If you’re looking for some good eating that runs the gamut from chili to ice cream in an ambiance that reflects the “good old days” of the first part of the 20th century, think about making a visit on Sept. 7 to the Barberville Pioneer Settlement.
The settlement is located about 45 minutes south of Ocala at the intersection of US Highway 40 and County Road 3 in Volusia County, and that’s where the “Coolest, Hottest event ever” will be happening.
“The chili cookoff contestants will be local non-profit organizations, and the judges will be the public,” said Erick Nielsen, associate director at Barberville Pioneer Settlement.
Eventgoers who want to participate in the judging will pay $10, with the organization that wins the contest getting most of the money. Otherwise, admission is free for the event that will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“It’s our annual open house, and we will have live music and demonstrations of such crafts as blacksmithing. We will also have a community yard sale,” Nielsen said.
The motto at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement is “Discover Yesterday Today.” And that’s precisely what you will get at the 30-acre campus of this living history destination in Central Florida.
When it opened in 1976, there were only two buildings on the grounds: the Joseph Underhill House, currently under renovation, and the Barberville Central High School, built in 1919. Today, there are 20 historic structures on the grounds, although that isn’t all.
“We are not just about preserving buildings,” said Nielsen. “We are also about preserving the arts, crafts, tools and technologies of the pioneer lifestyle in Florida.”
The high school building, a National Register of Historic Places site, is center-stage and one of the first things you see when you walk on the grounds. It was first built to accommodate elementary, middle and high school students and was the only school in the area to offer college preparatory classes.
But county officials abandoned the school after a time. Nielsen said the building was saved thanks to the efforts of a group of art teachers who founded the Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts, Inc., as a not-for-profit organization.
“They petitioned the school board to use the high school building to teach lost arts such as spinning, weaving, blacksmithing and woodworking,” Nielsen said.
The high school is the Settlement’s prize building and the reason Pioneer Settlement opened where it is.
“It was the location of the high school,” Nielsen said. “It is one of the jewels of the settlement and the whole reason the settlement came about.”
At first, the teachers leased the school building from the Volusia County School Board, but in 2001, the school board ceded ownership to the Pioneer Settlement Board of Directors.
Over time, other buildings were moved to the location, giving birth to the Settlement.
“Most buildings are regional, and a lot came from just ten miles away. The furthest building is the Lewis Log Cabin, which comes from South Georgia,” Nielsen said. It is the only non-Florida building on the property.
The train depot on the property was built in 1885. If connected to a railroad path, it could be used as a functional depot. It also contains a history lesson: the depot had two waiting rooms for African Americans and for whites because it was built during segregated times.
The fire station, Model A Ford shop, clubhouse, and blacksmith shop are standouts, especially the blacksmith shop.
“This one we built here,” Nielsen said, noting that the Settlement has been working with the Florida Blacksmith Association for 25 years. “We built it to house all our blacksmith equipment. It’s been our most successful workshop and partnership.”
The Settlement also promotes the art and entertainment that dominated during pioneer times, with two major folk festivals during the year: the Spring Frolic on the first weekend in April and the Fall Country Jamboree on the first weekend in November.
The festivals include contra dancing, musical workshops and historical demonstrators who show off different tools and trades, such as wheelwrighting, chair caning and pottery.
And there’s plenty more. Square dancing is held most Friday nights in the schoolhouse.
Florida Artist Blacksmiths (FABA) meet the first Saturday of most months at the Hollenback & Sons Blacksmith shop.
Free music lessons and jam sessions are offered every fourth Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with membership and paid admission.
It’s time to return to the good old days at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement at
1776 Lightfoot Lane in Barberville, Florida.