Objectives

Site Summary

Vocabulary

Pre-Visit Activities

Activities/Discussion: Locating Plum Grove

Activities/Discussion: Introducing Robert Lucas

Using a Historic Home as a Historical Tool

You'll need photographs of Plum Grove, other historic homes, and examples of today's home (interior and exterior). The goal is to introduce the idea that Plum Grove is a home -not just a building - reflecting a specific time in history.

Discuss what a home is. Have students look at a photograph of a home today (a bedroom, if possible). Have them discuss what they can determine about the people who live there based on the "evidence" they find in the photograph.

Look at images of historic homes. Why is it important to preserve them? Have students name some famous homes they've heard of. Relate the discussion to the visit to Plum Grove. Instruct students to look for evidence of the Lucas' life during their tour of the home. Point out particularly revealing artifacts, such as tools, furniture, and kitchen utensils.

Because Plum Grove is a small home, talk with the Plum Grove manager before your tour to devise the best way to divide the group and conduct the tour. Here are some suggested activities.

Plum Grove "Scavenger Hunt,"

The following is can be incorporated into the tour or offered to students as an independent activity:

This house used to be a part of a farm. Why do you think it was called Plum Grove?

Look at the front room. This is a parlor. Is it a formal or casual room? What kinds of activities do you think the Lucas family did here?

Find the red chair. Do you see an animal's neck and head in it? What is the animal? (a swan)

Do you see a musical instrument? It is a melodeon. Do you play an instrument?

Did this house have electricity? The two glass items on top of the melodeon are called camphene lamps. Name two other light sources in this room.

Find the fireplace. There are many fireplaces in the house. Count them as you go through the house. How many are there? In the middle of winter what would you use a fireplace for?

Find the Painting of Robert Lucas. What does the painting tell you about his personality?

Find the basket on the floor. What is in the basked? (knitting materials)

Find the room where Friendly Lucas would have cooked. How is different from your own kitchen?

The Lucas' had many chores to do. Many were done in the kitchen. Find the tools used for chores: butter churn, dry sink, candle molds, coffee grinder, irons.

Find the middle bed. Look under the bed. The fancy pot is called a chamber pot. What do you think it was used for. What is the mattress made of? (straw)

Find the lye soap. (The Lucas's made their own.) Where did people wash up?

Do you sew? A 12-year-old girl sewed the sampler above the fireplace. Why was it important to know how to sew in those days?

Find the old clothes. How are they different from your clothes?

Would you have liked living in this house?

Why or why or not?

Try to arrange with the site manager to do hands-on activities, including: rug beating, grinding coffee, churning butter, quilting, playing games, washing clothes, carrying buckets of water, writing with quill pens.

Visit the archeology exhibits on the Plum Grove grounds. Archaeological excavations were undertaken at Plum Grove in the late 1970s. The sites of these excavations have interpretive markers.

Plum Grove's exterior has been altered many times. Walk around the outside of the house and look for evidence of elements that have been removed or changed.

Ask some of the following questions of your students after visiting Plum Grove. After each question we give some suggested answers. Have your students expand on these answers.

Compare Plum Grove with your own house (consider the number of rooms and what the rooms are used for). Draw a picture of your room. Draw a picture of the room that would have been yours at Plum Grove. What do the drawings tell you about each time period?

If you had lived at Plum Grove in the 1840s what chores would you have done? (name the chore-related artifacts you saw at the house)

Describe how living at Plum Grove then would be different from your typical day now.

Imagine you are Plum Grove's historic site manager. What would you be concerned about? What would your daily routine be like? (Consider: the possible effects of large numbers of people in the house; how you would handle tours and maintaining the grounds).

If you lived at Plum Grove now what would you want to change? What things would you keep the same? (Consider: electrical outlets.)

If you were a settler in the Iowa Territory would you support Robert Lucas as governor?

Plum Grove started out as a farm, but is now in the middle of the city. How do you think it was able to survive in the face of rapid urban growth? (Consider: only parts of the farm were sold as lots.)

Here are suggested themes for student research. Their results might be presented in both written and oral reports.

Interview your parents, grandparents, or friends. Ask them: What were their chores? What was their room like? Find 3 or 4 major differences between your life and the person whom you interview.

There were many new settlements in the Iowa Territory. Pick one to learn more about. It can either be a town that has survived until today or one that has vanished. Where is it located? When was it settled and by whom? What jobs did the people have? What cultural and educational organizations developed? Why did the town grow or not grow?

What were the common customs and games?

Robert Lucas's wife's first name was Friendly. Today, that sounds like an unusual first name, but back then names such as Friendly, Charity, and Felicity were common. Do some research on other names common during Friendly's life. What do the names mean? Why were they used? How do they compare with names used today such as Jennifer, Scott, and Jamal?

