Williamsburg Update #5

Josh Rachita, Historical Interpreter  

*Josh is interning for the summer at Colonial Williamsburg.*

June 20, 2021

Hello All,

            I had a great week here at Colonial Williamsburg! I got the trivet project well under way, and I am very pleased with my progress. This week was of course Juneteenth, and it was neat to see Williamsburg, along with the rest of the country, celebrate a very Texan tradition. I also got to stop by the silversmith and tinsmith shop on my day off. I really enjoyed the silver shop because silver is very similar to iron in the manner that it is manipulated.

            Last week when I went to Archeology and Collections, I started to think about a social media post I had seen several years ago. In 1995 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, was captured by a photographer, smashing a 2000-year-old vase from the Han dynasty. The purpose of the act was to question how society values things from the past. While I would never condone destroying a piece of history, I do understand Weiwei’s ideas. A poorly made vase 2000 years ago is still a poorly made vase today. So, what gives things value if it’s not just age?

            While in Archeology, I kept hearing one word from everyone I interacted with “context”. The archeologists use clues when digging to understand where they are in the timeline. An aluminum can may give us a hint that we are in the context of the 20^th or 21^st century. Digging deeper may reveal an item that can be specifically dated, and thus, everything around it becomes informed because of its context. These items help answer questions about who was here and what they were doing. Often times, the paper record is found to be supported by the archeological evidence that is found. These items can give us clues about the specific location, not just a generalization about the period or region. A good example of this is the Anderson cabinets. The paper record shows that the shop focused heavily on military items and repair during the Revolutionary War. Pieces like gun parts, sword guards, and entrenching tools were all found at the site. Now as an interpreter, I can tell the public about those items firsthand. Having read about and seen these artifacts in person now has strengthened my interpretation and hopefully adds to the guests’ experience.

            Collections is a different story. For the most part, Collections contains very well-preserved pieces which aren’t necessarily from Williamsburg. The purpose of these are to help the craftsmen, architectural historians, designers, and other interpreters make informed decisions on reproducing what 18^th century life was like. The value in these objects is that they are so well preserved we can gain an understanding into how things were used and exactly what they looked like. While working on the trivet, I am practicing the process of analyzing one of these pieces and using them to create an accurate reproduction. Historic trades give so much value to a museum’s mission. Unlocking how items were made can tell us so much about the people and societies that interacted with these objects. We can infer their values on work, material culture, economics, differences in classes, etc. There is so much to learn about these processes that have been largely lost.

            The trivet I’m making is peculiar enough that we think it could be a custom piece. It immediately caught my eye as being something that I haven’t seen before. It is very neat to think that I could possibly be one of only two smiths that have ever made this shape. It makes me wonder if the smith previous to me thought about the lifespan of his work. I’m sure he would find it amusing that a smith 250 years later is studying his work so closely that he’s measuring to a 64^th of an inch to get it just right.

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            The photos this week are a picture of the original trivet, my recent attempt at the reproduction, and a photo of me working on the ring of the trivet.

 

Williamsburg Update #4

Josh Rachita, Historical Interpreter  

*Josh is interning for the summer at Colonial Williamsburg.*

June 13, 2021

Hi Y’all,

            This week was a very cool week! I got to visit with both the archeology and collections departments and get up close and personal with some real pieces from the 18^th century. I’ve finally graduated from the spoons so now I am working on the steps of reproducing a period piece. I selected a small trivet used for cooking or holding hot items like pots or irons. I also attended a music performance that used 18^th century music to show the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and one of his slaves, Jupiter. This week the Curator of Collections at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, Mikey Sproat, also stopped by and said hello, which was nice to see a familiar face!

            At archeology, they have artifacts from the excavations they’ve done around the city. I was especially interested by the artifacts that came from the Anderson Armoury site. There was evidence of the things we speak about which was cool to see. There were many items that as a blacksmith I could tell that there was something wrong with them which explained why they were thrown away in the first place. Things like tear out in the iron were very common. (“Tear out” is a technical term that means "tears in iron" or "the tearing of iron".) There were also a lot of gun parts which is evidence of the shop serving as a public armoury during the Revolutionary War.

