Back in Time at the Kellogg House

The second graders at Golden Elementary visited the Kellogg House. In the beginning, I got partnered up with Sophia and Jacqueline. The yellow school bus driver started the engine. Everyone was talkative and chatty during the long bus ride.

When we finally got there, we waited for our tour guide, Billy. He took us to the back of the Kellogg House and showed us how to use a washboard. I loved how the wringer squeezed the water out of the damp cloths. After that, our hands smelled horrible!

Then Billy took us to the orange grove. We sampled on sweet oranges and tangy grapefruit. We also tasted delicious lemonade. It was exquisite!

Our class made some quits ourselves out of paper. When we were finished, Billy led us to a blacksmith shop with a bunch of metal hanging on hook or lying on shelves. Ken, the blacksmith was trying to bend a horseshoe. He passed it around and we all tried to bend the crooked horseshoe, but we couldn’t. Ken said he could fix it but he would have to cheat. He cranked a handle of a fan to blow air into the fire and made the fire bigger and hotter. Then he stuck the horseshoe in the huge fire to make the metal of the shoe softer. It came out blazing red! He banged on it hard with a hammer until it was better and then laid the burning hot metal into a small tub of icy cold water.

Next, he made a nail for us and he told us about the different things he makes out of raw metal like eating utensils. He allowed us to put our hands in handcuffs also. It was like going to jail for the first time. Yikes! Before we lined up we took turns hitting some metal with a hammer.

When Billy led us back to Kellogg House, he showed us around the inside. We got to play with some old fashioned toys like Jacob’s ladder and a cup with a ball. There were felt boards, chalkboards, pick up sticks which were real sticks, Lincoln logs, wooden doll houses and tic-tac-toe.

Right before lunch, we went to dress up in old fashioned clothes. My dress was white with pearls and frills and puffy sleeves like Snow White’s dress. Everyone loved my outfit! We learned about the styles of their fashion and then headed out for lunch.

I had chocolate covered crackers, a peanut butter sandwich, apples and grapes with a juice box.

Billy also took us to the parlor which had a photograph machine, outdated phone, an organ and a grand piano. Mrs. Bartak played the piano and I loved the song she played. It was a very soft tune.
We went into the dining room and Billy startled us with the ghost drawers and showed us traditional cooking tools like a drainer, coffee grinder, and a butter churner. We made some butter for ourselves! We shook the cream to make the butter. We had it on crackers and it was scrumptious! I wish I got seconds.

Sadly, after the butter time was over, we headed for the bus. I am glad that now a day we have easier ways to do things! I will never forget our journey back in time at the Kellogg House!