If your parents and grandparents own their home, look at the abstract for the property. The abstract tells who owned the property in the past and what land divisions it was part of. What can you find out about the place where you and your family live? (To the teacher: Please consider bringing your abstract if you own a house, or ask to borrow one from another teacher.)

These activities may be used to pursue ideas inspired by your visit to Plum Grove. You may want to adjust the activities to the students interests and abilities.

Friendly Lucas had a reputation for being a very good cook. One of her recipes, for plum butter, is reprinted on the last page (from the Spring 1992 issue of the Palimpsest). Try this recipe as it is written. Does it work?

What music would have been popular between 1838 and 1873, when Robert and Friendly Lucas lived in Iowa? See if you can find sheet music or recordings of any popular songs from the period; play them in class. Do you like the music? Which do you prefer, today's music, or that of the mid- 19th century. Why?

Image you are Robert Lucas. Write a letter back to friends in the East describing your new life in Iowa.

Take a walking tour of the neighborhood around Plum Grove. Compare the styles of architecture of nearby houses with the architecture of Plum Grove.

Create an archaeological dig in your classroom. Take a box about 18 inches deep and fill it with dirt. While you do that, place in the box artifacts to represent a group of people. (Consider: broken pottery, animal bones, toys, toothbrushes, etc.) Students can excavate and assemble the artifacts. What do the artifacts tell you about the people the dig represents?

These materials will help you find out more about the Lucas Family, Plum Grove, and the Iowa Territory.

Books and articles: 4th-8th Grade

"Capitols and Capitals." The Goldfinch, Vol. 5, No. 4, April 1984.

"Homes in History." The Goldfinch, Vol. 15, No. 1, Fall 1993

"The Iowa Territory's 150th Birthday." The Goldfinch, Vol. 9, No. 1, September 1987.

"The Shape of the State." The Goldfinch. Vol. 4, No.3, February 1983.

Videotapes and Filmstrips: 4th - 8th Grade

Iowa Heritage: The Path to Statehood. Iowa Public Television.

Starbird, Robert S. and Daniel Rainey. American History: It's Beneath Your Feet. Media, Inc. 1990.

Books and Articles: 9th Grade-Adult

Allen, Anne Beiser. "Friendly's Frontier: Images from the Life of Friendly Lucas, Iowa's First 'First Lady'. Palimpsest 73 (1992): 18-31.

Charleton, Thomas H. A. Guide to the Exhibits, Plum Grove Farm 1844-1943: 100 Years of Life in a Changing Society. Iowa City: University of Iowa, 1984. (Available at Plum Grove)

"Historic Plum Grove," Iowan 8 (August-September 1960): 32-37, 53-54.

Palimpsest. Volume 69, No. 2, Summer 1988.

Parvin, Theodore Sutton. "As Robert Lucas Became Iowa's Territorial Governor." Annals of Iowa 34 (1957): 112-20.

Petersen, William J. "Iowa in the Days of Lucas." Palimpsest 44 (1963): 221-84.

Sage, Leland L. A History of Iowa. Iowa State University Press, 1974.

"Teaching with Historic Places." Cultural Resources Management (CRM), Vol. 16,No. 2, 1993.

Thompson, Linda K. "Mrs. Harold Avery Ddonates Lucas Treasure to Department of History and Archives." Annals of Iowa 41 (1971): 681-84.

Van Tassel, Valentine. "When Friendly Lucas went to Iowa." Antiques Journal (June 1956): 14-15,30.

Friendly's Plum Butter

As recorded by Margaret Lucas Henderson a great-granddaughter of Friendly and Robert Lucas.

"Plum butter or jam. Sneak up on plums & get as many as you can. Wash well ( a few worms give it a meaty flavor so do not be squeamish). Cover with boiling water and cook till tender. Take potato masher and mash - skins and all. If you are short plums and want to use all the bulk available - put skins and all into a colander - use potato masher and mash, mash, mash. Take pits out with your fingers.

Put through as much of the skins as you can. For each cup of pulp you have to use 2/3 cup of sugar. I cook mine in the oven - slowly - testing for consistency. A small portion in a saucer - put in refrigerator will tell you when the jam or butter is just right.

Put in jars and seal. Call an armoured truck and take to your safe deposit box before anyone becomes aware that you have such a treasure in your possession."

MONTAUK IS:

The home of William Larrabee family from 1974-1965.

Named for Montauk Lighthouse, Long Island, New York

Surrounded by flower gardens and statues of Civil War heroes.

Where long ago peacocks strutted and turkeys roosted in trees at night.