            In collections they keep the pieces that are period correct but weren’t found here in Williamsburg. Often these pieces are in great condition and are used by the museum as references for reproduction. This is the process that I am learning and practicing through making the trivet. I spent three hours taking notes and measurements and also drawing the artifact. Collections dated the piece between 1740 and 1780. It is a very unusual piece and there are several clues that help me understand how it was made. Having attempted it multiple times, I am encouraged to see my mistakes developing in the same places as the original. This leads me to believe that I am taking roughly the same steps the smith 250 years ago took as well.

            I am also seeing that my nails are getting better as well which is very exciting. I am making some that will probably be contributed to the 15,000 needed for the new brick drying shed, which is a very modest number for a new building. I am also getting more comfortable with interpreting here and learning a lot between interactions with other smiths and interpreters.

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The photos this week are a picture of me pumping the bellows, courtesy of Fred Blystone. A photo of the palace in the evening and a picture of the trivet and notes I took for reproduction.  And, the last photo is of myself with Mikey Sproat, Curator of Collections from the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.

Until my next update, I hope everyone has a great week!

 

Williamsburg Update #3

Josh Rachita, Historical Interpreter  

*Josh is interning for the summer at Colonial Williamsburg.*

June 6, 2021

Hello all,

            I had a really great week here at Colonial Williamsburg. I started it by attending the Memorial Day Commemoration on Palace Green which included a fife and drum which was very cool to listen to. I saw some great performances this week which highlighted historic figures like James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, General Marquis de Lafayette and Ann Wager. I also got to visit with several other trades shops including the leather workers, joiners, and book binders. This week in the forge I continued to talk with guests and hone in on my spoons and nails. At the end, I’ve included a picture of my most recent spoon that was based off of a historic one.

            There are two main styles of historic interpretation. There is first person, meaning that the interpreter acts as if they were the character they are discussing. This style is great for large audiences in a formal presentation setting. It is extremely difficult to execute because of the vast amount of research needed to do so accurately and professionally. The actors here at Colonial Williamsburg spend several years studying and researching their character before they ever interpret for the public. Actors rarely break the fourth wall, which sometimes makes audience interaction difficult. For example, if you asked a young Sam Houston, who was sharing his experience with General Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, about the Compromise of 1850, he wouldn’t be able to give you a straight answer. Often times, for education sake, interpreters will crack a smile and answer in a series of hypothetical reasonings that often give the actual answer. When done well, this style is an extremely impressive experience.

            The second is called third person interpretation. This is when the interpreter speaks in past tense and gives a much more informal discussion on what we do know about a subject. I think this is a much easier way to connect with a person one on one and we can be up front about what exactly is known and what is an educated guess. You’ll often find in this field that many answers start with “to the best of our knowledge…” because a lot of things are unknown. I also find it helpful to relate what we are doing to a modern example that guests are more familiar with. For example, I often describe the process of refining wrought iron as very similar to how taffy is made. It’s an example that many guests can relate to. This style still takes a large amount of skill and research to be able to do well and is a great way to connect with guests at a much more down to earth level.

     Colonial Williamsburg utilizes both styles in their effort to help educate their guests on Colonial American history. Even in the blacksmith shop we use a bit of both. While one person is speaking with the guests in third person, the other smiths are all doing real work that you would see in the 18^th century. All the tradespeople at CW are experts in that skill and continue to pass that knowledge along to promote the preservation of historic trades.

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The first picture is Journeyman, Aislinn Lewis, instructing me on whitesmithing a spoon handle. The second is of me forming the mass that will become the dish of the spoon. Both of these images were taken by Fred Blystone. The last two are of my most recent spoon, which I am very proud of.

Until next week!

 

Williamsburg Update #2

Josh Rachita, Historical Interpreter, 

*Josh is interning for the summer at Colonial Williamsburg.*

May 30, 2021

Hello y’all,

            I just finished my second week here at Williamsburg! I have been taking advantage of my staff pass and have been watching programs around town on my days off. Last Sunday I attended a lecture on the “Weathervanes of Williamsburg” which was given by Master Blacksmith Ken Schwarz. I also attended a musical performance called Joy in the Morning which told the story of the African American slave experience through their religious music. In the shop I continued to work on spoons and nails, and I am seeing some quick improvement in the quality of my work. Lastly, this morning I helped the Manager of Rare Breeds wean lambs which was a very fun experience!

