Williamsburg Update #8
Josh Rachita, Historical Interpreter
*Josh is interning for the summer at Colonial Williamsburg.*
Hello
All,
I had a really great week last week!
I continued working on the fireplace shovels, and I filed my first one. Though
there is a lot to improve I am happy with how it came out. I also got to go to
Monticello this week. My host worked with the man who portrays Thomas Jefferson
for over 30 years before he went to Monticello. We got to visit with him after
one of his performances which was a great treat!
Monticello was a very interesting
place to go. Jefferson designed the house several times. He always seemed to be
in debt because of all the building projects that he would partake in. My
favorite part was “Mulberry Row,” the area where his enslaved workers lived and
worked. Jefferson experimented with a variety of industrious ventures like nail
making, wine, and textiles. I of course enjoyed reading about the nail making
done on site and brought lots of questions and thoughts back to the crew at CW.
I also toured around CW on my other
day off this week. I visited with the cabinet makers, farmers, founders, tailors,
and shoemakers. The master shoemaker gave a lecture in the afternoon about the
tradition of concealing footwear in newly constructed buildings as a way to
ward off evil spirits and encourage safety and prosperity. While visiting with
the farmers, they showed me around in the model farm. They pointed out what the
different tobacco leaves felt like and at what texture they are ready to
harvest. I immediately felt the tar leaching out of the tobacco leaves which
really surprised me. I always thought tar was a modern additive in tobacco
products. I finished the day with a tour of the George Wythe home. George Wythe
was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of Thomas Jefferson’s
law tutors.
I’ve been working hard in the shop.
I’ve been trying to absorb as much as I can while I’m here with such great
smiths. I’ve been able to get the process on the fireplace shovels down but I
am still hoping to get them much cleaner. I’ve also been relearning the process
of making nails since making a new nail header. Much of nail making is muscle
memory so trying to be efficient in a new tool can be very challenging.
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The pictures this week are Elaine and me at Monticello with Bill Barker/Thomas Jefferson, a finished fireplace
shovel, and a close up shot of the handle detail.
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