A house with balutraded (banister) roof deck or 'widow's walk,' similar to those used by wives of sea captains who looked at the sea for signs of returning ships.

Built of bricks from local clay that was kilned at Clermont. The walls are made of brick inside and outside.

Built with stone quarried at Williams Quarry of Clermont.

Furnished with many personal belongings of the Larrabee Family.

WILLIAM LARRABEE 12TH GOVERNOR OF IOWA (1886-1890)

He wrote the book, The Railroad Question, published in 1893, and reprinted 11 times. It was an important and influential book, which was distributed all over the country and used as a college text.

What about his house (Montauk) is different from your house?

Who was the fist governor of Iowa?

What was the Railroad Question (other than a book)?

Where did the name 'Montauk' come from?

What would you name your house?

Rooms at Plum Grove

SITTING ROOM:

Entertaining guests and serving tea made the sitting room the focus of activity. The center table, with a Mexican Onyx marble top, often held items of interest such as scrapbooks. The arrangement of the furniture around the table was typical. The set of matched furniture (parlor suite) was a new fashion at the time it was purchased in 1874.

The piano is an 1875 Steinway upright. Mrs. Larrabee often played in the evening for family entertainment. Over the piano is a copy of a portrait by Mme. Llebrun, a young French painter.

Family pictures are on the piano. The music book is open to a favorite song.

Furniture: Revolving bookcase (circa 1876; typical of the 'new Industrial Age' furniture with machine-made parts). Mechanical bird.

Photographs: Clermont boys, including William Larrabee, Jr., who served in the Spanish American War 1898. Brick City Mill (Larrabee's mill from 1857-1874).

Paintings:

• The Wounded Companion - __(check here as you see it)
• A Boy and his Dog ___by J. G. Brown.
• Afternoon near St. John's Labrador ___by William Bradford.
• William Larrabee 1874 ___.
• Figures: Peter Pan ___ Lincoln +___ Le Signal ___ Chinese Bronze vessel ____.

This sculpture by the Italian artist Vichi shows a girl making the most of her time by reading and tatting.

If you live at Montauk in 1874-80, what would you do in the sitting room?

What song would you have Mrs. Larrabee play on the piano?

From the list of Other Things in the Sitting Room - place a check mark next to the furniture - photographs - painting and figures that you see.

How old are the wicker chairs?

What is tatting?

MUSIC ROOM

The Larrabees had such a strong interest in art and music that they names some of their Brown Swiss cows after gods, goddesses, and painters.

The musical instruments were played by all members of the family. Singing was also a favorite family pastime.

In 1910, William Larrabee purchased several Victrolas. He kept one and gave the rest as Christmas presents to friends and family members.

There are many records in the Montauk collection, reflecting on interest in a wide variety of music, from classical to popular - several original Sousa marches, for exampls.

The sofa is original American Empire style and dates from the 1830s.

Paintings in the room include Under the Midnight Sun by W. Bradford and Patiently Waiting by J. G. Brown. In the music room are copies of the famous masterpieces The Fruit Vendors and The Mona Lisa.

French Sevres vases on either side of the fireplace date from 1780s. The French national ceramic factory, Sevres, was originally established in 1738 as a porcelain factory.

What is a Victorla?

Who painted the original Mona Lisa?

Think about art and music; list three names to use for cows.

What is porcelain?

The table top had a mosaic design.

What are mosaics?

Sketch a mosaic in the oval.

ANNA'S ROOM & ALL BEDROOMS UPSTAIRS

Anna lived at Montauk Longer Than Others

Anna lived at Montauk form 1874 until 1965, leaving only for school and travel with other family members.

Each of the bedrooms has a marble sink and central heat throughout radiators.

Anna purchased the bedroom suite in about 1912. The bed, in American Empire Revival style, is a sleigh or swan bed. The bed sets in other rooms date from 1870s to 1880s.

Anna's Room - note the style of the bed, the sink, and wicker stool.

Anna Played Organ, Piano and Violin

Anna was an accomplished musician. She play the organ, piano and violin. She attended the State University of Iowa at Iowa City (now commonly called the University of Iowa) and studied music in Chicago and New York. Knows as "Miss Anna," she taught voice and violin in a small studio in Clermont and played the organ at the Union Sunday School for more than 60 years. She purchased the Grand piano in the Music Room in 1916.

Things in Anna's Room

The small antique sewing table, with milk glass knobs, dating from 1830s was a gift to Anna from an uncle in Clermont. It was an antique when it was given to her.

What is an antique?

Ann loved music. How can you tell?

The Master Bedroom

Anna Larrabee liked to be near her children. The connecting doors lead to the children's rooms and the bathroom.

