Atlanta Historical House Tour: Smith Family Farm (Part 2)

Continuing on from the Swan House, my 7th grade BFF and I continued onto the Smith Family Farm, also part of the Atlanta History Center. Built in the 1840s, the Smith Family Farm is a relic from the Civil War that was spared from destruction and fires during wartime. It provides us a glimpse of what a Civil War-era farm in the South looked like. Compared to the Swan House, this was stark and spare and even a little more modern-seeming in its minimalism.

Inside, some pretty gorgeous French blue china:

An old-timey shopping list...

Honey, don't forget the 4 bales of cotton and the 40 pounds of butter!

 A desk with slots for money to buy said 40 pounds of butter...

Cotton from the fields...

and a loom to weave the cotton into tapestries...

The bedroom was what we might call minimalist rustic by today's standards...

Compare that to this sort of thing today...

They even had actors playing characters from time period, which felt super weird and uncomfortable to me (see more on this below)...

Not to mention creepy dolls to add a cherry on top of that weirdness sundae.

Yike-o jike-o's!

Here's the guest quarters...couldn't you see that rag rug selling at Anthropologie for like $150?

Oh here we go. This one used to be for sale at Urban Outfitters:

The kitchen was housed in an entirely separate building to prevent fires. Herbs, chilis, and garlic hung from the ceiling to dry. There was also a smoke house to preserve meats (it was too dark to take a picture).

Last but certainly not least, my favorite part, THE SHEEP!

I forgot this guy's name.

Henry

His name was Maurice or something, and he was only four months old!

Lastly, this trip reminded me of a brilliant web series, "Ask a Slave." It's based on real questions that were asked by visitors at George Washington's Mount Vernon while actress Azie Mira Dungey worked there as a living history character. Check it out below: