mending

Mending Practice at Ferry Farm’s Archaeology Lab: A Photo Journal

/ ferryfarmandkenmore

If you visited Ferry Farm on October 21, 2022, you may have heard a loud crash coming from the archaeology lab - don’t worry, it was on purpose! During my fall semester internship at the Ferry Farm Archaeology Department, I had the pleasure of learning how to mend ceramic vessels, and like any skill, practice … Continue reading Mending Practice at Ferry Farm’s Archaeology Lab: A Photo Journal

How Many Curlers did a Harried Hairdresser Need? Let’s Do the Math!

/ ferryfarmandkenmore

After unearthing over 200 wig hair curlers from Washington’s Boyhood Home, we were in a position to do something that - to our knowledge - has never been done before: crossmend all those curler fragments. As a result, we can now predict the minimum number of curlers the Washington family’s harried hairdressers needed. If you … Continue reading How Many Curlers did a Harried Hairdresser Need? Let’s Do the Math!

Inside the Archaeology Lab: Putting Artifacts on Exhibit

/ ferryfarmandkenmore

Here on Lives & Legacies we’ve shown you a variety of important tasks that take place inside the Archaeology Lab at George Washington’s Ferry Farm. You’ve seen how we wash, catalog, label, and then mend vessels with archival glue. One goal of all this work is to piece together whole artifacts from the many broken … Continue reading Inside the Archaeology Lab: Putting Artifacts on Exhibit

Photos: Glue Through a Microscope

/ ferryfarmandkenmore

While living at Ferry Farm, Mary Washington, mother of George, owned a creamware punch bowl with beautiful hand-painted enamel depicting a floral motif and cherry accents.  Archaeologists excavated pieces of this bowl from the cellar of the Washington home and subsequently discovered glue residue on the sherds. We've written about the importance of the bowl's discovery here … Continue reading Photos: Glue Through a Microscope

Glue: The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Found

/ ferryfarmandkenmore

As an archaeologist, I am often asked “What is the coolest thing you’ve ever found?”  The answer is complicated.  Although I’ve unearthed 10,000 year old Paleoindian hearths, elaborate porcelains, coins, long lost jewelry, and ancient stone tools, I say that the coolest thing I’ve ever found is …. glue.  This proclamation always elicits questioning looks … Continue reading Glue: The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Found

After Digging: What Happens in the Archaeology Lab?

/ ferryfarmandkenmore

Here at Ferry Farm for the last 13 years, professional archaeologists have been exploring the local landscape, digging hundreds of excavation units in their quest to reveal the history of all those who lived here, including, of course, the Washington family.  Their investigative efforts have resulted in a multitude of artifacts dating from the earliest … Continue reading After Digging: What Happens in the Archaeology Lab?

The Science of History: Experimental Archaeology & Colonial Cheese Glue

/ ferryfarmandkenmore

Archaeologists sometimes recreate technology from the past to understand how people lived. This is called experimental archaeology. When archaeologists at George Washington's Ferry Farm found glue residue on sherds of Mary Washington's china, they developed ways to recreate this glue. This video explains the glue making process and what recreating the glues revealed about Mary. … Continue reading The Science of History: Experimental Archaeology & Colonial Cheese Glue