Camp Edwards Place 2023
Camp Edwards Place is where your child can indulge their love of history at a home that is truly a Springfield treasure. There are a number of camps they can join that all take place in and around this 1833 historic home in the heart of one of Springfield's oldest neighborhoods. We have camps for many different age groups.
Sign up for 2023 camps: February 27, 9AM for Springfield Art Association Members; March 1, 9AM for Non-Members
We are hiring one full-time position for our summer session in 2023!
History Summer Camp Primary Instructor
Job Title: Camp Edwards Place Primary Instructor
Staff Manager: Sarah Adams, Curator of Collections and Interpretation
Dates of Position: June 5 – July 28 (off July 3-7 week)
Pay Rate: $18/hr
Hours: Various – 8:30 – 5:00 Monday – Friday (FT seasonal). No evening or weekend hours.
Job Description: This opportunity is for someone great with kids and with a passion for history. These camps take place in an historic home, with one of our top missions being to preserve the home. The instructor will be expected to teach various historical topics for up to 12 campers per camp with two half-day camps per week, update the curator on needs for the camp, camp prep before morning and afternoon sessions, and post-camp clean up each day. The Instructor also supervises one camp assistant.
Past History Camp Examples: Civil War Encampment, Archaeology, Life in the 19th Century, Historical Cooking, Historical Toys and Games
Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in History, Education, or related field is preferred, experience working with children (3rd grade – high school)
Place of Work: Edwards Place Historic House, 700 North 4th St., Springfield, IL, some travel to historical sites and museums around Springfield
Time Commitment Requirements: We do request someone who can commit to camps during June and July for all time slots. If there is a conflict for any of the times listed, but you are still interested in the position, please contact the curator to discuss other possibilities before applying.
How to Apply: Please send your resume and availability to the Curator, Sarah Adams, at collections@springfieldart.org.
3rd - 5th Grade Camps - 2023
Civil War Encampment, 3rd-5th Grade
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
June 5-9.2022: 9AM-NOON or 1:30-4:30PM, Edwards Place.
This camp takes kids back to the 1860s to learn some of the skills that soldiers learned during the Civil War. Learn about battles, 19th century medical aid, what soldiers did outside of battles, and more. This camp is immersive and participatory and is partly outdoor.
(Children will learn about civil war era weapons.)
Dream Weaver, 3rd-5th Grade
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
June 5-9.2023: 9AM-NOON or June 26-30: 9AM-NOON or July 17-21: 9AM-NOON, Edwards Place.
While using a small frame, hand loom, campers can learn basic weaving terminology, how to design patterns, and which colors to select. Campers may select take-away projects such as a "crazy chicken", a purse or snack bag, and/or as many hot pads for gifts as they have time to complete!
Dig It!, 3rd-5th Grade
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members; $130/Non-Members. $100/Members
June 12-16.2023: 9-NOON or June 20-23: 9-NOON (4 day camp - no camp Monday), Edwards Place.
Your camper will learn about the principles and practices of historical archaeology, and then go out into the field to conduct an archaeological excavation in the back yard of Edwards Place! Camp wraps up with an exhibit of the artifacts recovered. Don’t miss this unique, hands-on opportunity! This camp is primarily outdoor.
Playing With the Past, 3rd-5th Grade
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members; $130/Non-Members. $100/Members
June 12-16.2023: 1:30-4:30PM or June 20-23: 1:30-4:30PM (4 day camp - no camp Monday), Edwards Place.
This camp will explore the different toys and games played with by children in the 19th century, some of which are known to have been played with by the Edwards family. This camp isn't just to PLAY with games, but to MAKE games! Before factories mass-produced toys and games, many were handmade with materials that could be easily found in and around the home.
History Time Machine, 3rd-5th Grade
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
June 26-30.2023: 9 AM-NOON, Edwards Place.
You will have the opportunity to go back in time and imagine what it was like to live at Edwards Place in the 19th century. Themes to be explored include Home Life, School, Chores, Manners, and more. Enjoy fun activities such as making butter, playing 19th century games, and dipping candles. Campers will have the opportunity to learn and play inside Historic Edwards Place.
Maker's Apprentice, 3rd-5th Grade
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
July 10-14.2023: 9-NOON or July 17-21: 9-NOON, Edwards Place.
This camp will explore how people made their own goods to trade and sell in the 19th century. Before machines helped us make some things, people used special tools to make them by hand. Campers will get to see and even participate in creating some of these items, just like they did in the 1800s. There will be special guests who are makers in Springfield. There may be some locations outside the SAA in Springfield, TBD. Drop-off and pick-up may be at other locations, in that case.
Eureka!, 3rd-5th Grade
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
July 24-28: 9-NOON, Edwards Place.
Technology didn’t begin with the internet or even the industrial age. Historical tech includes much more! Campers will learn about inventions and gadgets from a long range of history, up to creating industrial-type technology themselves. Projects will include gadgets, but also household tech, chemical tech, and more!
