Visitors to Historic Collinsville Pioneer Settlement will have an opportunity to learn even more about mid-19th Century history and life during their time at the rural attraction.
Historic Collinsville Directors Kristy Proctor and Mark Britton are presenting a weekly focus, emphasizing a different historical topic, along with monthly special events.
April and May Weekly Focus schedule
- April 14-16: Easter 1800s style. Activities include help-yourself games like a lucky foot race, an 1870s-style Easter Egg Roll and more. Historic Collinsville is closed on Easter Sunday.
- April 22-24: 19th Century Conservation and Preservation. Visitors will learn about 19th-century actions and ideas that impacted the Earth and the future of the planet.
- April 28-May 1: Time Travel Through the Trees. Guests will learn how to identify significant weather and historic issues by looking at tree rings. They’ll also connect history to the present-day by discovering where else in the community they can locate specific trees.
- May 5-7: Motherhood in the 1800s. Learn about Motherhood in the 19th Century and the connection to Mother's Day as a holiday. Historic Collinsville is closed on Sunday, May 8.
- May 12-15: The Spring Season During the 19th Century. Learn about plants and planting techniques during the 1800s.
- May 19-22: News of the World. Discover the ways pioneers received the news in the 19th century (Saturday, May 21 is Historic Collinsville’s Anniversary Celebration with special event admission pricing.)
- May 26-29 Memorial Day Celebration. Activities will honor those who sacrificed their lives while serving in the military. Sunday, May 29 is free admission for individuals with a military ID and their accompanying families.
Details about each weekly focus will be posted to the Historic Collinsville Facebook page, website, as well as local media at the beginning of each month.
“There are so many opportunities to enhance the educational experience at Historic Collinsville,” said Visit Clarksville Executive Director Theresa Harrington. “For those with a general interest in the period, or a specific interest in a featured topic, we hope to give everyone a reason to come visit at some point.”
Anniversary Celebration May 21
On Saturday, May 21, Historic Collinsville will hold an Anniversary Celebration. This living history special event allows visitors to experience and learn about local men returning home from the Civil War with reenactors, life skills of the period with blacksmithing, spinning wool into yarn, dipping candles, cooking on the hearth, handwriting, plus 19th-century medicine exhibits and demonstrations. Docents will be in several of the buildings to point out specific furnishings and answer questions. Self-guided games will be scattered throughout the property like sack races, checkers, horseshoes, croquet and more. Live period music will be provided throughout the day by The Traveling Caudell’s who specialize in 18th and 19th century period music.
Special event admission for the Anniversary Event is $10 for ages 13 and up, instead of $8.00, and $5 for ages 6-12, instead of $4.00.
Historic Collinsville Pioneer Settlement is open Thursday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; and Sundays 1- 4 p.m. through October, except for holidays. Regular admission is $8 for ages 13 and up; $4 for ages 6-12 and free to children under age 6. Military receive a 10% discount with a valid ID. Butter making is $1 per person. Special event admission varies. The property is open other days and times for groups of six or more guided tours, rentals, weddings, or special events.
About Historic Collinsville
Historic Collinsville Pioneer Settlement opened in 1974 to give children a “hands-on” experience outside of the classroom about life from the 1840s through the turn of the century. It has been open to the public since 1997, recreating the past with restored historical structures, each filled with authentic period furnishings that show a glimpse of life before and after the Civil War. The property is located at 4711 Weakley Road in Southside, 20 minutes south of downtown Clarksville. Montgomery County Government purchased Historic Collinsville from founders Glenn and JoAnn Weakley in 2018. The property is managed and marketed by Visit Clarksville.
Visiting Collinsville gives guests the opportunity for a self-paced, self-guided stroll through a re-creation of the past with an audio tour. The 40-acre, open-air property showcases pioneer life from 1840-1900 with 16 authentically furnished buildings. See the earliest “first home” to the expansive Dogtrot House, a tobacco-drying house, smokehouse, church/schoolhouse, wildlife center, loom house, cobbler’s shop, teacher’s home and more. Picnic tables are placed throughout the property and a covered pavilion with tables and restrooms is also on site. A visitor center greets guests and offers period souvenirs.
For more information about Historic Collinsville please visit http://www.historiccollinsville.com and follow them on Facebook.
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