Westfield students experience hands-on history at Barker cabin

By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com

Second graders from Washington Woods Elementary School have a few more items to add to their thankful list this holiday season – namely, electricity and indoor plumbing.

Students took a field trip Tuesday, Nov. 26, to learn more about the history and culture of Westfield. They visited the Barker cabin, the Westfield Washington Historical Society, the Basile Westfield Playhouse, and the Friends Cemetery, among other spots in downtown Westfield.

“We tie this into our social studies program,” WWES second-grade teacher Julia Fry said.

Fry, who has taught for 28 years, said her class used to do similar field trips, but this is the first in quite a few years.

“We heard that they updated the tour, and our curriculum also expanded to include the history of Westfield,” she said.

Jim Peyton, Westfield Washington Historical Society treasurer, said that this was the fifth school group to come through the Barker cabin this year alone. The cabin was built in 1835, restored, and opened to the public in summer 2023.

“We’ve had over 1,000 children come through here in that time,” Peyton said.

He talked to classes of students about the history of the cabin and what life would have been like for the 11 children of Nicholas and Fanny Barker. Peyton talked about the chores the students might have had if they had lived in the cabin, including gathering wood, keeping the fire going, churning butter, and taking care of farm animals.

Students got to pass around wooden implements that would have been used for cooking, watch a spark made from steel and flint, and see first-hand how tightening bed ropes led to the expression “sleep tight.”

“They had so many questions, which is good,” WWHS volunteer Sharon England said.

In addition to visiting the historical sites, students spent some time at Grand Junction Plaza playing on the playground and converging in the Cafe Pavilion to create a timeline of Westfield’s growth through the years.