''Colonial House'' is an American reality series produced by Thirteen/

WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educ ...

New York and Wall to Wall Television in the United Kingdom, following the success of ''

The 1900 House ''The 1900 House'' is a historical reenactment reality television series made by Wall to Wall/Channel 4 in 1999. The programme features a modern family attempting to live in the way of the late Victorians for three months in a modified house. I ...

'', an exercise in vicarious " experiential history" that is characteristic of an attempt to provide an educational version of popular

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

. It aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

in the United States and on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in the United Kingdom in 2004.

Overview

The series, intended to recreate daily life in

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes spelled Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on t ...

in 1628 along the lines of the recreated

Plimoth Plantation Plimoth Patuxet is a complex of living history museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts founded in 1947, formerly Plimoth Plantation. It replicates the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by the English coloni ...

, brought home to viewers the rigors of life for colonists in the early 17th century. The show was videotaped in a isolated area near

Machias, Maine Machias is a New England town, town in and the county seat of Washington County, Maine, Washington County in Down East Maine, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town population was 2,060. It is home to the Univ ...

, and featured colonists and several members of the current

Passamaquoddy The Passamaquoddy (Maliseet-Passamaquoddy language, Passamaquoddy: ''Peskotomuhkati'', Plural: ''Peskotomuhkatiyik'') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American/First Nations in Canada, First Nations people who live in northea ...

tribe of Maine. Historians from

and Maine historian and archaeologist Emerson Baker of

Salem State College Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore and is p ...

helped to make the setting as accurate as possible.Colonial House. About the Project. About the Experts , PBS
/ref> Seventeen applicants were chosen out of thousands to join the project. Most of the participants were American, though there were some British citizens as well. The project began in spring and was set to run for five months.

Colonists

Original colony: * Jeff Wyers - Governor (in 21st century life, a Baptist minister). From

Waco, TX Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making it th ...

* Tammy Wyers - Governor's Wife * Bethany Wyers - Governor's Daughter * Amy Wyers - Governor's Daughter * David Wyers - Governor's Son (age 9) * Don Heinz - Lay Preacher / Acting Governor / Governor (in 21st century life, Professor of Religious Studies at

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

in Chico), age 63 * Carolyn Heinz - Preacher's Wife (in 21st century life, Professor of

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

) * Paul Hunt - Governor's Servant. Age 26, from

Manchester, England Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. Indentured Servant. * Julia Friese - Governor's Servant (in 21st century life, a museum guide) * Jonathon Allen - Heinz family servant (in 21st century life, a student) * Danny Tisdale -

Freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

(in 21st century life, a publisher and teacher) age 44. Living in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, N.Y.C. * Michelle Rossi-Voorhees - Freeman's Wife (from Beverly,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

) * John Voorhees - Freeman (in 21st century life, a carpet salesman) * Giacomo Voorhees - Freeman's Son * Don Wood - Freeman (in 21st century life, a carpenter from New York) * Amy Kristina-Herbert - Single Woman * Dominic Muir - Freeman (from Britain) * Henry the dog (white dog) * Chloe the dog (brown dog) Additional colonists: * Jeff Lin - Company Servant * Dave Verdecia - Freeman (in 21st century life, a firefighter-engineer and paramedic) * Debbie Verdecia - Freeman's Wife * Maddie Verdecia(15) - Freeman's Daughter * Tony Verdecia(13) - Freeman's Son * Emily Verdecia(9) - Freeman’s daughter * Craig * Clare Samuels - Governor's Servant * Jack Lecza - Cape Merchant

Non-colonial participants

* John Bear Mitchell - A representative of the

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

People * George Sabattis - Passamaquoddy representative and trader * Donald Soctomah - Passamaquoddy representative and trader * Stuart Turner -

Mashpee Wampanoag The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (formerly Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, Inc.) is one of two federally recognized tribes of Wampanoag people in Massachusetts. Recognized in 2007, they are headquartered in Mashpee on Cape Cod. The other Wa ...

* Alice Lopez - Mashpee

Wampanoag The Wampanoag, also rendered Wôpanâak, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Northeastern Woodlands currently based in southeastern Massachusetts and forme ...

