We See America Learning: Teaching Early American History through “iVisits”

The HCSV interpretive staff brings the past to life each school year from October 1st to April 30th through the use of IP-based interactive teleconferencing technology. Programs are now available via Skype!  Students are encouraged to ask questions and become involved. Customized programs are available for an additional fee. Our distance learning program is one of the first distance learning programs in the state and we are now in our 23rd year of courses!

1. An Early American School Day, a typical day in an Early American rural school.
2. The First Frontier: Whaler Yeomen in Colonial New Jersey- The story of the first permanent European settlers as well as a discussion of how the Eastern Seaboard was the original American frontier.
3. The Story of Old Glory- The origins and early history of the flag of the United States, using a collection of reproduction historic flags from the 17th century through the Civil War.
4. Among the Lenape – Learn the story of a young shipwrecked English boy as he learns to adapt to the customs of the Lenape people who rescue and take him in.
5. Native American Folkways – Learn about the customs, traditions, and origin stories of the original residents of Cape May County.
6. Travel and Transportation – A discussion of the development of tourism and the means of transportation that helped make Cape May America’s first seashore resort.
7. Past Versus Present: A comparison of contemporary objects with their Early American equivalents. For example, a flashlight vs a lantern; a digital camera vs a daguerreotype.
8. Revisiting the Country Store: An Important Community Resource- A look at the vital role of a general store in the life of a rural America as a purveyor of goods, social center, and communications hub.
9. A Visit with Mehitable, Cape May’s Last Mitten Knitter- This first-person interpretative program introduces you to Mehitable Vanaman Wade Simpson, a 19th century resident of Cape May County. Mehitable was one of the last women in the county to raise sheep, shear the wool, spin the yarn, and knit her own mittens, a once-popular trade with Philadelphia merchants.
10. Fiber Arts in the Home – Learn about the role of fiber arts in the home. From spinning to weaving and quilting, see how housewives and their daughters made the quilts, shawls, socks, and other products to keep their families warm.
11. Hearth and Home– An exploration of the role of the domestic arts practiced by an 1800s housewife with an emphasis on food preparation and open-hearth cooking.

For more information or to schedule a distance learning program, please contact
John Ryan at (609) 898-2300, ext. 18 or jryan@hcsv.org
Programs can run as long as 45 minutes to an hour.