Mrs. Larrabee's interests revolved around home and family - she had a particular interest in children. She was superintendent of the Union Sunday School for 30 years, and helped with the planning of the Larrabee School.

Anna kept journals of her travels and wrote articles on home economics and teaching.

The steamer trunk is indicative of family travels.

The bedroom suite dates from about 1874.

The portrait is of Anna Matilda Appleman in 1861, age 19, before her marriage. The black dress on the bed was worn by Mrs. Larrabee on her fiftieth wedding anniversary.

William and Anna from Connecticut

William Larrabee married Anna Matilda Appelman September 12,1861, in Clermont. She was 13 when her family came to Iowa and married at age 19. Anna died in 1930.

The painting of the Montauk Point lighthouse in New York was a symbol of home to the Applemans and a beacon to returning seamen in both families.

The Larrabees wee married in 1861 and moved to Montauk in 1874. How many years did they live in the town of Clermont before they moved?

List the items you see on the sink.

List the things you see on the dresser.

CHILDREN'S ROOM

The house was always a lively place, full of the comings and goings of the Larrabee children and later of the children's children. As young people, the Larrabee kids wee encouraged to bring friends home from college. Various newspaper articles mention this.

Look for the following:

Shoe polishing kits on the sinks of all the rooms used by the children.

The 'whatnot' shelf in the corner, a typical piece of 19th century furniture.

Most of the clothing and toys now in the room date from the 1920s and belonged to grandchildren who lived at Montauk. Some of the items on the table are even older.

The wall border was painted by Augusta.

The spool bed belonged to the Larrabees before their move to Montauk and was probably made at a Clermont furniture factory before 1860.

Have you ever polished shoes? What items are in the shoe polishing kit?

Look at the size of the bed. Is it the same size as a 'double' or full size bed at your house?

What clothing items are in the room? How did people living in Clermont, Iowa, purchase clothing in the 1920s?

What toys do you see?

How would you 'play' in this room?

There was no electricity in the house until 1910. What would provide the light in the rooms at night before 1910?

AUGUSTA'S ROOM

Augusta was born May21, 1864. She attended art school in New York. Augusta married Victor Dolliver of Fort Dodge in 1896. He was the younger brother of Iowa Congressman J. P. Dolliver. The wedding was held at Montauk. They were married only 7 months when, in 1897 Augusta died from the 'grippe' (complications of influenza). Victor and Augusta Dolliver lived in Minneapolis at the time of her death.

Augusta was an Artist

Several of her artworks are in this room: Shocks of Corn, Rocky Coast of Main, and a portrait of her husband Victor.

A copy of Mme. Lebrun's self-portrait, done by Augusta, is also displayed.

Wedding Presents in China Closet

Many of the items in the china closet were Augusta's wedding presents. The little wicker sewing rocker is at least 100 years old.

Augusta Painted Borders of Walls

The borders delicately painted in some of the rooms were done by Augusta Larrabee.

Border painted by Augusta. Use the space below to sketch a border pattern.

This picture is in Augusta's room. Who is this person?

Who painted this picture?

Augusta was born in 1864 and died in 1897. How old was she when she died?

How is the 'grippe' treated today?

HALLS

Back Hall:

The two rooms were boys' bedrooms - now used as offices and unavailable to the public. William, Jr., the middle son, lived in this area when he first married. In 1912, he built the big yellow house down the hill. He served in the Iowa Legislature as a representative from Fayette County.

The painting Stormy Weather by Pieter Molyn, about 1670, is the oldest painting in the house.

South Hall: This sunny hall area contains a collection of family memorabilia including a portrait of Adam Larrabee, the Governor's father.

The painting depicts U. S. Grant, friend of Larrabee and President of the United States when Montauk was built.

The collection of seashells belonged to Mrs. Larrabee's father, Captain Gustavus A. Appelman, a sea captain.

Over the stairway are portraits of the Larrabees painted in 1890 by David John Cue, Iowa artist.

The photograph of Augusta on the wall near the children's room was taken at age 30.

The small organ was Mrs. Larrabees. Anna had it recased later.

The oldest painting in the house dated 1670? How old is it?

The mirror belonged to the family sine 1785. How many years did the family possess the mirror?

Was Augusta married when the picture hanging on the hall was taken?

Larrabee was the 12th governor of Iowa. His friend Grant was the (what number) President of the Untied States?

Use the space to sketch some seashells.

LIBRARY

The Library was a private workplace. Children entered by invitation only. Larrabee had an eighth-grade education but was always an avid reader. He taught school as a young man. He was interested in a wide variety of subjects.

The typewriter (about 1878) was one of the earliest to type both upper and lower case latters. Larrabee received many complaints about his handwriting, but he could write well, as shown in his journals.

