch
demonstrations by
craftsmen and visit a
barn with farm animals. Mystic Seaport is a
re-created 19th-century
coastal village that
details the area’s
maritime history. A stroll
through the attraction
takes school groups
around a working
shipyard, to exhibit
halls and past historical
watercraft, including
America’s oldest
commercial ship still in
existence, the Charles
W. Morgan.
Contact Mark
Andrews at marka@
amishfarmandhouse.com.
Contact Shane
Ackermann at shane@
theamishvillage.net.
Contact Sarah Spencer
at sarah.spencer@
mysticseaport.org.
Pilmoth Plantation
Old Sturbridge Village
Sturbridge,
Massachusetts
osv.org
In addition to touring
this 1830s-era New
England village,
students can participate
in 50-minute hands-on
workshops that allow
them to try out some
of the tasks they see
costumed historians
doing in the village:
hearth cooking,
farming, printing and
working with textiles.
Contact Michael Arnum
at [email protected].
Plimoth Plantation
Plymouth, Massachusetts
plimoth.org
At this coastal
Massachusetts site,
students can see a
number of outdoor living
history exhibits, ranging
from the 17th-century
English Village and the
Wampanoag Homesite
to the Plimoth Grist
Mill and a Craft Center.
Hands-on workshops
and overnight programs
are popular.
Contact Janet Young at
[email protected].
NTAonline.com
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