Valentown greetings,
We want to first wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.
At Historic Valentown the humble little farmhouse is quiet now, but in days past there were Thanksgiving dinners and families gathered around the table. It was a welcoming sight with light from the windows, waiting for everyone to arrive. It is now full of memories like many other historic houses no longer lived in. Empty of the warmth of human occupation, but still full of echos of a simple thankful spirit and living that is no longer available to most us.
This holiday is truly an American tradition that did not become a National holiday until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it as such in 1863. But it is also rooted in our Native American heritage and their incredible agriculture. The foods that were domesticated by the different original Nations were perfected over thousands of years and now nourish a good portion of the world through the agricultural system that is now in the United States. What a remarkable gift, especially when the world is sometimes stressed and hungry. It took many seasons of harvest with trial and error to evolve maize (corn) into what we know so well. And foraged herbs and foods were carefully observed to collect the bitterness and the sweet needed to survive and be healthy. Both Native growers and American farmers used exceptional observation skills to select and cultivate for the best results.
The native wildlife like our favorite turkey and other animals were sometimes strange to new arrivals to America. But Native cultures already knew these animals well and shared that knowledge freely.
As we celebrate this day of harvest, it is important to take a look back to other Thanksgiving feasts of the past from America's ancient and early history and realize that people from all over the world now benefit from what originated here in the Americas. Let us be thankful for our own native bounty like potatoes, corn, beans, squash, cranberries and all the other delicious foods that are now shared and connect us to other cultures and people.
Please keep in touch through our newsletter as we have some exciting events coming. We don't want anyone to miss any of our news.
As always, we are your down home, hometown museum.
Kathryn White, President
Historic Valentown Museum - Forum
https://historicvalentownmuseum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=147