Welcome to the Painted Stone Settlers’ School Day Program! We hope you will enjoy our program as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.

Note: We will instruct all groups to combine around 11:00 – 11:30 am (approximately) for a group presentation at the bleacher site. A program introduction will be given at this time to familiarize your class with the history behind Painted Stone Station. While students are assembled at the bleacher area, a cannon demonstration will be given to offer students a look at military tactics in the 18th century.

Teachers, please instruct your students NOT to touch items unless a re-enactor tells them to do so. Many items are authentic (meaning they are very old or hazardous to those unfamiliar with them). Some stations, such as the Blacksmith or Yarn Dying, might be using a real fire.

Students will have approximately 15 minutes at each station. These 15 minutes includes travel time to the next station. All stations are broken down into categories based on the following topics: Survival Skills, Home & Hearth Skills, Entertainment and Native Ways. Time has been built into your schedule to have a lunch break and bathroom breaks – several Port-A-Johns are placed throughout the encampment and at the front entrance along with a hand-washing station.

Section #1: SURVIVAL SKILLS:

The stations that fall under this category depict many of the skills employed by frontiersmen. Many times settlers were farmers during crop growing seasons, and would take to the woods after harvesting their crops to produce additional income by trapping. Often they would be gone for months or even years on hunting or scouting expeditions, thus earning the name Longhunters. Kentucky provided prime hunting grounds for this type of occupation. Our re-enactors practice the skills and dress as their 18th century counter-parts would have done.

SECTION #2: HOME & HEARTH:

These basic skills were common to every family on the frontier to keep a household running smoothly. Oftentimes skills were gender specific – children learned the same tasks as their father or mother. Children might have the opportunity to earn a living practicing these skills once they matured. These stations provide a greater insight into the colonial way of living and daily routine experienced by the settlers. 

SECTION #3: ENTERTAINMENT:

Entertainment, or leisure time in general, was scarce on the frontier. We have provided you with an overview of colonial era entertainment to give you a taste of 18th century arts and humanities. Entertainment was usually in the form of singing or playing a musical instrument on the frontier. This was a simple way to convey ideas not written down, a creative form of storytelling. Annual colonial “Trade Faires” were a common site throughout the 18th century in larger towns east of Kentucky. A carnival-like atmosphere would often accompany these faires. 

SECTION #4: NATIVE WAYS (NATIVE AMERICAN CAMPSITE):

Native American re-enactors will be on hand to speak to students about the Native American way of life. Students will gain a better understanding of how settlers often relied on the Native American society to survive. Tribes in Kentucky in the 18th Century were referred to as Eastern Woodland Indians, primarily a mixture of Shawnee, Mohawk and Iroquois. These tribes lived in the eastern part of the United States. As forest dwellers, they lived and learned from the land. Even though settlers and Native Americans clashed at this time, in previous centuries in America (Jamestown) settlers had learned valuable ideas and adopted ways of doing things (such as crop planting) from the Native American culture that helped them to survive.

                                                     The Stations

Station 1: Songs of the Frontier. Colonial Balladeer Jonathan Hagee will demonstrate the value of music in the 1700’s, long before radio, Alexa and iTunes were invented. Songs were not merely pleasant to the ear, but also used as a method of handing down traditions, recording history and a creative means of storytelling. These ballads and pub songs traveled from Scotland and England, made their way into Northern Ireland, finally ending up in the American Colonies. They then accompanied settlers making their way across the Appalachian Mountains into Kentucky.

Station 2: Butter Making: Watch as re-enactor Jackie Ginter shows you how to make butter the 18th century way. Butter churning was a common chore which often fell to the women or children. After the cow(s) were milked, the milk was left to settle in a cool place, so the cream would rise to the top. The cream was skimmed off and ready for the churn. Once it turned into butter it could be put in molds to shape. Churns and molds were often wooden.

Station 3: Native Cooking - Foodways and Practices. Re-enactor Tina Hagee will demonstrate what types of food Native Americans ate and how they prepared it. Over time, Kentucky settlers incorporated many Native American staples into their diet such as: “The Three Sisters” (corn, beans and squash), natural fruits and berries, and hunted game such as deer and buffalo. They also preserved meat in the form of jerky and pemmican.

