CURRENT HOURS: CLOSED FOR GENERAL SEASON; OPEN MAY 1, 2019
Want to know more about a something you saw at Living History Farms, interested in learning a new skill, or just want to have fun with friends or family? Then sign up for one of our Historic Skills Classes!
You will work in small groups to learn more about a specific skill or trade that was common in the 19th century, from baking to blacksmithing. And with a small class size, you are guaranteed lots of individualized instruction and plenty of opportunity to participate.
Registration InformationLife is busy for everyone! Don’t have time for a three hour learning adventure but still want to explore a historic craft or cooking skill? Join us for a Walnut Hill Signature Sampler!
These 75 minute experiences target one specific project and provide a fun sample of the tastes, talents, and atmosphere found in our historic kitchens and craft shops. Not as intense as our longer classes, these samplers allow participants to dip their toes in the Living History pool!
These are classes are offered at $30/person and are for adults ages 18 and up.
Date
|
Time |
Subject |
Location |
| Tuesday, October 9 | 6:15-7:30pm | Scones and Tea | Tangen Home |
| Tuesday, October 16 | 6:15-7:30pm | Apple Doughnuts and Cider | Tangen Home |
| Saturday, October 20 | 1:15-2:30pm | Forging an S-hook | Blacksmith |
| Saturday, October 27 | 1:15-2:30pm | General Store Food Sampler | General Store |
| Tuesday, October 30 | 6:15-7:30pm | Pumpkin Tarts and Cider | Tangen Home |
| Saturday, November 30 | 10:45am-noon | Sewing a Fancy Millinery Bow | Millinery |
| Tuesday, November 6 | 6:15-7:30pm | Molasses-Ginger Cookies and Coffee | Tangen Home |
| Saturday, November 10 | 10:45am-noon | Calling Card Printing | Print Shop |
| Tuesday, November 27 | 6:15-7:30pm | Victorian Pampering Kit | Drug Store |
| Tuesday, December 4 | 6:15-7:30pm | Norwegian Pastry and Glogg | Tangen Home |
| Tuesday, December 11 | 6:15-7:30pm | Cupcakes and Hot Chocolate | Tangen Home |
Jump to the Signature Samper Class Descriptions
These classes are for adults ages 18 and up.
Date |
Time |
Subject |
Location |
| Saturday, October 20 | 9:00am-noon | SOLD OUT – Blacksmithing Basics | Blacksmith |
| Saturday, October 27 | 8:30am-1:00pm | Basics of Hearth Cooking | 1850 Farm |
| Saturday, October 27 | 9:00am-noon | SOLD OUT – Basics of Woodstove Cooking | Tangen Home |
| Saturday, November 3 | 8:30-11:30am | SOLD OUT – 19th Century Breadbaking | Tangen Home |
| Saturday, November 3 | 9:00am-noon | Blacksmithing Basics | Blacksmith |
| Saturday, November 3 | 1-4pm | Blacksmithing: Females at the Forge | Blacksmith |
| Saturday, November 3 | 1:30-3:30pm | Basic Victorian Hat Trims | Millinery |
| Thursday, November 8 | 6-8pm | Victorian Dinner Holiday Tablescaping | Flynn Mansion |
| Saturday, November 10 | 9:00am-noon | Comfort Foods | Tangen Home |
| Saturday, November 10 | 9:00am-noon | Blacksmithing: Camp Tripod | Blacksmith |
| Saturday, November 10 | 1-4pm | Blacksmithing: Items for the Home | Blacksmith |
| Tuesday, November 20 | 6-8:30pm | Pies and Pastries | Tangen Home |
| Tuesday, December 18 | 6-8:30pm | Christmas Cake and Trifles | Tangen Home |
Jump to the Adult Class Descriptions
These classes are for pairs of adults and children (age 7-11) or pairs of adults and teens (age 12-17).
