Learning the Ropes of 18th-Century Farming

I’ve been spending my Saturdays at Great Hopes Plantation learning all about Domestic Arts as well as 18th-century farming techniques. Needless to say, I’m having the time of my life.

A cousin of my grandmother’s was a fan of genealogy and put together a family history before he died. Through his research, we were able to find out that a family member fought in seven battles during the Civil War, including Gettysburg, and his grandfather was a soldier in the American Revolution. Frederick Felts never saw any battle during the Revolution, but at least I have a family member I can use to join the DAR one day.

We also discovered the family has been farming in the Tidewater area since at least 1653 when Humphrey Felts was born. That was as far as we’ve been able to get in our research. Pretty cool, huh? I can remember my grandfather driving a tractor out on his own farm and getting to play in the freshly dug peanuts when I was a kid. Now, the farmland is rented out to other farmers and the only farming my family does is gardening. My grandfather kept a rather large garden out by his house and we honor his memory every year by continuing to plant it. I say the produce isn’t as great as his, but we’re trying.

Since moving to Williamsburg, it’s hard for me to get out to my grandmother’s house to help with the garden. Enter Great Hopes Plantation. Not only do I get to garden and farm, but I’m farming the same way my family members did nearly 250 years ago.

My first day at Great Hopes was the last for one of our interns. Hope was butchering a chicken and I immediately jumped in to pluck some feathers. I never in my life had done that before, and was shocked at how quickly I said yes when asked if I wanted to try. We’ve all handled raw chicken before, but never like this. This was what my grandmother told me about her own childhood. That day, I also got to cut tobacco from the fields. I remember Supervisor Ed Schultz telling me I must have farming in my blood, because I picked it up very quickly. I told him my family story in return.

I have spent every single Saturday at Great Hopes since, and it’s been so much fun. We are all like a family out there, just like it would have been in the 18th century. In the weeks I’ve been there, I’ve learned a lot about gardening, farming, and some 18th-century recipes. The best part is we get to eat all of the food we make, a true farm-to-table experience. Just last week we butchered three chickens and made a super tasty chicken stew with white potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, and squash. Great Hopes has had an abundance of squash this year and we’re still looking for ways to eat it up. So, please, if you know of any good recipes for squash, let me know!

The produce grown at Great Hopes is also delivered to Colonial Williamsburg’s restaurants, where it’s used in recipes created by our talented chefs. And it’s delivered by ox cart, of course.

To say I’ve enjoyed my time at Great Hopes is an understatement, and it’s something I look forward to each and every week. I love learning history, especially 18th-century history, and this is a way for me to get my hands dirty and spend some time out of the office. It’s truly been rewarding and I’m so grateful to my Great Hopes family for taking me in and showing me everything I need to know. You can keep up with everyone at Great Hopes by liking them on Facebook.