Page 31 - 2015_Cabin Days curriculum booklet

THE PIONEER HERB GARDEN

When you visit the Navarre Cabin in Leeper· Park, make sure that
you get to see the neat Herb Garden. Otherwise, your trip will not be
complete! The garden was first created in 1955 by the South Bend
Garden Club. In 1994 the Northern Indiana Historical Society re-planted
the garden so that today the plants growing there are the type that would
have been tended in the 1830's by pioneers living in the St. Joseph River
Valley.

In the Herb Garden, you will find plants that served a variety of
purposes. Here is a listing of some of these herbs' uses: dyes for cloth,
beverage flavorings. food seasonings, ingredients in medicine, and
decorations. Some of the plants were native to this area, but others were
brought by the pioneers themselves from Europe or from the Eastern
United States. And inthe fall months, herbs were dried in bundles before
the settlers' fires.

Benefits and simples were the tw o types of medicines made from
herbs. Benefits prevented illness, and simples cured pain or sickness.
"From these herbs came powders for pills, tonics for strength, plasters
and poultices for pains and infections, teas for bad nerves, anlotions for
the complexion. Many of the herbs used by the settlers can be found in
our vitamins and drugs today." (Early Health 10)

Here is a listing of plants, trees, and shrubs that grow in and near the
garden. They are grouped according to their uses:

FOOD SEASONINGS: Calendula, Chives, Dandelion, Dill, Elderberry,
Nasturtium, Sage, Spicebush, Thyme

BEVERAGE FLAVORINGS: Bee Balm, Catnip, Chamomile, Dill,Elderberry,
Horehound, Lavender, Melissa, Mint, Sage, Thyme, Sassafras

MEDICINE: Bee Balm, Bonset, Butterfly Weed, Calendula, Catnip,
Chamomile, Chives, Dill, Elecampagne, Feverfew, Flax, Goldenrod,
Horehound, Lungwart, Melissa, Mint, Mullein, Sage, Spicebush, Thyme,
Sassafras, Witch Hazel

DECORATIONS: Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susan, Calendula, Goldenrod,
Lavender, Lungwart, Melissa, Mint, Nasturtium