Station 4: Native Encampment. Learn about the Native way of life from re-enactors Sam and Mariah Riley. The Eastern Woodland Indians once inhabited what is today Kentucky, but once known as Kentucky County, VA. The Shawnee and Cherokee were the most common tribes traveling through Kentucky. Several tribes banded together to become known as the Eastern Woodland tribes, and traveled through the Shelby County area near Painted Stone Station. Learn about the cultural aspects of these Natives and the things important to them – clothing, hunting, shelter, etc.

Station 5: Native Storytelling.  Enhance your Native knowledge by listening to some Native stories from re-enactor Russell Morris, who portrays a Native American of the Shawnee tribe. Storytelling was a rich oral tradition within the Native culture and a way to keep the important cultural aspects of the tribes alive from one generation to the next. They relied on storytelling as a way to document their history, instead of writing it down. Russell will demonstrate Native storytelling and singing. Note: Russell is of Shawnee descent.

Station 6: Magic Dave. Master magician Dave Cottrell, who resides in Shelbyville, will astound students will his slight of hand tricks. Magic in the colonial era was a form of street entertainment. In Europe, itinerant performers traveled the countryside as magicians performing cup & ball (colonial game), coin, and card tricks.

Station 7: Blacksmithing. A blacksmith was an essential figure on the frontier. Join re-enactor Aubrey Williams as he demonstrates a blacksmith’s skills, and see why this trade benefited many in the community. A blacksmith made agricultural tools for farming (hoes, rakes, and axes), barrel hoops for wooden barrels, and household items such as pothooks, locks and utensils. Some tools employed by a blacksmith were: forge anvil, hammer, tongs, vise and file. NOTE: Beware of any fire at this station and do not get too close.

Station 8: Surveying. SAR member Scott Giltner will show how colonial surveyors provided accurate descriptions that enabled the government to grant land to settlers moving westward. As the American colonies grew and settlers claimed more land, the need for land surveyors increased. Many famous men in American history - John Henry (father of Patrick Henry), Peter Jefferson (father of Thomas Jefferson), and George Washington - at one point in their life were employed as surveyors. This presentation explains what a land surveyor in colonial America would have done and the hardships they many times encountered. Reproductions of various types of 18th century surveying equipment and tools are presented and their usage explained, as well as units of measurements. A demonstration of running a chain, with assistance from the students, is included in the presentation.

Station 9: Fort Boonesborough Iron Collection & Elk Antler. The Frank T. Barnes Iron Collection is on loan for the day from the Fort Boonesborough Foundation. Frank T. Barnes spent 40 years collecting 1,368 pieces of ironwork dating from 1680-1860. The Friends of Fort Boonesborough Foundation now owns these items, and loans them out from time to time for special exhibits and programs. In addition to this collection, a special replica of a rare elk antler with an interesting inscription, “D BOON 1778,” will be on display. Members of the Foundation were assisted by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to obtain a grant to carbon date the original antler. Learn its story from Foundation members Elizabeth and George Chalfant.

Station 10: Fire Starting. Re-enactor Richard Quire of the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) will demonstrate a skill known to man since pre-historic times. Necessary in any type of weather and a necessity for any campsite or cabin dwelling, firestarting (without matches) is achieved through a certain technique and diligence. Vic will also speak about the importance of guns on the frontier – for defense, a means of acquiring food and as a bartering tool with the Natives.

Station 11: Flax. Oldham County re-enactor and SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) member Rod Smothers will demonstrate the necessary 18th century commodity of flax. Early colonists grew flax for the production of fabric (linen clothing), twine and rope. The Puritans introduced flax to North America, a fiber that dates back to the time of ancient Egypt.

Station 12: Frontier Customs. Painted Stone Settlers members Joan Hundley and Pam Phillips will give students a glimpse into the customs of the times. Similar customs were shared by settlers, including ideas, beliefs, traditions and a general way of life. Diverse cultures combined on the Kentucky frontier to give us the rich heritage we now have, with many settlers being of Scotch-Irish descent.