            In his almost forty years here at Williamsburg, Master Blacksmith Ken Schwarz has been part of and led many workshops on reproductions of weathervanes here in town. Historically, weathervanes were used to denote important public buildings like the courthouse, magazine, capitol, palace, hospital, and the Bruton Parish church. My favorite anecdote from his talk was the discovery that the round pinnacle on the Bruton Parish Church steeple is an artillery shell from the War of 1812 that was placed there during restoration in the early 20^th century. The shop also recently completed a new weathervane for the new decorative arts museum.

            I really enjoyed the music from the Joy in the Morning performance. The performers used both dialogue and song to interpret the experiences of the enslaved during the 18^th century. I really enjoyed it because religion is innately related to their music. (This spring I took a class on the history of American Religion with Dr. Park. We learned that American religion has always been extremely diverse.) This performance included songs in English and various African languages and both Christian and African deities. It was a very powerful performance to attend.

            This week I not only continued to refine my forge work, but I also got some practice interpreting. I’ve begun speaking with guests during the first and last hours of the day. I am feeling comfortable with the information, which is very similar to the information I share with guests at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. I’ve also been learning new information from reading and listening to the other interpreters. It is very exciting to see so many people that are interested in what we are doing. The quality of my spoons and nails is also improving. I’ve been warming up with nails and then working on the spoons in the middle of the day. They take a considerable amount of clean-up work or “whitesmithing.” Whitesmithing is named for the shiny, bright surface that is produced on the metal after it is filed and polished. Eventually, the surface will develop a dark patina which is a very desirable surface finish. The purpose of whitesmithing is less about color and more about texture of the piece. Things like nails have no cleanup work at all but others like kitchen utensils are very often “filed bright.”

            This week I also helped the Manager of Rare Breeds, Elaine Shirley, wean lambs. When the lambs are old enough and no longer dependent on their mother’s milk, they have to be separated. For the mothers, this is a welcome experience, but the lambs do not reciprocate that feeling. However, this is a necessary step in the sheep’s lives. Elaine described it as “going away for college” which I found particularly amusing thinking about sheep attending Sam Houston State! The sheep at Colonial Williamsburg are called Leicester Long Wools. They are an English breed and were brought to America in the 18^th century. In the 18^th century they were bred for their quick growth and good meat production. The sheep here provide both wool for the spinners and weavers and also some meat for the Historic Foodways Program. Earlier in the week, the Historic Foodways Program made mutton steaks and mutton stew at the Armoury kitchen which the staff got to enjoy!

            The pictures this week include some “whitesmithed” and finished spoons I made, a picture that a guest, Cindy McEnery, took while I was working, a photo of the Leicester Long Wools, and a photo of me at the forge in costume.

 

Williamsburg Update #1

Josh Rachita, Historical Interpreter

Hello all,

     I have just finished my first week here at Colonial Williamsburg. I have been able to work in the forge the last three days of this week. The other day I was doing some HR things, getting fitted for costumes, and doing some reading about the site and the city here. I also was able to go see Yorktown, the two Jamestown sites, and on the drive up I stopped at Appomattox Courthouse.

            The building I will be working in the summer is called the James Anderson Blacksmith Shop and Public Armoury. The reconstructed shop was built in 2012 on the original foundations of the 1778 building which was built to serve as a public armoury to help repair the Continental Army’s muskets and furnish other iron and steel objects needed for the war effort. Archeologists knew where to install windows, and the subsequent work benches, due to the array of debris that was cast outside the windows by blacksmiths in the 18^th century.

            This week I have been working on nails and tasting spoons. Over the course of about a day’s work I was able to make 150 nails. This number may seem like a lot (or maybe it doesn’t) but specialized nail makers in the time period were averaging 2,300 nails a day. In the 18^th century, specialization was the key to cheap goods. With a labor shortage, especially among skilled tradesmen in America, imported goods from England were a third of the price of American made goods. This meant that the “village blacksmith” was more often fixing broken items or doing custom work than building stock to sell for retail.

            Luckily, today the museum has enough demand for forged goods which means the blacksmith shop is continually making historic reproduction pieces for use by other interpreters and buildings around the museum. I suspect that once my nails are deemed adequate, they will be amongst the 15,000 that will be used to build a new storehouse for the carpenter’s yard. 

