Two days of events honoring an unsung heroine in women's history are scheduled at the Vann House Historic Site in Chatsworth, Ga., on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24-25.
Guest speaker Emily Baker will discuss the work of Anna Rosina Kliest Gambold, her contributions to science and her kindness shown to the Cherokee on Tuesday.
Baker will present her lecture at 6 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. A brief viewing of the historic Vann House will follow.
Gambold was a farmer, teacher, missionary and published botanist. In March 1819, Gambold wrote an article for the American Journal of Science and Arts, cataloging flowers found along the nearby Conasauga River by their scientific name, with the plants' uses in Cherokee medicine and culture.
In 1801, a group of Moravian missionaries from Winston-Salem, N.C., started a mission and soon after, a boarding school in Springplace. This made the Vann plantation home to the first European-style school and Christian mission on Cherokee land.
Among the Moravians in Springplace was Sister Anna Rosina Kliest Gambold, wife of Brother Joseph Gambold, and main author of the Springplace Mission Diaries from 1804-1821. Gambold is buried on the Vann plantation in God's Acre Cemetery.
Baker is programming coordinator for humanities, medicine and science at the Old Salem Museum & Gardens in Winston-Salem. Her award-winning research includes botanical studies from the 19th century, and she is known for her insight on the relationship between the Moravians and Cherokee at Springplace.
Admission is $6.50 adults, $6 senior adults, $5.50 ages 6-17 and college students with valid ID.
Home-schooled children ages 8 and older are invited for a day digging in the dirt when the Vann House staff hosts "Cherokee Gardening and Medicinal Plants" on Wednesday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Children will learn about Gambold and her work with Cherokee medicinal plants. Students will work in the Vann House Physicians Garden, see how herbal treatments were prepared in the 1700s, and even take home a medicinal seedling of their own.
They'll also have a chance to practice historically accurate farming with authentic tools, plant some squash, beans and corn. An activity for children ages 7 and under and their parents will be provided.
Space is limited; reservations are required and must be made by Saturday, April 21. There is a fee of $4.75 per student, $6 per adult.
The Vann House is located at 82 Highway 225 North in Chatsworth.
For more information: 706-695-2598.