Verdon Graves explains the use of horse-drawn farm machinery to these interested fourth graders
from Mt. Vernon.

Hopkins County Historical
Society Hosts Mt. Vernon
Group At Museum

by: Bobby McDonald

If you noticed a large group of children in Sulphur Springs, on Friday morning, they were probably visitors from Mt. Vernon School, as the fourth graders made a stop at the Hopkins County Historical Museum and Heritage Park. The students, accompanied by teachers and parents, arrived at the museum at 9:30 and spent the morning learning about their heritage and the history of the local area.

Favorite areas of the museum, were the General Store, Blacksmith Shop, and the One-Room Log Schoolhouse. One fourth grader decided he would have had a hard time learning in the small confines of the little schoolhouse and that the log benches were mighty hard! Another student commented that he didn't realize that his grandparents and great-grandparents "had it so hard" when they plowed and harvested the crops with horse-drawn farm machinery.

This local "school marm" told the students from Mt. Vernon about the
early day education system in a one-room school.

 

Students learned about the primitive accomodations in the home, as they toured first, the Gregg Cabin and the Vaden Cabin, and then moved on to the Atkins House, where they learned about early life in Northeast Texas.

Hopkins Co. Historical Society docent, Marya Estes,  explains to the students what
life was like during her childhood in Northeast Texas.

"I think most of my students feel like they have a rather easy life and are much more appreciative of the modern conveniences that they are afforded, after this morning's tour," expressed one of the Mt. Vernon Elementary teachers. "It's much easier to cook in a microwave oven, than over a campfire!"

The docents at the Hopkins County Historical Museum used Friday morning as a "trial run" for some of the many activities that they will be hosting on May 13th, when they host their annual Folk Festival. Mark your calendars for this exciting, fun-filled day, when the entire family can enjoy a "trip into the past" and learn a variety of the tasks that were common, every-day occurances for our ancestors.

And, these students from Mt. Vernon learned about the many items in a General Store, that dotted the
landscape, across Northeast Texas, in every community.

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