Date |
Time |
Subject |
Location |
| Saturday, October 20 | 9:00am-noon | SOLD OUT – Woodstove Cooking with Kids | Tangen Home |
| Saturday, October 27 | 9:00am-noon | SOLD OUT – Blacksmithing Basics with Teens | Blacksmith |
| Saturday, November 10 | 1:00-4:00pm | Holiday Card Printing with Teens | Print Shop |
| Saturday, December 15 | 6:00-8:30pm | Woodstove Cookie Baking with Kids | Tangen Home |
Jump to the Family Class Descriptions
Scones and TeaMix, roll out and bake a traditional tea scone. Pair it with fruit jam and a steaming cup of tea.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Apple Cider Doughnuts and Mulled CiderVictorians loved doughnuts and apple-cider doughnuts are some of our favorites. Mix and fry a doughnut to munch on with hot spiced cider.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Apple Cider Doughnuts and Mulled Cider
Forging an S-HookGet up close to the forge with our town blacksmith as you pound and bend hot metal into a useful household hook. Dress for working in a metal shop heated by a woodstove. Bring eye protection and a water bottle.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Forging an S-Hook
General Store Food SamplerSpend a hour tasting some of the food stuffs that you might have found in an 1870s General Store, from dill pickles, hard cheese, and soda crackers to rock candy, horehound drops, and sarsaparilla. Explore the tools, trinkets, and toys on the shelves, and mail a postcard at the post office cage on your way out.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for General Store Food Sampler
Pumpkin Tarts and Hot CiderRoll out a pie crust for this quintessential fall treat. Whip sweet cream for the top while it bakes in the woodstove and then enjoy the fruits of your labor along with a mug of hot cider.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Pumpkin Tarts and Hot Cider
Fancy Millinery BowsLearn to make fancy ribbon bows for embellishing clothing and packages, just as hat trimmers did in the 19th century. Explore the millinery cases fill with ribbons, beads, and buttons for inspiration. No sewing experience required.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Fancy Millinery Bows
Molasses-Ginger Cookies and CoffeeMolasses and ginger spice were more popular that cocoa and vanilla in the 19th century, Rediscover these flavors as you bake cookies in the woodstove, and then enjoy them along with a mug of steaming coffee.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Molasses-Ginger Cookies and Coffee
Calling Card PrintingBefore texting and voicemail messages, every gentleman and lady carried a calling card to offer their new acquaintances. Hand-set the type for your name and print a set of cards of your own. A great introduction to moveable type printing.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Calling Card Printing
Victorian Pampering KitExplore the Schaffer Drug Store and the beauty product offered to Victorian Iowans. Mix a cologne or perfume and pack a beaut bag to take home.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Victorian Pampering Kit
Norwegian Pastry and GloggMix and bake sandbakkelse, a favorite Norwegian holiday treat, in our wood-burning stove. Discover the traditional Scandinavian spice blend for Holiday Glogg.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Norwegian Pastry and Glogg
Cupcakes and Hot ChocolateIn 1875, cupcake batters were measured using tea cups, and could even be baked in one. Enjoy a traditional cup cake recipe along with a cup of homemade hot chocolate warmed on the woodstove.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Cupcakes and Hot Chocolate
Blacksmithing BasicsThis class is designed to give someone with little or no metal working skills a hands-on, fun “be a blacksmith for a day” experience. Explore the basics of forge work in a blacksmith shop while making a decorative iron project to take home. Topics will include safety, tools and equipment, and beginning techniques for shaping metal. Small class size guarantees lots of one-on-one instruction and lots of time at the forge! Dress for working in a shop with a dirt floor and the weather (shop is heated by wood-burning stove only!). Bring heavy work gloves, eye protection, and a water bottle.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Blacksmithing Basics
Basics of Hearth CookingLearn the basics of hearth cooking, while exploring how new settlers in Iowa produced, prepared, and preserved food. Participants will use 1850s era recipes to make their lunch. While your meal is cooking, tour the 1850 Pioneer Farm. After eating their meal and cleaning up, everyone will go home with copies of recipes, and information on how to care for their cast iron cooking utensils. Dress for being on a farm, and for cooking! Part of the class will be outside while you tour the farm. Bring a water bottle, apron, and containers to take home leftovers. Note: You will be eating your meal around 12:30, so plan accordingly.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Basics of Hearth Cooking
Basics of Woodstove Cooking – SOLD OUTDo you have a wood-burning stove at home that you’d like to cook on, but have no prior knowledge of how to do it? Do you want to try cooking like you great-grandparents? Roll up your sleeves and make beef stew, a vegetable side dish, bread, and a cake. Participants will learn the design of the woodstove and how to properly use it. After the meal is prepared, sit down to enjoy the food and ask last minute questions. You’ll get recipes to take home and try. Bring a water bottle, apron, and containers to take home leftovers.
