Thornton Burgess Society and Walking Tour Around Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Ages and Grades: 6 (rising 2nd grade) and 4 (Pre-K)
We had started doing Charlotte Mason homeschooling and were reading some of the Thornton Burgess books. My own grandmother was raised on Cape Cod and met Burgess when she was ten years old. She then raised her kids on Burgess' books and as a child I was passed down my mother's hardcover books. Now I was reading them aloud to my children.
I was curious about the places where Burgess lived and worked. Real places inspired the settings of his stories. As a family we attended a walking tour of Sandwich, Massachuetts given by a man in character acting as if he was really Burgess.
Truth be told my kids were too young for this tour. It was excellent and long, over three hours if I remember correctly. Little kids who love the stories are just not as interested in the history of the real man. At least I enjoyed it. My husband could have cared less and so he was happy to keep the kids busy and quiet. You have to listen to the guide for all those hours so noisy rude kids would ruin the experience for the other tourists. The happiest tourists were elderly and recalled these stories from their childhood.
We went in the little museum first then did the tour. These photos are from the tour. It started with us "finding" Thornton Burgess hanging out watching the lake and the wild creatures.
This actor was fantastic in his role. You can ask him any question. I asked about his writing process and was told that he wrote early in the morning then had the rest of the day to do whatever he wanted.
I think this is the house he was born in and raised in his early years.
Sitting and listening to lectures. You actually stand up most of the time.
The church in Sandwich where everything happened such as weddings and funerals.