Category Archive

Primitive Chairs on the Maine Frontier Use it up.Wear it out.Make it do,or do without. The quote may have come from the 20th century Depression Era, but it was certainly true on the frontier is earlier years! In the very beginning, on the frontier, there was virtually no furniture. It was far too difficult to move it through country with …

Passing the time in Wiscasset’s Old Jail What’s a young sailor to do, stuck in a jail cell after a night of carousing in the bars of this village far from home? After months at sea, it must have felt so good to be on solid ground and celebrate a successful voyage. One could hardly blame the youth for getting …

Screw Type Candlestand: An Example of Yankee Ingenuity Made of maple and birch, this candlestand consists of a long shank inserted into a round base supported by three legs. Spiral grooving in the upper section of the shank permit two critically important components to rotate up and down the upper length of the shank. The first functions as a round …

Tape Loom In the eighteenth century, women’s clothing didn’t have buttons. Instead, it was held together with pins, strings and tape/ribbons. This was partly because of fashion, and partly because a married woman were likely to have a baby every two years, and was continually changing size. Different types of strings and tape were needed: flat so it wouldn’t dig …

Flax Wheel A recent Object of the Week article discussed the Wool Wheel or Great Wheel.  Its counterpart was the Flax Wheel, sometimes called the Foot Wheel.  With the Great Wheel, the spinner had one hand free to control the fibers as they were spun into yarn; the other hand would be turning the wheel.  The Flax Wheel allowed the …

Candles and How to Make Them Candles are a pleasant source of light. In the eighteenth century, they were preferred over “rush lights” and “fat lamps” because they smelled better and flickered less. Oil lamps were a new invention, and not yet popular in New England. Candles can be made in three ways: dipping, molding, and ladling. Dipped candles are …

A Tale of Two Kettles One thing the Collections Committee does is strive for the best possible displays in our museums, not only to enhance the “look,” but to strengthen our collection’s historical accuracy and thoroughness. These two kettles at the Pownalborough Court House are an excellent case in point, and they illustrate why another one of our duties is …

Chest of Drawers This early 19th century chest of drawers is one of a long line of similarly conceived types of case furniture that were ubiquitous in 18th and 19th century homes. They were designed to house personal clothing and precious objects including textiles. Most consist of four drawers usually graduated with the shallowest drawers above and the deepest below. …

Hay Rake This horse drawn, walk behind, hay rake was used prior to putting the same principle to use and putting wheels on it. The operator would walk behind the rake, holding onto the lever that is the “trip” mechanism. When the tines were full of hay the operator would lift the lever, locking it into a cog, and continue …

The Great Wheel Household textiles needs of the 18th Century differ little from those of the 21st Century.  Households then, as today, require dish towels, table linens, clothing, sheets, and blankets just to name the basics. In the Chapman-Hall House there is a display of textile tools used to make yarn/thread. The Chapmans were an average 18th Century family.   Even …