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THE MECHANICK’S ADVISER
April 8, 2023
Photo credit: Fred Blystone
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the untimely passing of Jan Tilley, Journeyman Leather Breeches
Maker. Jan was a remarkably gifted interpreter, and we all were impressed with how valiantly he fought his
last illness. He leaves a proud legacy, and he will be missed by all.
Jan’s career at Colonial Williamsburg began in 2008 as a first-person character interpreter in the Taverns. He
first joined Historic Trades as a Volunteer, working with Jay Howlett. He later joined the Site Interpreters in
Historic Interpretation. In 2016, he was loaned to Jay as an Intern. He was hired as an Apprentice Military
Artificer in 2017. Jan worked with Jay to transform the Shop’s focus into its current one as Leather Breeches
Makers. He completed his apprenticeship in 2019. Jan is the first person in the Department of Historic Trades
to receive two sets of Journeyman Papers, one as a Journeyman Military Artificer, and the other as a
Journeyman Leather Breeches Maker.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�Apothecary – Mark and Margaret are back from London! While they were there, they visited a variety of
museums, collections, and sites of interest that pertained to the history of medicine. They started out with
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum, and The Royal College of Physicians,
looking at their collections of apothecary delft and pharmacy/surgery materials. They had a chance encounter
with an RCP Fellow who showed them his personal favorite jars in their collection.
After that, they paid a visit to Bethlem Hospital’s Museum of the Mind. In 1793, Dr. Galt’s son Alexander
toured Bethlem to gain insight into treatment for mental illnesses, neurological conditions, and intellectual
disabilities before he would begin practicing at Williamsburg’s Public Hospital in 1799. Here, they saw not only
tools of physical and chemical restraint, medicinal treatment, and environmental care, but also art and
anecdotes by people who’ve used modern mental health services.
On Saturday, Margaret bothered the fine folks at the National Archives for almost six hours, looking into Dr.
Galt’s 1766 voyage – finding that Galt was indeed a surgeon’s mate on the HMS Rainbow to pay for the
medical courses he would later take in London once the ship arrived.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�On the same day, Mark visited the Foundling Museum and contemplated the history of family, childcare, and
institutions.
They spent time in the “Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries” wing of the Science Museum, which housed some
original 18th-century medical texts and surgical artifacts and walked through Kew Gardens to find living
examples of plants described in the 18th century. (Pictured below right: Quassia amara, named for Graman
Quassi/Kwasimukamba, who publicized its antiparasitic use in Dutch Suriname.)
On their final day, they were fortunate to tour Apothecaries’ Hall with Janet Payne, Archives Officer, and saw
the extensive collection of jars, ceremonial items, and records that the livery company stewards today. They
would like to put an order in for a chair like this (below):
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�The Apothecary is open Sunday through Tuesday, Wednesday (11:30-5:00), and Saturday.
Blacksmith – We have been busy as ever at the Armoury, with many projects underway. Ken and Josh
work on hinges for our new gate, Ken lengthening a set of left-over straps, and Josh making the hooks. Josh
has also been working on some tile molds for the Brickmakers and the Magazine project. Aislinn has been
making some pipe tomahawks, which get more file work than an ordinary axe. Mark has begun on a rim lock
for the Bray School. You can see in the included photo an original lock he is copying and the lock parts in
progress. Alex has also been contributing to the clay tile endeavor, making some hoes which are used to
process the clay. He is also working on some small cooking ladles. Broadus is working on larger ladles and
"egg slices", or spatulas, as well as a pouring shank for the Founders. As always, all’s well that falls well at the
foot of the anvil.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�The Blacksmith is open Daily.
Bookbinder – The Bookbinder is open Sunday, Monday, and Thursday through Saturday.
Cabinetmaker – The multitudes of Spring Break Guests have witnessed a good variety of ongoing Shop
projects this week. Bill has the complex writing drawer of his writing table framed up, but there’s plenty of
work to come. Afterall, this is a drawer with legs and three drawers of its own. The original that our
reproduction is based on is on display down the street in the Randolph House, so Guests have a nice
opportunity to connect living Trades work with a celebrated antique. John has been hard at work creating the
many mortise and tenon joints for the front leg assemblies of his walnut side chairs. Angled joints like these
are expected to look neat and have the structural integrity to support the full weight of one sitter after
another for generations - so the stakes are high, and the work proceeds with great care. NIAHD Intern Sarah
has been making the walnut parts for her candle box and should be ready to start dovetailing that together in
the coming days.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�Away from our respective benchwork, we (along with our Harpsichord-making colleagues) welcomed a
sold-out crowd for our first hands-on "Plane Talk" Workshop of the season. In addition to the standard puns
implied by the title, the program gives participants a behind-the-scenes opportunity to learn about the vast
world of hand planes through using the tools themselves.
