Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Centre, Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland
The refurbished traditional thatched farmhouse cottage tells the story of Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), the seventh president of the US, whose parents lived here before emigrating to South Carolina in 1765.
There are two bedrooms, a parlour and a kitchen. We cleaned out what used to be a calving shed to display items the family would have used to do laundry and make cheese.
I love to see the faces of American visitors when I begin to speak – they don’t expect to find a fellow American, much less a Texan – to be here and talking to them about Jackson.
I met my husband on the internet in 1998. A year later, I arrived in Carrickfergus, a place I hadn’t known existed, and it felt like home. I had a stroke three years ago, which affected the parts of my brain used for memory and talking.
Volunteering gives me the chance to use those parts again.
When I was a schoolteacher I could talk to children until the cows came home but chatting to adults left me tongue-tied.
Working here has helped me to become less nervous, and also helps me not focus on the aches and pains of being 61. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my best friend, Ann Mayne, for encouraging me to join her in volunteering at the cottage.
The refurbished traditional thatched farmhouse cottage tells the story of Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), the seventh president of the US, whose parents lived here before emigrating to South Carolina in 1765.
There are two bedrooms, a parlour and a kitchen. We cleaned out what used to be a calving shed to display items the family would have used to do laundry and make cheese.
I love to see the faces of American visitors when I begin to speak – they don’t expect to find a fellow American, much less a Texan – to be here and talking to them about Jackson.
I met my husband on the internet in 1998. A year later, I arrived in Carrickfergus, a place I hadn’t known existed, and it felt like home. I had a stroke three years ago, which affected the parts of my brain used for memory and talking.
Volunteering gives me the chance to use those parts again.
When I was a schoolteacher I could talk to children until the cows came home but chatting to adults left me tongue-tied.
Working here has helped me to become less nervous, and also helps me not focus on the aches and pains of being 61. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my best friend, Ann Mayne, for encouraging me to join her in volunteering at the cottage.