Students celebrate the fall season at Pennsbury Manor’s Harvest Day
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
Last Tuesday, more than 600 students from Bucks County and its surrounding regions enjoyed a beautiful fall day, colonial-style. This was the annual Harvest Day at Pennsbury Manor, the former estate of Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn. Beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing until 1 p.m., the kids and their chaperones enjoyed a variety of live demonstrations, met some new furry friends and created tasty seasonal treats, all from scratch.
Upon setting foot on the well-kept grounds of Penn’s country home, visitors felt as though they stepped back in time to a crisp, fall day in the 1700s. Crunching their way along the leaf-strewn gravel pathway, the students were greeted by Pennsbury staff, who sported the traditional era clothing of bonnets, dresses, boots and frilly-sleeved shirts.
The theme of this year’s Harvest Festival was trades, with each demonstration corresponding with goods and services that were in high-demand during Penn’s lifetime. One such commodity was horses, which in that era were the primary means of transportation. In the barnyard, the students had the pleasure of meeting Touch of Class, better known as TC, a 24-year-old mare who came to Pennsbury from the Standardbred Retirement Foundation, a nonprofit that places former race horses in loving homes.
Just steps away, the kids were introduced to Bill the ox and learned about colonial uses for bull horns, which included cups, spoons and hair combs. Across the way were his neighbors, a small flock of sheep, along with a colonial woman holding up a stuffed sheep toy, demonstrating the wool shearing process.
Further along behind the Joyner Shop, guests were able to participate in the traditional fall activity of making cider from scratch. The kids selected apples from piles of boxes filled to the brim, placing them in low, wooden bowls. Taking a long stick that was almost taller than some of them, the students began to mash their apples to a pulp before pouring it into a large mixer. At the end of the process, they were able to enjoy their handmade creation.
After their thirsts were quenched, visitors sat down for a flax and wool carding demonstration.
“It’s like brushing hair,” said the colonial woman in charge as she showed the kids how to properly handle the wool.
She then went on to explain how this activity, much to the surprise of her captivated audience, was a typical job for kids in the early 1700s.
As the Harvest Day visitors made their way through the estate, they came across a number of other educational sessions. An open hearth cooking demonstration took place in the Kitchen House, traditional tools were created in the Blacksmith Shop and at the Colonial Cottage, guests learned about chair caning. In the Kitchen Garden, the kids took a brief trip to the water-filled well and received a lesson on the growing plants, which included onions, leeks and rare species previously used for home remedies and bandages.
At the edge of the property sat Pennsbury Manor itself. With its breathtaking waterfront view and vast green space surrounding it, the house was truly a sight to behold. At the top of the lengthy flight of stairs awaited the one and only “William Penn,” ready to greet guests to his not-so-humble abode. After sharing some tidbits on the manor’s history, he welcomed them inside to tour the nursery, kitchen, parlor and various other rooms that still hold memories of Penn and his family.
Pennsbury Manor is located at 400 Pennsbury Memorial Road, Morrisville. For more information, visit pennsburymanor.org. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