* Jonathan Perry - Mashpee Wampanoag * Nancy Endredge - Wampanoag Prog., Plimoth Plantation * Randy Joseph - Wampanoag Prog., Plimoth Plantation * John Peters Jr. - Mashpee Wampanoag * Ramona Peters - Mashpee Wampanoag

Provisions

The colonists were provided with four houses of varying sizes and comfort level, as well as chickens, goats and casks of dried provisions such as ship's biscuit, 500 lbs of salted fish, and 1000 lbs of salted pork. For main staples they were given a ton of wheat and half a ton each of oats and dried peas. Drink was also communal and rationed: 1 firkin of wine, 1 firkin of

aqua vitae ''Aqua vitae'' (Latin for "water of life") or aqua vita is an archaic name for a strong aqueous solution of ethanol. These terms could also be applied to weak ethanol without rectification. Usage was widespread during the Middle Ages and the ...

, and 1 barrel of beer. In the first episode, the colonists trade with the

people to secure a supply of

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

(

indian corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native Americans ...

) to be planted in the large field near the settlement. The corn was planted on mounds instead of rows, in keeping with the First Nations traditional method.

Social hierarchy

In keeping with the social order of the 17th century, the Governor of the colony was appointed by the Colony to have full authority over the other colonists. The Freemen were property-holding men who were asked to give counsel in meetings. Women, indentured servants and children were neither allowed at the meetings nor given any political power. In ''Colonial House'', though, the women were unsatisfied with losing all of their modern rights and spied on the Freemen's meetings and started to hold women's meetings themselves. After the Wyers family leave in Episode 2, the women begin to bargain for a more fair split of labor, which is resisted by the Freemen and the Acting Governor. Although mandated by law to attend Christian church services on Sunday, the participants in the project are of varied beliefs, which causes some tension. The Wyers family is strongly Christian while Michelle Voorhees steadfastly refuses to "say the words" of the Christian prayers.

Events

Episode One * (Ep. 1) Near the beginning of the series, Danny Tisdale explains that simply going through the process of application for the show has changed the way he understands his own identity as an American of African descent, knowing that his grandmother Tulip Tisdale was a

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in the Americas. * (Ep. 1) John Voorhees explains one of his motivations for joining the project was to meet a variety of people from different backgrounds and gain a sense of community, something he felt was missing from his work life. * (Ep. 1) On the second day, the colonists get their first glimpse of natives around the settlement. John Voorhees says that his heritage is

Paiute Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three languages do not form a single subgroup and th ...

he feels uncomfortable with the tension between the colonists and the natives. Nine-year-old David Wyers is unsure whether they are "real Indians, like real, like colonial times. It's not like they live right now, how they always lived." Tammy Wyers explains to her son that the native people are "Still dangerous. Don't you watch the 10 o'clock news?" Episode Two * (Ep. 2) During the first

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...

service, Julia Friese is overcome with emotion while hearing Bethany talk about her faith, and is inspired to "strive to be something better". * (Ep. 2) The

traders return with a gift of a dead muskrat, which they help the colonists prepare for dinner—this is the colony's first fresh meat. * (Ep. 2) The Wyers family receives shocking news from home: Bethany's fiancé was killed, and the eldest Wyers son seriously injured, in a car accident. They depart the colony immediately, but father Jeff returns after ten days, at the beginning of Episode 3. * (Ep. 2) The colonists hold a community dance and bonfire to raise morale since the loss of their leader. Episode Three * (Ep. 3) The Voorhees family (possibly led by Michelle) decide not to go to the Sabbath meeting, due to a conflict with their beliefs, breaking one of the major rules of the time period. Governor Wyers is particularly disturbed by this choice, worried that the "anarchy" will spread to other families. The Governor administers punishment to those who broke rules, and Michelle Voorhees is hobbled by her ankles and left tied to a stake outdoors for a few hours. * (Ep. 3) After the Voorhees' transgression, and with Paul and Amy Kristina punished for

profanity Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, is the usage of notionally word taboo, offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion (such a ...

and the bachelor Freemen also declining to attend Sabbath worship, Governor Wyers comes to the reluctant conclusion that punishment for not attending Sabbath is "unenforcable" and are damaging the workforce. Without consulting his counselors, the laws respecting attendance of the Sabbath are then suspended. Lay Preacher Don Heinz is displeased with this decision, feeling the integrity of the project has been compromised. * (Ep. 3) The Wyers family return after a five-week absence, with eight new

colonists A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...

