Bethabara Historic Park Internship

Blog post! I’ve never written a blog before, so I think I am going to treat it like a diary for my learning experience working at Bethabara! This week was my first official week working at the park, and beginning to learn the systems and information for tours! I got to tag along on two separate tours, one given by Brad, the resident woodworker, and one by Ella, the Gardner. Both were so informative, and I got to see how tours differ based on the person giving them! Everyone who works here is so knowledgeable about the specific trade they specialize in. Some of the trade demos they do on the site are blacksmithing, baking, indigo dyeing, pottery, woodworking, spinning, flax processing, and lots of sewing! Next week, I will begin trying different trade demos, starting with blacksmithing on Wednesday. I hope to specialize in a trade such as pottery or sewing. I also started the training manual, which is well over 300 pages, and I got through section 1, which is about the original Moravian settlers and the different building/, foundations/ruins on the property. Learning about the Moravians is so interesting because they had so many cultural traditions and customs that are not synonymous with other protestant religious. One of the most interesting things about the Moravians is how they live based on a choir system, and not a nuclear family system. Moravians were sorted by age, gender, and relationship status into choirs with which they lived, were with, received guidance from, and even where they were laid to rest. Some choirs include young boys, young girls, single brothers, single sisters, married brothers, married couples, widows, and widowers. The choir system gave women freedom in the 18th century because they were still a part of society and made contributions without their identity relying solely on being married. I think this is an interesting testament to how Moravians lived based on their religion, in ways other protestant groups did not at the time.