We are very excited to introduce Jean-Maria Rouse, Youth Ambassador for Leesylvania State Park.Sheis a sophomore at Mountain View High School, Stafford Virginia.
I had the pleasure of meeting Jean-Maria ata Saturday event in the park. She was fully equipped with a camera, a smile, and as you can see – she was dressed for success!
Here’s what she wrote about the program:
I went to Leesylvania State Park to take pictures of the Underground Railroad interpretive program being held at the Visitors Center. On one side of the building, the exhibit showed the living conditions of slaves brought from Africa to the Americas. It also included how the slaves dressed while working in the fields and the tools they used. The interpretive ranger had an interesting children’s activity. They could make their own paper doll modeled like the ones a child working on a plantation would play with. On the other side of the building, the interpretive ranger, Genevieve White,showed how people sent messages to escaping slaves by using quilts hung on a clothesline like regular laundry. Ten unique quilt designs were shown, each with a definition explaining its meaning. The display included a handmade quilt as an example of how some messages would look with the different colors people used. There were also coloring sheets of quilt patterns to younger children design messages in their own choice of colors.
Children were able to try on clothes that would’ve been worn by men and woman who worked on a plantation. Two girls even posed for pictures. Both the adults and children seemed to enjoy the exhibit, although it seemed that a few adults wanted more information on the Underground Railroad itself. I enjoyed the program because it was well presented; the displays were neatly arranged.Genevieve did an excellent job talking about life as a slave and presenting information in a way children could understand. She answered people’s questions in a friendly, patient manner. This program held everyone’s attention and gave park visitors a special way to see into this unusual part of America’s history.
Find out more about our events website for more programs and special eventsat Leesylvania State Park.