Larrabee's Policies

Larrabee helped form the Republican Party in Iowa. Larrabee supported the following: Railroad rate legislation. He promoted railroads as a senator and regulated them as a governor. The Interstate Commerce Commission was formed the year Larrabee became governor.

Prohibition. There was never any alcohol in Larrabee's house.

Women's Suffrage. Larrabee thought women were capable of voting, especially at the local level.

Tax-supported secondary education for all. By the term all Larrabee meant the orphaned, the handicapped and equal educational opportunities for all people.

Things to Look for in the Library (check the items you see)

Wooten desk - patented 1874. ___(check when seen)

Letter Press - an early Edison-style phonograph with a prerecorded set of Spanish lessons. ____ (check when seen)

Language phone - early Edison-style phonograph with a prerecorded set of Spanish lessons. ___ (check when seen)

Picture of State Capitol Building - Larrabee was the first governor in the new building in Des Moines. _____(check when seen)

Campaign table belonged to Adam Larrabee. ____(check when seen)

What year could the first typewriter be purchased?

Larrabee learned Spanish at 70 years old. Do you speak a foreign language?

When was the State Capitol Building in Des Moines first opened?

DINING ROOM

William Larrabee was an important person. He was a state senator for nearly 17 years and then governor of Iowa. His children were well educated and trained to use good manners and to talk to adults. Both of these skills were used at the table at mealtime. Until the children were old enough to be mannerly and add to the conversation, they ate separately. Meals, including breakfast, were formal. A maid served the meal. Food was passed through a window from the kitchen to the dining room.

Things to Look for in the Dining Room

The table is set with English Coalport China, a family pattern dating from after the turn of the century.

Stem goblet (wine style) glasses and Fostoria Glasses were used to serve grape juice rather than wine.

In the china closet the small plates on the second shelf were painted by Julia. China painting was an activity deemed suitable for young ladies.

Paintings

Dice Players is a copy of Murillo by Baldwin.

At the Stable by J. D. Larpenteur.

New England Seascape and Sailor's Yarn.

In a small group (or by yourself) make up a list of table manners.

In the china cabinet there is a "Presidential Plate." How do people get those plates?

KITCHEN

The kitchen was a functional, rather than a decorative, part of the house and was never used for entertaining. It may seem very plain and small. The equipment ranges from a wood stove (1900) to a toaster (1914) to an electric stove (1930s) to a dishwasher (1950s).

Sunday evening was a night off for the help. Mrs. Larrabee prepared the Sunday night meal. Often cooking baked beans or codfish, dishes that maintained a link with the family's New England background.

The Larrabees raised much of their own food. The vegetable garden was as important as the flower gardens. They raised turkeys and Brown Swiss cows, which provided meat, milk, and butter.

The water pipes by the wood range are the original lead plumbing that took soft (cistern) water to the bedrooms and baths. Drinking water came from the well. Hot water flowed from the "water jacket" on the wood range.

The house was originally supplied with ice cut commercially on the Turkey River. The refrigerator is a modern convenience.

WATER SUPPLY

What is a cistern?

How did water get into the cistern?

What is soft water?

ICE

How was ice commercially cut on the Turkey River?

Where was it stored?

How long would it last before it melted?

HOT WATER

How did the family obtain not running water?

Where was the water heated?

FOOD STORAGE

What is a pantry?

CLOTHING

How were clothes ironed?

Teacher's Guide and Answers to questions found in Kid's Tour of Montauk

OBJECTIVE: To incorporate history, math, science, and art into a field trip.

Page 1 - Activity: Consider the cover, with the picture of the house. Have the students locate the position of the camera when it took the picture. If they have a camera they could take a picture from the same place as the cover picture or students could do a sketch of the house. Note: the tree shown died since the photo was made.

Page 2 - What about Montauk is different from your house? A variety of answers will be given to the question. One answer may be the balustraded roof or widow's walk. Note the word baluster means the posts that support the upper rail of a railing, as on balconies. Other answers could be: sinks in each bedroom.

Who was the first governor of Iowa? Robert Lucas was the first governor of the Territory of Iowa. Ansel Briggs was the first governor of the state of Iowa. Activity: This is a good place to introduce the process by which territories became states.

What was railroad question?

