Missouri Town 1855

I was lucky enough to work at Missouri Town 1855 summers while I was in college in 1976-78.  I went back to visit while I was home last week.

I met the blacksmith.  He is one of two full-time employees of Missouri Town.

The anvil and grindstone are important tools for him to use.

The fire was not going in the blacksmith's.  Good thing; it was nearly 100 degrees outside, and look at his clothing!  Can you imagine wearing wool pants all summer? 

When I worked there I was responsible for currying the oxen and keeping their pasture free of thistle.

I was terrified of them at first, since the ones we had back then did double duty as rodeo rides.

Here is the herb garden.  I remember we had lemon balm and made tea in the fireplace at the inn.

Here is one of the cabins.

I leaned in and got some photos of the inside.  Guests of the park are not allowed to traipse through the buildings.  See the keyboard instrument at the left of the previous picture?  I don't remember if it is a clavichord or a harpsichord, but I used to play it while I was at work.  Okay, maybe "play" is too strong a word for me tinkling the keys with "Alley Cat" and "Do-Re-Mi."

This is the Inn.

And the kitchen next to the dining room in the Inn where I learned to spin wool into yarn.

Another bedroom.

And the woodsman's cottage. The must have made a lot of those little coffins back then. The woodsman's workshop was on one side and his family's living quarter on the other.  Can you imagine living (along with your family) and working in a two room dwelling?

I found the little lambs at the far side of the Town's property.

The bedroom below is one I hated to clean because it always had the most spiders.  The loft area was especially creepy with crawly things.

Here is the other side of the same room.

Pretty cool place to work.

Hay?