logofarm tours 2014

“Cotton was, as it is now, a major crop in Dell. Those were the days of the balky mules, riding plows, straw bosses, milking chores in the morning and afternoon not to mention the endless trough of water that had to be pumped for the livestock every day. Spring during those years was a sight to behold. Trees were everywhere, the air was pure and the Dell Ditch (Pemiscot Bayou) north of town was full of fish. People did work hard; they took to the fields early and worked late. How many of us can remember the loud, clear ring of the dinner bell as it called the workers from the fields for dinner and rest. It’s call was beautiful music to old and young alike because it’s ring conjured up visions of fried country ham, wilted lettuce, fried squash, garden fresh peas and corn, fresh baked bread and gallons of cold tea or milk. Every high noon was feast day for the working man of the house.
Spring would inevitably drift into summer. What a pleasure you found in watching the crops reach for the sun. Visions of prosperity danced in every young man’s head, especially if he had forty acres, a mule and marriage on his mind. Cake walks, ice cream suppers, and strolls through the balmy summer nights are happy memories. Children chasing lightning bugs, practicing piano and swinging from rope swings tied to tree branches filled your summer days with happy sounds and a feeling of fulfillment. However beautiful the spring and summer, there was nothing to compare with the days of harvest. To a farmer there was no more beautiful sight than a barn filled with hay and corn, a barn lot full of cows, horses, and pigs, and cellar filled with fruits and vegetables from his wife’s garden. When we think back on those days of warm kitchens, butter floating in churns, roosters calling in the morning; we realize the richness of your early years. . .” (From: "Mrs. Earl Magers Day" by Cleo Lewis)

 

FARM TOURS for Fall 2014
Duncan Farmstead
@ the Widner-Magers Farm Historic District
3398 North State Hwy 181
Blytheville, AR 72426, 1.3 miles north of Dell
duncanfarmstead@gmail.com
870-740-6413

cottonpickers

TIME SLOTS available for Adult Groups and Student Field Trips, Sept 22-October 31, M-W-F from 9:00-11:00. If it rains, we will have to reschedule your tour since most of the activities are outdoors.

RESERVATIONS:
Reservations are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Dates are subject to availability and they may fill up quickly.

Prior to contacting us to schedule your visit, please select at least three possible dates for your trip. Then email us at: duncanfarmstead@gmail.com with a contact phone number and email address and the dates you have selected. We will then get in touch with you.

If you would like to contact us by phone, call 870-740-6413.

Donation Fee per person: $5, due at the time of arrival. Payment is by cash or pre-approved check. Please have payment ready when you reach the farmstead.

Adult Groups: No more than 50 per time slot. If there are more, please give us a call. We possibly can accomodate more under certain circumstances.

Student FIELD TRIPS: See right-hand column.

Individual Visitors: Individuals are welcome to join in on the fun on any of the days that we are hosting groups. Email us for available dates.

We're pretty easy to get along with, but we do ask:

  • No Smoking Allowed
  • We would also appreciate that you refrain from using cell phones while touring

DURING YOUR VISIT: Adult Groups will be free to walk around on their own and visit the various stations at their leisure, after a short orientation. (See Buildings and Stations, center column) When the "Break Time" bell is sounded around 10:00, we'll all come together to learn more about the farmstead and to answer any questions you might have. Then you will be free to continue your visit.

DIRECTIONS: Travel East or West on Hwy 18 to Dell, Arkansas. Turn North on State Hwy 181. Continue through Dell. Duncan Farmstead will be on your right, approximately 1.3 miles from Dell. Can't miss us! Look for the red barns. . . .

SHOPPING: C. A. Smith’s Grocery will be open throughout your visit. Set as a company/plantation store, visitors will have the opportunity to purchase a few designated items such as candy, baked goods, rag rug looms, vintage fat quarter fabrics, games and such. Water and cold drinks will be available for purchase at the plantation store also.

We hope your visit will be a pleasant and informative one. If you have any questions before or after, please email us at duncanfarmstead@gmail.com

Thanks so much!

smith store

 

 

ARKANSAS AGRITOURISM LAW

Since we are a private farmstead and not open to the general public, we are required to abide by the Arkansas State Agritourism Statutes and post this WARNING:

Under Arkansas law, an agritourism activity operator is not liable for the injury or death of a participant in an agritourism activity resulting from the inherent risk of agritourism activities. Inherent risks include without limitation the risk of animals, weather, land conditions, and the potential for you as a participant to act in a negligent way that may contribute to your own injury or death. You are assuming the risk of participating in this agritourism activity.

 

 

 

What you'll see and do:

Dru

Take home a better understanding of the DUNCAN FARMSTEAD by following the links below. Read about the 1930s time period, farmstead background and the rich history of the place. Having insights will deepen your experience at our Living History Farm.

John

UP-DATES AND INFORMATION ON FACEBOOK (Please LIKE us and stay informed about Farm Happenings!)