The question dealt with railroad rate legislation. The Interstate Commerce Commission was not formed until the year that Larrabee became governor. The 1860s and 1870s were years of corruption and various forms of freight-rate discrimination. False-front (fake) construction companies used in building western lines gave extra profits to builders, who helped organize the Credit Mobilizer of America for building the Union Pacific. Cornelius Vanderbilt, James Fisk, and Jay Gould were all masters at inflating and manipulating the securities of their lines. The evils of railroad pools, rebates, discriminatory freight rates, and charging "all the traffic will bear" contributed to agitation by western farmers for Granger laws, which regulated railroads and their freight rates in the 1870s. After the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that interstate commerce could be regulated only by the federal government, the U. S. Congress in 1887 approved federal regulation of railroads with the Interstate Commerce Act. This act provided for establishment of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). Larrabee had seen both sides of the question, as a capitalist owner and has a shipper. He had moved from promoting railroads as senator to regulating them as governor. Activity: Research any of the men's names from the above list to find the wealth of the family.

Where did the name 'Montauk' come from? Montauk Point, a promontory at the tip of Long Island, is the easternmost point in New York State, about 185km (115mi.) east of Manhattan. It is the site of a lighthouse (built 1796), a state park, and a military reservation, Camp Hero.

What would you name your house? Try to give an example using your own home. You could use the name of the first people who lived there (farms are sometimes referred to as the Anderson place), or you could name the house after the environment such as 'Hill House'.

Page 3 - If you lived at Montauk in 1874 - 1880, what would you do in the sitting room? Use this question to expand the imagination of the students. What can people do without a television or a VCR? People often made scrapbooks. Activity: Make a class scrapbook of this field trip - take pictures - make sketches - save items you can gather such as napkins from lunch - a leaf from lawn, etc. for the book.

What song would you have Mrs. Larrabee play on the piano? Let students suggest favorite songs. Ask the students if the song was written in the 1870s. Activity: introduce the use of resources. Typical hymn books contain the dates of the tune and the words of songs.

Check list of things they see. In small groups compare individual lists. Make sketches of unusual items. Activity: Discuss how clothing has changed over the years.

How old are the wicker chairs? Math problem - Chairs were purchased in 1880 and 1890s. The answer in 1997 is 100-110 years old.

Page 4 - What is a Victrola? A phonograph player - Victrola is a brand name. The word trademark means a word, name, symbol, or picture attached to manufacturer's product to identify it and distinguish it from similar products sold by others. Its most common form is the brand name. A trademark is different from both a copyright and a patent. In a trademark the protection is in the symbol that distinguishes the product, not in the product itself. This is a good place to introduce the idea of brand names that became used for the product such as Keenex for paper tissues, Jell-O for gelatin, Hoover for vacuum cleaner, Kodak for camera.

Who painted the original Mona Lisa? The Mona Lisa (Louver, Paris), also knows as La Gioconda, is a portrait of the wife of Francesco del giocondo, painted by LEONARDO DA VINCI between 1503 and 1505. The figure of a women, dressed in the Florentine fashion of her day and seated in a visionary, mountainous landscape, is a remarkable instance of Leonardo's sfumato technique of soft, heavily shaded modeling. The Mona Lisa's enigmatic expression, which seems both alluring and aloof, has given the portrait universal fame. Activity: After the tour have students make copies of some of the great art works.

Write the names to use for cows (Variety of answers). Try to get the students to use names other than popular female names. Avoid Diana, Mona, Lisa, and try Murillo, or Sevres.

What is a porcelain? The production of pottery (porcelain) is one of the most ancient arts. Excavations in the Near East have revealed that primitive fired-clay vessels were made there more than 7,000 years ago. Potters were working in Iran by about 5500 BC.

There are three distinctive types of pottery. The first type, earthenware, has been made following virtually the same methods since ancient times. Earthenware is basically composed of clay--often blended clays--and baked hard, the degree of hardness depending on the degree of the heat.

The second type of pottery, called stoneware, is preferred for domestic use. After the invention of glazing, earthenware's were coated with glaze to render them waterproof; sometimes glaze was applied decoratively. It was found that, when fired to great heat, the clay body became nonporous. The third type of pottery is a Chinese invention that appeared when feldspathic material (a mineral made mainly of aluminum silicates) in a fusible state was mixed in a stoneware composition. The ancient Chinese called this substance kaolin (meaning "high place," where it was originally found); this substance is known in the Wet as china clay. Petuntse, or china stone, was also used in Chinese porcelain; it forms white cement that binds together the particles of less fusible kaolin. Significantly, the Chinese have never felt that high quality porcelain must be either translucent or white. Special Note: Kaolin is the key ingredient in Kaopectate ( a medicine).

Two type of porcelain evolved: the first was 'true' porcelain, consisting of a kaolin hard-paste body, extremely glassy and smooth, produced by high temperature firing. The second was soft porcelain, invariably translucent and lead glazed, produced from a composition of ground glass and other ingredients including white clay and fired at a low temperature. The latter was widely produced by 18th century European potters. Activity: After tour do some pottery work. You could build an outdoor kiln of rock and sod.

