While I was visiting Monticello and Polyface farm this past week I stopped at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia. The museum’s basic function is to celebrate the diversity of the early colonial immigrants–and to show how their backgrounds {English, German, Irish, West African} all contributed to the success of the colonies.
Holy canolies people, this place was cool.
The museum has several buildings, each reproductions of different backgrounds of the colonists.
It’s pretty rad to see how the architecture each immigrant brought with them totally shaped what we think of as “American” today.
Outside, the museum has two separate areas they refer to as The Old World Exhibits and the America exhibits.
The Old World exhibits show what rural life would have been like BEFORE the colonists made their way to America–it’s the lives they left behind.
The America exhibit shows a little bit of what their lives would have been like once they got here.
I wonder how many bugs {or protein as my grandfather would call it} flew into the soup when it was cooked outdoors? Yikes!
In the America exhibit, it is pretty cool to see the difference between the 1740 settlement and the 1850’s American farm.
Americans came A LONG way in just 90 short years–in what amounts to about 2 generations. Our ancestors had to work crazy hard so that we could live the lives we have today–and I have to be honest, it seems like they left quite a lot behind to come to America.
If you get a chance, the reproductions are very well done–I would totally recommend stopping by and checking it out. My only suggestion is to pack a picnic lunch though.
Even though this place is huge and you can spend hours there, the gift shop only sells souvenirs, fudge, beverages and ice cream. Maybe I’m weird, but I could have totally spent all day there.The Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia is the perfect spot to bring kids for the day. Learning {and wearing kids out at the same time} is AWESOME.
~Mavis
Frontier Culture Museum
1290 Richmond Road
Staunton, VA 24401
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