Registration for this class is sold out. Please call (515)278-5286 to be placed on a wait list.
19th Century Breadbaking – SOLD OUTDo you need a refresher course on making bread from scratch? Would you like to try baking in a wood-burning stove? Join us to try your hand at making biscuits, yeast bread, and cinnamon rolls in an 1875-era farm kitchen while learning the history of bread making. Afterwards, sit around the table and enjoy your creations while you learn more about the house and the type of family that would have lived there. Bring a water bottle, apron, and containers to take home leftovers.
Registration for this class is sold out. Please call (515)278-5286 to be placed on a wait list.
Blacksmithing: Females at the ForgeNever been in a blacksmith shop? No problem! Explore the basic techniques and tools used to do blacksmithing, as you make decorative items for use in your home. Topics will include safety, tools and equipment, and beginning techniques for working with metal around a forge. Small class size guarantees lots of one-on-one instruction and lots of time at the forge. Dress for working in a shop with a dirt floor and for the weather (shop is heated by a wood-burning stove only). Bring heavy work gloves, eye protection, and a water bottle.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Blacksmithing: Females at the Forge
Hat makers in the 19th and 20th century created flowers, cockades, and other trims in their shops for adorning fancy hats and clothing. Join LHF staff milliners for an evening of trims! Participants will have a chance to explore the millinery shop and sit down to make several trim pieces out of ribbon, buttons, scrap fabric and beads to take home. Your finished trims can be used to make brooches or applied to clothing or hats at home. Bring scissors, a thimble, and a water bottle.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Basic Victorian Hat Trims
Victorian Holiday TablescapingWhat is tablescaping? It’s setting your table for a fancy feast! Visit the Flynn Mansion at Living Hsitory Farms for a peek at elegant Victorian dining traditions and learn simple ways to incorporate them on your modern table. Activities will include setting the table with a mix of cutlery, layering dishes for best effects, artistically folding napkins, creating pretty place cards and using greenery and fruit for a historic center table piece setting. Note: no food will be served during this class. Bring a water bottle. This is a great class for a pair of friends to sign up together, as you will be working in pairs.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Victorian Holiday Tablescaping
Blacksmithing: Make a Camp TripodStudents will get a good work out as they learn about historic blacksmithing techniques. Participants will forge a large camp tripod that doubles as a rotisserie or decorative plant hanger for your yard (retail value over $50.00!). The finished project will stand between 5 and 6 feet tall, and is based on a Civil War era design, great for those who camp or do reenacting. Students will learn important blacksmithing skills such as drawing out metal, making eye bolts, and advanced forging techniques. Small class size guarantees lots of one-on-one instruction and lots of time at the forge! Dress for working in a shop with a dirt floor, and for the weather (shop is heated by wood-burning stove only). Bring heavy work gloves, eye protection, and a water bottle. Helpful if you have taken our Blacksmithing Basics class prior to this class.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Blacksmithing: Make a Camp Tripod
Blacksmithing: Items for the HomeStudents will have the opportunity to make at least 2 of the following decorative projects for the home: candleholders, napkin rings, hooks, decorative metal paper towel holder, a letter opener, or suggest a project when you register. Special treat – learn how to make leaves out of metal! Small class size guarantees lots of one-on-one instruction and lots of time at the forge! Dress for working in a shop with a dirt floor, and for the weather (shop is heated by wood-burning stove only). Bring heavy work gloves, eye protection, and a water bottle. Helpful if you have taken our Blacksmithing Basics class prior to this class.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Blacksmithing: Items for the Home
