Making Cordage from Natural Materials:
A Hands-On Workshop with Fred Morrison
At the Shepherd Barn, 66 Bridge Street
Saturday, October 14, 2023
1 to 2 pm
Saturday, October 14, 2023
2:30 to 3:30 pm
Fred Morrison shows 4th graders how to
make cordage at Historic Northampton
For thousands of years, cultures around the world have made cordage with natural materials, especially plant fibers. In this hands-on workshop, naturalist Fred Morrison will demonstrate a technique for manually processing the native plant known commonly as Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) into cordage. All participants will have the opportunity to make their own cordage and bring home extra materials to continue at home.

Ages 10 and up.
Limit 20 people per session.

Child with parent/guardian: $15.
Family: $20.
Adults: Sliding scale $10-$25.
Fred Morrison is a former teacher in the Northampton schools, where he taught science for more than 35 years, including the craft of making cordage.  A resident of Westhampton, Fred is an author on a recent paper on the bees of Massachusetts (there are almost 400 species), and part of an international team that surveyed the dragonflies and damselflies of Ecuador.