Students step back in time at Stagecoach Inn's schoolhouse

STEPHANIE BERTHOLDO/Acorn NewspaperPIONEER STUDENTS- Fourth-graders Hannah Balke, left, and Ashley Stephens take a lessoinside a replica of the first schoolhouse in Newbury Park at Stagecoach Inn Museum. Two fourth-grade classes from Brookside Elementary School in Oak Park stepped back in time on June 4 when they paid a visit to the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park, a Montereystyle home that includes 19th century period furniture and personal items passed down from the Conejo Valley's founding families.

Native American artifacts spanning 10,000 years are on display at the museum. One portion of the property depicts the early lives of the native Chumash Indians along with Spanish, Mexican and American settlers who arrived later.

Every Wednesday, docents put on authentic pioneer garb and guide children around the expansive grounds to provide a glimpse into pioneer life.

When they arrived, the Brookside fourth-graders were given new names, such as Jeb, Nellie and Bessie, monikers common to settlers in the Old West.

The children visited just a portion of the grounds, including a replica of the pioneer home built in 1874 by Egbert Starr Newbury and a reproduction of the Timber School, the first oneroom schoolhouse in Newbury Park, which was built in 1889.

The garage at the inn houses an authentic horse carriage as well as a replica from a movie set. At the farrier's, or horseshoer's, work area, a docent gave children a history lesson on the Morgan horse and explained how much care was necessary to keep work horses healthy.

Games and toys of the day fascinated the students. They whooped it up with wooden top battles and conducted impromptu races with wooden hoops powered by a flick of a stick. Girls and boys jumped rope; created music with thimbles, washboards and spoons; participated in beanbag toss games; and made a wooden puppet dance on a paddle. The youngsters even learned some basic square dance moves and do-si-doed and allemanded right and left in front of the schoolhouse.

Sean Mogavero, a fourthgrader in Paula Stromquist's class at Brookside, said he enjoyed playing the old-fashioned games at the museum, especially the wooden hoops.

The field trip wasn't all fun and games, although most of the children enjoyed panning for gold on the property. At the threeroom pioneer house, docents doled out chores. Girls, who were fitted with the customary aprons, shook out sheets while boys gathered wood. They each had a turn beating the dirt off rugs, and even helped prepare biscuits for a midmorning snack.

The Timber School is furnished with antique school desks, a potbellied stove and other authentic furnishings. The 130-year-old desks are filled with McDuffie readers, slates and chalk. A docent played the part of the teacher and taught children reading, writing and arithmetic.

"I think the school program is one of the best things we do," said docent Tony Ennis. "It's simple and natural, and they have so much fun learning history."

Stromquist has been taking her class on the Stagecoach Inn field trip for 16 years.

"History can be dry, but it comes alive for kids when they get to do experiences like this," Stromquist said. "We tie in the books 'Pioneers Go West' and 'By the Great Horn Spoon' with the (field trip). They find out what it was like in the pioneer and gold rush days."

Children were shocked to hear about 19th century customs regarding corporal punishment. For indiscretions such as lying or teasing, children were beaten with belts and generally got whipped again when they returned home and their parents learned about their schoolhouse escapades.

Roman Colao, a student in Maryann Johnson's fourthgrade class, said his favorite part of the trip was panning for gold. Even though pioneer children weren't assigned homework, Roman said he wouldn't want to go back in time. "They were a lot more strict," he said. "I wouldn't really want to go to school there- I'd rather be at Brookside."

Jackie Pizitz, a curator who's been handling education programs at the Stagecoach Inn Museum for 25 years, said the volunteer docents find their jobs rewarding.

"Children are mesmerized," Pizitz said. "Watching their faces is just a delight."

The museum could always put more volunteers on the roster, she said. "It takes 25 to 30 people to put on the (school) program. We're booked two years in advance and only allow field trips on Wednesdays."

Pizitz hopes to attract more volunteers to the educational program so field trips could be increased to twice per week.

The museum's main building is open Wednesday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The entire complex is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

For more information on volunteering at the museum, call Pizitz at (805) 498-9441.