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THE MECHANICK’S ADVISER
October 15, 2021
Apothecary – We want to thank Angelika Kuettner in Collections for taking the time to talk with
the Apothecaries and our pharmacy student about the Delft collection. She also showed them some of
the 18th-century pieces that were saved by the Galt family. The staff enjoyed the experience.
Our student has been busy reading secondary sources on the history of pharmacy. Robin has
been working with her to make a tincture of Peruvian bark for the intermittent fever [a good name for
malaria], conserve of mint, and conserve of orange peel. The latter were used to treat stomachrelated conditions. The next project is a rob of elderberry for colds. The juice from the elderberries
was heated and mixed with sugar and used for colds.
Margaret has been busy looking at a variety of indigenous plants such as black snake root,
Virginia snake root, and Seneca rattlesnake root, and the supply chain for apothecaries to acquire
them. Mark wrote up his lab report for a Lohoch that is described as being thicker than a syrup and
thinner than another type of medicine. Sharon is busy working on our site records.
One last interesting note: there was a photography team in the Shop today, working on photos
for the Benjamin Moore Paint Company. If you see a future promotional, check it out as there are
other CW sites included.
The Apothecary Shop will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. On
Thursday, October 21st, at 4:30 pm in the Hennage Auditorium, the Apothecary will present “Visit
with the Apothecary.” Join the Apothecary and discover how much, and how little, medicine has
changed since the time of George Washington.
Armoury:
Blacksmith – The Blacksmith Shop will be open Daily.
Tinsmith – This week in the Tin Shop, Joel has been working on funnels and tinderboxes for
Prentis Store, while Jenny has been working on Coffee Pots and probate inventory research for her
apprenticeship. Meanwhile, Steve has been working behind the scenes on a large production run of
stainless steel “d-shaped” canteens for the Fifes and Drums Corps and Evening Programs.
The Tin Shop will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Anthony Hay Shop – The Cabinetmaker and Harpsichord-maker Shop will be open on Sunday,
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Either the Cabinetmakers or the Harpsichord-makers will be at the
Art Museum Gallery on Wednesday.
Brickmaker – Apprentice projects continue in the land of Masonry Trades. Madeleine is just about
finished with her very first sample panel. Once it is completed, we will observe the customary
admiration period and then proceed to destroy all her hard work. But don't worry! She will get to do it
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 31
�all over again and build another one (this time in Flemish bond). Madeleine's work is coming along
nicely, it's clean and most importantly, it's level. Nick has finally applied the final coat to the plastering
he has been working with on the underside of the dormer window in the Carpenter's Yard. The
nefarious forces of gravity have been temporarily thwarted, and the plaster is holding (after some
much-needed patching). When plastering, the final coat is known as the "skim coat." For the skim
coat, the lime putty is mixed with a much finer and lighter-colored sand, and no horsehair is added.
This mixture is then applied in a very thin layer, smoothing out the entire surface. Once the plaster has
had a chance to dry further, we may dive into some whitewashing, which will really brighten up the
plaster. Whitewash is a mixture of very watered-down lime putty that not only brightens up the
plaster but can also help to fill in microscopic hairline cracks in the plaster. As Van Wagner always says,
"It ain't paint, it ain't stain, couldn't be a better name...whitewash!"
Carpenter – The Carpenter’s Yard will be open Daily, weather permitting.
Colonial Garden – Much of the work this week in the Colonial Garden revolved around the
southwest quarter of the Garden. The Gardeners replaced the sections of wattle fence surrounding
the front of the bed. In our Garden, this fence is mostly decorative and to help guide Guests along our
pathways, but it can be scaled up for many other uses. Our wattle fencing is built with branches from
the sycamore trees on the corner of Nassau and Francis Streets that are pruned by our Landscape
Department each winter. We also planted parsley into this bed and placed glass handlights over the
plants to protect them from rabbits and from frost later in the season. The rye and radishes planted
over the last several weeks have germinated and are looking very nice, and the peas planted at the end
of August are starting to fill up the hotbed. This coming week, we will be planting out our lettuces and
other fall greens. An exciting update on our monarch chrysalises: we spotted a butterfly just after it
emerged!
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�The southwest quarter of the Colonial Garden with new wattle fence, cabbages, and parsley planted under handlights
Peas growing in the hotbed in the Colonial Garden
A newly emerged monarch butterfly at the
Colonial Garden
The Colonial Garden will be open Monday through Saturday, weather permitting.
Cooper – The Cooper Shop will be open on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
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�Engraver – The Engraving Shop will be open Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The Engravers will be
at the Art Museum Gallery on Saturday.
Foodways – The Foodways Staff will be at the Palace Kitchen Sunday through Wednesday and at
the Armoury Kitchen on Thursday.
