The Steamboat Era Museum is hosting special activities for children and families during the July
Fourth Holiday Weekend.
On Thursday, June 29, the museum will offer extended hours for a special viewing of the new exhibit Children’s Lives Around the Northern Neck: 1880’s to 1930’s. Visitors will learn about what schools were like from Caleb, Eleanor and Henry: how they traveled to school, what subjects they studied and the textbooks they used. Kids can write their names on a vintage slate board, see period McGuffey
Readers and discover the art of penmanship. There are also plenty of stories about fun, games and mischief.
The exhibit includes film clips of school children in the 1920’s-30’s captured by local resident James Wharton. Visitors will also hear the stories of Julius Rosenwald,
Booker T. Washington, Sallie Holley and others who helped educate Black children during Jim Crow. Not to be missed: the rules teachers had to follow in 1915 and the “computer of the day,” the Chautauqua Industrial Art Scroll.
Extended museum hours on Thursday, June 29, are 4-6 pm. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.
On June 29, our Friday morning children’s program takes place from 10:30 am to noon. Participants will learn about life during the Steamboat Era in the Northern Neck and Chesapeake Bay, including our new exhibit. Kids can step aboard the Potomac pilothouse and turn the wheel and ring the engine order telegraph bell. The group will play children’s games popular during the Steamboat Era.
Attendees will also make a wooden steamboat and test its buoyancy in the water. The fee is $5 per child. Adult(s) are admitted free for the tours. To make a reservation, call the museum at 804-438-6888.
On Saturday, July 1, Edie Hemingway will be signing her new book, That Smudge of Smoke, from 10am to 3pm. Spanning 1929 through 2015, this middle grade novel tells the story of two 12-year-old children and how they navigate major changes in their lives. It is a multi-generational story of hope, friendship, family and of the far-reaching influence of history and music. Edie Hemingway is the co-author of two Civil War novels. Her middle grade novel, Road to Tater Hill won a Parents’ Choice Gold Award.
That Smudge of Smoke is available in softbound and hardbound formats. Each book at this event will be imprinted with “Museum Edition.”