. Episode Four * (Ep. 4) The colony has expanded from 13 to 24 residents. Dominic expresses that the new influx of people and noise has caused him some anxiety and he "keeps having to run away and hide". * (Ep. 4) Dominic leaves a note and disappears for two days "to explore". Don Wood understands that Dominic "needs a lot of alone time". Dominic wanders outside the 1000-acre boundaries of the project and into modern roads and town. Although he has broken a major rule, he apologizes to the community for causing them worry and faces no punishment. * (Ep. 4) Jonathon Allen comes out as gay to his masters, Don and Carolyn Heinz, after feeling depressed and outcast for much of the project. He later comes out publicly at Sabbath and feels greatly relieved. However, Jeff Wyers takes a dark view of the news and is clearly displeased. He says "Jonathon came out in a church setting. It seemed like a somewhat strange time and place. Some people applauded... I didn't applaud. All men have sin... one step toward God... is seeking help. We must learn to master ourselves. Not pat each other on the back." However, Governor Wyers chooses not to punish Jonathon, although the Puritan punishment for homosexuality was death. * (Ep. 4) Amy Kristina-Herbert leaves the project early, as planned, reflecting the historical event that many colonists gave up colonial life to return to their homes in Europe. She explains that part of the reason she "wanted to do this project, as a Black American, is that this is the beginning of the country I live in. My roots do not come from Puritanism, but this is the beginning of America and I am American. People need to stop thinking of just white people when they think of America. They need to ... see faces that aren't white. Me, a black girl, braids my hair in a

Pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

outfit. ... It's no more ridiculous than trying to classify who's more American than them." * The

salted meat Salting is the preservation of food with dry edible salt.

is discovered to be moldy, at a time when rations are running low and the four one-room houses are overcrowded. * Governor Wyers suspends production and instructs the men to build a house for the Verdecia family of five. Episode Five * David Wyers celebrates his 10th birthday during the project. * The

salted fish Salted fish, such as kippered herring or dried and salted cod, is fish cured with dry salt and thus preserved for later eating. Drying or salting, either with dry salt or with brine, was the only widely available method of preserving fish unt ...

is discovered to be rancid. The colony now has very little meat. A hunting party is sent into the forest but again return unsuccessful. The Governor instructs the servants in killing and butchering one of the sheep. * With only ten men in the workforce, labor is slow. Danny Tisdale feels increasingly uncomfortable in the colony, recognizing that "There is a need for cheap labor... this idea of

indentured servitude Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an " indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as payment for some good or s ...

leads directly to

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

". He decides to leave the project, saying goodbye only to the Governor and his wife. His departure is deeply mourned by Governor Wyers. * Members of the Passamaquoddy tribe return with furs to trade, but Governor Wyers is unable to come to an agreement with them. * The Wyers family receives news that their elder daughter Amy is facing hospitalization at home and decide to leave at once. Don Heinz is appointed Governor. * Carolyn, Michelle and the other women start holding meetings in which they plan political influence over their husbands in order to secure rights for the women. This echoes the story of

Anne Hutchinson Anne Hutchinson (; July 1591 – August 1643) was an English-born religious figure who was an important participant in the Antinomian Controversy which shook the infant Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her strong religious formal d ...

in the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

. Episode Six * Members of the

people approach the colony but stay out of sight. * The corn is harvested. * The servants are asked to cut firewood, but Jonathon is asked to make maps of the colony and Dominic sketches the Governor's portrait. * Governor Heinz suggests starting a school, choosing Jonathon and Dominic to learn

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

. He points out that Harvard College would be founded just 8 years later. Many of the lower-ranking colonists display irritation at this show of favoritism. Episode Seven * Members of the Wampanoag people make contact with the colony. They joined the project to experience how their ancestors lived in 1628 and express a "gut feeling of discomfort" at seeing the colonists' houses for the first time. * Ramona Peters speaks to the gathered colonists and explains that in 17th-century America "Everyone had the freedom to practice religion except the Native Americans". The Wampanoag people make a pact among themselves not to accept any food from the settlers, but one person breaks the agreement, sparking a reaction from Nancy Eldredge: "We just don't want it to appear like 'happy Indians with the first Thanksgiving, Colonial' because it wasn't that way at all. ... If we were being treated in a good way even today and our land wasn't still being taken ... then it would be fine." * The colonists had made an agreement with the Passamaquoddy not to trade with any other people and choose to pass up the valuable trading opportunity with the Wampanoag. Episode Eight * The colonists are evaluated by a team of historians.

Criticism

Please se
IMDB
criticisms for Colonial House. The main criticism is that a large number of the reenactors did not attempt to reenact -- instead they tried to subvert this attempt at reenactment.

New Zealand version

A New Zealand version of the series was produced by

TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...

. The series features the Huttons from South Otago, a 21st-century family chosen to 'time travel' back to 1852 to live in a colonial house.

References

External links

PBS: "Colonial House"
* * {{IMDb title, 0403745, Colonial House 2004 American television series debuts 2004 American television series endings 2000s American reality television series PBS original programming Channel 4 reality television shows American English-language television shows Historical reality television series Television shows set in Maine