Foundry – It’s been busy in the Foundry. The gnomon for the sundial just needs polishing. We are
making wax seals and nutcrackers for the Engravers, Lynn and Drew have been getting auction items
ready, and finally, Mike was showing how to soft solder with a hand torch.
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�The Foundry will be open on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Gunsmith – The Gunsmith Shop will be open on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Historic Farming - There are a few bolls of cotton opening, but not much. The reason is that the
planting of it was thrown off a whole month by an extended dry spell in May. This part of Virginia is
not the best place to grow cotton. Sure, it will grow, but it is not hot enough long enough. It all has to
do with boll development. The plant is always making bolls, so the longer the growing season then the
more bolls develop, equaling more cotton. The people that grew it in the Tidewater area during the
18th century were the wealthy planters who tried to cloth their enslaved people, and the very poor
who did not have the income from tobacco to purchase cloth. That’s all off when the Revolution
comes, and the imports stop! Now, everyone is thinking about how they will cloth themselves.
The Farmer will be at Prentis Field Tuesday through Saturday.
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�Joinery – Everyone at the Joinery is moving along with their current projects. Brian is working on
making a new plane to help him cut curved moldings. Most of the Apprentices view this as some kind
of witchcraft, but Brian has assured them that not only is it possible, but that the Coopers do it every
day. Your humble narrator remains unconvinced, as he has never even seen a “cooper” in the wild,
much less one actually working. Amanda has attached the head and foot of her coffin and is now hard
at work shaping the sides. These will slope from head to foot, and also display the fancy coffin-joint at
the shoulder that gives pinch-toe coffins their distinctive shape. Peter has been practicing carving a
series of waterleaves, a popular architectural motif. He has been working in walnut, which is a
welcome respite from the basswood that he has used in the past. Scott has successfully finished the
layout for the frets on his mantelpiece. He now has the unenviable task of piercing and cutting out
each section to produce the desired effect. It’s the kind of work one would prefer to hand off to a
lowly Apprentice except, well, Amanda, Scott and Peter are the lowly Apprentices.
Fretwork layout
Waterleaf carving
The Joinery will be open on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Joiners will be at the Art
Museum Gallery on Sunday.
Milliner and Mantua-maker – This week, we're continuing preparations for our three
upcoming social media engagements. Janea will be participating in a Livestream on the colonial
economy this coming week, and the following week, Rebecca will take part in the "Kids Ask"
version. We've thus been refreshing our facts and brainstorming intriguing talking points and tidbits
on our Research Day, in addition to working on a larger, separate project on clothing literacy in the
eighteenth century. To make ready for our visiting social media influencer the last week of
October, Kate is completing the update of the striped silk gown, with just a bit of trim left to add
before it's ready for its debut. Rebecca is on the final step of the lined silk short cloak, which involves
adding the "narrow" black lace edging which was so popular in the mid-1770s. Janea is nearly finished
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�with the pair of hoops and has started work on a suit of millinery in a fine checked cotton to go with
the gown we're making.
The Milliner and Mantua-maker will be open on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday.
Music – Greetings from The Governor’s Musick! We are still giving mini-concerts in the Raleigh
Tavern to packed (socially distanced) audiences and are looking forward to returning to the Palace for
a concert series in November and a Holiday concert series after Thanksgiving. It will be good to be
back!
Dancing was arguably the most popular leisure activity amongst the gentry in Colonial
Williamsburg. One visitor to the area wrote, “Virginians will dance, or die!” Concerts typically offered
dancing afterward to those who wished to stay, and at least one spontaneous dance was had at the
Capitol Building after procuring a fiddler. Accordingly, we chose to close our Raleigh programs with
“The Rakes of Mallow,” a real foot-tapper.
Music continues apace at the Museum Galleries as well. Here is Jenny behind the ropes:
Amy continues her research into women of the Cherokee Nation, and Brady is reading up on
performance practice. Karol continues to research how “old music” got to Colonial Virginia alongside
new works. We hope all of you are happy and healthy—
The Musicians will be in the Art Museum on Friday mornings and afternoons as advertised
and on Saturdays, unadvertised and subject to change, and at the Raleigh Tavern Apollo Room on
Wednesdays throughout the fall at 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm for half-hour presentations.
Military Programs – On Monday, October 18th, at 4:30 pm in the Hennage Auditorium,
Military Programs will present “A Small Yet Important Corps: Engineers in the Revolution.” One of
the most important positions in the military is the engineer. Unfortunately for the Continental
Army, there were few engineers, let alone military engineers, to assist in the Revolution. It took
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�time, trial and error, training, and a lot of help to get the Corps of Engineers off the ground. Come
learn the instrumental role engineers played in an 18th-century military and in winning the
Revolution.
Printer and Bookbinder:
Printing Office – Book Bindery tickets/labels done by W&M NIAHD students.
