Today, there just so happened to be a group of eleven or so kids here from the Madison and Appleton areas doing a little apprentice work the old fashioned way. I was told by the blacksmith on site that the kids would learn how to farm as people would have at the turn of the twentieth century. They were also in the midst of hammering out some tools when I stopped by to get the scoop.
The other half of the group was immersed in making footstools, and I was later told that the kids would be here for the rest of the week camping near Nelson Dewey's home, while learning a few survival skills like building fires and how to filter stream water to make it drinkable.
Later in the day while I was cruising the boardwalk, I decided to check out the print shop to see what Dennis, a talented printer, had going on. It was the first time that I had seen the shop bright and actually in use. Dennis and I chatted a bit about how he would be on site through Thursday, before he showed me what he wanted to accomplish this day. He of course needed to clean out the equipment, which is what he was doing when I walked in on him, then he needed to tighten up the machines to get them performing as best as they could.
He then began to practice printing and told me about a sign he was going to make to replace another in the shop that had been ruined by age.
It was truly fascinating to hear where his work in newspapers began and how he joked about printers today not being able to work such equipment that he so comfortably used right in front of me. This was definitely not what I expected Stonefield to offer the public. I figured such antiques or artifacts to be kept locked up behind a velvet rope to ensure preservation, but it was refreshing to see these objects in action. I couldn't think of a better way to enjoy them.
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