Classic Comfort FoodsJoin Living History Farms staff for some “stick to your ribs” comfort food and a cup of fresh coffee. Students will learn the art of making homemade noodles and other quick comfort items at the Victorian Tangen Home. Student creations will be cooked or baked on a woodstove in the 1875 period kitchen. Towards the end of class, everyone will sit down to enjoy their culinary projects. Recipes will be provided for you to try at home. Bring an apron, water bottle, and containers to take home any leftovers.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Classic Comfort Foods
Pies and PastriesNothing smells better than fresh baked pies and pastries coming from the oven! Using recipes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, make pies and pastries by hand, and bake them in the wood-fired oven at the 1875-era house at Living History Farms. As you work, learn how to adapt a historic recipe for use in today’s kitchens. Then, towards the end of class, sit down to enjoy the creations you made, while learning more about adapting old recipes to the modern kitchen. Bring an apron, water bottle, and containers to take home any leftovers.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Pies and Pastries
Christmas Cakes and Victorian TriflesJoin Living History Farms staff for a sweet look at Victorian treats. Bake a gingerbread cake “from scratch” and make a fruit cake actually worth eating! Consider a fruit or icing topping. Mix up a heavenly whipped cream. Then build a Victorian Trifle in a parfait glass to take home! Holiday cakes and preserved fruits abound! Enjoy your creations towards the end of class as you learn more about Victorian traditions around the holidays. Bring an apron, water bottle, and containers to take home any leftovers.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Christmas Cakes and Victorian Trifles
Woodstove Cooking with Kids – SOLD OUTExplore the Victorian kitchen, while instilling a love of cooking in your kids! Learn how to read a recipe, measure and mix ingredients, and roll out dough the old-fashioned way. This basic woodstove cooking class is designed to get kids and parents or grandparents busy in the kitchen together. Prepare a kid friendly chicken dish, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, and a sweet treat for dessert – all from scratch. Then sit down and enjoy your creations. Bring aprons, water bottles, and containers to take home any leftovers. And, yes, you will get recipes to take home and try. Note: You will be eating around 11:30am, so plan accordingly. All costs of materials are included in the cost of the class.
Registration for this class is sold out. Please call (515)278-5286 to be placed on a wait list.
Basic Blacksmithing with Teens – SOLD OUTThis class will allow a parent or grandparent to work with a teen as they learn historic blacksmithing techniques in a historic setting. Everyone will get to make several small, hands-on projects, such as small dinner triangles, hooks, and so on, while learning about proper safety in a workshop environment. Dress for working in a shop with a dirt floor, and for the weather (shop is heated by a wood-burning stive only). Bring work gloves, eye protection, and water bottles.
Registration for this class is sold out. Please call (515)278-5286 to be placed on a wait list.
Holiday Card Letterpress Printing with TeensGet up close and hands on with the big printing machinery in the 1875 Advocate Newspaper Print Shop at Living History Farms! Choose from several historic designs and then print a set of holiday cards. Hand set your own personal greeting for inside. Projects will be created using historic moveable type and printed on 19th century hand-powered proof and jobbing presses. Dress for an inky, artistic environment and prepare to get your hands dirty!
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Holiday Card Letterpress Printing with Teens
Woodstove Cookie Baking with KidsWhat is better than the smell of fresh cookies from the oven? Making them with your child! In this class, parent and child will work together to make a variety of cookies using recipes from the 19th century. After mixing up the cookie dough, bake them in a wood-burning oven. And then, when they have come from the oven, everyone gets to taste how good they are. And, yes, you will get recipes to take home and try. Bring aprons, water bottles, and containers to take home any leftovers.
Member registration for these classes opens September 4 at 10am. Registration opens for the general public on September 11 at 10am.
Register for Woodstove Cookie Baking with Kids