The President James K. Polk State Historic Site Teacher s Packet 2008-2009 Mailing Address: PO Box 475 Pineville, NC 28134 Street Address: 12031 Lancaster Highway Pineville, NC 28134 (704) 889-7145 phone (704) 889-3057 fax Web: www.polk.nchistoricsites.org Site Contact: Courtney Rounds Email: courtney.rounds@ncmail.net
Pre- and Post-Visit Activities To ensure a fulfilling field trip for your group, please take time to make use of both the previsit activities and information provided and the post-visit activities suggested below. 1. Have the students keep a journal for a week. On one page, write about yourself, and on the next page, write as if you are James K. Polk or his sister Jane Marie. Remember to talk about food, chores and playtime. 2. Now that you know how Charlotte and Mecklenburg County were named, see if you can discover how your school got its name. How did your community, your neighborhood or even the street where you live get its name? 3. The Polk family farm was eleven miles from the small village of Charlotte. James K. Polk might have walked into town. How long would it take you to walk eleven miles? 4. Polk s family grew most of the food the family ate. They might buy a few special things. Today we can have these things any day. What is the place of origin for the following items? How would these items have arrived in Charlotte? Salt Sugar Tea and coffee Spices like cinnamon and nutmeg 5. Make a simple toy from things you find outside or around your house. 6. James Knox Polk was named after his grandfather, and his brothers and sisters were also named after relatives. Were you named after a relative or family friend? 7. Draw a picture of something you saw on your visit to the President James K. Polk State Historic Site. 8. Write a letter to the staff at the President James K. Polk State Historic Site and tell us what you liked best and least about your visit.
Special Group Activities at the James K. Polk State Historic Site To increase your group s knowledge, their understanding of the site s significance to history, and to the enjoyment of the visit, special group activities are offered by the staff of the President James K. Polk State Historic Site. Groups may request a specific activity; however, due to staffing and weather, the staff reserves the right to assign an activity for your group. Every effort will be made to accommodate your request. All special activities are in accordance with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) curriculum guidelines for thirdgrade activities and tours. Toys and Games Demonstration Groups will see and play with the types of toys that children played with during the 18 th Century. Groups will learn about the differences between children s lives over 200 years ago and today! 18 th Century School Demonstration Groups will be taught 18 th Century school lessons using slates, pencils and spelling hornbooks. Groups will see what life was like in an 18 th Century school and what James K. Polk would have learned as a student in the late 18 th Century Mecklenburg County. Scavenger Hunt Children work with a partner to answer questions about Polk s presidency. The Scavenger Hunt is museum-based and gives children an opportunity to spend more time in the exhibit.
The President James K. Polk State Historic Site 12031 Lancaster Highway, Pineville, NC 28134 Hours of Operation Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.mm Closed on Sundays & Mondays
Directions to the President James K. Polk State Historic Site Directions from Northern and Western Charlotte: Head south on US-77 and get on US-485 heading east toward Pineville. Our exit is 65-B off US-485. Once you get off the interstate, you will head south toward Pineville. This road is known as South Blvd. in Charlotte and Lancaster Highway in Pineville; it is also known as OLD US-521. Stay straight on this road until you cross the bridge over Little Sugar Creek. The entrance to the site will be about ½ mile down from the bridge on the left-hand side. You will also see the Waldhorn German restaurant just past our entrance on the left-hand side. Directions from Southern Charlotte: Head south on South Blvd. until you reach Pineville. The road then becomes Lancaster Highway. Stay straight on this road until you cross the bridge over Little Sugar Creek. The entrance to the site will be about ½ mile down from the bridge on the left-hand side. You will also see the Waldhorn German restaurant just past our entrance on the left-hand side. Directions from Eastern Charlotte: Head west on highway 51 toward Pineville. You will pass Carolina Place Mall on your lefthand side. Once you get into downtown Pineville, you will see a Rite Aid on one corner and three gas stations on the other corners. Turn left here: this is Lancaster Highway. Stay straight on this road until you cross the bridge over Little Sugar Creek. The entrance to the site will be about ½ mile down from the bridge on the left-hand side. You will also see the Waldhorn German restaurant just past our entrance on the left-hand side. Directions from South Carolina: Head north on US-77 and get on US-485 heading east toward Pineville. Our exit is 65-B off US-485. Once you get off the interstate, you will head south toward Pineville. This road is known as South Blvd. in Charlotte and Lancaster Highway in Pineville; it is also known as OLD US-521. Stay straight on this road until you cross the bridge over Little Sugar Creek. The entrance to the site will be about ½ mile down from the bridge on the left-hand side. You will also see the Waldhorn German restaurant just past our entrance on the left-hand side. Facilities at the President James K. Polk State Historic Site
Gift Shop Affordable souvenirs and books are available at the gift shop in the Visitor Center. Groups may shop at the gift shop at the end of their tour. If you would like special time set aside for this purpose, inform the person making your reservation. Picnic Area The site has a picnic area with ADA-acceptable picnic tables located behind the Visitor Center. If you would like to use these facilities, please inform the staff member when you make your reservations. Use of the picnic area for groups is free of charge. Teachers will be given trash bags and show the location of the dumpster. Please take all waste to the correct location and clean up the area when you have finished. Nature Trail The site has a nature trail that leads from behind the picnic area to the banks of Little Sugar Creek behind the site. The trail is marked for your convenience. Please stay on the trail. The trail has some steep inclines and uneven terrain; therefore, caution should be exercised. Visitor Center/Museum The site s Visitor Center and museum contain artifacts dealing with President Polk s life here in Mecklenburg County (1795-1806), the period before his presidency (1820-1840), and his presidential administration (1845-1849). The Visitor Center includes restrooms and the gift shop. Group Tours of the President James K. Polk State Historic Site
