Heritage Pioneer Days 2019 draws over 1000 to museum

Over 1,000 people from Union and other Mississippi and Tennessee counties enjoyed Heritage Pioneer Days 2019 during the weekend at the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany.

Events planned over three days, Thursday – Saturday, Oct. 3 – 5, drew children and adults to practice hands-on skills from historic days. Churning butter by hand in a stone crock; washing clothes with a hand-cranked wringer to squeeze out the water; shelling and grinding corn; cutting logs with a two-person cross-cut saw — were just some of the activities in which visitors actively participated.

Throwing a Tomahawk requires practice!

Jill Smith, Director of the Union County Heritage Museum.

Rides were available in a horse-drawn buggy. Acoustic musicians played on the porch of one of the historic buildings at the museum. Traditional Southern refreshments, including sassafras tea and boiled peanuts were served.

Visitors were able to walk through a real, old-time Frisco railroad caboose, part of the permanent exhibit at the Union County Heritage Museum. Many toured the one-room school-house, country store and blacksmith shop, which are few of the buildings regularly open to the public at the museum.

The Faulkner Literary Garden was a popular feature during Heritage Pioneer Days 2019.

Some visitors enjoyed quiet time in the museum’s Faulkner Library, one of the best collections in America of books by and about William Faulkner, winner of the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature. He was born in New Albany in 1897.

Acoustic instruments being played on the porch of one of the museum’s historic buildings.

About 600 school children participated in Heritage Pioneer Days 2019 on Friday.

Children enjoyed games dating from pioneer days, including tow sack racing, egg and spoon racing, and stick horse rodeos. Volunteer artisans exhibited the arts of weaving, quilting, basket making and doll making.

“We are grateful for the volunteers from the community and Blue Mountain College History Department and Tombigbee Pioneers who help with this event. We could not offer Heritage Pioneer Days 2019 without them,” says Union County Heritage Museum Director, Jill Smith.

The Union County Heritage Museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street, New Albany, Mississippi. There is no admission charge. Phone number is 662-538-0014.

Heritage Pioneer Days 2019

Getting ready for Barrel racing

No electronics needed for this competition

Ladies can handle those horses, too.

A little quiet time in the Faulkner Library

The blacksmith shop was very important to the community.

Grinding corn with hand grinder

Making butter was time consuming work

Almost like a magic trick, only real!

Two man cross cut sawing.

Civil War era uniform and weapons

For more information about Union County Heritage Museum events: http://ucheritagemuseum.com/