|
On 15 November 2008, Mom took me to an event at the Old Fort Western in Augusta, Maine for a day learning about women in the 18th century. The day was sponsored by the Girl Scouts of Maine. It was such a blast and I learned a lot as you can see! |
|
Like most kids in the 1700’s, I needed to learn some skills to help support my family. Making shingles was one way to take green wood from the abundant forests and turn it into shingles to trade at the store for goods the families could not produce for themselves. |
|
All that shingle making makes a girl hungry so next we head to the kitchen where we find out that even making something as simple as cinnamon toast takes 4 pairs of hands—one pair of hands to toast the bread, one to churn the butter, one to crush cinnamon sticks and one to prepare the sugar with the sugar tongs. No wonder big families were so common! |
|
Next we visited with the seamstress and learned that being able to make clothes for your family was extremely important because many people could not afford to hire a seamstress. We learned about indigo, linen and how flax plants are turned to cloth. |
|
The loom was fascinating but my absolute favorite time was spent with the midwife! |
|
Here the midwife is explaining many of the types of medicinal treatments available for the various ailments common at the time. We know about a lot of the remedies which were used because of Martha Ballard. Martha was a midwife who kept a diary of her work and the goings on in her town as a central participant in the healthcare and female economy in Maine from 1785-1812. Her diary is available online from the Film Study Center at Harvard University at www.dohistory.org. Even a movie was made about Martha Ballard’s life based on her diary called, “A Midwife’s Tale.” |
|
Like any midwife’s apprentices, the girls were then taken to visit some sick patients. |
|
After the diagnosis….time for the TREATMENT! I was having the “fitts” which meant dabs of vinegar on my wrists and temples and ONIONS to be rubbed on my feet! ...Fits of laughter ensued!!!
|