Living History Day - Oct. 3, 2004

The Howe House was built in 1867 by Welsh immigrant Richard Howe, a master stonemason.

The Lyon County Historical Society gives tours of the home and each October a Living History Day is held on the grounds at 315 E. Logan Avenue in Emporia.

More about the Howe House...

David Edwards, part-time blacksmith, makes a decorative leaf from a piece of iron.

Pounding on the red hot iron, he lifts his hammer and tells the audience, "This is about a three-pound hammer. You can move a lot of metal with that."

Everyone talked about the weather, "What a beautiful day for this." It was warm for October, in the low '80s, with just enough breeze for comfort.

Under every shade tree was a demonstration of the old days. A woman worked at a spinning wheel. Behind her, musicians played songs such as "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" and "Bringing in the Sheaves."

A horse walked in a large circle, grinding corn. A woman crocheted, others quilted. A man wove a rug on a loom; woodcarvers carved. Kids made ropes. One man showed how he turned cattle horns into black powder horns. Children gathered to hear stories of long-ago Kansas and to see how apple cider was made in a press. They turned the crank to make butter.

Out yonder, through the field of tallgrass, two teepees were set up with demonstrations and Native American storytelling.

In the cow pie-throwing contest, kids flung them like Frisbees. I didn't see the watermelon seed spitting contest or the skillet toss (I don't know what that was, but it sounded dangerous.)

In a pen, turkeys and bottle-fed baby goats wandered around. And there were chickens and bunnies as well.

Visitors took guided tours of the residence, which served the Howe family from 1867 to 1994.

On a gorgeous autumn day, we saw our history in action.