For Immediate Release: April 4, 2023
Contact: Marie Cheek
Community Relations Coordinator
Culture & Heritage Museums of York County, S.C.
803.909.7312 mcheek@chmuseums.org
Springtime programs at Historic Brattonsville highlight work and play on the farm during the 19th century — Children’s Day on the Farm is April 22, followed by Sheep Shearing for Living History Saturdays in May
McCONNELLS, S.C. – It’s springtime at Historic Brattonsville. Explore the agricultural heritage of the Carolina Piedmont during the annual event “Children’s Day on the Farm” in April and every Saturday during the month of May for Sheep Shearing activities. The 800-acre living-history plantation has fields to plow and barnyard animals, including baby lambs, to tend to.
Children’s Day on the Farm — April 22
A long-time family favorite, Children’s Day on the Farm is a special event that highlights how children lived, worked, and played in the 19th century. Farm life and trades are explored through ongoing make-and-take activities and hands-on demonstrations. Meet the barnyard animals, plow the fields, plant a little garden, and stir the pot in open-hearth cooking.
Children’s Day on the Farm will be held in two sessions. The 1st session from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and the 2nd session from 1 – 4 p.m.
Guided site tours at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Light concessions available through the Historic Brattonsville Gift Shop.
Note: Brattonsville Road will be closed from 8:30 – 4:30; please follow the DETOUR.
WHEN: Saturday, April 22. Timed-Ticket Options: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 or 1 – 4 p.m.
Preregistration is strongly encouraged. Limited walk-ups available, first come – first served. Tickets available for presale on Monday, April 3 — Children’s Day on the Farm tickets, detour details & other information here
Living History Saturdays in May: Sheep Shearing
Before the hot Carolina summer arrives, the heritage-breed sheep at Historic Brattonsville need to be sheared. Explore all the steps involved in a gentle hand-shearing and in processing all the wool that the Gulf Coast Sheep provide. There’ll be spinning wheels, weaving on the big barn loom, knitting, and all the makings of wool textiles with natural dyeing techniques and garment sewing demonstrations as well.
WHEN: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. every Saturday in May with scheduled shearings of the sheep at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
May 6 — Sheep Shearing and Washing Wool. Special Activity: making sheep hurdles in the woodshop
May 13 — Sheep Shearing, Carding and Spinning Wool. Special Activity: knitting
May 20 — Sheep Shearing and Weaving Wool. Special Activities: barn loom weaving, tape weaving, and knitting
May 27 — Sheep Shearing and Natural Dyeing Techniques. Special Activity: tailoring/dressmaking
WHERE: Historic Brattonsville is located at 1444 Brattonsville Rd. McConnells, S.C. 29726
TICKETS: Children’s Day on the Farm — tickets here
Living History Saturdays: Sheep Shearing free with General Admission: Adults $8, Seniors $7, Youth 4-7 $5; free for CHM members and ages 3 and under.
WEBSITE: chmuseums.org
VISITORS SERVICES: 803.684.2327
IMAGES: 1. Historically dressed Junior Docents explore the Brattonsville barnyard during a previous Children’s Day on the Farm.
2. Historically dressed Junior Docents process the wool after the Gulf Coast sheep have been sheared during a previous Sheep Shearing Day at Historic Brattonsville.
For high resolution images, contact mcheek@chmuseums.org
About Historic Brattonsville:
Historic Brattonsville is a living history site that presents the agricultural and social history of the Carolina Piedmont from the times of the American Revolution through the Reconstruction Era. The site features over 30 historic structures, including family houses, that provide the setting for the story of the Brattons and the people enslaved there. The plantation spreads over 800-acres and comprises farmed land with heritage breed animals, a Revolutionary War battlefield, and a nature preserve with miles of walking trails. Seasonal events, reenactments, and living history programs interpret life in the 18th and 19th centuries. New exhibits include “Liberty & Resistance: Reconstruction and the African American Community at Brattonsville 1865-1877” in the recently restored Brick House and “Historic Brattonsville: Through the Eras” installed in the site’s newly redesigned Orientation Room.
Historic Brattonsville is included in “The Green Book of South Carolina” – a travel guide to African American cultural sites. greenbookofsc.com
Culture & Heritage Museums is a family of museums in York County that includes Historic Brattonsville in McConnells, Main Street Children’s Museum and Museum of York County in Rock Hill, and the McCelvey Center, which includes the Historical Center of York County and the Southern Revolutionary War Institute, in York. The mission of CHM is to communicate and preserve the natural and cultural histories of the Carolina Piedmont, inspiring a lifetime of learning. www.chmuseums.org
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