Open Doors at Exchange Place

We cordially invite you to attend our second Open Doors! event on Saturday, November 7.  Hosted by the Junior Apprentice’s and the Eden’s Ridge Hearth Cookery Society, the event will feature numerous historical demonstrations such as open-hearth cooking, blacksmithing, and spinning and weaving to show what life was like at Eden’s Ridge in the mid 19th century. And to continue our theme of celebrating America’s 250th, we will be giving a nod to our ancestors from the late 18th century too.  Here are some of the exciting activities we have planned:

Foodways: In the kitchen, the Eden’s Ridge Hearth Cookery Society will be making receipts (recipes) from the first cookbook written by an American and published in America— American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, published in 1796 .  In the Cook’s Cabin, we will be making hoecakes, the ubiquitous food consumed by nearly all Early Americans from enslaved laborers to presidents.

Long Hunting: On the Main House front porch, senior JA John Pace will be dressed in long hunter attire and displaying the accessories and firearms he has acquired for his interpretation, many of which he made himself. He will be joined by master horner Randy Rauch, who will be demonstrating the craft of engraving horn receptacles. At a nearby campfire, JAs will roast game meat that long hunters depended on for sustenance.

Blacksmithing: In the forge, blacksmith and JA dad David Pace will be making a squirrel cooker, a handy device for a frontiersman like Daniel Boone.

Spinning and Weaving: On the Main House back porch, Overmountain Weavers Guild member Emory LaPrade will be demonstrating the process of turning flax into linen and JAs will be demonstrating tape weaving.

Chair Weaving: Long-time friend of Exchange Place, Camille Daffron, will be demonstrating the heritage craft of chair weaving on the Main House front porch.

Education:  In the schoolhouse, we will host an old-fashioned spelling bee with words from McGuffey’s Readers.

There will be opportunities to play old-fashioned games and dance the Virginia Reel too.

We hope you can join us as we open the doors to our buildings and open doors to the past! Hours for the event are 10:00am-4:00pm.  Admission is $5 for guests 12 and older with those under 12 admitted free. Any changes or cancellations due to inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances will be posted via these venues.