Mom of Note: Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks
Unfortunately it's been a bizarre week for us here (hence the dearth of blog entries), but I did want to highlight our new exhibit, which is singularly appropriate for Mothers' Day. It features Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks, mother of Meriwether Lewis. Lucy was a healer/midwife/doctor person who taught her medicinal skills to her famous son. This, of course, was slightly handy on his cross-country expedition. Drawings of various medicinal plants that Lucy may have used, among other things, are on view in our new exhibition. And if you can't get here in person, never fear: Eric has created a very lovely online companion to the exhibition here.
And here's a fun fact to leave you with: Lucy's second husband was the brother of Thomas Jefferson's sister's husband.
Comments
I tried my interpretation of Lucy with school children third-high school, and for 20 minutes held their interest using an old side saddle, a few fragrant herbs in cloth holders, and a ladder to represent the Blue Ridge Mountains. I made a good hanger for my period clothes. I compared Lucy's piedmont lands to the the students home geography, threw in a comparison of money crops, and ended with a pitch for the power that one person could exert: Lucy keeping her help healthy; Meriwether keeping his Expedition healthy; and Jefferson for coming up with the idea to purchase Louisiana.
It was great learning Lucy's horse's name; made the side saddle credible.
Thank you for putting together such a great resource for occasional interpretors such as I!
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This site is a great resource, good to hear it being used to help make an impact on younger generations!