Tallahassee’s Princess?
- Belleview– The Home of Princess Catherine Murat
Have you ever heard about Tallahassee’s Princess? I hadn’t… until Monday. Evidentially she’s quite the historic celebrity in North Central Florida. Princess Catherine Murat was the great grand-niece of George Washington. She married Prince Archille Murat of France, a nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte. When Bonaparte declared himself an Emperor in France, Catherine was recognized as royalty and her union with Archille wed American and French royalty. While not traveling, the Murats lived on a cotton plantation near Tallahassee. Their home, Belleview, was later relocated to the Tallahassee Museum and is open to the public. We had the opportunity to get up close and personal with this unique piece of American history.
This week, our family ventured on one last RV adventure to end the summer. We headed out to Madison, Florida, and spend a day in Tallahassee taking advantage of the last few days of the Blue Star Initiative. If you haven’t heard about it, the Blue Star Initiative provides free museum entrance to military families all summer long (Memorial Day through Labor Day). 1500 museums participated in the program this year and we visited 5 of them. If you are a military family, this is a phenomenal opportunity! If you missed it this year, be sure to take part next summer. This week’s gem was the Tallahassee Museum, located at 3945 Museum Drive in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Tallahassee Museum is an outdoor museum, so don’t forget your walking shoes and perhaps some bug spray and suns screen! If you go in the summer, go early to avoid the intense Florida heat. We got there right when they opened and were practically the only visitors. First, we toured Big Bend Farm, a 1880′s farm with live farm animals and historic buildings. The furnished 1880s farmhouse was really neat and we loved how up close and personal we could get to everything. It was interesting to see exactly what was inside the farmhouse and learn about all the different jobs and chores there were to do on a farm. The kids loved the cows, goats, and sheep. That’s something we don’t see much of in Jacksonville.
While not a traditional zoo, the trek through “Wildlife Florida” was an interesting hike through Florida ‘s swamps. Along the way, we saw red wolves, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and lots of birds. The scenery was peaceful and breathtaking. We were there right at feeding time, so the kids got to watch the deer eating their breakfast. It’s not too often we get to be that close to deer! For the more adventurous visitors, there’s an extensive nature trail as well. Our kids were too hot, tired, and grumpy to venture that deep into the wilderness. If you go, let me know how it is!
In “Old Florida,” we walked through the Concorde Schoolhouse, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1897 for the children of former slaves. The kids enjoyed sitting in the log-hewn benches and touching the old fireplace and blackboard. There was an interesting timeline tracing the history of African-American students too. This made a great lesson for our oldest, Alex. She had a million questions about what school was like back then and how things have changed over time. Next we visited Bethlehem Ministry Baptist Church, an African-American church built in 1937 by a congregation founded in 1850. It was a great experience!
The definite highlight of our visit was the Belleview Plantation. Unlike most historic houses, you can actually enter and explore every room of this small manor. This put a lot of perspective on things! Everything was so much smaller than I imagined. As a history lover, it was a real treat to visit Belleview. It was an awesome history lesson for the kids as well. Catherine Murat owned this home from 1854 until her death in 1867. The exhibit also includes a small formal garden, a reconstructed plantation kitchen, and a replica slave cabin. The house has been beautifully restored to look just like it did in Murat’s time. If you’re ever in the area, this is a unique opportunity to experience history!
To top off the visit, the Tallahassee Museum has an awesome playpark. The kids could have stayed there for hours if it hadn’t been so hot. If we lived closer, we’d buy a membership and visit frequently.
Our day in Tallahassee was a nice reprieve from everyday life and a fun way to add a little homeschool time into our vacation away from home. The kids didn’t even realize they were learning, and I think I learned as much as they did.
Tallahassee Museum: http://tallahasseemuseum.org/
Belleview, The Home of Princess Murat: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/belleview.html
For more info on the Blue Star Initiative, check out: http://www.arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index2011.php.
