Experience what daily life was like for the nation’s earliest settlers next week when living history interpreters take visitors back to colonial times during the inaugural WVU Jackson’s Mill Historical Market Faire Nov. 6-9 on the grounds of the Lewis County landmark near Weston.

Activities will be held in the Mill’s Historic Area and across the road on the Mill’s fairgrounds. Event hours are 10 a.m.4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m.3 p.m. Sunday.

Living history interpreters from around the nation will dress in period clothing and portray colonial life from 1640 through 1840. They will describe what it took to perform daily life tasks including procuring food, obtaining firewood, using herbal medicines and making clothes from animal skins and home-spun material.

Visitors can step back into colonial times when they enter a living history encampment. Attendees are encouraged to greet historians and ask questions about various aspects of early colonial life. More structured educational sessions will feature clothes making, herbs, cooking, blacksmithing and period music.

“This is the first event of this kind to be held in central West Virginia,”said Dean Hardman, Market Faire organizer and coordinator of WVU Jackson’s Mill’s Historic Area.”Most people associate Jackson’s Mill with Stonewall Jackson, but it was actually founded by his grandfather, Col. Edward Jackson, who was a Revolutionary War figure. So this event is in keeping with the history of Jackson’s Mill.”

Artisans and sutlers (colonial shop owners) will be demonstrating and selling their products similar to what was available during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Market Faires, which were typically held in the spring and fall during colonial times, gave pioneers and townspeople the chance to restock supplies to prepare for the winter or summer months. The markets also served as trading and supply posts for trappers and fur traders.

Admission to the Historical Market Faire is $3 for adults and free for children under 18 years old. Proceeds from the event benefit the WVU Jackson’s Mill Historic Area and assist with site preservation and historical programming activities.

WVU Jackson’s Mill Center for Lifelong Learning is the home of the state’s 4-H camp and is operated by the WVU Extension Service. WVU Jackson’s Mill is an important venue for adult education courses, special events and conferences for many statewide organizations and serves more than 100,000 people annually.