LIVERMORE — Unplug from the 21st century and return to a simpler time at Maine’s oldest living history farm in Livermore. Spend 24 hours as part of a farm family in the year 1870. Experience an overnight introduction to the activities of sustainable rural living in both historical and contemporary times. The program takes place April 25 and 26. The deadline to register is April 11. Space is limited.

Imagine waking up and it is five years since the end of the Civil War. You are on the farm and the chores are waiting. The woodstove needs to be lit, water needs to be brought in, the oxen need tending and eggs need to be collected. All around you, there is a bustle of activity as your 19th-century family begins the day with you.

A 24-Hour Live-In at the Washburn-Norlands offers a fun approach to life in 19th-century rural Maine, where guests are immersed in the joys and rigors of routine farm life.

With guidance from Norlands’ staff, participants assume the character of someone who actually lived near the Norlands in the 1800s and experience appropriate customs, speech and colloquialisms of the time. As a member of the “family,” guests assist with farm chores, help prepare meals, play games of the period and attend school in the District 7 one-room schoolhouse.

In addition, participants tour the 1867 Washburn mansion and learn about this incredible family of Livermore and the seven brothers who grew up in poverty on a hardscrabble farm and went on to become one of Maine’s and the nation’s most industrious and political families.

The program is structured and under the full-time guidance of Norlands’ staff. While there was little leisure for a 19th-century farm family, free time is scheduled and there is plenty of time for storytelling, playing games and socializing by lamplight.

The cost for the 24-hour program is $125 per adult and $95 for ages 12 and under. For safety reasons, the physical activities and the need to participate, this program is open to adults and children age 9 and older. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Included in the fee are three authentic farm meals, snacks, one night’s lodging, instructional materials, and memories to last a lifetime. Live-ins last a full 24 hours, from 2:30 p.m. one day to 2:30 p.m. the following day. Sleeping accommodations are in an authentic reproduction farmer’s cottage.

The deadline to register is April 11. Reservations are required. Space is limited so reserve a spot today by calling 207-897-4366 or emailing programs@norlands.org.

For more information about the Norlands, visit www.norlands.org.

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