PBS’s new show Colonial House is a fascinating glimpse into the life of early colonists. We watch fifteen or so modern day citizens live as colonists in a remote location in Maine for four months -- a very smart twist on the otherwise dubious category of reality tv. (The series' producers had help from Plimoth Plantation, the living history center near Plymouth).
In our family, we had our own fascinating living history experience several years ago at Norlands Living History Center in Livermore Falls, Maine. I took on the role of “Pa Waters,” and for three days, we lived life in the 1870’s. Every moment was 1870, from working (digging potatoes), to eating (much preparation), and sleeping (on a lumpy mattress suspended by a rope frame).
The most memorable moments for me can’t be captured on tv. They are the sensory experiences when you truly live in another environment. And, I have to say, it is quite a unique and memorable sensation, to forsake modern plumbing for the basic sensation of a breezy outhouse. (Hard to convey this in a traditional museum exhibit).