Home School Day

Join us for a school tour sampler designed just for homeschoolers. Take your family back in time to explore the 18th century. The Historic Odessa Foundation is an enclave of historic buildings and gardens located in the small community of Odessa, Delaware, on the banks of the Appoquinimink River. Relatively untouched by the development typical of other areas, it offers a unique and well-documented picture of 18th and early 19th century lifestyles in a rural village that played a significant role in the Mid-Atlantic’s commercial history. Visitors can experience a sampler of colonial life that is presented to students in interactive, hands-on workshops. This spring we will feature:
• Artisan Apprentice Did you ever want to learn a trade like carpentry, pottery making, blacksmithing or tanning? This workshop explores the life of an apprentice artisan tanner. Sign a contract used here in Delaware in the 18th century and become an apprentice in William Corbit’s tannery. The duties and responsibilities of the apprentice and the master will we explored as well as the tools and techniques of tanning and leather work as you personalize your own back-pack tag.
• School Days Travel back in time to an 18th century schoolroom. Participate in lessons from a Quaker primer using quill pens, ink, slates and chalk.
• 18th Century Hearth Cooking Cook in an 18th century kitchen using the recipes, tools, foods and techniques typical of that time. Make Apple Charlotte from an authentic colonial recipe and discover how an 18th century kitchen works as well as a well equipped kitchen today.
• Wilson Store Shop in our recreation of David Wilson’s dry goods and general merchandise store. You will given an 18th century identity, a list of goods to buy and copies of money printed in Odessa. Shop for the necessities and luxuries that you can afford.
Tours will leave from the Visitor’s Center at 9am and 1pm. Cost: $7.50. Reservations are required. Please call 302-378-4119 or leave a message for the Education Office at 302-378-5562.