TOUR

Before going out on tour, all children in the group will be given a haversack and a cap (mob cap for the girls, men’s working cap for the boys). Supplies will be kept in the lobby of the bank so they are readily available.

The haversack will contain: compass, spyglass, slate and slate pencil, fire starter kit in leather pouch, pocket watch, Bilbo catcher. In addition, according to the age of the children, a school lesson, a copy of “Rules for Behavior in Company”, and a Corbit-Sharp House scavenger hunt.

Guides can begin with the families by telling them that we want them to experience 18th century Odessa as it really was and that the items in the haversack will help them see their tour through the eyes of their 18th century counterparts. As such, the children have to “look the part” so they should be given their caps to put on and their haversacks to carry throughout the tour. Also, the children should be told to take out their pocket watch and that they can help the guide keep on schedule by checking the time in the proper 18th century manner.

As with our traditional tours, guides begin by giving an orientation to the town and its early history. Geography plays a large role in this introduction so children should be instructed to take the compass and the spyglass out of the haversack to help orient themselves and their family to the area. Catch a glimpse of the Appoquinimink River from a vantage point on Main Street with the spyglass. Determine which way it flows by orienting with the compass. Have the whole family work on determining in which direction Philadelphia lies—where the Chesapeake Bay is—perhaps even where their home is relative to Odessa. This should make discussion of early settlement, trade, transportation much more meaningful. From that point on, whenever it seems appropriate, encourage the children to use the compass and spyglass and share it with other members of their family (when talking about the tannery outside the Corbit-Sharp House use the spyglass to really see the river and where the tannery may have been, when talking about the Corbit-Sharp garden, have a closer look, when in the house, determine where the morning sun would shine by using the compass…….)

As they do for a traditional tour, guides should speak to the family about museum rules before entering the first building of their tour. However, for the children in the family the guide should talk to them about the kind of behavior that would have been expected of them in the 18th century. Use the “Rules for Behavior in Company” from The School of Manners printed in London in 1701 as a basis of what should prove to be a humorous discussion.

When touring the Corbit-Sharp House, use the scavenger hunt provided in the haversack as a way to focus the attention of the children in your group. There will be two versions available—one for non-readers, one for readers. Once all items have been found, a sticker can be awarded to the children by the guide and placed on the scavenger hunt sheet. The family tour is designed to also include one room in the basement. The schoolroom (which we use for school tours) can be accessed by way of the stairs in the 1790 kitchen. This should be convenient as the kitchen is at the end of the tour of the house. The family should be invited to take a seat at the desks in the schoolroom and, after a short description of the room and a very brief description of 18th century Quaker education, the children can work on a lesson from their haversack using the slate and the slate pencil provided. Guides should explain the lessons and emphasize that they have been taken directly from The Philadelphia Primer, A Child’s First Book, printed in Wilmington, Delaware in 1824 and The Teachers’ Assistant, F. McKenney, Philadelphia, 1837. For younger children, use the “Primary Lessons for Students”; for older children, use the “Lessons for Students”.

When touring the Brick Hotel, the family should be taken to the Wilson Store classroom and given a short introduction to the Wilson family, the Wilson Store and our reproduction of the store. Then, the doors to the store can be opened by the guide and the family can be invited to the Wilson Store—the ropes should be dropped. During their exploration, five specific items in the store should be given to the children and other family members to hold, touch, even smell and examine. Then the whole family can be encouraged to guess how each was used. (the betty lamp, a hog scraper, a plug of tobacco, the tea brick, a piece of indigo would be good ones to include) Before leaving, each child should be given a sample of Odessa currency used in the Wilson Store.

When touring the Collins-Sharp House, begin with our traditional discussion of hearth cooking with an emphasis on questioning the family about the function of some of the cooking tools. Mention should then be made of the chores and responsibilities of children in the 18th century. One of the chores that the guides will highlight will be the responsibility of making and tending the fire. Have the children get out the flint and steel from the leather bag in their haversack and, after demonstration, have them try to make sparks (not fire!) on the hearth—other members of the family may also try. Guides can then turn the discussion to leisure time and inform the children that boys and girls in the 18th century had some toys and have them try the game of the Bilbo catcher that is in their haversack.

Because the Family Tour will probably take at least 30 minutes longer than the traditional tour, the Wilson-Warner House will be omitted.

At the conclusion of the tour, guides should collect the caps and haversacks. Children may keep their Odessa money, their scavenger hunt and their copy of “Rules of Behavior”. Please check to make sure the haversacks have all components returned. Additional copies of the hand-outs will be available to replenish the haversacks. Please let us know if any items have been lost or broken and we will replace them.

For reservations, events or membership call 302.378.4119 or fax 302.378.4050