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THE MECHANICK’S ADVISER
December 9, 2022
Anthony Hay Shop:
Cabinetmaker – This week, John and Bill have started turning plans into action with their contribution
to the upcoming conference in January. Bill has started to prototype out a convex shell in example of the ones
on the bureau table he and John are studying. These shells are so typical and emblematic of Rhode Island
cabinet work. John, in studying the carved and sculpted feet of the piece, is mocking up a box to apply them
to that will serve as a pseudo case bottom. The usual business of creating sample work is going full steam,
with plenty of time between now and the end of January. Jeremy is beginning work on his next build, a dropleaf corner table in walnut, the original thought to have been made in the original Anthony Hay Shop. The
table has an interesting design, though it should be fairly expedient for him to make.
The Cabinetmaker and Harpsichordmaker are open Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday through
Saturday.
Apothecary – We're looking forward to the Holidays here, but we are sad to see our pharmacy intern
depart! Ben's last day is Friday. We've enjoyed working with him and seeing how he applies modern
pharmacy knowledge to the 18th century. Wishing him the best on his next endeavors!
In other news, Sharon's reorganizing our midwifery primary sources, consolidating new information
with existing research. Margaret just finished transcribing the Eastern State Board of Directors minutes for
1822-1842 and is now cross-referencing the Galt papers with her patient list to find more context on certain
cases.
The Apothecary Shop will be open Tuesday through Saturday.
Armoury:
Blacksmith – This week in the Blacksmith Shop, we were paid a special visit by James Anderson’s
descendants, who came from Ohio. Ken spent a good while talking with them about their relative's life, work,
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�and the trade that he practiced. He also offered one of them the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes morning
tour, which allowed him to work in the same location his ancestor did 250 years ago. We intend to keep up
the correspondence with them, so we can continue to share information about their family history.
Also notable, the Clock-Jack from the Palace Kitchen was in for maintenance. Ken cleaned the jack and took
off burrs that had developed from use. This one was made in 1983 and was a joy to the Apprentices to see the
infamous project up close and see details of its construction. Mark also sharpened butchering tools for the
Foodway's butchering program this weekend.
The other workmen in the Shop have been fulfilling their orders. Josh has been making small hammers for the
Tinsmiths, Alex has continued work on the plow for the Farmers, Aislinn and Mark have been working on the
sign bracket project, and Broadus has been making slide bolts and froes.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�The Blacksmith Shop will be open Daily.
Tinsmith – The Tin Shop will be open Tuesday through Saturday.
Brickmaker – This week saw the Masonry Apprentices, Nick and Madeleine, jetting off to the Netherlands
and Switzerland to study with the staffs of two Living History Museums that make clay roof tiles. This research
will direct our efforts next summer when we try to apply ourselves to the lucrative and exciting world of nonflammable roofing materials. (Note the subtle dig at our Carpenter neighbors!) Meanwhile, Josh and Kenneth
held down the fort in dreary, mundane Williamsburg and are not at all bitter.
This year marks the first in recent memory that saw Holiday decorations festooned upon our swanky
tool shed. Apprentice Madeleine took the lead in crafting these jolly, festive wreaths that brought out a
twinkle in even Carpenter Bobby Clay’s eye. Next year, we’re pulling out all the stops in the competition for
the blue ribbon!
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�The Brickyard will be open Sunday through Thursday, weather permitting.
Carpenter – This week, the Carpenters have continued to install shingles on the roof of the Farm building
at the Windmill site. We’ve been assisted by Kevin Tobias, who has taken to shingling like a pro.
We have to wait until the roof is done to progress on the siding, but that won’t be too far in the future. On
Saturdays, we’ve been at the Carpenters Yard hewing posts for the next projects.
The Carpenters will be at the new Historic Farming site, Ewing Field, Tuesday through Saturday, weather
permitting.
Colonial Garden – This time of year, we spend the days tending the fire, talking with Guests, and
harvesting food for the cooks in the Palace Kitchen. When the quarters are dry enough, we can hoe up weeds
and clean up leaves that have blown into the yard. The days begin with the chores that are carried on in a
Gentry Garden, such as lifting off the bell glasses from the lettuce, pulling back fabric tarps off tender plants,
and opening hotbeds and the cold frame.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�Huzzah to my colleagues Teal and Marc, who made the wreaths for the Garden. The theme was citrus.
