Keep your pioneer learning going, even if you can't make it to the Village. Use our lessons and activity resources to explore the frontier from the comfort of your home!
Frontier 101
Learn more about life on the frontier, listen to historic music, and try your hand at 19th-century crafts with this video series starring our historical interpreters.
Ask A Pioneer
You asked and we answered! When our visitors submitted their questions about life on the Texas frontier, our historical interpreters had answers ready to go! Submit your own question to us on any of our social media channels. #AskAPioneer
Virtual Village
Visit some of our cabins virtually! Click on the photographs to get a 360-degree view of each cabin. As you explore, think about what life may have been like for our ancestors who lived in these homes. Our historical interpreters look forward to sharing even more history with you when you join us at the Village!
Blacksmith Shop
The Blacksmith Shop was built on-site in the 1980s to represent a typical forge found on the Texas frontier. Our historical interpreters use the space to demonstrate blacksmithing and the craftsmanship required to create the ironwork needed by our pioneer ancestors.
Foster House Parlor
The Foster House is an “I” home with square notching built by enslaved workers around 1853. Originally, the first floor consisted of an entrance hall, a parlor, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a dining area. A narrow stairway led to the second story with three more bedrooms. Today the home serves as the entrance to the Village. The parlor is decorated to show Victorian tastes in interior design.
Howard Cabin
The Howard Cabin is a two-story single-pen house built in the 1860s. The original chimney provided a fireplace both upstairs and downstairs. Today, our talented historical interpreters use the cabin to show off the skills of 19th century woodworkers.
Marine Schoolhouse
The Marine School is an example of a typical one-room schoolhouse built in the 1870s. This building was originally located in what is now Fort Worth’s Northside neighborhood. The Schoolhouse still serves as a space to inspire a love of learning for all ages!
Parker Cabin
The Parker Cabin is a double-pen dogtrot home built in sometime in the 1840s-1850s. A dogtrot is a breezeway that separates two log rooms to allow for cooling breezes to flow through the house in the summer. The Parker Cabin has ties to several big names in Texas history including Isaac Parker, his niece Cynthia Ann Parker, and Amon G. Carter. Learn more when you stop by and visit with our historical interpreters!
Seela Cabin
The Seela Cabin is a single-pen cabin built in the 1860s. Isaac Seela built the home after consulting with local Caddo tribe members to avoid having the home washed away by the high waters of the Brazos River during a flood. The Seela cabin now serves as the Village’s hands-on cabin where all our visitors are invited to try their hand at pioneer chores and pastimes!
Shaw Cabin and Gristmill
The Shaw Cabin and Gristmill is a single-pen cabin built around 1854. Throughout its lifetime it’s been many things: a home, bunkhouse, and storage barn with livestock sheds. At the Village, our historical interpreters use the Shaw Cabin to demonstrate the work and importance of gristmills on the Texas frontier.