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Programs & Tours

Living History Tours and Programs

Every Friday and Saturday visitors are invited to join the millers, textile  workers, wives and children who live and work at Greenbank Mill. Step into  the historical laboratory at Greenbank Mill and Philips Farm to experience the past. Meet the people who lived and worked at Greenbank Mill during the Early Republic (1790-1830). Discover how people in the new nation coped with military threats, economic challenges, and changing technology while defining what it meant to be an “American.”

The American Revolution won political independence but economic independence was achieved in the mills and factories. Clothing A New Nation and Oliver Evans and the Industrial Revolution allow you to explore the importance of industrialization and then construct an elevator bucket for the mill. Building A New Republic provides the opportunity to try the skills used to build mills—carpentry, surveying, sand casting, and masonry. The Sheep to Shawl series follows the processing of wool from the back of the sheep to the back of man, focusing on shearing, wool preparation, spinning, or dyeing.

Scenes From Daily Life introduces visitors to the daily tasks that forged revolutionaries into Republicans. In the Philips farmhouse, lie on a rope bed, perform simple tasks using period lighting, and discover what Miller Philips kept under the floorboards. Experience the work required to grow and prepare food in Feeding the Republic.  Discover the role of plants in everyday life by exploring the heirloom gardens (Kitchen, Specimen, Medicinal, and Dye). Learn about cooking techniques and recipes.  On baking days make bread in a wood-fired oven.  In Amusements, join the Philips Family during their leisure activities including games, dancing, and crafts. On 18th century dance afternoons, join the Heritage Dancers. They will happily instruct beginners, or you may just observe the graceful dancing of the 18th century.

Tours include the gristmill restoration, the Madison Factory textile mill, the Philips House, and the 19th century farm with heritage livestock.

Foods, Fibers, and Farming
Follow the journey of two agricultural products from raw materials on the farm to finished goods from mills. Learn about Greenbank's heritage sheep and participate in preparing wool for spinning and weaving. Complete the journey by trying on 19th century clothing. Examine the tools and techniques used to plant, cultivate, and harvest wheat. Grind grain by hand and compare the technique to the machinery in the gristmill. Then transform the flour into a food product.

 

 

Daily Chores - Living in the Early Republic
Experience life in the early 19th century when you help the Philips family complete their daily chores. Participate in cooking, candle making, soap making, weaving wool, and needlework. After the chores are completed, join in the games from the period.

 

 

From Sheep to Shawl
Learn how wool is sheared from the back of the sheep and finished into a piece of cloth using 19th century methods and equipment. This program includes hands-on activities with Greenbank's heritage flock of sheep and discussions of the uses and care of sheep. Optional craft kits for stick weaving and drop spindle spinning are available.

 

 

Historic Trades - The Building of a Mill
What skills were necessary to build early America? Explore the trades and skills necessary to construct (and reconstruct) the historic Greenbank mills. Enjoy exploring the tools and techniques used in timber framing, water wheel construction, stone masonry, and metalworking. Participate in demonstrations and activities associated with each historic trade.

 

 

 

Traveling with Lewis & Clark
Join the Corps of Discovery and learn about how they prepared for their journey. Experience this pivotal moment in American history through the eyes of the men who lived it. After you learn about the equipment and supplies they carried, try your hand at some of the skills (period cooking, surveying, mapping, fire building, and scientific observation).

 

Tea and Tour
Join the Philips Family for tea and sandwiches in the 1794 miller's house. Learn about the history of tea in America as you enjoy its pleasures. Then take a tour of the mills and farm.

 

 

 

History Underground - Archaeology at Greenbank
Learn the basics of why and how archaeology is conducted including the tools and methods used. Participate in a hands-on excavation at Greenbank's prepared archaeological site. Take part in the work of an archaeological lab by reconstructing ceramics. Be prepared to get dirty!

 

 

Greenbank Mill: 300 years of Delaware History
Learn about Greenbank Mill's rich history reflecting local reactions to state, national, and international events. Then tour the gristmill restoration, the Madison Factory textile mill, 19th century farm and livestock.

Resurrecting the Greenbank Mill
An introductory slide presentation recounts the 30-year effort to save one of Delaware's historical treasures. Following the presentation, tour the historic site with a better understanding of the buildings, machinery, and hidden treasures that the average visitor never sees.

 

Girl Scout Programs
During the year several programs are specifically offered to Girl Scouts. Call for dates, availability, and registration.

  • Listening To the Past
  • Digging Into the Past
  • Women's Work
  • Foods, Fibers, and Farming
  • From Sheep to Shawl
  • Lewis & Clark Sleep Over

School Programs
Greenbank Mill has developed partnerships with several Delaware schools, presenting activities designed to complement classroom studies. Over 800 students participated in such programs in the spring of 2003.

A program example: A “Colonial Day” was organized with Brandywine Springs Elementary School. Greenbank Mill volunteers in period clothing manned ten stations designed to teach the children about life in colonial America. Groups of students rotated through the stations, learning about the colonial home, industries, and occupations. In addition to seeing livestock and spinning demonstrations, they wove on looms and discussed clothing from the period. Demonstrations of metal casting and carpentry introduced the children to 18th century technology. The students also met people from the past, discussing apprenticeships with a miller, drilling with a militiaman, and learning the art of measuring land from a surveyor.

Please inquire about building an educational partnership between Greenbank Mill and your school.
(302-999-9001)