“Owning exotic citrus trees that require the care of skilled gardeners and heated buildings during the winter
was a show of wealth during the 18th century. Our wreath is decorated with fresh lemons and oranges and
small artificial citrus trees in the form of topiaries. The trees are made from clay flowerpots, cheese cloth,
sycamore branches, felted cloth, and small acorns painted to look like lemons and oranges.”
The Prickly Pear (Opuntia) abounds with ripe “pears”. It is either the age of the plant or the warm longer
season that has given us a large amount of fruit this year. Viewed as a specimen plant in our Garden, it is
situated next to other “exotiks” such as the pomegranate trees. Our first paddles were planted in 2018.
And for the grand finale, a parade of beautiful leafy greens: Brown Dutch lettuce, White Seeded Simpson, Red
cabbage, and Green Glaze collards.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�The Colonial Garden will be open Daily, weather permitting.
Cooper – Here's the end result of the project we've teased over the last few weeks. The Coopers' Christmas
wreath this year includes a sleigh made from a small cask, a pinecone reindeer, and Hotch-Potch Claus. We
hope you like it.
The Cooper Shop will be open Tuesday through Saturday.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�Engraver – This week, the Engravers have been plugging away on
our continued projects as best we can. The sun unfortunately has
not cooperated entirely, so in our dark hours, we have been
sketching and drawing, practicing and preparing for new projects. A
few custom orders have also been drawn out and are awaiting the
customer’s approval.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�The Engraving Shop will be open Tuesday through Saturday.
Fifes & Drums – Like all of our colleagues, we have been busy prepping for and starting off the Holiday
Season! The weekend before Thanksgiving, all four adult staff members (Rebecca, Brodie, Christian, and
Emily) flew out to Phoenix, Arizona, to perform for the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American
Democracy. We decided to visit the Musical Instrument Museum while we were out there and had a blast!
The drummers were already jamming before we even got into the building. After our sound check later that
day, Rebecca got into a fight with a prickly pear and lost. Thankfully, the team used this as an opportunity to
do some team building and get her taken care of just in time to make it to the performance. The crowd of
about 1,000 people seemed to really enjoy the show. We are thankful for the O'Conner Institute to give us
this opportunity!
Back home, the Holidays kicked off with the Inn Lighting, Tree Lighting, First Yule Log, and first Grand
Illumination. It was an exciting week for our newest Senior Corps members, Luke Sipes and Ben Green. We
also had the pleasure of introducing our two newest Recruits, Luke Bessingpas and Emil Witkowski, to the
Corps for their first classes as fifers. We will continue our Tuesday and Wednesday programs for the rest of
the month and are looking forward to the next Yule Log and Grand Illumination. See you all out there!
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�Phoenix after the performance
Phoenix backstage
Senior Corps Tree Lighting
Senior Corps Yule Log
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�Foodways – The Historic Foodways staff will be in the Palace Kitchen Sunday through Thursday. The
Kitchen will be closed on Saturday, December 11th.
Foundry – This past week saw the first of the Grand Illuminations and the installation of the wreath that
Apprentice Leanne made for our Shop. The stars that adorn it are of particular interest as they are something
that were found on site during the archaeology of the Geddy property in the 1960s and are something that we
still make to this day. The original piece (which is on display in the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum) is
a decorative brass piece from a pair of horse blinders. We like the star shape so much that we now cast them
in silver as pendants for humans. Work on the drumhead tensioner hooks is progressing nicely. We roughly
filed them, and Journeyman Mike finished cutting in the threads this week. He is now giving them their final
file before they can be sanded smooth. Aside from helping out at the Engraving Shop, Apprentices Leanne and
Drew have been working on the bronze keys for the Courthouse. The keys have been cut off from their gates,
and they are now working on cutting out the bits with jeweler’s saws and files. Rain prevented us from
pouring this past Saturday, but we hope the weather cooperates this weekend so we can melt down some
bronze gates and turn them into ingots.
The Foundry will be open Sunday through Wednesday, and Saturday.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�Gunsmith – The Gunsmith Shop will be open Sunday through Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Historic Farming – It’s amazing what can come from a Guest encounter. We were sorting and tying
tobacco hands last weekend, and a Guest stopped by and shared with us his experiences growing up on a
tobacco farm in Eastern North Carolina in the 1980s. They grew a tobacco called Bright Leaf that is cured with
heat. At that time, they were still tying tobacco into hands before it went to the auction to be sold. He
showed us the techniques he learned as a child. Forty years later, he did it like he had done it yesterday. Look
at how close the past is! This man in his early 50s did much the same as was done in the 18th century. The
process today is much different, and the days of hand-made tobacco are gone in the United States.