Scheduling Your Group To schedule your group, please call Courtney Rounds or Scott Warren at (704) 889-7145. Be sure to call early as dates fill up quickly for the fall and spring seasons. When you call, please have a couple of dates in mind in case your first choice is filled. Due to space constraints, a maximum of 3 classes (@ 75 students) may be scheduled in one day. If you have more than 75 students in your group, you will need to schedule two days to break up the group. You will be asked for your group name, address, number in the group, contact name and phone number, time and date. You will receive a confirmation letter in the mail at least one week before your scheduled visit. Tour Your visit to the site will include a guided tour of the reconstructed log buildings in the historic area (including house and kitchen), a self-guided tour of the museum, and a special activity. Please see the section titled Special Activities for a listing of these activities. You may request a certain activity for your group; however, the site reserves the right to change activities at any time up to the time of your arrival, depending on weather and staffing. You should allow approximately 1 ½ hours to complete the tour. Arrival Please be on time! We have blocked time on our schedule to be with your group and may have brought in volunteers or part-time staff just for you. If you are late, we may need to adjust the length of your tour. If it appears that your group will be running late, please phone the site as soon as possible. Once you arrive, the group contact person should come inside the Visitor Center to announce the group s arrival and receive instructions. Pre-Visit Planning Please provide one chaperone per every 10 to 15 students. Prepare your group about what they should expect to see and remind them that the historic area is furnished with period artifacts, some dating over 200 years. No artifacts may be touched or handled during the tour. Groups, at the guides discretion, may handle reproduction pieces. Also, please prepare them by discussing the goals of visiting a museum and expected behavior (no food, gum or drinks in the buildings or museum). The historic area is not heated or air-conditioned, so please be sure your group is dressed properly for the weather. Accessibility The museum and Visitor Center is ADA-acceptable: the historic buildings have three steps to enter them. A short walk over grassy terrain is necessary to enter the historic area from the Visitor Center. Admission Regular tours are free of charge to area schools. Special activities are $1 per child for non- CMS third-grade groups. Activities are listed in the packet.
Name: Date: Scavenger Hunt The President James K. Polk S.H.S. 1. James K. Polk was the President of the United States 2. What year was he elected president? 3. He was born in 1795, the oldest child of and Polk. 4. How many brothers and sisters did James K. Polk have? 5. When James s parents first moved to this land, they chose their home site because it was close to a stream, a good source of water. They built their home out of and, probably with the help of their family and friends. 6. Why are the cabins on large stones? (Hint: There are two answers) 7. How old was James when his family moved to Tennessee? 8. James father was a farmer, and the main crops he grew were and.
9. Inside the main cabin, what sources of light did the family have? 10. What did they use to write with? 11. The rope beds have mattresses stuffed with. What else might they have used? 12. What kind of toys did children play with 200 years ago? How are they different from your toys? 13. Why was the kitchen usually a separate building from the main cabin? 14. Name three items made of iron used to cook with in the kitchen. 15. Name two spices that were of great value to the Polk family. 16. What are some of the chores that James and his brothers and sisters might have done? 17. What was your favorite thing at the President James K. Polk State Historic Site?
The James Knox Polk Story James Knox Polk was born November 2, 1795 on a farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. His ancestors traveled down the Great Wagon Road of Philadelphia in a Conestoga wagon pulled by oxen. They settled the area near the Catawba River. As the population grew, they created a town and called it Charlotte after Queen Charlotte who was born in the Mecklenburg Province of German. James K. Polk s parents were Samuel Polk and Jane Knox. They were the children of Scots- Irish Presbyterians who came to America from Northern Ireland. James was the oldest of ten children. When James was eleven, his family moved to Tennessee. As an adult, James K. Polk became the eleventh President of the United States. He served one term as President from 1845 to 1849. During his term James achieved all four goals he promised the country. He is known as one of the hardest-working Presidents. When visiting the President James K. Polk State Historic Site, it is possible to travel back in time from the surrounding areas. The chimneys are made of hand-made bricks. In addition, the furnishings in the historic structures are all from the same period that James and his family lived here in Mecklenburg County! The kitchen would have a fire constantly burning, making it smoky. They would have eaten from red-ware dishes and cooked in a skillet and Dutch oven. A waddle fence to keep out deer, chickens, rabbits and other animals surrounded their kitchen garden. They grew vegetables like corn, beans, and carrots. Herbs were grown for seasoning food and to use as medicines. In the main house, James and his family would have played, visited, and slept. The women and girls would spin wool and cotton into yarn for clothing and blankets. The children would have played with their toys, such as dolls and Jacob s Ladder.
The other building on site is the shed. It was used as a dry storage area for crops immediately after harvesting season. The walls are not solid in order to allow air to circulate. Barns at this time were not typically used to house animals. They were left outside to graze for themselves. The barn was also used for woodworking; boys and men would create needed accessories for the kitchen and furniture for the house.