Barrington Living History Farm - Hands & Feet

Rhonda rolled steadily east across the flattening Texas landscape toward Washington-on-the-Brazos as the sun continued its scalding ascent into the clear blue morning sky. Rhonda, KLRU's Kia Rondo, was laden with equipment and bustling with conversation. It was going to be a beautiful summer day.

Washington-on-the-Brazos is considered to be the birthplace of Texas. It was in this East Texas town in 1836 that Texas declared its independence from Mexico. At the site today is the Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site and the Barrington Living History Farm, "a representation of the farm founded by Dr. Anson Jones, last President of the Republic of Texas."

I didn't quite know what to expect upon arrival at Barrington. I only knew it was a working farm and that the day's event, called Hands & Feet: A Musical Celebration, included a display of period instruments and music. We pulled Rhonda into the parking lot and walked with our equipment in the late morning heat toward the entrance.

What greeted us there set the tone and pace for the rest of the day. Arriving with us were volunteers and employees of the farm that were dressed in period clothing. They crossed over a bridge leading to the farmhouses and stables and left behind their modern lives and the automobiles that brought them to the site. We were suddenly out of place with our Docubloggers t-shirts and modern cameras. It was the 1850s.

We spent some time filming and getting to know the folks working at the event before guests arrived, and I fell headlong into my world behind the looking glass, experiencing their world of the past. The volunteers and workers go so far beyond dressing up in period costumes -- they are educators, entertainers, and keepers of the flame of history.

At noon, Barb King and Connie Threadgill rang the lunchtime bell for all the folks working at the event. From across the fields they converged on the small kitchen shack for home cooked cornbread, potatoes, pork, and a helping of fresh tomatoes (ignore the paper plates!). As I filmed in the kitchen, the conversation about coyotes, the weather, the crops, and the day to day workings of the farm took me to a time in the distant past where my camera and my show didn't exist. It was at that moment when I saw just how much effort has gone into preserving the life and times of Texas history.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• KLRU
• Docubloggers
• Barrington
• Living
• History
• Farm
• Washington-on-the-Brazos
• Texas
• music
• hands
• feet