But the memory remains. And that’s what we are doing by our work. Enacting memory of those that came
before us.
Prentis Field will be open Tuesday through Saturday, weather permitting.
Joinery – Good day from the Joiner Shop. It’s been a busy week, and projects are moving forward. Our
hearts grew three sizes this year, and we got into the Christmas Spirit with Shop decorations. Laura took some
time to assemble three wreaths for our windows and used a small wooden square from the Trade Center class
as the final touch.
Laura is working on her second peg rail, and with this one has documented the procedure as well as the
construction time. We’ll use this information for our Trade Center Workshop, “Let Me Take Your Coat”.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�Curved work is always a challenge (respect to our Coopers and Wheelwrights). For the curved parts on the
Menokin portico that Peter is studying, he had to make a scratch stock to match an Ovolo plane he’ll use to
cut the straight parts.
Scott continues his work on his corner cupboard. Since the back of the cupboard is finished and the shelves
attached, he’s now moving around to the front framing. Brian is currently planing out mouldings for the
pilaster he will present at the Working Wood in the 18th Century Symposium.
The Joinery will be open Sunday through Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Military Programs – Military Interpretation at the Guardhouse is open Daily. On Saturdays,
December 10 and 17, the Guardhouse will close at 4:45pm so that the staff can report can prepare for their
part in the Grand Illuminations
Milliner and Mantua-maker – We are now halfway through our annual Wedding Gown Program,
with the gown at last beginning to take shape. This year's project is based on a 1769 Gainsborough portrait of
the Countess of Sefton in a "fashionable undress" sack of gold striped silk. As an example of a casual, but
stylish, everyday outfit, the gown is a perfect representation of bridal wear. Buying an 18th-century wedding
dress would simply have been an excuse to get a new gown that would reflect the current trends in
fashionable daywear colors and styles. The expectation was that it would then become part of the lady's
regular wardrobe after the ceremony had taken place.
With the heavy rain on the first Sunday of the program (11/27), progress was necessarily a bit slower than we
planned. We cut out all of the pieces - fronts, back, lining, sleeves, stomacher, petticoat, and trim - and
despite the dark, managed to have the back pleats and lining stitched, the stomacher finished, and the
petticoat mostly seamed. With the sun mercifully shining again, this past Sunday was considerably more
productive. The petticoat is now hemmed and stitched to its waistband, and its flounce has been gathered
and trimmed. The sleeve flounces have also been completed and are ready to be arranged on the sleeves
once they're fit to the body. We're well-positioned now for our second fitting this Sunday, when the fronts of
the gown will be fit to the back, the waistline defined, and the shoulder straps set. The petticoat flounce will
also be attached, and we'll begin work on the trim that will edge the front opening of the gown's bodice and
skirts.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�The Milliner and Mantua-maker will be open Sunday through Thursday.
Musket Range – The Musket Range is open Friday through Tuesday, with sessions at 9:30am, 11am,
1:30pm, and 3pm. The Range will continue to be open on its normal days throughout the Holiday season
coming up, and it will not close over the winter.
Printer and Bookbinder:
Printing Office – Check out this past Tuesday's Colonial Williamsburg post on Facebook, "Mixing Ink
for Newspaper Printing." Next week will feature Chad Jones’ instructions on proper "ink ball" assembly. The
big Livestream will be Tuesday, December 20th.
The Printing Office will be open Sunday through Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Bindery – Greetings from the Bookbindery! Big happenings for yours truly this week. I can proudly
report that I have completed my Journeyman Project, have been assessed by the Powers That Be, and I will be
promoted shortly to my new position! I am happy that my work went into the hands of a most cherished
friend, mentor, and colleague, Wendy Sumerlin, on the occasion of her retirement. Happy Trails to you,
Wendy. I am honored to know you.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�A great big thank you goes out to Dale Dippre, the Supervisor of the Bookbindery, for his help and support
over the years, even when I was not working at the Bindery.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
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�Finally, a special thank you to the kind and generous donors of my Apprenticeship, Martha Webb and Dana
Copeland. I am grateful and thankful for their support.
Cheers! Barbie
The Bookbindery will be open Tuesday through Saturday.
