Pennsylvania History Experience 2026

While listening and discussing, students will practice traditional handicrafts similar to those used in early American homes. They will also participate in real farm chores and work on lead-training our sheep and goats — experiencing firsthand the responsibility, patience, and physical effort that shaped daily survival in 19th-century Pennsylvania.

Our weekly themes guide students through the story of Pennsylvania:

1. Native peoples and the land before European settlement

2. Colonial migration and frontier survival

3. Daily work, clothing, health, and family life

4. William Penn’s “Holy Experiment” and questions of voice and liberty

5. The American Revolution as it reached western Pennsylvania

6. Slavery, freedom, citizenship, and the responsibilities of a young republic.

Rather than memorizing dates, students will build mental and sensory anchors — the weight of wet boots, the feel of wool in their hands, the discipline of leading livestock — that give depth and meaning to the history they read.

Students will need access to a copy of The Cabin Faced West and complete weekly reading prior to class.  By the end of our six weeks together, students will not only understand Pennsylvania’s early history — they will carry a lived sense of it.