Spy!, 3rd-5th Grade
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
July 24-28.2023: 1:30-4:30PM, Edwards Place.
The art of spying is as old as there have been political boundaries. Methods of spying have changed and advanced throughout time, but some simple methods have been used which can be recreated by our campers! Our spies will learn about codes, invisible inks, deduction techniques, disguise, and more – then close out their camp week with a spy mission around historic Edwards Place.
6th - 8th Grade and High School - 2023
Knitting Party, 6th-8th
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
June 12-16.2023: 9-NOON, Edwards Place.
This is a great opportunity to a learn how to knit without using knitting needles. Campers will have options from a number of possible project to complete during the week of camp --- all using the cording they knit.
A Stitch in Time (Beginning Embroidery), 6th-Senior
$130/Non-Members. $100/Members
June 20-23.2023: 9AM-NOON, Edwards Place. (This is a 4 day camp; there is no camp on Monday)
Campers can learn six or more "sweet" embroidery stitches while working on a honeycomb printed fabric. When the embroidery work is complete, the sampler can be framed for hanging, added as an embellishment to another object such as a throw pillow, or lined and stitched to make a small bag to carry sewing tools or other treasures. Busy bees can add more stitches to their sampler.
Cooking Up History, 6th-Senior
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
June 26-30.2023: 1:30-4:30PM or July 10-14: 1:30-4:30PM. Edwards Place.
Campers will learn about some typical 19th century meals from actual Edwards family recipes, while getting the opportunity to try their hand at cooking them! By the end of the week, campers will gain knowledge of cooking skills, can try their own creations, and get to take home recipes from the camp to try at home. Campers will have the opportunity to eat their creations each day, so they will only want a light lunch before attending!
Suffolk Puffs, 6th-Senior
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
June 26-30.2023: 1:30-4:30PM, Edwards Place.
Campers may have called these bits of fabric "yo-yos" but they began hundreds of years ago being called "Suffolk Puffs." (They probably originated in the United Kingdom; the first written record of them is in the early 1600's.) With a needle, thread, and scraps of fabric, campers can learn to make everything from clever fabric flowers to colorful pillow covers to cuddly toys. Note: This is hand sewing, not machine.
Sewing Upcycling, 6th-High School
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
July 10-14.2023: 1:30-4:30PM, Edwards Place.
Campers can learn about the uniquely American sewing tradition of pieced quilts. They can learn how to make their own pieced projects and also contribute a piece of their own needlework to the 2023 Edwards Place friendship quilt. The completed project will then be displayed in the Children's Parlor of the house until next year's camp session. Note: This is hand sewing, not machine.
Sew Easy (Beginner Sewing), 6th-Senior
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
June 10-14.2022: 9-NOON, Edwards Place.
Campers can learn to make colorful fabric "puzzles" using just a needle, fabric, and thread, like the “crazy quilts” from the 19th century. The secret of how the various colors and scrambled bits and pieces of fabric can be transformed into one rectangle will be theirs. Levels of difficulty will adjusted based on campers' sewing skills. Note: This is hand sewing, not machine.
History Detectives, 6th-Senior
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
July 17-21.2023: 1:30-4:30PM, Edwards Place.
This camp will explore what it's like to be a historian. Campers will take field trips around the area to dive in with history and discover how life was lived in the past. They will get to meet historians and get hands-on with local sources. Springfield is filled with an exciting past, and this experience will give campers a behind-the-scenes view of that special history! Campers will get to experience tricks of the trade at Edwards Place, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Lincoln Library, UIS’s Sangamon Experience, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Drop off and pick up with be different each day, based on the location.
Bits and Baubles, 6th-8th
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
July 17-21.2023: 1:30-4:30PM, Edwards Place.
They are soft, round, fuzzy, colorful, can be made in any almost size, and in the 18th century they were used in battle. What are they? Pom-poms! They adorned the soldiers' hats -- the color of the pom-pom on top of the hat indicated to which company the soldier belonged. Once the "how-to" is learned, campers can make their own pom-poms to add favorite colors to any ordinary stocking cap or create a whole zoo full of fuzzy yarn animals.
Write On!, 6th-8th
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
July 24-28.2023: 9AM-NOON, Edwards Place.
This camp is based on exploration of calligraphy (the art of beautiful handwriting), often used during the 19th century. Students will learn how to write using the Chancery Cursive “hand” and will also explore the tradition of illuminated manuscript (handwritten pages with painted images including precious metals).
A "Hole" Lot of Fun, 6th-Senior
$160/Non-Members. $130/Members
July 24-28.2023: 1:30-4:30PM, Edwards Place.
Campers can learn the few specific embroidery stitches commonly used on perforated paper --- an unusual material for sewing. Perforated paper is a special pierced heavy-weight paper more commonly used in the 1800s when it was extremely popular. Embroidery thread (floss) is sewn, not on fabric but on perforated paper instead. There will be a variety of projects from which to choose with varying levels of difficulty. Choices will include everything from holiday ornaments to gifts for friends and family. It will be possible to complete more than one project.