What are mosaics? Mosaic is the art of embedding small pieces of cut stone or pigmented glass in a plaster bed to serve as floor or wall decoration. Developed principally in ancient Greece, mosaic was a leading artistic medium in the Greco-Roman world and reached its greatest heights in Early Christian art and architecture and Byzantine art and architecture. Activity: After the tour work with mosaics as art project.

Page 5 - What is an antique? The term antique was originally used to describe the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, and their time was and still is known as antiquity. As a noun, however, antique is loosely used to describe any object at least 100 years old. Before 1966, U. S. customs law defined an antique as an object made before 1830. The Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Materials Act of 1966, however, permitted the importation, duty free, of "antiques made prior to 100 years before their date of entry," a definition that is also found in British customs law.

How can you tell Anna loved music? This is a good place to discuss how a person's interests and actions reveal something about them. Anna played the organ, piano, and violin. She also sang and gave music lessons.

Page 6 - How long did the Larrabees live in the town of Clermont? Math problem. They were married in 1861, and moved to Montauk in 1874.

List of items on the sink. List the items and discuss their purpose, such as hygiene. You might get into the science of how soap helps to clean. Soap is a natural cleansing agent produced by the reaction of an alkali, such as sodium hydroxide (lye), with animal fat or vegetable oil. Soap classifications include toilet soap, which is manufactured as a cleansing agent for the body, and soaps for household use, such as bars, flakes, and granules. Activity: Make soap (science project) as a continuation of this field trip.

List of items on the dresser. Place students in small groups and have them compare their individual lists - talk about the use of the items. Are those same items used today? What has replaced them? Sketch unusual items.

Page 7 - Have you ever polished shoes? With the wide use of tennis shoes today many children have never polished a shoe. Leather shoes are polished. Leather is the hide or skin of a mammal, reptile, bird, or fish that has been made pliable and resistant to decay through the chemical treatment called tanning. Activity: Conduct research concerning shoes. Tanning leather can be a science project.

What items are in the shoe polishing kit? Make lists and discuss the use of each item. A shoe polishing kit usually has some type of shoe wax. Waxes comprise a broad group of opaque, water-repellent, essentially solid materials having varied chemical composition. Some waxes are natural in origin, a familiar example being human earwax (cerumen). Other waxes comprise a broad group of opaque, water-repellent, essentially solid materials having varied chemical composition. Some waxes are totally synthesized by the chemical industry.

Is the bed the same size as a 'double' bed at your house? The human body has grown in weight and height during the past decades. Growth patterns of humans including the ultimate height attained by an individual are influenced by hormones; nutrients required for growth; and even the individual's emotional environment. The most important environmental factor affecting growth is diet, which must include adequate protein, essential vitamins and minerals, and calories. The American diet is usually adequate to promote growth. Furniture manufacturers have altered the size of beds to make them larger. Activity: Discuss nutrition after the tour. Make a list of foods available in early 1900s as compared today.

List of clothing items in the room. Discuss the type of fabrics used, such as wool or silk (animal) cotton or linen (plant). Have students sketch clothing. Activity: After the tour, invite guest speakers to the class, or arrange a farm tour to allow students to watch sheep shearing - spinning - weaving. Plant and grow your own linen plants in the classroom. Check video sources if guest speakers are not practical.

Where were clothes purchased in Clermont in 1920? By the beginning of the 20th century, clothing factories existed in most cities, where large immigrant populations were available as cheap labor. In the 1920s, a 16-block are in New York became the center of the women's garment trade in America. At the same time, methods of garment manufacturing were rationalized (the word means to apply modern methods of efficiency to an industry). Piece-goods production became the norm: each worker sewed only a small section of the garment, simplifying the number of motions that had to be learned and speeding up production considerably. Ready-made clothing became available for purchase in small towns or by catalog.

List of toys. Compare lists - but discuss the question 'what is a toy?' Toys are play objects used primarily by children. Natural objects such as sticks, fir cones, seed pods, bones, and smooth round stones may have been the first toys. Dolls, balls, spin-tops, and pull-toys made of a wide variety of materials are fundamental toys of nearly every culture. The ball seems to be the oldest toy shape; it is made, even today, of diverse materials -- deer hide, animal bladders, split cane, wood, and tissue paper. The development of the spin-top may have been contemporary with that of the ball, and both ball and top apparently derived from the gourds and seed pods that provided the original forms. Little is known about the types of toys used by European children prior to the 13th century A. D. After that toys were illustrated in woodcuts. The decorations in illuminated manuscripts began to include illustrations of hobbyhorses, toy windmills, bubble pipes, puppets, balls, kites, and other toys. Renaissance paintings of children often depict them with hobbyhorses or drums.

