Sewing was an important and necessary skill that all girls in the 18th century learned from a young age. A family’s clothing, bed and table linens, and other items made of fabric were in constant need of repair. These repairs and other sewing tasks were considered women’s work. Along with practical applications, sewing skills included … Continue reading I Spy: Sewing
Daily Life in the 1700s
I Spy: Toys & Games from the 18th to the 20th Centuries
Editor's Note: The toys and games shown in this I Spy photo, which include artifacts recovered by our archaeologists, are now on display in the Visitor Center at George Washington's Ferry Farm. On your next visit, be sure to see if you can find all the toy and game artifacts on our I Spy list! … Continue reading I Spy: Toys & Games from the 18th to the 20th Centuries
Summer Stinks!: The Odoriferous 18th Century
Editor’s Note: Looking back in time, people’s personal hygiene, fashion choices, medical treatments, and more sometimes look, at the very least, bizarre, if not outright disgusting. When confronted with these weird or gross practices, our first reaction can be to dismiss our ancestors as primitive, ignorant, or just silly. Before such judgments, however, we should try … Continue reading Summer Stinks!: The Odoriferous 18th Century
Lecture – Foodways in the 18th Century [Video]
On Tuesday, May 14, 2019, Park Ranger Deborah Lawton of George Washington Birthplace National Monument presented a lecture titled “Foodways in the 18th Century” that explored the new dishes and changing tastes of the time. Join us on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 for “The Social Role of Garbage in Colonial Virginia” with Dave Muraca, Director … Continue reading Lecture – Foodways in the 18th Century [Video]
Rooms at Rest
Visitors to Kenmore on the evening of April 13th will have the opportunity to see the Dining Room in a very different light, both literally and figuratively. In preparation for our evening program Letters from the Past, we will be putting the room “at rest,” an arrangement that would have been very familiar to the … Continue reading Rooms at Rest
The Hazards of Winter in Washington’s Day
Many people find winter miserable. It can be hard dealing with freezing temperatures, inclement weather, and long nights. With much of the nation experiencing record-breaking cold and windchills today and the current temperature at George Washington's Ferry Farm as we publish this post only 20 degrees Fahrenheit. it may not feel like it but our … Continue reading The Hazards of Winter in Washington’s Day
From Servants to Sovereigns, Lousy Hair Days (Part I)
When Mr. Gilchrist [the hairdresser] opened my aunt’s head, …its effluvias [bad odor] affected my sense of smelling disagreeably, which stench however, did not surprise me when I observed the great variety of materials employed in raising the dirty fabric. False locks to supply the great deficiency of native hair, pomatum with profusion, greasy wool … Continue reading From Servants to Sovereigns, Lousy Hair Days (Part I)
The Tale of the “Black Dogg”
The heavily worn coin, known as a “black dogg” and pictured above, is a unique archaeological find at George Washington's Ferry Farm. It was originally circulated in the French Caribbean and certainly traveled some distance to find its way to British Virginia. The coin may have traveled this distance in the pocket of a sailor … Continue reading The Tale of the “Black Dogg”
Lecture – Credit and Coinage: The Economy in Colonial Virginia [Video]
On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, Cash Arehart, Site Supervisor of the Capitol Building at Colonial Williamsburg presented a lecture titled “Credit and Coinage: The Economy of Colonial Virginia.” Using Kenmore's Fielding Lewis as an example, he discussed currency, credit, the tobacco economy, and the Transatlantic trade and how they all converged to make Col. Lewis … Continue reading Lecture – Credit and Coinage: The Economy in Colonial Virginia [Video]
Video – Eggsperimental Archaeology: Preserving Eggs before the Age of Refrigeration, Part 1
In this video, we do some experimental archaeology and try four different techniques used to preserve fresh uncooked eggs before the advent of refrigeration. You can also read about meat preservation techniques prior to the invention of refrigeration here.
Lives & Legacies 