at the Riverside Farnsley-Moremen Landing
7410 Moorman Road, Louisville, KY 40272
Grades: All

Building Blocks is a unique, hands-on history experience. This award-winning field trip gives students the opportunity to spend the entire school day at Riverside. While on site, they take part in three activities: they tour the historic Farnsley-Moremen House; they participate in an on-going archaeological excavation under the supervision of professional archaeologists; and they make their own "artifact" of their experience--a small, hand-made brick. Pre-visit activities are also available and encouraged.

House Tour: Students tour the Farnsley-Moremen House (built circa 1837) and reconstructed detached kitchen building. Guides focus on the story of historic farm life on the Ohio River.

Archaeology: Current archaeological research at Riverside is focused on learning about long-lost outbuildings that were once part of the agricultural landscape. In the past few years, excavations have taken place at the detached kitchen site, the slave house (later tenant house site), the wash house site and the barn site. Archaeologists from the Kentucky Archaeological Survey (KAS) introduce students to basic archaeology concepts and methodology during this activity. Students get the opportunity to take a trowel in hand and dig under the supervision of an archaeologist. They will also screen and wash artifacts.

Brick making: Students will make their own personal "artifact" of their experience by using quick-drying clay to mold a small-scale, hand-made brick. During the restoration of the house, a brick with Gabriel Farnsley's signature was found in the cornice. Each student is encouraged to mark their brick with their name or a message just as Gabriel Farnsley did. Students take home their bricks at the end of the day.

This field trip lasts from 10am to 1pm with lunch from 11:45am - 12:15pm. Please pack a lunch for your family!

Date: Friday, May 19, 2017
Time: 9:50am
Ticket price: $8 for Students, $6 for Adults
Non-participating children 3 & under are Free
Reservation/Cancellation Deadline: 4/14/17



We need 2 point persons before we accept reservations to this event. If you would like to volunteer to be point person, fill out the reservation form below and select "yes" for point person. If you reserve before we have 2 point persons, your reservation will be deleted.
To Register, please fill out this form. Payment is due within 3 days of submitting your reservation request. This field trip is capped at 120 seats. Anyone submitting a reservation beyond the 120 seats will be added to the waiting list.
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