            I am already seeing the quality of my work increase even after only a week here. Working alongside six excellent full-time smiths and having their advice and instruction has been extremely helpful. I have even been able to speak with some guests as they peek through the window near my forge and have been able to share new material I have learned through my reading and conversations. On my days off, I have been enjoying the wealth of programs CW has to offer and visiting other trade shops around town. I also sat down and had a great conversation with one of the interpreters who plays Sarah Trebell, the owner of the Raleigh Tavern in the 1760s, about her experience in public history.

            I am working on getting some pictures of me working in the forge from a photographer who took some of me last week, and I’ll get those to y’all when I can. For now, I’ve included some pictures of my work thus far and some other pictures around the city and the shop on my day off.

 

History Detectives

By Derrick Birdsall, Curator of Education

If you have visited the Woodland Home at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum over the last 30 or 40 years or so, you might have noticed the two small rooms on the south porch.  In log cabin parlance, those rooms are known as shed rooms and the larger rooms called pens.   For the last few decades, those rooms have been interpreted as a bedroom on the west side and a pantry on the east side.

While the Covid pandemic has put a temporary pause to our school tour and educational programing over the past year, it has allowed our staff to have the time to conduct research into every story that we tell to the thousands of school children and adult visitors that will typically come through our doors each year.  One such letter we came across was a letter to Fannie Bush Leigh, written in 1928.  Both the author of the letter and Fannie lived in the Woodland Home for a time, after the Houstons had moved off the property and in the letter, they are recollecting their days as young ladies and what the house looked like while the Houstons lived in it.

 

From the letter itself:

 

“I wish you could see the old Houston house, as it lives in my memory…. At that time three broad steps led to the double doors opening into the entrance hall. On the left a door led to Mrs. Houston’s room; on the right was the parlor. The hall extended into a large porch. A room at the west end of their porch. On the south side of Mrs. Houston’s room, a door opened on this porch. Adjoining Mrs. Houston’s room, on the south, there was a small bedroom – her Mother’s room.”

 

Using this letter as justification, museum staff decided that we would swap the rooms out as they have been on display for quite some time and  put things more in line as they were written down, as two old friends took a walk down memory lane together.  It’s the basis of what our goals are at the museum – to interpret as accurately as we can what the house and property were like when the Houstons called Huntsville home.  It’s very much a game of being a history detective, if you will, as we try to piece together day to day life of the Houstons on their farm.

If you would like to see the new arrangement, stop by, and let us know what you think!

 Surrendering the Sword

By Michael C. “Mikey” Sproat, Curator of Collections

From his time in Tennessee in the U.S. Army through his military career in Texas, Sam Houston owned several swords. At the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, he had one sword in the battle, and in the days following the battle, he was given Santa Anna’s captured sword. In the Sam Houston Memorial Museum collection, on display is that Santa Anna sword. This elaborately curved sabre and scabbard was presented to Houston following the battle as a token of esteem, namely in appreciation for Houston’s leadership.

Santa Anna, however, was unnerved. He had good cause to be concerned for his life as a captive when taken as a prisoner the day after San Jacinto. His precedent while President of Mexico and general of the Mexican army was to take no prisoners and ravage any non-combatants. All survivors from the Alamo mission in San Antonio were ordered to be killed in early March 1836, as were prisoners at Presidio La Bahia in Goliad later that same month. Similar reports about Santa Anna’s treatment of prisoners were given about battles from the year before in the Mexican states of Guanajuato, Yucatan, and Zacatecas. Following San Jacinto, the surrender of the Santa Anna sword meant no more tyranny from an oppressive centralist dictator and ushering in a time of peace and prosperity under a federal government in the newly created Republic of Texas.

Four years later on May 9, 1840, Sam Houston married Margaret Lea of Alabama. He ‘surrendered his sword’ and gave her a gift. It was a gold pin in the shape of a sword decorated with pearl seed beads, with their names and marriage date inscribed on the back side of the sword blade and scabbard. 

Sam was ready to enter a new chapter in his life, one of peace and prosperity. He put his military career behind him and entered into a public service career that thrust him and his family into state and national politics. 

This pin was donated in 2020 as a gift of Linda J. and William. E. Reeves of Edna, Texas. To view the pin on display, and to learn more about how you can help with the collection at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, come visit us. We love to talk about our hero Sam Houston.