The Jenkins Plantation Museum, located in the Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area of Cabell County, will celebrate its 172nd year at the annual Homestead Gathering on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. The day’s activities are free and open to the public.
Visitors can enjoy presentations of costumed craftsmen, including a woodworker. They also can see 1800s-era farming equipment and hear about agricultural pursuits for that time period. In addition, they can settle back for a hay ride around the plantation.
Special hands-on activities will help children explore life in the 1860s. Grace Nida, a costumed tour guide for the Capitol Complex, will lead kids in parlor games such as “Last Man Standing,” now called “Musical Chairs,” and “Button, Button, Who’s got the Button.” Children also can learn how to make buttons and enjoy textile crafts like knitting or weaving.
The historic Jenkins family home will be open for self-guided tours. Visitors can enjoy pork barbecue sandwiches, chips, lemonade, and iced tea during the festivities.
For more information about the Homestead Gathering at the Jenkins Plantation Museum, contact Matt Boggess, site manager, at (304) 762-1059.
The Jenkins Plantation Museum is located on West Virginia Route 2 between Huntington and Point Pleasant. A facility of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, the museum features the former home of Confederate Brigadier General Albert Gallatin Jenkins. The 1835 house, built in the tradition of Tidewater, Va., is noteworthy for its architecture and was built by slaves between 1830 and 1835. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and on the Civil War Discovery Trail. The museum’s regular hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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