“I regard it as a great error to require a child to study what his mind is not capable of appreciating. The tendency is to diminish his fondness for study; to give him a vague way of thinking, since he is not accustomed to see the precise point; and by overtasking the mind, his health both of body and mind are endangered.”

—Letter from Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson to his sister regarding the education of her son.
October 23,1858.

EDUCATION

EDUCATIONAL TOURS LESSON PLANS
JUST FOR KIDS

Educational Tours

To schedule a tour for your classroom, please call 540.464.7704 or email Grace Abele. Student admission for group tours on weekdays is $3.00, and accompanying adults are $7.00. Please see our Group Tours page for more information.

 

Domestic Life in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

Students will have the chance to discover the differences between the past and the present by exploring the lifestyle and home of a small, urban, middle class family living in the Shenandoah Valley in the 1850s.

Interactive Tour of the Stonewall Jackson House

This tour is designed to give students an understanding of what it was like to live and work in the middle of the nineteenth century, and allows them the opportunity to discover the difference between the past and the present. Students become active participants while at the house, performing chores, practicing period etiquette, and trying on period style clothing. Focusing on Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his life in Lexington, the tour emphasizes his struggle to obtain an education, his job as a professor at the Virginia Military Institute, his health habits, and the self-discipline and determination that made him a model citizen and a successful general. This tour may be adapted for older or younger students. Please ask us about it while scheduling.

Stonewall Jackson in Lexington

This tour is an overview of the life of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. It focuses on the factors that contributed to his development from a respected—but ordinary—citizen to a famous Confederate General. Students will get an opportunity to visit five period rooms as they learn about the life of this determined and dedicated man.