by gwffoundation | May 24, 2019 | Archaeology, Foodways, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Historic Kenmore, Lives & Legacies
On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, Dave Muraca, Director of Archaeology at The George Washington Foundation, presented “The Social Role of Garbage in Colonial Virginia,” the final talk in this year’s annual lecture series. Dave presented three case studies in...
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 | May 18, 2017 | George Washington, Lives & Legacies
It’s probably the myth that is more enduring and widespread than any other about George Washington. At some point from someone, you have heard that George Washington’s false teeth were made of wood. It is not true. In reality, his dentures and dental tribulations...
by gwffoundation | Apr 27, 2016 | Lives & Legacies
“I went in to the Bed as they call’d it when to my Surprize I found it to be nothing but a Little Straw—Matted together without Sheets or any thing else but only one Thread Bear blanket with double its Weight of Vermin such as Lice Fleas &c,” wrote 15-year-old...
by gwffoundation | Jan 28, 2015 | George Washington's Ferry Farm, Lives & Legacies
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...
