“You are going to be learning about the people who first came to this area and set this foundation for you. You are going to be surprised about where the first school was located,” social science teacher Catherine Yurconic said to her group of 20 students as they prepared for their end-of-year outdoor program.

Along with sixth grade math teacher Meredith Castagna, The Press was invited to join the group back at the end of the school year and learn about the history of Salisbury Township.

As the students arrived at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church, Joshua Fink, historian, greeted them by explaining how the 27 acres of land around them holds much history.

“You are going to meet some different characters today, some different people who will be speaking to you. We are going to take our time today, like using a time machine. They don’t really exist. We can still do that by pretending about going back in time, before the time of George Washington,” Fink told the students.

For the next 90 minutes, Fink led the students on a tour of the grounds. In costume, and with some other volunteers of the Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church congregation, he spoke about the first settlers of Salisbury Township.

Walking through the cemetery, students learned about key founders of the township and the important details of grave markings, mostly written in German.

Fink made the point to remind the group those grave markers with the American flag indicated grave sites of those who fought for the country. He told them, “It’s especially important to always remember and honor them. Our freedom, that you enjoy today, was about the sacrifices of these people, both men and in later years women, who fought, served for our country.”

Settlers wore colonial clothing. Men dressed in shirts, ties, short pants and long socks. According to Fink, one of the advantages of this was it was easier to wash and change dirty socks, than pants. They also wore hats.

Women wore aprons, which were both fashionable and functional, especially when cooking. They also wore head coats to keep warm. They never showed their arms or the top of their necks.

Neither men or women had more than three outfits.

Dancing was important, a way for men and women to interact and get to know each other.

Fink explained the history of the church, built in 1741. It not only provided a place of faith but was key to building community bonds.

The tour ended on a special note, with students learning that a section of the church was also the location of the township’s first school ... a few feet away to their own school, Salisbury Middle School.

Reflecting on this year’s sixth grade outdoor program, Castagna told The Press, “I think they (students) just enjoy learning outdoors and having a little bit of freedom and doing something different at the end of the year. Enjoying the nice weather.”

“I think this gives kids the opportunity, the kids who don’t normally like to sit in one spot all day, the freedom of movement, opens them up a little bit to taking the information in, in a different way.”