In Podcast #16 the Virginia Trekkers take you to Shirley Plantation in the Coastal Plains Region.  Plantations were huge farms that were almost like small villages because the workers lived right on the farm and met all their own needs.  They grew their own food, raised their own animals, made their own clothes, and built their own buildings.  Shirley Plantation is the oldest active plantation in the United States and the oldest family-owned business in America!  In this podcast you’ll learn how colonists preserved their food before there were refrigerators, why colonial homes had pineapple carvings, how this plantation survived the Civil War without being burned down, and lots more about daily life in the past.  We’ll also review wild vs. tame animals, indentured servants vs. slaves, and we’ll even show you a real live bald eagle! and Come on... let’s go trekkin’! (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link)

The buildings in the forecourt (or front yard) of Shirley Plantation make a perfect square with 150 feet on each side. We measured it in Google Maps by right clicking on the map and choosing “Measure distance” from the pop-up menu. Can you see something else that is a perfect square? Maybe you can try measuring it in Google Maps to be sure. The answer is at the bottom in tiny print.


Here is a Google map of Shirley Plantation. Click the +/- buttons in the bottom right to zoom in or out.




This is a 360 view of Shirley Plantation. Click and drag to take a look around!




This is an old Flash activity about wild and tame animals. We got it to work using Ruffle!



Social Studies

K.3 (2015) The student will sequence events in the past and present and begin to recognize that things change over time.


K.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to recognize Virginia’s earliest communities by

a. identifying examples of historical events, stories, and legends;

c. recognizing that places change over time;


1.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to understand Virginia’s history by

b. describing how life in various Virginia communities has changed over time; and


2.13 (2015) The student will understand the symbols and traditional practices that honor and foster patriotism in the United States of America by

a) explaining the meaning behind symbols such as the American flag, bald eagle, Washington Monument, and Statue of Liberty;


2.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to recognize state and national symbols, including but not limited to

b. explaining the meaning behind symbols, including but not limited to the American flag, bald eagle, Washington Monument, Liberty Bell, and Statue of Liberty; and


VS.2 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by

b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;

c) locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp);


VS.4 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of life in the Virginia colony by

a) explaining the importance of agriculture and its influence on the institution of slavery;

e) describing everyday life in colonial Virginia.


VS.7 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War by

b) describing Virginia’s role in the war, including identifying major battles that took place in Virginia; and


VS.1 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the relationship between physical geography and the lives of Virginia’s peoples, past and present by

b. locating and describing the relative location and physical characteristics of Virginia's five geographic regions on a map;


VS.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to understand life in the Virginia colony by

a. explaining the importance and influence of agriculture;

b. examining how colonial Virginia reflected the culture of Indigenous Peoples, European (English, Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, and Africans;

c. distinguishing between indentured servants and enslaved people, including how European countries traded for, transported, and sold Africans to be enslaved to British North America beginning in the 17th century;

f. describing ways people exchanged goods and services in Colonial Virginia.


VS.7 (2023) The students will apply history and social science skills to understand the key people, events and issues of the Civil War and Virginia’s role by

e. identifying major battles that took place in Virginia;


USI.5 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the social, political, religious, economic, and geographic factors that shaped colonial America by

c. comparing life from the perspectives of various groups, including but not limited to large landowners, farmers, artisans, clergy, merchants, women, indentured servants, and enslaved

and free Blacks;


Science

1.5 The student will investigate and understand that animals, including humans, have basic life needs that allow them to survive. Key ideas include

a) animals need air, food, water, shelter, and space (habitat);

b) animals have different physical characteristics that perform specific functions; and

c) animals can be classified based on a variety of characteristics.


4.8 The student will investigate and understand that Virginia has important natural resources. Key resources include

a) watersheds and water;

b) plants and animals;

c) minerals, rocks, and ores; and

d) forests, soil, and land.


*The Shirley Plantation house is a perfect square 48 feet x 48 feet.