Molly's Country Memories

Molly's Country Memories

The memories and happening in the everyday life of a country girl

Thursday, July 08, 2010

More pictures from Fort Harrod

A LONG POST
On Pink Sat. I posted pictures from the Re-enactment of Fort Harrods, Ky, you can check it out here .
Today I wanted to show you more of this wonderful place....it was such an amazing place, it felt like you were actually living in 1775. What a wonderful time of discovery, but a terrible time of hardship too. Makes me appreciate my country and their sacrifice even more.
This was the entrance to the area around the fort.

 part of the re-enactment of the "Turnip Wars"
A young boy was shot and killed by the Indians outside the Fort, thus starting a short but bloody War called the "Turnip War"
 Molly McGuire, an Indentured Servant, told what an Indentured Servant was, I was shocked to know that 75% of people immigrating to the Colonies in the late 1600s and early to mid 1700s, were Indentures...nothing but slaves who's children and husbands or wives were sold to the highest bidder, they were suppose to be indentured for 3-5 yrs but most died before their time ended...it was a hash way of life, many died in route to the Americas, they would house 100s at a time in 16 by 20 ft. rooms with ceilings no higher than 5ft. never allowed above deck and given 1 pt of water and bread a day, after all they were getting free passage what else did they want from the Captain.
They never told the parent that though their time was 3-5 yrs the child was indentured until they were 21, and if the parent died in route the child had the parents time added to their own, so if a father and or mother of a 6 yr old died that child had as much as 25 yrs to work to pay off his or her debt. 15 till they reached 21 and then 3-5 for each of the parents.....
Also found out that not everyone agreed to be indentures as history has stated, there was a period of time when children were kidnapped off the streets of England and put on lg ships called the Orphan ships  but not all of them were orphans. Also prisoners where sent to the Americas from England just like they were sent to Australia. Time she finished I, along with most of the folks there was in tears...I have always been told that an ancestor on the Barlow side came to America in the early 1700s as an indentured servant, it really hit home to me, the sacrifice this man made for my family, so we could live in a great country like America..
 One of the 8 kids, I loved the back of her dress..
 watcher from the trees
 the little cutie taking a rest from her wondering and talking to one of the re-en-actors
 re-enactors at the Cemetery Wall
 more children and other re-enactors
  getting ready to dedicate the Cemetery
 Surveyors and explorers who came to Kentucky in 1774
 Indian re-enactor
 part of the encampment before the Fort was built..
 Fur trader and hunter and his Indian scout...
 The old home build on the Fort Harrods ground in the 1800s  this is the back, silly me forgot to go around and take a picture of the front.
 trapper leaving the Fort
 view from an up stairs window...in the Captains house
 I still have tons of pictures of these fantastic place...lol..can you tell I really enjoyed my day here and to think this was just an after thought trip to kill time while we were in Kentucky to go to the Shaker Village, I must say the Fort was my most enjoyable part of the trip, we spent all day there. Where we only stayed at Shaker Village a couple of hours.
I will be posting more pictures later..didn't want to make this too long.
Hope every one has a great Thursday.

3 comments:

  1. What a horrible life for those people. Couldn't imagiine living like that.

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  2. You gave a great write up here - the photos were great too - and you concealed everything that might concern some folks! tee hee! Enjoyed 'going along on the tour with you'!!!

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  3. I really learned quite a bit on your tour there. Tough life. Sandie

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Little sweet memories whispered..