ESCANABA — The Delta County Historical Society (DCHS) is preparing to host its first History Summer Camp at the Sandpoint Lighthouse and Museum on Thursday, July 21. This one-day camp plans to walk area youth, ages 7 to 10, through a day in the life of children in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This immersive, hands-on event will involve demonstrations and explanations of the chores, meals, and games that were prominent during earlier times.

“[DCHS] just wants to keep our history alive in Delta County,” Ellie O’Donnell, member of the DCHS board, said. “We are trying to build an awareness in children that life as they see it today hasn’t always been that way, particularly for children.”

The History Summer Camp is coming off of a three year delay, the event original scheduled to be held in the summer of 2019. Unfortunately, the camp was unable to gather enough participants to launch that year. When 2020 came around, DCHS board members considered giving the camp another go, but the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down.

But with pandemic protocols and safety measures relaxed, board members are eager to finally get the ball rolling this summer.

“Kids positively respond to this kind of hands-on learning,” O’Donnell said. “Hopefully they will come away with an interest in history and learning more.”

Campers will begin their day at 9 a.m. with a ceremonial flag raising outside the Sandpoint Lighthouse. This practice, which is followed by a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, was common practice over 100 years ago. Participants will then be split into two groups, taking turns touring the historic lighthouse and the accompanying museum. These tours are meant to be engaging, with campers asking questions about the different rooms of the lighthouse and the living habits of those who used to occupy the space.

“We will do a lot of comparing and contrasting when we take them on a tour of the lighthouse,” O’Donnell said. “We will ask them, ‘What do you think this room was called’ or ‘How is it different from your room at home.'”

Sticking to their hands-on theme, campers will be engaging in a series of chores that an average child would have been assigned many years ago. Along with stacking wood and hauling buckets of water, DCHS also has a set of rug beaters for the campers to test out on dirty rugs hanging on a clothes line.

The kids will enjoy an old-fashioned lunch after their hard work. Their antique lunch boxes, which is provided to the students, will include products that were commonly harvested over a century ago. From apples to green beans, and homemade bread with honey or butter, campers will learn how to wash their cloth napkin and silverware once they finish eating.

“[The campers] will wash their napkins on a scrub board and then hang it on a line to dry,” O’Donnell said.

Outside of the chores, the History Summer Camp will also introduce campers to the wide variety of games that used to keep children preoccupied during their free time. Of these games, the children will be playing “graces,” which is one of the first outdoor games that women were allowed to play. Originating in France, graces is played between partners, each of whom have two dowels. The dowels are used to toss a hoop with ribbons back and forth, and the first person to catch the hoop 10 times wins.

“I made two dozen sets of the hoops and ribbons so the kids will be able to play with that,” O’Donnell said. “We have a lot of old toys that the kids will be able to play with.”

Along with graces, campers will be playing marbles and “ball and cup.” The campers will be tasked with building their own ball and cup game, which they can take home with them at the end of camp.

“The games will help show the kids that there were no digital appliances,” O’Donnell said. “Children don’t know what a hanky is, they don’t know what a dial phone is, they don’t know what a typewriter is. We want to help them start thinking about the past.”

Along with building an awareness of local history, members of DCHS are hoping to provide an alternative summer program to children who may not be interested in sports or other physical activities. Hoping to inspire the next generation of history buffs, the camp’s hand-on approach will help engage campers in the historical content that is being shared.

O’Donnell knows the success of a hands-on approach in education thanks to her 37 years of teaching experience.

“I did something similar with my students when I was still teaching, so I know that kids respond to the hands-on thing,” O’Donnell said. “[DCHS] has wanted to give children in the community an alternative to a sports camp”

The History Day Camp will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 21. Preregistration is required for those interested in participating, and registration will be limited to 24 campers. Those who wish to partake in the event can obtain a registration form at the DCHS Museum from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call Ellie O’Donnell at 906-789-9034.

“This camp is about trying to bring some of our history back to life and having these children start thinking about things,” O’Donnell said. “We learn from our past, hopefully positively, and we just want to keep our history alive.”