Museum Day - Ybor City

All together at the Old Ybor City bakery, now Ybor City Historical Museum

Last Saturday, we took advantage of the Smithsonian Magazine's Free Museum Day to visit Ybor City's Historical Museum.  It was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon, learning about local history - a good fieldtrip opportunity.

In honor of the many immigrants that came to Ybor in the 19th century

Thousands relocated to Ybor with the promise of labor and affordable housing.  They worked in the cigar factories, the booming local industry in those days.

Reflections

Michael and Michelle patiently waited as I took some shots of this Seminole Indian, or so they thought...

The old bakery's oven

The museum was housed in the old Ybor bakery, which burned down in 1833.  All that was left standing was the outer bricks on the building and the oven.


Cigar workers

The 'lectore'

Cigar worker's house

The park ranger gave us a tour of one of the old houses where the tobacco workers lived and gave us some interesting facts about why they came to Ybor City. The cigar factory owners offered inexpensive house loans at zero interest to be paid in eight years. 

Kitchen

Courtship room

 He also told us this was the "courtship room."  I thought that was interesting.  It sounded like people really gave their daughters an opportunity to entertain their suitors in a much safer environment than today's daughters have. 

Garden

Each house had its own garden plot where they grew most, if not all, of the vegetables they ate.



Outhouse

...and I'm glad we don't have these any more!

Linking with Five Minutes for Mom