Mahaffie House, a historic farm located in Olathe, will be bringing back its spring break events with a three-day “Living History” program.
During this period, the farm will turn back time to its origins, giving visitors an idea of what it was like to be a farmer in Kansas in the late nineteenth century. Spring was traditionally time for planting and plowing, and the activities will include demonstrations from a blacksmith, rides on a stagecoach, and horse-powered plowing. Mahaffie boasts of being the only working stagecoach stop left on the once-legendary Santa Fe Trail, and still functions as a working farm with livestock. The farm is named after James B. And Lucinda Mahaffie, who purchased the farm in 1857 and helped to bring the railroad to Olathe.
There will also be a set of exhibits in the Heritage Center and Agricultural Heritage Livestock Barn, seeking to demonstrate various aspects of Kansas history. Visitors will be able to play games that were popular in the 1860s and sample food from the cookstove to get a sense of what everyday life was like a century and a half ago. Historical attractions like these often use tools like poster printing to draw in families who may be looking for outdoor summer activities over spring break.
The “Living History” event will take place between March 18 and 20 at the Mahaffie House farm and historic site.
