Basic Tour

Enrichment Activites

Outreach Programs

Plan Your Visit

Teacher Guidelines

Pre/Post Activities

Summer Camps

Days on the Farm and Heritage Days

Generations of school children have experienced mid-nineteenth century farm life at Days On The Farm (May 10 & 11, 2012) and Heritage Days (September 29 & 30, 2011).  These two events (fall and spring) allow students to experience over twenty living history activities including blacksmithing, candle making, wash pot, quilting, food preparation, storytelling, farm animals, 19th Century toys, music, and Civil War soldiers.  History comes alive, and students get a chance to participate in many hands on activities.  Bring your class to see these, including a limited tour of the Sam Davis Home and Museum.

Social Studies Standards: 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0

Pre and Post Activities >

• Grandmother's Trunk
  Imagine finding a very old trunk filled with clothing and personal items in your attic.  Touch the items that were essential to a lady's wardrobe and personal grooming.  Students will learn about travel and clothing in the mid-nineteenth century and experience a connection to the past through hands-on exploration of artifacts in Grandmother's Trunk.  (Grades K - 5 suggested)  Social Studies Standards: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, & 6.0
  Pre and Post Activities >

• From Boll to Bolt: The Story of Cotton
  Students explore the impact of this vital crop with its historical connection to the Davis family and many others in Tennessee and the South.  Linked to the seasons, work to prepare, tend, and harvest cotton paint a picture of life on a cotton farm.  Hands-on activities are provided to enhance the fascinating story of King Cotton.  (Grades K-5 suggested)  Social Studies Standards: 1.0 2.0, 3.0, & 5.0
  Pre and Post Activites >   

• Season's on the Farm: A Scavenger Hunt
  Armed with maps and clues, your class will learn teamwork, map reading, and organizational skills as they set out on their own discovery of the Davis farm. This is a unique way to see the outbuildings of the farm and learn about nineteenth century life.  (Grades K-3 suggested)  Social Studies Standards: 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, & 6.0
  Pre and Post Activities >  

• What? No Batteries!  19th Century Toys
  No batteries or electronics?  What is a kid to do?  Experience the joys of simple toys that children played long ago.  Toys of the past are demonstrated and students are invited to play with them in this engaging program.  (Grades K-5 suggested)  Social Studies Standards 1.0, 5.0, and 6.0 
  Pre and Post Activities >

• Life Under the Gun
  Did Civil War soldiers have toothbrushes?  What did the soldiers do when they weren't fighting?  Students will discover through common items carried by the soldiers on both sides what life was like in a Civil War camp.  Uniforms and equipment from both armies are presented for examination in this hands on program.  (Grades 3 and up suggested)  Social Studies Standards 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 6.0
  Pre and Post Activities >  

• The Hidden Soldier: Spies and Scouts in the Civil War
  Was Sam Davis a scout or a spy?  The difference between spies and scouts will be discussed highlighting the story of Sam along with other scouts and spies.  Secret codes, disguises, and other strange and fascinating facts are presented.  For on-site classes, a scavenger hunt for the items that Sam was carrying when arrested is part of the learning fun.  (Grades 3 and up suggested)  Social Studies Standards: 1.0,2.0,3.0, 5.0, and 6.0
  Pre and Post Activities > 

• Hogs, Hens & Hominy
  Rural life was the common existence for most people in the South in the 19th century.  What crops and livestock would have been found at the Sam Davis Home in Sam's time?  Kitchen artifacts are the learning tools to guide students in gaining insights into how food products were grown, prepared, and preserved in the nineteenth century.  A tasty sampling of farm produce is part of this program.  (Grades K - 2 suggested)  Social Studies Standards: 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, & 6.0

• Life and Limb: Civil War Medicine
  The Civil War marked incredible advances in the field of medicine.  Students will learn about battlefield medicine and its influence on the many inventions and discovery in health care and medicine that came by necessity during the war.  Students will explore surgical procedure through reproduction artifacts and bits of herbal lore used to treat patients.  Statistics become clear when students take cards of real soldiers to learn of his fate.  (Grades 4 and up suggested)  Social Studies Standards: 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, & 6.0
  Pre and Post Activities >

• Recovering Their Story:  African Americans at the Davis Plantation
  Primary Documents are a road map to the past.  Meet some of the slaves that called the Davis farm home.  Students will learn how the stories of slaves were discovered through research at the county archives and through an archaeological dig.  (Grades 4 and up suggested)  Social Studies Standards: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0

• Patting Juba:  The Music of African American Slaves
  "Patting Juba" was the term slaves used to call the rhythm made using hand clapping and patting feet.  In this special program, students will explore the origins of African American culture through the music they created.  Reproduction instruments and song lyrics with hidden messages and deep emotions are presented.

Petticoats in Peril
Through biographical sketches of women whose compassion and patriotism changed the roles of women in society through their involvement in various eras of the Civil War, students will meet a character or two straight from the pages of history.  Students will "meet" ladies who broke the rules of society to serve as spies, doctors, nurses, and soldiers.

December 2012: Attention All Teachers!

Antebellum Christmas School Group Tours

You are cordially invited to the Sam Davis Home for our special Christmas themed field trips during the month of December. We are offering a special Christmas tour of the Sam Davis Home, which will highlight some of the 19^th century customs of the holiday season. In addition to the house tour and museum, children will participate in a special holiday craft and our “What! No Batteries?” program which discusses toys of the 19^th century. This holiday field trip is available for $4 per child. For questions or reservations, please contact Rebecca Duke, Education Coordiantor at education@samdavishome.org or 615-459-2341.