Public Leather Works – The Public Leather Works staff will be working Sunday through Thursday.
Shoemaker – The Shoemakers will be working at the Public Leather Works Tuesday through Saturday.
Silversmith – With the winter Holidays drawing ever closer, the
Silversmiths are working hard to stock the Shop with shiny toys. Megan
continues work on her bowl and hopes to have it ready to solder the base
on soon. She has also been working on finishing up a batch of mourning
rings and has finished her first batch of plain band rings. Chris continues
work on her tray and has been working on a gold ring. Bobbie has finished
a toy, or miniature, punch bowl.
Preston is planishing his five-inch
bowl and is raising more small,
fluted bowls in addition to
having polished a huge amount
of jewelry. George is filing and
forging out the ingots he cast, as
well as forging out spoons.
Megan and Bobbie are both
transcribing the will of Ann Craig Megan holding a mourning ring she just
in order to see if James Craig is
finished polishing
mentioned.
Bobbie’s minature punch bowl
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�Chris’ gold ring. If we make one more, the
Shop will have a very festive five golden rings…
Preston’s tray of polished jewelry ready to be sent to the Golden Ball and
Prentis Store
The Silversmith Shop will be open Sunday, Monday, and Thursday through Saturday.
Tailor – Having been suitably decorated for the season, the Tailor Shop is now fit for viewing!
The large Tailor’s shears mounted on the wreath above the door were made by Journeyman McCarty a few
years ago. Master Hutter crafted the smaller wreaths that hang in the windows. Come Christmas time, the
Tailors will sprig the windowpanes with holly. The Tailors will neither confirm nor deny the image below as
having any likeness to last year’s Christmas party, but you can see the sprigs of holly in the windows.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�In the realm of trade work, Journeyman McCarty is just about finished with the 1840 coat. By the 1820s,
buttonholes began to be “keyhole” shaped, rather than the straight buttonholes seen in the 18th century.
Below is a common coat buttonhole from the coat owned by Amos King from around 1770 in the CWF
Collection. Coat buttonholes were often worked extra-long, around 2.25” to 3” long! This length was
considered proportionally attractive.
New coat styles in the 1780s left off the fashion for long buttonholes for buttonholes worked only as long as
was required to allow the button to be done and undone. In the 1820s, Tailors began to create buttonholes
with a larger space for the shank of the button to fit into. This solved the problem of buttonholes being
disfigured when the button-shank pushed it open which caused the fabric around it to pucker. This blue coat,
from around the 1830s, shows this “keyhole” shape: a shape still commonly used today in coats and jackets.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�The Tailor Shop will be open Sunday, and Wednesday through Saturday.
Weaving, Spinning, and Dyeing – We have passed the halfway mark with our military blankets. We
are completing the second panel for the sixth blanket and are preparing the final warp to complete the final
one. Next, the blankets will be delivered to the Magazine for their final phase of production: sewing. On our
countermarch loom, Annie is persevering on their huck and making progress every day! This past weekend,
Jeannie Asplundh, a dedicated Volunteer and supporter, spent a few days with us. Jeannie is a true patron of
the arts and spends her time here spinning and chatting with Guests. Ever a welcome Guest, we look forward
to her next visit!
The Weaving Shop will be open Sunday, Monday, and Thursday through Saturday.
Wheelwright – The Wheelwright Shop will be open Sunday through Thursday.
Wigmaker – The Wig Shop will be open Sunday through Thursday.
The Mechanick’s Adviser is a publication of the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Historic Trades & Skills.
Editor: Shari Monaco
Contributors: Anthony Hay Shop – John Peeler (Cabinetmaker); Apothecary – Margaret Perry; Armoury –
Joshua Rachita (Blacksmith); Brickmaker – Josh Graml; Carpenter – Matt Sanbury; Colonial Garden – Eve
Otmar; Cooper – Jon Hallman; Engraver – Lynn Zelesnikar; Fifes and Drums – Rebecca Sterner; Foundry – Drew
Godzik; Historic Farming – Ed Schultz; Joiner – Brian Weldy; Milliner and Mantua-maker – Rebecca Godzik;
Printing Office and Bindery – Peter Stinely (Printer) and Barbara Swanson (Bookbinder); Silversmith – Megan
Cantwell; Tailor – Michael McCarty; Weaving, Spinning, and Dyeing – Pamela Russo
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 42
�
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 8, number 42, December 9, 2022
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Publisher
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2022-12-09