Bruegel's famous painting Children's Games (1560) shows children playing with a number of toys, most of them still used today in almost identical forms. Activity: Research art to find evidence of toys used in the past.

List of ways to play in the room. Encourage students to develop games to play using the space that would have been available to them in the room.

What provided light in the rooms at might before 1910? Lighting, artificial illumination, was first furnished by torches made of dried rushes or resinous wood. Crude stone lamps in which light came from a flaming wick lying in a pool of oil or melting grease, were used by prehistoric peoples. Candles and oil-burning lamps remained the chief sources of artificial illumination until the middle of the 19th century, when kerosene lamps with flat, woven wicks and glass chimneys came into common use. Activity: After the tour, students could make candles.

Why is the bed called a 'spool' bed? The design of the wood appears to be wooden sewing spools stacked upon each other.

Page 8 - Who is the person in the picture? The picture is of Augusta's husband Victor Dolliver.

Who painted the picture? Augusta Larrabee

How old was Augusta when she died? This is a math problem. She was born in 1864 and died in 1897.

How is the 'grippe' treated today? Antibiotics. This is a good place to introduce microbiology and hygiene. Discuss the diseases that are treatable, and those that are not.

Page 9 - How old is the oldest painting? (painted in 1670). This is a math problem.

How long has the family owned the mirror (purchased in 1785)? This is a math problem.

Was Augusta married when the picture in the hall was taken (she was 30 in the picture). This is a memory and math problem. Augusta was born in 1864; married in 1896. She was 32 when she was married. The picture was taken when she was 30 and unmarried.

Grant was the 18th President of the United States. This is a good place to discuss the Civil War.

Page 10 - What year could the first typewriter be purchased? The first practical typewriter was patented in 1868. In 1874, Remington and Sons, a firm of gunsmiths, placed the first commercial typewriter on the market.

Do you speak a foreign language? Individual answers. Discuss why speaking a second language is useful. Discuss the prejudice against people who are different from ourselves.

When was the Capitol Building in Des Moines first used? Larrabee was the first governor to use the new building in 1886.

Page 11 - Table manner list. Make a list of table manners. Teach how to use references to research table manners. Activity: Practice setting a table with 2 forks and 2 spoons. Learn which silver to use and when. Practice having students serving and being served food (can be paper cut outs). Practice good table manners.

How does one obtain a presidential plate? As a gift for the president. Reproductions are available for purchase.

Page 12 - What is a cistern? A cistern is an underground storage tank used to store water.

How did water get into a cistern? The water in a cistern is usually rain water collected from the roof through a system of downspouts.

What is soft water? Soft water is water that contains little or no minerals. Rain water is soft water. Talk about safe water supply, and how wells are dug. Activity: Collect groundwater samples and incubate them to grow bacteria. Take an inventory of the 'sink holes' in a specific area.

How was ice commercially cut on the Turkey River? Ice forms in lakes and rivers whenever the surface cools o 0 degrees C (32 deg. F) or a fraction of a degree lower. The first appearance of ice usually takes the form of spicules or platelike crystals. These grow into a network of dendrites that ultimately freezes together to form a continuous ice cover, called skim ice. Skim ice may form and dissipate several times before a stable ice cover is established. This ice cover continues to thicken downward as a result of the transfer of heat from the ice to the air. When ice becomes thick enough it can be cut into squares with an ice saw and removed.

Where was it stored? Ice was stored in an ice house, or sometimes a cave. It was covered with sawdust or/and straw to keep it cold.

How long would it last before it melted? Ice in an icehouse could last from the time it was harvested until June. Activity: Conduct an after-tour experiment with ice cubes and straw and sawdust. How long can you keep an ice cube from melting? This is a good place to introduce scientific method of experimentation.

What is a pantry? A pantry is a small room or closet off the kitchen, used for the storing of food. Food was purchased or preserved in large quantities and had to be stored before use. Discuss storage and preservation of food.

How were clothes ironed? The bottom part of the iron was heated on a stove. The handle was placed into the heated bottom part of the iron and the clothing was ironed. Heat was difficult to control. Often the garment was covered with a damp cloth and the iron touched the 'ironing cloth' rather than the garment. This had the effect similar to a steam iron.

Additional information:

Onyx - a variety of agate with alternating layers of colors; used as a semiprecious stone.

Empire furniture is characterized by absolute symmetry, heavy proportions, and wide, flat surfaces, sparse molding and decoration, and veneering. Carving, except on chair arms and table legs, is rare, and ormolu is used with a certain restraint. The word ormolu means an imitation gold consisting of an alloy of copper and tin. The alloy of copper and tin. The alloy was often found as ormolu varnish which was a varnish used to imitate gold.