The Printing Office will be open on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.
Bindery – The Bookbindery will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Public Leather Works – Greetings one and all. Projects are progressing here in Public Leather
Works Land. Jay has begun work on a saddle valise to replace one that has found a new home in
Pennsylvania. Emma and Victoria are both about at the halfway point of the leather breeches they are
making, with Emma holding a slight lead despite having taken a weeks’ vacation at the beginning of the
month. Jan is seeing light at the end of the tunnel regarding the leather waistcoat he is working
on. He is pledging that it will be completed by the end of next week. As always, if you or your Shop is
in need of anything from our Shop, now is a fantastic time to ask.
The Public Leather Works will be open on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Shoemaker – The Shoemakers will be at the Armoury on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Silversmith – Things are picking up in the Historic Area and the Silversmith in more ways than one.
We are working on projects for the Foundation and the Stores, and interpreting “in our Shop and the
Museum Gallery,“ the many people of our 18th- century diverse community to our Guests and school
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�groups. We are continually making items for our many Guests and having them sent to Prentis Store to
be sold along with the other goods that the Artisans of the Historic Trades Department have made.
The Silversmiths would also like to give a shout out to the Public Leather Works peeps for the
wonderful sand bags they made and repaired for us.
The Silversmith Shop will be open on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The Silversmiths
will be at the Art Museum Gallery on Friday.
Tailor – In the Tailor Shop, we are progressing quickly on this coat and waistcoat out of a tartan made
up by the Weavers. Garments made out of tartan would have been a very rare site in 18th-century
Virginia, but tailors would make clothing out of whatever fabrics the customer brought (and our
customer brought us this tartan!).
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�Along with his kilt and diced hose, he will be quite the Highland Lord!
The Tailor Shop will be open on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. The Tailors will be at the Art
Museum Gallery on Thursday.
Weaving, Spinning, and Dyeing – Everything is progressing rather well in our Shop. The
stripe from a sample book in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection is finally done and off the
loom. Keep an eye out because you may just see it out and about in town. Another run of the
Edinburgh Check is taking its place on the Countermarch loom, meaning that the same project will be
taking up both looms. However, not for long! Soon, the
Counterbalance loom will finish its run of Edinburgh Check,
and a blanket coat material will take its place. While all of this
is going on, we've also been preparing for Dye Day behind the
scenes. We have a myriad of colors that have been requested
for our last advertised Dye Day of the year. It is a flurry of
excitement and activity these days. Come stop by and see for
yourselves!
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�The Weaver Shop will be open on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Wheelwright – The Wheelwrights will be at the Armoury on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and
Thursday.
Wigmaker – Greetings from the Wig smiths! Edith is almost done with the beta flax wig, only one
last row to stitch on! She has been in contact with the Museum of London and has gained valuable
insight into how the original was crafted. Benton has completed his wiglet and will now start to weave
hair for a new wig, any guesses on who it's for? Debbie has started her much-anticipated vacation, to
which we say, “Do you think it wise to leave Apprentices unattended during spooky season?” Only
time will tell. As always, contact us if you need anything!
The John Coke Office is currently open Thursday- Sunday.
The Wig Shop will be open on Sunday, Thursday, and Friday. The Wigmakers will be in the
Art Museum Gallery on Monday.
The Mechanick’s Adviser is a publication of the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Historic Trades &
Skills.
Editor: Shari Monaco
Contributors: Apothecary – Robin Kipps, Armoury – Joel Anderson (Tin Shop), Brickmaker – Nicholas
White, Colonial Garden – Teal Brooks, Foundry – Mike Noftsger, Historic Farming – Ed Schultz, Joiner –
Peter Hudson, Milliner and Mantua-maker – Rebecca Starkins, Music – Karol Steadman, Printer and
Bookbinder – Peter Stinely (Printing Office), Public Leather Works – Jan Tilley, Silversmith – Preston
Jones, Tailor – Michael McCarty, Weaver – Joseph Wixted, Wigmaker – Edith Broward Edds
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 31
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Mechanick's Adviser
Description
An account of the resource
The Mechanick’s Adviser is a weekly newsletter produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Historic Trades and Skills beginning in September 2015 and continuing to the present. The word “mechanick” is an alternative spelling of “mechanic” and is used here in the more archaic sense meaning a skilled tradesperson or artisan. Some weeks the newsletter was not produced and there is a significant months-long gap in the 2020 newsletters reflecting the pandemic-related limitations and closures of the department. The newsletter relates employee news and the current work projects and research of the various trades’ shops belonging to the department as well as other groups described as “skills” including military, music, and dance programs.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Mechanick's Adviser. Volume 7, number 31, October 15, 2021
Creator
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Publisher
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Date
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2021-10-15