We also took some time this week to celebrate our Master Harpsichordmaker, Ed Wright, who marked
his 40th year in the Shop on April 1st. Thank you, Ed, for all you have done for your colleagues, our Guests,
and our Trades over the years. We look forward to the years ahead and offer our congratulations on reaching
that milestone!
The Cabinetmaker is open Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday. Their Workshop will be
held on Tuesday.
Carpenter – This week in the Carpenters Yard, we’ve started to organize and lay out materials for the
wagon shed for the Farm site. This project shouldn’t entail much framing. We’ll be starting it in our Yard and
then raising and covering it at the Ewing Field site later this spring. Stay tuned for more on this project.
The Carpenters Yard is open Sunday through Wednesday, and Saturday, weather permitting.
Cook – We have had a jam packed few weeks over at the Palace Kitchen! The team has fully launched into
our Spring Brewing Season. Two weeks ago, we did a demo run of a new Orange Ale that we are hoping to
turn into our next collaboration with AleWorks Brewing. The beer drinkers of the 18th century were into
aromatics in their beverage, just as those dining at the Governor’s table enjoyed aromatics in their food.
When it comes to the orange kick to the new ale, it absolutely hits the 18th-century preference on the head.
It has a lovely orange hue and a delicate orange aroma. For modern beer drinkers, who much prefer to taste
the fruit that is billed as starring in the ale, Frank had determined that the recipe needs some adjustment
before being sent to AleWorks. We are going to work to really punch up the orange flavor. Last Sunday, we
worked on a Keeping Brown Strong Ale. Rich and chocolaty in color, this Keeping Brown may have very well
fermented for up to a year in the 18th century, hence the name. It should also pack a punch at between 912% ABV, as the name suggests. There is little possibility ours will last to ferment for an entire year. We will
want to crack into one and see how we did in our second brew of the season. We will still have to wait a
month or two.
As of Monday, we are also now in full swing for our series of Spring Workshops. “Play With Your Food
the 18th-century Way” had a full group of ten for our first day. Two families and one teenaged gal, who were
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�all very excited to come and work with us in a way they are normally not able to when visiting us in the
Kitchen. Two stations were available for them to get their hands on 18th-century garnishes. We had them
first play with marzipan, which is like an almond fudge paste, and we lovingly call it “edible Playdoh.”
Although there were pewter molds available to help them create things, we were all very pleased and excited
to see both groups of five really going for it and making creations out of their own minds with their own
hands. With a little gentle guidance from Abbey, we saw roses, daffodils, a gnome couple, lady bugs, a
Georgia peach, a very hungry caterpillar, a butterfly, a peacock, and a mouse. Both groups really knocked it
out of the park. We also had a station for them to candy flowers, which is when you paint the front and back
of the petals with egg whites, roll them in sugar that has been powdered in a mortar and pestle, and lay them
to dry. They turn into lovely floral bursts of sweetness that could be eaten for dessert or used as a cake
topper. As our new friends left the Workshop to venture around town, one family informed us that “they had
four generations of their family” at the Workshop and that with us, they had “made memories together that
would stay with them the rest of their lives.”
After the Workshop on Monday, we rolled up our sleeves and got right into our “Secrets of the
Chocolate Maker” program that will be running the first Monday of the month. As usually happens with
chocolate, the Kitchen saw a packed room all afternoon, and several families were determined to experience
as much of the process as they could from start to finish, with them staying in the Kitchen for large chunks of
time. We were also able to use the program as a platform for discussing the institution of Slavery in the 18th
century and how every part of the chocolate process was touched by enslaved hands, from the growing of the
cacao all the way to the chocolatiers making the chocolate discs by hand in wealthy kitchens. For modern
consumers, this is probably not something they typically think about when nibbling on a chocolate bar today.
However, these same topics affect modern chocolate production, and it was important for us to make sure
our Guests understand the weight and history of chocolate production while enjoying their time with us as we
made chocolate in the Kitchen.
The Palace Kitchen is open Sunday, Monday (11:30-5:00), Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Cooper – The Cooper is open Sunday, Monday, and Thursday through Saturday. On Monday, April 15th, at
4:30 pm in the Hennage Auditorium, the Coopers will present, “Tracing Adam Waterford”. Adam Waterford
was a free Black man who worked as a cooper in Williamsburg around the time of the American Revolution.
