Pioneer Day

On October the 18, many BMC students gathered at the union county museum for a special event. Pioneer day was an opportunity for the community and especially youth to come and learn about the olden days. Guests at the museum enjoyed immersing themselves in an interactive tour showcasing the different aspects of pioneer life.

On this particular day, the event was open specifically to special education students from schools in the surrounding area. Students from Dr. Clausel’s behavior management class were paired with ‘buddies’ from these school groups.

Inside, there were many display devoted to the everyday workings of pioneer life. One room held sewing and quilting displays, where women were actually working on hand sewn projects. One of our own students, Christine Carpenter, was showing people how pioneers would knit things like socks.

At one table, Blue Mountain students Abby Mattox and Hannah Harrison worked together to create beautiful corn husk dolls for the children. Traditionally these dolls were made because other toys and entertainment were expensive and hard to come by.

In addition to the more traditional displays inside the museum, there were a host of pioneer themed activities outside. Hope Brown, a BMC student, showed everyone how to churn butter the old fashioned way. Another station had a long, two person saw that guests could use to cut wood.

There was a blacksmithy where museum workers demonstrated how pioneers would have heated and worked metal. Other displays included a washing tub and clothesline, a display of pioneer type foodstuffs, a corn grinder, and an authentic horse drawn carriage (minus the horses) as a photo prop.

All in all, it was a fun, action packed day with a lot to see and learn. Everyone who had the opportunity to participate will likely be looking forward to attending the event again next year!