by gwffoundation | Jan 31, 2019 | Daily Life in the 1700s, Lives & Legacies, Natural History
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...
by gwffoundation | Nov 7, 2018 | Daily Life in the 1700s, Fashion in History, Lives & Legacies
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...
by gwffoundation | Aug 9, 2018 | Archaeology, Daily Life in the 1700s, Lives & Legacies
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. ...
by gwffoundation | May 11, 2018 | Daily Life in the 1700s, Historic Kenmore, Lives & Legacies
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,...
by gwffoundation | Apr 13, 2018 | Daily Life in the 1700s, Lives & Legacies
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...
by gwffoundation | Mar 16, 2018 | Daily Life in the 1700s, Lives & Legacies
We look at our cats today as the furriest, purriest companions known to humankind. But most cats in colonial America worked for their status as the designated house cat. It wasn’t all lazy days trying to squeeze into the smallest box possible or snoozing in that tiny...