This program explores how we know that, and what else we know and don’t know about him, in a
discussion of the documentary evidence that allows us to glimpse who Adam Waterford was.
Engraver – The Engraver is open Sunday through Thursday.
Farmer – On March 24th, CW President Cliff Fleet struck out on the
first furrow at Ewing Field, and he finished most of the field before Eli
the Horse needed a break. The first furrow is called “striking out”. The
plowman fixes their eye on a point at the end of the field and drives
the horse to that. The keys are to never take your eye off the goal,
correct with the plow intuitively as you go along, and don’t overthink
it. Never look back till it’s over. This is plowman’s wisdom, as well.
The Farmers will be at Ewing Field Tuesday through Saturday,
weather permitting.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�Fifes and Drums – The Fifes and Drums will be performing Wednesday through Friday at 4:40 pm in
Market Square, Saturday at 12:30 pm starting at the Capitol and marching to the Palace, and Saturday at
1 pm on the Play House Stage.
Founder – The Founders have been hard at work this week, working on the Colonial Williamsburg seals. As
mentioned in an earlier Adviser, we are making one each in pewter, bronze, and sterling silver. We learned
this past Wednesday that we need to make a fourth one in cast iron and have it and the pewter seal finished
by this coming Sunday. The mold was made that same day, and Apprentices Leanne and Drew experienced
their first cast iron pour on Thursday. With some help from the Engravers, the metal work on the pewter seal
has been completed. In other news, Journeyman Mike finished work on the pewter patterns of the drumhead
tensioner hooks and wingnuts for the Fifes and Drums.
The Foundry is open Sunday, and Wednesday through Saturday.
Gardener – The Historic Garden hosted three guests this week. Fallon Burner, Indigenous Historian,
American Indian Initiative, began the turning of the 2023 iteration of the American Indian Food Plot. The
Landscaping Department was kind enough to drop off a dragon arum for the edification of both Guests and
Gardeners. Known in the 21st century as a Voodoo Lily, the bloom produces a rotting meat smell to attract
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�flies for pollination. And Wednesday morning saw an eastern black swallowtail butterfly emerge from its
chrysalis and spend some time drying its wings before flying away. Welcome guests, all!
Fallon Burner experiencing the Zen of bed turning
Dracunculus vulgaris smelled like rotten ground beef while first blooming (left). Papilio polyxenes allows its wings to dry (right).
Apprentice Marc continued gaining experience in his quest to reach the next level of the Historic Gardener
Apprenticeship. The crimson clover was mowed using a scythe – only the second opportunity to use that tool.
More wattle fencing, in this case a corner to protect the edge of the American Indian Food Plot, was
constructed. Intern Andrew then assisted Marc in the splitting and repotting of tuberoses (Agave amica).
Stay tuned for the second attempt at making circular trellises, once these plants get taller.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�Apprentice Marc CAREFULLY sharpens the Garden scythe. A wattle corner made from pollarded sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Andrew adds fresh compost to a tuberose pot.
And finally, the Cooks of the Palace Kitchen were gifted the largest cabbage from our cabbage patch while also
taking away asparagus and two types of broccolis.
An impressive Brassica oleracea completely fills out the basket.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�Two more varieties of Brassica oleracea join Asparagus officinalis on a trip to the Palace Kitchen.
It wasn’t just vegetables collected this week. Much effort was expended weeding the Garden.
The Historic Garden is open Daily, weather permitting.
Gunsmith – The Gunsmith is open Sunday, Wednesday through Saturday.
Harpsichordmaker – The Harpsichordmaker is open Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday through
Saturday.
Joiner – The Joiner is open Sunday through Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday (11:30-5:00).
Leather Breeches Maker – The Leather Breeches Maker is open Tuesday through Saturday.
Masonry – This week, the Brickyard crew continued work on the piers for our tool shed and completed the
first of three Spring Workshops for “Daub to Dough”. With the help of some savvy and potentially fireobsessed kids, the basket weave of the structure was completed, then covered with a clay and straw mixture.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�Finally, they got to work on their fire-starting skills using flint and steel to create a small fire within. This type
of structure would be used for small-scale cooking outside and can last quite a while if maintained.
The Brickyard is open Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday (12:00-5:00), and Saturday, weather permitting.