HISTORY OF DUNCAN FARMSTEAD AT THE WIDNER-MAGERS FARM HISTORIC DISTRICT

THE COUNTRY FARM HOME

ADDITIONAL HISTORY AT WIDNER-MAGERS.ORG

DUNCAN FARMSTEAD BLOG

A WEALTH OF INFORMATION: DUNCAN FARMSTEAD PINTEREST BOARDS

Listen to Joe Chipman's CDs: ARKANSAS IN ME and/or TAMING MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, ARKANSAS

super c

THE BUILDINGS you’ll visit include:
THE MAGERS BARN, ca 1930
THE WIDNER BARN, ca 1911
THE FARM MANAGER'S HOME, ca 1930 (exterior only)
THE COMPANY/PLANTATION STORE & POST OFFICE, ca 1919
THE FARM SHOP, ca 1939 (limited access)
THE CORN CRIB, ca 1930
THE OUTHOUSE
THE SHOTGUN HOUSE

Also check out: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014(1) 2014 (2)

THE LEARNING STATIONS

There will be five to eight stations depicting life at the farmstead during the early 20th century for both School and Adult Groups. School groups will visit stations in the groups of 10. Adult Groups will hear a short orientation before they visit the stations at their leisure.

These stations may include any or all of the following:

  • The COMPANY/PLANTATION STORE and POST OFFICE: Learn about the company store and how it functioned. Students will help price items on a shopping list for the family. Choices will have to made on how best to spend the money.
  • WASHING CLOTHES with a Washboard: Try your hand at using the washboard at Cowboy's Shotgun House. No electric washers here!
  • PRESERVING the Fall Harvest: There was no electricity at the farmstead until well into the 1940s. No electric stoves or freezers. Produce was canned outdoors in a large black kettle. Root vegetables and apples were preserved by various techniques. Learn how 1938 preservation was done so that food was available throughout the winter.
  • PICKING COTTON SEEDS out of Raw Cotton for the Quilt: No need to visit the company store for quilt batting. Left-over cotton was available from the fields once the pickers had finished. Some thrifty housewives grew their own in the family garden. The cotton had to be made ready for use in quilts by first picking seeds out by hand, then combing the fibers to a thin bat. Try you hand at it and help our quilters out.
  • SHOP WORK/CARPENTRY utilizing Vintage Tools: The farm shop was always a busy place of work. The farmstead had to be pretty much self-sufficient. See what Farmer John is working on.

  • Display of EARLY FARM EQUIPMENT and VINTAGE FARM TOOLS from early 20th Century Mississippi County and the Delta area: Not all farm tools were bought. Some were made. And, always with a make-do attitude.
  • GAMES played in the 1930s: Play hop scotch, horseshoes, checkers, and other games from the past.

  • View COWBOY'S SHOTGUN HOUSE: Look in on a tenant farmer's home.

  • Try your hand at WEAVING RAG RUGS: A DELTA FOLK ART

 

 

 

 

STUDENT FIELD TRIPS

checkers

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

Duncan Farmstead offers a 5-acre, recreated Depression-era farmstead classroom without walls. The staff of two are committed to programs that bring learning to life, and firmly believe that students of all ages learn best when they are actively engaged in their learning. We believe that we are partners with parents and teachers in educating youth.  We strive to provide programming that is age-appropriate, relevant, and thought-provoking.  Students are encouraged to explore with their mind, as well as their senses, as they participate in the activities, chores, and games that are part of the program.  

Students will enjoy their field trip much more if they have a better understanding of the time and place they will be visiting. For this reason, we highly encourage teachers to use these teaching tools in their classroom to better inform and enrich the student's experience at our living history farm.

 RESERVATIONS: Field Trips: Sept 22-Oct 31, M-W-F: 1 adult / 10 students is required.  For Grade 4 and Up. No less than 30 (unless other arrangements are made) and no more than 50 students per time slot. This does not include teachers and adults accompanying the students.

Reservations are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Dates are subject to availability and they may fill up quickly.

Prior to contacting us to schedule your visit, please select at least three possible dates for your trip. Then email us at: duncanfarmstead@gmail.com with a contact phone number and email address and the dates you have selected. We will then get in touch with you.

If you would like to contact us by phone, call 870-740-6413

Donation Fee per person: $5 which will include any hand-out materials and a 1930s appropriate treat. Due at the time of arrival. Payment to be made by cash or approved check. Please have payment ready when you reach the farmstead.

Donation Fees are used 100% for your visit.

We ask that there be one adult or teacher per every 10 students. Adult Chaperones will not be charged. If Adult Chaperones are unavailable, let us know.

School groups will be divided into 10 and an adult chaperone will be asked to accompany a group of 10 around the various stations. This is for their safety, as well as helping the student focus on their visit.  An explanation of each station will be made available to help the adult chaperone relate various highlights to the students —and to encourage their hands-on participation.

DURING YOUR VISIT: After a brief orientation, groups will be able to visit the various learning stations until the "Break Time" bell is rung. Then we'll all gather in front of the store for a Mini Moon Pie and Cider or other period appropriate snack. Quilts will be laid out on the ground for seating, as well as a few benches to sit upon. While students enjoy their snack, we will relate a few stories and a little history about the original farmstead and will answer any questions. Once the break is over, students may continue visiting the Learning Stations. The Company Store will remain open for second visits or to purchase additional candy or treats.

We hope your visit will be a pleasant and informative one. If you have any questions before or after, please email us at duncanfarmstead@gmail.com

Thanks so much!

 

 

Links to:

dellarkansas.com The Dell History Website

 Curtis C. Duncan Photography

 Our Cotton Patch, LLC, Dell, Arkansas
For questions,  or to send information, contact: backatthefarm1938@yahoo.com

We each have our place in time, and if we live right, we change that place and that time for the better.

 MsCoAR USGen Web
Arkansas Delta Made Marketplace