MARS HILL UNIVERSITY
RURAL LIFE MUSEUM
SCAVENGER HUNT
During your visit to the museum today you will see
objects that tell us about how people used to spin
fiber, weave cloth and sing songs. Find these
pictures or objects. You can write some of your
answers on this paper.
This big object is located just inside
the front door. It is called a L__ __ __.
What does it help us do?
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
This lady’s name was Frances Goodrich.
Can you find her picture? Over a hundred
years ago she helped the people living here
in Madison County learn to weave pretty
bed coverings and then sell them. Can you
find a picture of the wagon she used to take
the weavings to market?
See if you can find this object in the Museum.
What is it?
____________________________
What is it used for?
____________________________
These are called shuttles.
Colored thread is wound
inside or around them. They
were used, along with a
loom, to weave cloth. Can
you find the shuttles in the
Museum?
Try to find this object in the
Museum. It is used to help wind
yarn.
It is called a __________________.
What song is associated with it?
____________________________
____________________________
Can you sing that song?
This is called a Coverlet. Can
you find it hanging in the
Museum? It was woven on a
loom about 90 years ago.
A long time ago, coverlets were
used to cover a bed during the
day, just like we use bedspreads
today. There is another coverlet
hanging in the Museum.
Can you find that coverlet too?
This is a picture of the seeds from an Alder tree. Can
you find this picture in the Museum?
Many plants, leaves, and seeds have
been used to make “natural” dyes.
These dyes were used to color wool,
cotton, and flax threads. The threads
were put into a pot of boiling water
with the plants to dye (color) the
threads.
What color do wool threads turn
when dyed with Alder seeds?
____________________________________________________
What color do cotton threads turn when dyed with
Alder seeds? ______________________________
Many people who live in Madison County learned to
sing songs called “English Ballads”. Their great-greatgreat grandparents, who moved here from England,
passed them down to them.
This man, Cecil Sharp, came
from England to listen to the
people in Madison County sing
these very old Ballads. He wrote
them down into a book. Can you
find his picture?
A hundred years ago women
would sing these Ballads while
they were at the loom weaving.
This is a Flax plant. It grows
kind of like tall grass in a field.
Flax can be turned into fibers
when it is dry, by combing it
with Flax Heckles. Can you
find Flax Heckles in the
Museum?
After combing, the flax is spun
on a spinning wheel to make
thread for weaving. There is
only one kind of spinning wheel in the Museum that
can be used to spin Flax fibers. Can you find it?