Station 13: Leather Working. SAR member Melvin Rowe will demonstrate the craftsmanship that goes into making leather goods. People in this trade included tanners, shoemakers, coach makers, breeches makers (men of the frontier wore leather leggings), bookbinders and upholsterers. Leather was used to make a variety of products such as gloves, harnesses and saddles, shoes, possible bags and equipment used by soldiers (cartridge boxes). Leather workers were also kept busy with repair work.

Station 14: Yarn Dying. A woman and young girl’s daily life were filled with many chores such as sewing, tending to babies/younger siblings, washing clothes, spinning, gathering firewood, cooking, etc. In this station students will get a first-hand look at the process of dying yarn by re-enactor Bev Simpson. A dyepot and various natural materials were used to turn white yard into beautiful colored yarn. Learn about oxidation and what it takes to make dyes and see how wool is spun into yarn.

Station 15: Spinning. Re-enactor Judy Biedenham will demonstrate spinning. During the American Revolution, when Americans could not acquire goods from England, weaving and spinning became a necessity. The spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers, which are then turned into clothing. Every piece of clothing had to be made by hand and spinning was often a household chore learned as a child.

Station 16: Herbs. Re-enactor Emily Burns will teach students about different uses for various herbs. Seeds had to be brought by the settlers when they relocated to Kentucky if they wanted a certain plant or herb. Certain herbs were very important for medicinal purposes. They were also used to dye material or yarn/wool that would be made into clothing.

Station 17: Inkle loom. Re-enactor Debbie Jenkins Bales will demonstrate her handiwork on the inkle loom, a period tool for producing strips/bands of hand-woven warp-faced cloth. These decorative strips were used for belts, bag handles, headbands or straps to tie items together. When sewn together, the strips could be turned into bags .

Station 18: Frontier Toys. Re-enactors  Kristi & Scott Heasley will demonstrate toys of the time period. With no modern conveniences, toys were often hand-made, many times of wood. The Game of Graces was a popular game enjoyed by children, if they were lucky enough to find spare time to play it when not doing chores. Dolls, miniature soldiers, dice and checkers were also games enjoyed by children.

Station 19: Pack Horse. Re-enactor and SAR member Kris Hawkins will demonstrate what a settler venturing into Kentucky would bring with him. Horses were very valuable as a means of packing supplies used by longhunters and bringing back hides from hunting trips. Horses were useful when moving into Kentucky, via the Cumberland Gap, as they could be loaded down with household goods, etc. if not ridden. They were also a valuable trade item.

Station 20: Militia Camp. Re-enactor and SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) member John (Jay) Doss will have different accouterments that a soldier in the militia might carry with him, explaining the clothing and equipment of the colonial militia. The militia was an effective tool in the war against Britain. Jay will explain the difference between the Continental army and the militia. The militia often provided defense when frontier forts were attacked and went to the aid of other forts and settlements when needed, carrying out military duties. The militia at Squire Boone’s fort did just that and it was militia who came to the scene of the Long Run Massacre the day after the settlers were attacked.

Station 21: Storytelling. Join Storyteller and interpreter Mandy Dick as she spins a good yarn about the Colonial Period. In the 18th century, storytelling was a valuable way of teaching and learning in a time when not everyone could read or write. Oral traditions saved history for the next generation and in part, preserved the story of the settlers of Painted Stone Station.

Station 22: Frontier Clothing. Fellow re-enactor and Executive Director of the Shelby County Historical Society, Brian Cushing, will explain clothing of the 18th century. Settlers had to make everything by hand and dress without the modern-day conveniences of velcro, sewing machines, and material purchased from a nearby store, or pre-made clothing. The Historical Society is important to the county, as it is a repository for historical documents and artifacts that tell the story of how Shelby County was formed.

Station 23: Crafts with the SAR. Members of the Governor Isaac Shelby Chapter of the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) honor our Revolutionary War patriot ancestors by promoting patriotism, serving our communities and educating and inspiring future generations about the founding principles of our country. Join their Outreach Education‘s Rae Ann Sauer and others to make a craft relevant to the 18th century time period.

Station 24: SAR: Flag s. Flags are an important part of our American heritage and a united symbol of pride to Americans. Several changes have been made to the American flag over the years. The first “official” American flag was known as the Continental Colors or the Grand Union Flag. Let members of the SAR show you the different flags, what they mean and the history behind them.

Concessions Area. Located near the camp entrance/at top of the hill.