Military Programs – Things have been steadily heating up here at Military Programs, both in terms of
Guest numbers and the temperature. We have been cleaning and reorganizing the Guardhouse in preparation
for our two-week maintenance closure later this month, trying to make this Guardhouse into a
“Guardhome”. We look forward to working with the Shoemakers to make some blackball to help maintain
our shoes and cartridge boxes. Alex is gearing up for his Hennage Talks on the defenses of the Delaware
River. Ren is working on a linen POW jacket for their 71st Regiment of Foot impression as part of their
Professional Development Grant and goal completion for the year. As always when “In Defense of Our
Liberty” is running, we are cleaning and maintaining about two dozen muskets a week to allow the Night
Program to operate. Some much anticipated Osnaburg linen is on its way to us for a special group project,
Hunting Shirts! We hope to work with the Weavers to dye them to 6th Virginia specifications, black with red
collar and cuff. So chic.
Watercolor of a Virginia Rifleman wearing a Hunting shirt by Richard St. George, Harlan Crow Library, Dallas, Texas.
Military Interpretation at the Guardhouse is open Daily.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�Milliner and Mantua-maker – The Milliner and Mantua-maker is open Tuesday through Saturday.
Musket Range – Today, we would like to take the time to extend a heartfelt thank you to some of the
Historic Trade Shops in town that have supported us through these last seven years. The Printers have
supported our efforts at the Range since before day one. They have made every paper we have used to make
the ammunition for the Musket and Fowler. To date, that number is around 100,000. We would not be able
to function without this crucial help the Printers provide us. Thank you. Next, we would like to thank the
Founders. For the last few years, the Geddy Foundry has been casting .69 caliber pewter balls for us to
distribute to shooters at the completion of their experience. These pewter Musket balls are cast and finished
at the Foundry by hand. To date, they have done several thousand for us. The support we receive from these
Shops enables us to make our Guest experience something truly special! It also opens up more opportunities
for us to highlight the Historic Area by showcasing these two Shops and others in our interpretation.
The Musket Range is open Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday with sessions at 9:30am, 11am, 1:30pm,
and 3pm.
Printer – The Printer is open Tuesday through Saturday.
Shoemaker – The Shoemakers are working at the Leather Breeches Maker Tuesday through Saturday.
Silversmith – All of the Silversmiths have been busy working on the list of projects, both commissions and
apprenticeship pieces.
Megan is cutting the bottom out of a bowl that formed a crack. This will be turned into two new pieces. She
also went down to the Engraver and engraved two trade silver medals.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�Chris continues to polish her tray, and it is looking wonderful. Bobbie has soldered the rim of a new tray and is
filing and cleaning it up. Preston is working on more bowls and is polishing more jewelry. George has rolled
out more sheet from his ingots. This one will become one of Megan’s apprenticeship holloware pieces.
The Silversmith is open Sunday, Monday, and Thursday through Saturday.
Tailor – The Tailor is open Sunday (11:30-5:00), Monday, and Thursday through Saturday.
Tin Plate Worker – The Tin Plate Worker is open Tuesday through Saturday.
Weaver, Spinner, and Dyer – The Weaver is open Sunday through Wednesday, and Thursday
(11:30-5:00).
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�Wheelwright – The Wheelwright Shop is closed April 9-14 for annual maintenance. On Monday, April
10th, at 4:30 pm in the Hennage Auditorium, the Wheelwrights will present, “A Primer on Paint”. Long
before humanity created villages and towns, there was paint. Paint serves not only as an aesthetic
enhancer but as a means of preservation of wood and metal objects. Come join a Colonial Williamsburg
Wheelwright on a journey following the science and history of this often-ignored part of our lives.
On Wednesday, April 12th, at 4:30 pm in the Hennage Auditorium, the Wheelwrights will present,
“The Road MORE Travelled”. Williamsburg is known as a sleepy, quiet southern town, but what did it look
like in its heyday? Join a Colonial Williamsburg Wheelwright as they take you onto the colonial Capitol's
streets to discuss what was rolling and who was driving.
Wigmaker – The Wig Shop will be open Sunday through Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
The Mechanick’s Adviser is a publication of the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Historic Trades & Skills.
Editor: Shari Monaco
Contributors: Apothecary – Margaret Perry; Blacksmith – Broadus Thompson; Cabinetmaker – Bill Pavlak;
Carpenter – Matt Sanbury; Cook – Abbey Shoaf; Farmer – Ed Schultz; Founder – Drew Godzik; Gardener –
Marc Nucup; Masonry – Madeleine Bolton; Military Programs – Ren Tolson; Musket Range – Jeffrey Thomas;
Silversmith – Megan Cantwell
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 9, Issue 14
�
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 9, number 14, April 8, 2023
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2023-04-08