Sunday: Take a step back in time at Lexington museum's open house

Sometimes folks need a reason to inspire them to visit attractions in their hometown.

Lexington County Museum’s seventh annual Spring Open House from 2-5 p.m. Sunday offers the perfect excuse to visit the historical gem in downtown Lexington.

“The Spring Open House is a great opportunity for both county residents and tourists to learn more about the museum and the county’s rich history and to experience everyday life in the South in the 1800s,” said J.R. Fennell, director of Lexington County Museum.

The free open house gives visitors the opportunity to explore buildings not normally featured on the typical hour-long tour.

The public is invited to tour the circa 1832 John Fox House, the 1771 Laurence Corley Log House, the 1815 Oak Grove Schoolhouse, and the rest of the historic structures.

Children will be able to participate in a scavenger hunt and participate in 19th century kitchen. There will be other hands-on activities, such as learning about schools in the first half of the 19th century by seeing what it was like to attend a one room school house and writing with quill pens.

Visitors also will be able to learn about historic crafts such as blacksmithing and cloth spinning through demonstrations. A local beekeeper from Bee Trail Farm will have an observation hive to explain the importance of bees and honey throughout history.

“The living history demonstrations featured at the Open House take the visitor back to the 18th and 19th centuries and show the challenges faced by Lexington County residents in the past,” Fennell said. “In the 19th century, Lexingtonians couldn’t just take a trip down to the grocery store to pick up what they needed. They had to make a lot of the necessities that we take for granted.”

Joseph McGill, founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, will share his living history program “Inalienable Rights,” the story of the enslaved in Lexington and South Carolina.

“The museum is very excited to have Joe McGill and his ‘Inalienable Rights’ program at the Open House as it will assist us in educating visitors about the enslaved in Lexington during the antebellum period,” Fennell says. “McGill’s program will help give a voice to the slaves that lived and worked in Lexington.”

Lezlie Patterson, Special to The State

This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 7:46 AM with the headline "Sunday: Take a step back in time at Lexington museum's open house."