Frolicking with History | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Students learn 18th-century customs at Bartram event

A living history actor portraying trader Job Wiggens shows Putnam County students how to make a fire during the Bartram Frolic at the Palatka riverfront.
A living history actor portraying William Bartram shows his collection of Palatka finds similar to what the real Bartram saw in the 1700s.
Kelley Smith Elementary School student Mia Linares raises her hand to answer a question Thursday while on a boat tour along the St. Johns River.
Sparks fly as trader Job Wiggens makes fire during the Bartram Frolic.
A re-enactor portraying Long Warrior, King of the Seminole Tribe, calls on Putnam County second-graders Thursday who had questions about life in the 1700s.
Positively Putnam FL

Fur pelts hung from tents at the Palatka riverfront, and a Native American sounded his horn as children gathered in groups to experience living history.

Thursday marked the fourth day of the St. Johns River Bartram Frolic, with second-graders from Kelley Smith and Ochwilla elementary schools learning on the river’s shores.

“Since we started this in 2017, the kids have always loved (it),” said Emily Floore, education director for the St. Johns Riverkeeper. “I mean, who doesn’t love to learn outside?”

The children visited eight stations on their historical field trip. They learned from local organizations such as Keep Putnam Beautiful, the Water Works Environmental Education Center and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

They learned from living history actors portraying famed explorer William Bartram, known locally for exploring Palatka in the late 1700s; King of the Seminole Tribe, Long Warrior; and trader Job Wiggens.

“There’s nothing like doing education in person,” Floore said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Frolic switched to a virtual presentation for a time. Floore and Putnam County School District officials said being back to an in-person experience was great.

“To me, it’s so engaging for the students to be able to get out of the school setting, come some place beautiful. I mean, this is absolutely gorgeous,” said Laura France, the school district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. “It’s a great time for our students to come in and be able to meet these experts and historians.”

The second-graders were glad to get out of the classroom. They asked the historians question after question and walked away learning something new. Riverkeeper employees took classes on boat rides on the St. Johns River as part of the field trip to learn about the river’s ecology.

The second-graders donned blue life jackets and learned why the water is yellow and what makes the St. Johns unique. They saw cormorants sitting together as the Riverkeeper’s boat traveled under the Memorial Bridge.

The eager students made sure to tell the tour guide their favorite river animals, many of which turned out to be ocean animals, but the children know that now.

Kelley Smith second-grader Mia Linares raised her hand frequently to answer the guide’s questions during the boat tour.

“I got scared a little at first,” Lineras said about the boat ride.

But then she thought it was good.

Throughout this week, about 800 Putnam County second-grade students have taken a field trip to the Palatka riverfront. Today, the last student group will frolic to learn about Palatka’s past.

Rainy weather is predicted today, and as of press time Thursday, school district officials hadn’t determined whether to cancel today’s field trip.

“It’s really nice that they don’t have to go out-of-county,” France said. “It’s not a very far travel for all of them to be down here and enjoying the riverfront.”