Hi! My name is Kate Kirkland and I am a volunteer here at Landmark Park.
I have been volunteering since 2004 to the present day.
When I first started volunteering, I helped with the washing of the clothes. I demonstrated how people would have washed clothes during the turn of the century. I would build the fire, bring the water almost to a boil then I would put the clothes in the big, massive cast iron kettle (that is always behind the Waddell House) and put lye soap in there. To get all the “stains” out of the clothes, I would use a stick (that I used to stir with) and I would move the clothes to a wooden stump and start to beat them! One gentlemen who knew me well said that I must have been mad at my brother that day because I was beating the clothes so hard! J If the “stains” did not come out, I would put them back in the almost boiling water
In my humble opinion, I don’t know how they washed with Lye soap b/c it felt so greasy to me …..
Then after a few years, I tried my hand at the syrup tasting table. Well, I got bored really easily! I’m a people person and not very many people would come by there and I love people and want to be around them.
After the washing demonstration and the syrup tasting table, I feel like I have found my calling!! It is with playing my violin with a bunch of dulcimer players!! They so graciously allowed me to play with them. I say graciously because I am not good by any stretch of the imagination. I am not a concert violinist!! The dulcimer players have what they call a “Jam Session” every 1st Saturday of every month. I try to go when I can! The session is for non-experienced or experienced dulcimer players (or in my case, violin players)!!
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